That's right, everyone: I'm at it again! I have formed a team of outstanding climbers to tackle another of the seven summits in order to raise money for cancer research. Cancer kills nearly 7 million people every year, and that number is on the rise. Mom suffered from a malignant brain tumor, which is one of the most aggressive and virulent forms of cancer. Survival rates are, well, non existant. To honor her memory, and to raise funds to conquer this disease, Team KBB will travel to Russia to climb to the highest point in Europe at the end of July. The Caucasus Mountain Range rises up between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, dividing Europe (to the north) from Asia (to the south). Located on the border between Russia and Georgia, Mt. Elbrus' two summits are permanently snow-covered, dormant volcanoes.The Germans briefly occupied the mountain during World War II with 10,000 mountaineer soldiers, making it the only of the seven summits to have played a role in war time. Although an intermediate level peak in terms of technical difficulty, Elbrus can pose many challenges. On average, between 15 and 30 people die on the mountain each year, mostly owing to notoriously unpredictable weather. In our final bid for the summit, Team KBB will need to gain about 5,000 feet of elevation, which, depending on the route, weather, snow conditions, and how well the team is faring, can take 6 to 12 hours to the top and another 3 to 5 hours back to camp. Exhaustion, altitude sickness, white-out conditions, high winds, fog, disorientation - any number of factors can present problems on the route. We are all training hard for the rigors ahead. Please please donate to support the team's efforts. 100% OF YOUR DONATION WILL GO DIRECTLY TOWARD CRITICALLY NEEDED CANCER RESEARCH through grants administered by the American Association of Cancer Research, the oldest cancer organization in the world with 27,000 scientists worldwide working every day to find a cure, in conjunction with the National Brain Tumor Foundation (information at left.) Thanks in advance for your support. I will keep you posted on the team's progress.