Where is Mount Ushba located? Ushba is the witchcraft mountain of Svaneti. The legend of the bloody walls of the killer mountain Ushba

Mount Ushba, rising high above the Shkheldinsky gorge, is considered one of the most popular massifs located in the Main region. The two peaks (North and South) are separated by the Ushba bridge, nicknamed by climbers the “pipe” for the strong winds that constantly blow through it. A mountain with a legendary past is still shrouded in a cloud of grandeur and mystery to this day.

Meaning of the name

The difficulty of the terrain, the history of conquest - all this gave it a very frightening name, which translates as “sabbath of witches”. But Ushba is known by another name - the killer mountain. This name has stuck to it from ancient times to the present day. She became famous for her strict disposition and unpredictable character. It happens that the rise to the top from simply difficult work develops into a difficult struggle for life. However, throughout the history of mountaineering and mountain sports Mount Ushba beckons with its splendor. Anyone who has seen this wonderful place at least once will not be able to forget the wonderful feeling of its enchanting appearance.

Description

The mysterious and alluring Caucasus offers a wonderful view from the slopes of Elbrus, but Mount Ushba is capricious and famous for its unstable weather. If the day is clear throughout the Caucasus and the tops of all the peaks are clearly visible, then this beauty may be shrouded in fog. In order to see it from Elbrus, you often need to wait several days. A coven of witches doesn't need popularity.

But when suddenly the mountain queen wants to appear from behind her white robes, you can enjoy a bewitching, wonderful spectacle. Almost two kilometers of pink rocks of granite and gneiss hang over emerald meadows and a glacier sparkling with diamond light. This is impossible to imagine even with a very wild imagination. You can enjoy all the views that Mount Ushba can give you only by looking at it with your own eyes.

Legend

The scarlet walls of the royal mountain became the main theme of the very wonderful story, which locals love to retell.

A hunter Betkel lived a long time ago. His marvelous appearance, youth and courageous character attracted good luck: he constantly brought prey from the hunt. One day, a young man decided to climb the mountain of the Sabbath of Witches. All the villagers began to convince him, but nothing came of it. When Betkel approached the glacier itself, the Georgian goddess of hunting Dali appeared in front of him. She really liked this brave young man, and she did everything to make him fall in love with her.

Betkel lived a happy life with his goddess for a long time. But one day, when the clouds dissolved, he looked down and saw the familiar walls of his settlement. Feeling sad, the young man quietly ran away from Dali. In his native village, he met the most beautiful girl in Svaneti and decided to marry her. A wild aurochs came from the mountains for the wedding celebration, and the young man decided to shoot it in honor of the holiday. For a long time he ran after the tour, not thinking about where the road led.

The hunter climbed very high on the slopes of Ushba when the tour evaporated. Betkil realized that he had fallen into Dali's trap. The whole village came to the foot of the cliff where the young man had climbed. He asked the residents to perform the wedding and funeral ritual, and then fell from the cliff, turning it the color of his blood. Since then, hunters were forbidden to climb there, and Dali never appeared in front of people again.

Difficulties of the climb

Mount Ushba is also striking in its size. The height of its northern peak reaches 4690 m, the southern one - 4710 m. Both of them are covered with a thick snow cover. Despite this, more than half of the route to the 2700 m point is easy to travel by car. Of course, you will need an SUV for this. The most good option there will be a UAZ, which is not called an all-terrain vehicle for nothing. Its maneuverability in these places is much better than that of the famous jeeps. On a very narrow road, large foreign cars simply cannot pass.

Not everyone can conquer Mount Ushba. Climbing it is only possible for experienced rock climbers, who have already climbed the peaks of the highest difficulty category more than once. Climbers have to overcome technically difficult high mountain areas. You can use the services good guide or climb on your own.

If you decide to storm these peaks, you need to know the Ushba Icefall well, because it is full of cracks. During periods suitable for ascension, they do not disappear anywhere, but become more noticeable. These are the most dangerous places, in connection with this, the mysterious beauty received her sad nickname Ushba - the killer mountain.

Pride of Svaneti

The whole of Svaneti, a mountainous country distinguished by its free character, was presented by nature itself in the form of Ushba. In the Central Caucasus, there is no greater reason for pride and respect than climbing this mountain, inaccessible to mere mortals. This is precisely why many people value such places.

