This is preprint of an article which appeared as: Maurer, Eva. An Academic Escape to the Periphery? The Social and Cultural Milieu of Soviet Mountaineering from the 1920s to the 1960s. In: Euphoria and Exhaustion. Modern Sport in Soviet Culture and Society. Franfurt, New York: Campus, 2010, pp. 159-178. If possible, please cite final published version. Pagination remains the same.