CARS GLOBALMAG August 2016 | Page 107

For three months – April, May and June 2016 – this project united brave and strongminded mountaineers who took the challenge of the world’s highest mountain, and SUVs of the Land Cruiser family. The Land Cruiser 200 and the Land Cruiser Prado have again proved their right to be called “brave” cars, travelling a path of 15,250 kilometers in extreme road and altitude conditions, providing reliable support to the expedition during the climb and coming back to Moscow without a single failure. All the members of the united team – media project “Snob”, famous TV host Valdis  Pelsh’s  with the filming studio “RD Studio” and global web portal  Yandex  – were able to realize their ambitions, for they climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the Earth, and collected exclusive materials to show the world’s greatest peak to as many people as possible. THE CARS The expedition started 7,000  kilometers away from the Everest base camp, and it was essential to go all this way knowing full well the cars would not fail.  Alexei Mochalov, the planner of the car expedition route, “The journey started in UlanUde, Russia, and difficulties began right there as we drove through the fields and steppes to Ulan Bator. It was March, which means the roads were all dirt. We had three ice bridges on the way. But surely the Land Cruisers didn’t let us down even there.” Christina Kozlova, director of RD Studio, “All expedition members noted the comfort and spaciousness of the Land Cruisers’ interior. Each climber had loads of bags, and they all fit. We even picked up the other crews’ luggage. And I can say as a film director: the interior is so spacious that it is always easy to shoot inside the car “. However, the cars provided reliable support not only on the way. The Toyota Land Cruisers protected the mountaineers’ lives during training climbs. The climbers totally appreciated permanent mobility and possibility to protect some team members from acute mountain sickness by coming down and having a rest below the base camp’s altitude. Alexander Abramov, President of the 7 Peaks Club, seven-time Everest climber, “Cars