For Russian lovers of mountain peaks, who have the opportunity to see Ushba from another territory, from the north, this massif does not have such a mythical aura as for the residents of Svaneti. Nevertheless, the image of the mountain attracts the eye and at the same time frightens. A huge double-headed peak reigns over the entire territory as a ruler. Caucasian ridge. And there is no doubt that she is a queen, tall, stately and unapproachable. This is what Mount Ushba is. Georgia can safely be proud of this creation of nature.

Around the massif there are steep one and a half kilometer walls, along which there are routes of varying levels of difficulty. On this moment There are about five hundred routes on Ushba.

The easiest, and now standard, route to North Ushba is category 4a. It passes through the Ushba plateau, through a place called the “pillow”, and then three hundred meters along a steep slope with an ice-snow surface stretches to the summit ridge. There is ice under the snow cover, and if there was a snowstorm before the ascent, there is a threat of avalanches. Along the long northern ridge there are double cornices shaped by nature at the peak of the mountain. The climb from the Ushbinsky plateau to the top takes about eight hours, and the return journey takes half as much time.

Outlaw

The famous Mount Ushba, where there are many difficult, but at the same time interesting routes, a wonderful dream of many climbers, is now considered illegal. There is one very important point. It so happened that a mountain popular throughout the planet, an integral part of the history of Soviet, and nowadays Russian mountain sports, is now banned, and climbing it is considered a serious violation. Nothing can be done - at the moment the situation is such that the state border passes within the short southern spur of the Main Caucasus Range.

Here she is, the Queen of the Caucasus, a majestic, inaccessible, capricious and proud peak. Ushba is a legend of world mountaineering, with a long and dramatic story ascents.The majestic profile, geometric correctness of forms and colossal scale of this world-famous Caucasus Mountains leave no room for doubt about it.


« Ushba, Uzhba, double-headed steep peak in the central part Greater Caucasus, rising to the Southeast from the Elbrus massif on the short southern spur of the Main, or Watershed, Range in Svaneti. Altitude up to 4700 m.”

(Great Soviet Encyclopedia)

The map was compiled by Vladimir Kopylov. www.Elbrus1.com

The Ushba plateau, located at an altitude of 4000 m, is covered with a powerful glacier and is surrounded by the peaks of the Main Range - Shkhelda, Ushba Malaya, Shchurovsky Peak, Chatyn and Ushba. From the southwest, the plateau is bounded by a long, heavily indented Eastern ridge - the “saw” of the Eastern Shhelda.

Solo against the backdrop of Ushba

Ushba is considered one of the most difficult “four thousand meters” mountains in the world. It is located at the very end of the Shkheldinsky Gorge, on the border of Russia and Georgia. Altitude 4700 m above sea level. The Ushba massif consists of two peaks. On all sides, the slopes of the massif are cut off by steep 1000-1500-meter walls.

The North Peak (4690 m) was first climbed in 1888 by John Garford Cockin with guide Ulrich Almer. The southern peak (4700 m) was conquered only in 1903 by an expedition of German, Swiss and Austrian climbers, led by Willy Rickmer-Rickmers.

The two peaks are connected by the Ushba bridge or “pipe”. It lives up to its name: even in good weather It's windy there.

Ushba is a killer mountain, a ghost mountain. All the romance of mountaineering recedes before its cruelty and waywardness. Sometimes the climb turns from just hard work into a desperate fight for life. But inexorably the mountain with its Impregnable Greatness continues to attract to itself, flashing at sunset with the light of red coals, burning the soul and calling, beckoning, flickering in the approaching darkness.
I came across these lines on the Internet on one of the sites when I was trying to understand the reason for such frequent accidents with climbers who stormed this peak this summer.
Rising beyond the Shkheldinsky gorge, Ushba is one of the most prestigious and widely known massifs throughout the world, it was further noted on this site. Its special, disturbing shape, the grandiose scale of the walls and the history of conquest created the Legend of the Summit, which not without reason bears such a formidable name - the Sabbath of Witches, as the name Ushba is translated from Georgian.

