Adaikhokh
4,408 m
Russia
Also known as Adai-Khokh, АдайхохAlso known as
Adai-Khokh · Адайхох
- Elevation
- 4,408 m
- Prominence
- 631 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 18 Sep 2026
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all travel to Russia because of the war in Ukraine; its ability to help British nationals is extremely limited.
gov.uk
Routes
1Sources differ: 3A (Russian), east ridge, combined; O. Schuster and V. Fischer, 1910 (Soviet guide 'Karaugom. Digoria. Tsey' (kmvline.ru), route 166)
The easiest route on the summit that towers over the Tsey resort: from Tsey up the Skazdon valley and a loose couloir to the Skaz bivouac at the level of the upper Skaz glacier, across the plateau to the Skaz pass, then a long, partly corniced east ridge with the 'Rogatka' and Big gendarmes and a final 70–100 m ice-snow slope to the summit ice cap. Two days.
About 57% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 5 check notes
- 57% approximate geometry
- Tsey → Skaz glacier: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 4.5 km)
- Skaz glacier → Skaz pass: glacier (snap_failed, 1.8 km)
- Skaz pass → Adaikhokh: glacier (snap_failed, 1.3 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Skaz bivouac, Rogatka gendarme
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 7.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,456 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,410 m
- Time Up
- 9h 11m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 56m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Tsey rescue post take the path along the left bank of the Skazdon, pass the 'Green' hill and follow the left-bank moraine of the Skaz glacier. Step right onto the glacier, cross it and a broken, grassy rock slope to a rock couloir, and climb straight up the couloir (stonefall), leaving it for the loose slope on the left. Snow and broken rock lead to the Skaz bivouac sites level with the upper plateau of the Skaz glacier, 4–5 hours from Tsey. Drop onto the plateau and keep to its right side (hidden crevasses) to the foot of the broad Skaz pass. Cross the bergschrund on a snow bridge and climb a moderate snow slope, threading crevasses, to the right-hand side of the saddle (1.5–2 hours from the bivouac). Turn right onto the east ridge of Adai-Khokh and follow the easy, partly snowy and corniced crest, passing gendarmes on the left. The 'Rogatka' (slingshot) gendarme is climbed through its centre by a 4–5 m wall. Continue over loose, snowy rock to the last, Big gendarme, climb it direct on easy to moderate rock, then go straight up a steep 70–100 m ice-snow slope between ice bulges or cornices (avalanche risk, screw belays) to the snow dome of the summit: 4–5 hours from the pass. Descend the same way. The guide warns that the mountain's slopes are heavily snow-covered and broken, with stonefall, avalanches and serac fall.
Start
Tsey1,975 m
- Scheduled bus Vladikavkaz–Tsey (published departures 06:20 and 15:00), or a transfer from Vladikavkaz or Beslan airport
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Tsey1,975 m
Start at the Tsey rescue (KSP) post; position given is the Tsey alpine camp
- Feature: Skaz glacier3,137 m
Follow the left-bank moraine, then cross the glacier to a rock couloir
- Col: Skaz pass3,846 m
Bergschrund and crevassed snow slope below the saddle
- Summit: Adaikhokh4,408 m
Key Passages
- Stonefall-prone couloir below the Skaz bivouac
- Bergschrund below the Skaz pass
- Rogatka gendarme (4–5 m wall)
- Big gendarme
- Final 70–100 m ice-snow slope to the summit dome
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 50%Overview
The ice-capped 4,408 m summit that dominates the Tsey resort and the Skaz glacier in North Ossetia. Its easiest route, the Russian 3A east ridge first climbed in 1910, is a two-day mixed climb from Tsey via the Skaz glacier and the Skaz pass.
Adai-Khokh (Adai) is the central, nodal summit of the Kalper ridge at the head of the Tsey valley, between Zaromag to the west and the Skaz pass to the east. A large ice-snow plateau caps the summit and breaks off in ice cliffs to the south and east, while steep ice-snow slopes fall to the north and west. Its snowy north ridge runs down to Kaltberg (about 4,120 m) and continues as the long spur ending in the Monakh rock, which splits the upper Tsey valley into the Tsey glacier basin to the west and the Skaz glacier basin to the east.
Seen from the Tsey ski slopes and lifts, it is the first peak to catch the morning sun and the one that hides the afternoon sun from the pistes. The Soviet guide lists six routes on Adai and Kaltberg, from 1B on Kaltberg to 4B on Adai's north-west face; the 3A east ridge is the easiest on the main summit.
The guide warns that the slopes are heavily snow-covered and broken, with stonefall, avalanches and serac fall. The name Adai-Khokh was used in the nineteenth century for the whole massif including Uilpata, and Déchy's 1884 account of 'Adai Choch' describes Uilpata.
Climbing Notes
For parties with Russian 2B–3A experience: glacier travel with crevasse rescue, belayed moderate rock on gendarmes, cornice judgement and a steep ice-snow finish. Plan two days from Tsey plus a spare day: 4–5 hours to the Skaz bivouac, then about 6–7 hours to the summit and the descent. Acclimatise first, for example on Kaltberg (1B–2A) or with a night at the Skaz bivouac. The Tsey alpine camp offers instructors and route descriptions and is the natural base.
History
The first ascent, by the east ridge, is credited to O. Schuster and V. Fischer in 1910. A large Soviet party including F. Sauberer, I. Antonovich and A. Zolotarev repeated it on 10 July 1934. Later routes include the north ridge via Kaltberg (T. Volgina's party, 28 July 1946, 3B), the north-west face (S. Frolov and others, 7 August 1952, 4B) and the east face (K. Barov and others, 2 September 1953, 4A).
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; Tsey ski season
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Avalanche season
- May
- Deep snow
- Jun
- Good snow but cornices and avalanche risk
- Jul
- Main climbing season
- Aug
- Main season; more stonefall in the approach couloir
- Sep
- Icier summit slope; shorter days
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate, North Ossetia)Required
The Tsey resort area is not in the border zone, but the unofficial Tsey resort site says a pass is needed to climb peaks inside it and that passes take 60 days to issue. Adai-Khokh is about 2 km from the Georgian border. Apply well in advance; the alpine camp can advise.
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- Hut Booking
- No hut on the route; camp at the Skaz bivouac. Rooms and tent pitches at the Tsey alpine camp: +7 918 824 10 15 (published on the unofficial Tsey site).
- Fees
- Accommodation, meals, instructors and transfers at the Tsey alpine camp are paid services
- Rules
- Border zone near the Georgia (South Ossetia) frontier: carry your passport and pass; do not descend to the south side of the Main Caucasus Ridge
- The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia
- Getting There
Tsey (resort village); Alagir and Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz Beslan (OGZ)
- Scheduled bus Vladikavkaz–Tsey (published departures 06:20 and 15:00; return 09:15), or a transfer from Vladikavkaz railway station or Beslan airport
- By car from Vladikavkaz via Alagir and Buron on the Transcaucasian highway, then up the Tseydon valley to Tsey
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Cornices
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Weather