A 182m ice core was recovered from a borehole drilled into bedrock on the western plateau of Mt. Elbrus (43 degrees 20' 53.9 '' N, 42 degrees 25'36.0 '' E; 5115ma.s.l.) in the Caucasus, Russia, in 2009. This is the first ice core in the region that represents a paleoclimate record that is practically undisturbed by seasonal melting. Relatively high snow accumulation rates at the drilling site enabled the analysis of the intraseasonal variability in climate proxies. Borehole temperatures ranged from -17 degrees C at 10m depth to -2.4 degrees C at 182 m. A detailed radio-echo sounding survey showed that the glacier thickness ranged from 45m near the marginal zone of the plateau up to 255m at the glacier center. The ice core has been analyzed for stable isotopes (delta O-18 and delta D), major ions (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4+, SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, F-), succinic acid (HOOCCH2COOH), and tritium content. The mean annual net accumulation rate of 1455mmw : e : for the last 140 years was estimated from distinct annual osc