Ushba is the most famous mountain in Svaneti and, probably, one of the most famous in the entire Caucasus. It is far from the highest (4690 meters), but it is distinguished by its somewhat pointed shape and the difficulty of climbing. Ushba has two peaks, North and South. From the Georgian side, only the southern side is often visible - for example, from the Becho community.

The mountain is composed mainly of garnites and has characteristic steep slopes. On the north side there is a large, completely vertical plane, which is called the Mirror of Ushba. At one time, the famous Georgian climber Khergiani passed the mirror.

Bad season

The fact that Ushba is the subject of dreams for many climbers was confirmed by the current season, which turned out to be exceptionally intense in terms of the number of ascents. It is known that not all of them ended happily, and some, unfortunately, ended tragically. Let's give a few examples.

Georgian rescuers provided assistance to a group of four Russian climbers who had been in the Svaneti mountains for almost six days and could not get out after being caught in an avalanche and rockfall. One of them had an injured leg. Rescuers were still able to take out the climbers by helicopter and deliver them to Mestia. More than 60 rescuers were involved in the rescue work.

By the evening of August 12, Georgian rescuers managed to lift the body of a Russian climber from the crevice, who fell while climbing the Ushba peak, said the head of the administration of the regional center of Mestia, Ilya Japaridze. Rescuers worked all day in extremely difficult conditions, Japaridze said. According to him, the climber’s body was delivered to the regional center of Mestia, then the Georgian side began resolving issues related to his delivery to his homeland.

Ilya Japaridze reported that a group of Russian climbers of three people, one of whom died, climbed the peak of Ushba from Russia. The climbers were coming from a buffer zone where they can move freely. Therefore, local structures in Svaneti had no prior information about this ascent.

The head of the Mestia administration noted that other groups of Russian and Ukrainian climbers are currently on Ushba, but everything is fine with them, and they have their own program to conquer mountain peak. The Department of Emergency Situations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia recently reported that five Italian tourists found themselves in the rockfall zone on Mount Ushba and needed help. There were two women among the climbers. Rescuers by helicopter were able to reach the Italians asking for help and transport them to a safe place.

The story of the Armenian climber deserves special attention. The climber climbed Ushba alone. He was captured in the mountains due to... lack of equipment (?!). Requested help to get down from the top. However, due to the complex weather conditions and due to the inaccessibility of the place, the helicopter could not fly there immediately. Rescuers still managed to take the climber to safety.

Expensive pleasure

So, reports about Italian tourists or an Armenian climber with insufficient equipment undoubtedly push us to think about whether everything is smoothly organized in the organization of ascents to such a capricious mountain beauty that is Ushba. How will the readiness of groups and individual climbers be checked? Is it possible to dissuade tourists from such a difficult route?

In this regard, let me remind you of an incident that occurred recently in the mountains of Tibet. A Chinese climber was forcibly removed from Everest for an unauthorized ascent - without a tour group or permission, he reached 7772 meters and practically conquered the highest point. high mountain in the world. He was only 76 meters away from the top point.

It should be noted that permission to conquer Everest is, to put it mildly, an expensive pleasure: the minimum cost is 25 thousand dollars (excluding the cost of equipment and instructor). A significant part of ascents are organized by specialized companies, and climbers climb as part of commercial groups.

Clients of these companies pay for the services of guides who provide the necessary training, provide equipment and, as far as possible, ensure safety along the entire route. The cost of such a conquest of Everest is 70 thousand dollars, but the extreme is worth it. Now, almost every day we see helicopters flying against the backdrop of snowy peaks on television, we see how our brave climbers rush to the rescue of their foreign colleagues, we see what enormous efforts and what risks it costs them to save people in trouble. That’s how it should be, honor and praise to them!

But at the same time, first of all, there must be a system of warnings in place that will make it possible to close the path to Ushba to tourists or unprepared climbers. Obviously, a special service should be created that would be responsible for the preparation and organization of mountain ascents. It is this service that could be entrusted with issuing licenses and permits to conquer Ushba, Mkinvartsveri, Tetnulda or other peaks.

The story is well known about how the ruling prince of Svaneti, Dadeshkeliani, in 1903 officially presented Ushba to the climber Chenchi von Fikker, a participant in the Rickmers expedition. A deed of gift for this event has been preserved. The Svans were offended: how can they give a mountain to a foreigner? Dadeshkeliani was not only a man of grand gestures. He was also, apparently, endowed with great humor. He answered his offended fellow tribesmen: The mountain still stands as it stood, but the woman is pleased.

Ushba stood and still stands, we are convinced today. And it still attracts daredevils like a magnet. There is no need to even make efforts to popularize it. We just need to take care that at the initial stage we protect climbers as much as possible from emergency incidents.

Givi Koridze

Http://rus-press.ge/index.php?newsid=8378

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Ushba is a fairy tale mountain, a dream mountain and a death mountain. Every climber dreams of the peaks of Ushba, but climbing there is difficult, and accidents on the slopes of the mountain generally happen more often than when climbing other peaks.

The word “Ushba” translated from Svan means “mountain that brings misfortune” (ush - trouble, ba - mountain). “Woe-mountain”, as the group “Melnitsa” sings, an excellent translation of the name of the peak. Since the mountain is located on the Main Caucasus Ridge, it is clearly visible from Russia. In Karachay-Cherkessia they call it yuch-bash (yuch - three, bash - top, head) - “three peaks”. This is slightly strange, since Ushba has only two peaks - northern and southern - and they are visible from everywhere with the naked eye. The northern (4694), lower peak, was conquered in 1888 by Kokklin and Almer, and the southern (4710) - a little later, in 1903, by an expedition led by Rickmer-Rickmers.

A very common translation of the name Ushba is “ Coven” - fundamentally untrue, but romantic. Not otherwise, according to the climbers who have been to the top.

And if you think that three titles is a little too small for such a famous mountain, then here's more for you. Due to the excessive picturesqueness of the famous peak, already ordinary tourist guides nicknamed the mountain “ Caucasian Matterhorn” similar to the legendary Swiss mountain.

Ushba is clearly visible from any high point Svaneti, including the Svaneti ridge. From below best views- from the Becho community (Mazeri village), where summit conquerors from the Georgian side mainly start. True, in Becho only the southern peak is visible - to see both Ushba horns, you will have to sweat a little and climb about a kilometer up to the glacier.

There is a legend about how in 1903, Prince Dadeshkeliani gave Ushba to a participant in the expedition that conquered the southern peak, Chenchi von Fikker. Or rather, a gift is historical fact, there was even a deed of gift from the prince. And according to legend, the residents of Svaneti were upset that the prince gave the peak to a foreigner. Dadeshkeliani replied: “The mountain still stands as it stood, but the woman is pleased.”

Another legend popular among climbers concerns a certain English club for Ushba lovers. They say it is extremely difficult to get into, and members of the club gather from time to time, share new photographs and descriptions of ascents, but they themselves have never been to Ushba. People just like the mountain. And, frankly speaking, they are quite understandable.

At the foot of Ushba you can visit our “Svaneti on foot” hike, but in “Svaneti light” it will only be visible from afar.

Upcoming hikes in Georgia:

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Photos

Dedicated to my friends who died while climbing Ushba.

Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba

I look at old photographs. I see the stern faces of people who risked their lives for the sake of true friendship and a common victory, indivisible into small parts. And common victory, like true friendship, knows neither state nor national differences and borders. Some of these people are no longer alive. But their departure is not shrouded in bashful evasions and vague omissions. Everything is clear and simple. They knew why and where they were going. And they knew what price they could pay. And they paid. In full.

Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba This story began a long time ago, woven in intricate knots around a peak with a strange and alarming name - Ushba. Since time immemorial, this mountain has hung like a gloomy rocky mass over the Svan village of Mestia, with its stern grandeur from an early age filling the hearts of the mountaineers with courage and pride for their people. How this happens is a mystery, but maybe it doesn’t matter how. The important thing is that a simple traveler who accidentally finds himself on a road that, cutting mountain slope, descends in loops towards Mestia, even a stranger to these mountains feels a strange tension. And it is not difficult to determine its source - a strict, majestic peak, eerily regular in shape, the vertical base of which seems to rest on the very edge of the village, where the ancient Svan towers have been taking from this mountain an example of proud inaccessibility for almost a thousand years.

Ushba is a special mountain for Svaneti. Any man this tiny mountainous country grows up with a deep sense of respect and awe for his most worthy personal test - Ushba. The very appearance of this mountain contains a challenge to human courage. Unapproachable and majestic, Ushba constantly serves as a reminder, prompting the most courageous to act, the audacity of which does not fit into the scheme of everyday needs. Without the slightest selfish interest, the Svans risk their lives for the sake of a pure victory, meaningless from a generally accepted point of view, but at a huge price - climbing to the top of Ushba. Svans do not go to Ushba for money or rewards. There is no economic or hunting interest there. A one-of-a-kind fact, amazing, like the entire history of Svaneti - a small mountainous country, whose proud and free character nature itself expressed in the form of a Mountain.

Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba There is no greater reason for pride and respect in Svaneti than climbing Ushba, a peak seemingly inaccessible to mortals. For this unique quality, I especially love and respect the Svan people.

For us, Russian climbers, accustomed to seeing Ushba from the other side, from the north, this mountain does not have such metaphysical significance as for the inhabitants of Svaneti, but still, its appearance is eye-catching and frightening. The majestic double-headed peak rightfully reigns over the entire line of the Caucasian ridge. There is no doubt - this is the Queen. The tallest. The slenderest. And inaccessible.

None of the peaks of the Caucasus is covered with such an aura of legends, stories and dramatic facts as Ushba. This Mountain is a Legend, no less famous than the European symbol of mountaineering - the Matterhorn. In some ways these two mountains are very similar; some strange internal similarity unites them.

Historically, the same parallel. There would not have been such drama and self-sacrifice in the birth of mountaineering in the Alps if not for the Matterhorn. And who knows how Soviet mountaineering would have developed if not for Ushba?!

For a dozen generations of climbers, Ushba has become the foundation of skill, a criterion of maturity. Stories about the legendary climbs to Ushba were used to instill in young athletes respect and a desire to improve their mountaineering skills. But not everyone managed to achieve their desired goal. The cruelty and treachery of Ushba were also part of the glory of this peak. Many lives were cut short here...

And, as usual, I hear this question - was it worth it?! Woe to relatives, grief to friends. For what?! Ice and stone, the madness of a mighty element... But those who accepted the challenge and withstood this duel will not hesitate to respond. It was worth it. What remains in the heart justifies the risk. Repeatedly.

There are few values ​​in the world that do not age. But from the moment of the first ascents of Ushba at the end of the 19th century, when Austrian climbers first climbed the uncharted heights of the most difficult peaks of the Caucasus, and to the present day, when, at the risk of being imprisoned for violating the state border and not even hoping for help in case of failure, climbers go out to the most difficult routes- the price of the issue has not changed one iota - the game is definitely worth the candle.

Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba Much has been laid on Ushba the most beautiful routes, among which there are no simple ones - only the strongest and most experienced can access this mountain. The names of the first climbers also became legends long ago - Kokkin, Khergiani, Myshlyaev, Abalakov... There was not a single athlete in the Union who crossed the master's line who did not know the full depth of the meaning of this short word - Ushba. The Ushbists were especially respected, because they had unique experience, which could only be obtained in a confrontation with the Queen of the Caucasus - Ushba. Even the difficulty categories for routes to Ushba did not fall into the general framework of sports categories - athletes who did not have experience in climbing routes of the same category were not allowed on the Ushba routes. Ushba has always been the most famous technical peak of the Caucasus in the country.

As you probably already understand, for me Ushba is not just a peak. From the very beginning of my acquaintance with the mountains, Ushba was the criterion by which purity of aspirations, strength of courage, and inflexibility of will are measured. This is the Top. I guess I'm a bit of a Swan at heart. But after my first ascent of Ushba, I felt like a different person. And the success of our memorial ascent in 2002 is also largely based on the common understanding among all participants of the exceptional importance of Ushba and a reverent attitude towards it.

But Legend Mountain, the cherished dream of so many climbers, is now outlawed.

Another amazing fact, quite comparable to the others. How is it possible that a world-famous peak, an inseparable part of the history of our, Soviet, and now Russian mountaineering, suddenly found itself banned, and climbing Ushba became a serious crime. However, this is the situation today.

Ushba is located in the short southern spur of the Main Caucasus Range. That is, beyond the border, which runs along this very ridge. The border with Georgia, for those who haven’t guessed it yet. And Georgia is now an enemy for us.

Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba The state must protect its borders. From whom should they be protected? From enemies, of course, from criminals, smugglers and terrorists. But none of these criminal elements are interested in Ushba. It is difficult to even imagine a more fantastic, complex and intricate way to violate the border.

No, hundreds of heavily armed Russian border guards guard Ushba only from climbers. For what? Who needs to rob people of the pure joy of sports victory? How did it happen that those who, not sparing their own lives, saved mine, and then cried at the top from the joy of a common victory - now, as propaganda claims, have become enemies?! No, something is wrong here. It can not be. I didn't understand something or got it all wrong. Surely it cannot be that its own citizens become enemies of the state?!

I was just looking at old photographs from the expedition to Ushba. The now forbidden peak.

P.S. If (suddenly) this text catches the eye of any of those in whose hands there is power and authority over issues of a national scale, think, just think, no more - what’s wrong with the fact that climbers will have the opportunity not only to look at Ushba and listen to the stories of veterans?! Is it really an insoluble political impasse that the majestic peaks of Ushba can be accessed from the Russian side, as has been the case for over 100 years? Is it really so difficult for politicians to take a step towards, even if not each other, but at least their own citizens, athletes, whose only interest is to be amazing at the top? beautiful mountain experience the pure joy of victory?! Is this really SO difficult and deeply infringing on state interests?

Our principles

AlexClimb Rule #1 - Safety Priority

From the very beginning of our activities, for almost 16 years now, the first operating principle of the MCS AlexClimb School of Mountaineering and Rock Climbing is the Priority of Safety. The entire learning process is built on the basis of this Principle; all programs and tours are developed and conducted exclusively within the framework of this main Principle. We believe that with a professional approach to program development, personal discipline and proper motivation, mountaineering and rock climbing are COMPLETELY safe. And from the opposite - all the troubles and accidents in our sport come from unprofessionalism, from ignorance or neglect of basic safety standards, from irrational motivation, from overestimation of one’s own strengths and capabilities. We COMPLETELY EXCLUDE all these prerequisites in our work - our Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing and Mountaineering are based on one Principle - the Priority of Safety. In rock climbing, mountaineering and ice climbing, MCS AlexClimb's Safety Priority is your personal safety and comfort, no matter what we are doing - training muscles and practicing movement techniques in the gym and on the climbing wall, making our way through a snowstorm to the top or relaxing on the golden sand Caribbean beach after a hot day of training on the rocks. The priority of Safety is the main credo of the MCS AlexClimb Mountaineering and Climbing School.

AlexClimb Rule #2 - Leave No Trace

Working closely with nature, conducting active programs in the mountains, forests, rivers and lakes, we perfectly understand the importance of a careful and respectful attitude towards nature and its resources. From the very beginning of our outdoor activities, we adopted the Leave No Trace technique - a norm of human behavior accepted throughout the civilized world in relation to the environment and especially to wildlife. Indeed, from the attitude of people to the nature next to which they exist, one can draw far-reaching conclusions about the attitude of these people to themselves... Wherever and how we travel, we do not leave any garbage behind us, we try to reduce our impact on the environment as much as possible. environment to a minimum. We clear previously contaminated tourist sites from the garbage left behind, take out and take to disposal sites what other people left there before us. We believe that only in this way, with the personal individual consciousness of every citizen, every tourist, climber or road traveler, will we be able to preserve the nature around us in its natural, livable state - this is the key to a healthy future for ourselves and our children.

AlexClimb Rule #3 - Sober consciousness

The position of the MCS AlexClimb Mountaineering and Climbing School regarding a healthy lifestyle is clear - we believe that only sober consciousness capable of sincerely experiencing and sympathizing, enjoying life in all its diversity. A bright and fulfilling life is possible only subject to absolute sobriety and purity of consciousness. Any drugs that cloud our perception of reality are intended to harm our consciousness and physical health, replace true values ​​with false ones, destroy us as people - turn us into a flabby, powerless, senseless, gray herd with dull eyes. We do not impose our point of view on anyone, everyone has the opportunity to make their own own choice. But inside our School we unspokenly accept a very specific, very simple set of rules: no alcohol, no drugs.

 

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