Adyrsu
4,370 m
Russia
Also known as АдырсубашиAlso known as
Адырсубаши
- Elevation
- 4,370 m
- Prominence
- 683 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 very limited, particularly in the North Caucasus.
gov.ukRegulationReported 24 Mar 2025
From March 2025 the Ullu-Tau camp is excluded from the border zone and the Wishing Stone meadow in Adyr-Su needs only a passport; a border-zone pass is still required in the 5 km strip along the Georgian border, which includes the upper valley and Adyrsubashi.
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Routes
1Sources differ: 3A (Russian), west buttress of the south ridge, combined; V. Vyaltsev and A. Chernykh, 24 July 1935 (Adyrsu ridge route guide (caucasalp.narod.ru), route 41; 2017 Kabardino-Balkaria border register, route 57; alpinist.biz classifier)
The easiest route on Adyrsubashi, the 4,370 m peak at the head of the Adyr-Su valley: from the Ullu-Tau camp to the Mestia hut on a rock island in the Adyrsu glacier or the Red Rocks bivouac, then a long broken rock buttress, a 20 m wall on the South gendarme, a snowy ridge with gendarmes and an 80–100 m ice-snow gully to the summit.
About 42% 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
- danger scan: Mestia hut → Red Rocks bivouac: DEM line 885 m off the straight axis
- Mestia hut → Red Rocks bivouac: dem (snap_failed, 2.6 km)
- Red Rocks bivouac → Adyrsubashi: dem (snap_failed, 2.0 km)
- unresolved waypoints: South gendarme
- waypoints not on the route line: Wishing Stone (200 m off the trail)
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 10.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,181 m
- −169 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,370 m
- Time Up
- 8h 58m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 17m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Adyrsubashi (Adyrsu) stands at the southern end of the Adyrsu ridge, where it leaves the Main Caucasus Ridge at Sarykol, and closes the head of the Adyr-Su valley. All its routes are Russian 3A or harder. From the Ullu-Tau alpine camp follow the right-bank path up the Adyr-Su valley past the 'Wishing Stone' to the Mestia bivouac sites (2–3 hours), then along the right-bank moraine onto the tongue of the Adyrsu glacier and across it to a large rock island; the small Mestia (Adyrsu) hut stands on top of the island (3–4 hours from the camp). From the hut descend left onto the glacier, cross to the right-bank moraine and follow it to the foot of the west buttress, then climb coarse scree to the Red Rocks bivouac (1–1.5 hours; the border register gives 3.5–4 hours from the camp to the Red Rocks direct). From the Red Rocks pass the Massive gendarme on the left and climb the right side of the broad, broken and partly scree-covered buttress. Go over the Big gendarme and descend to a snowy col, then up the right side of a steep slab to a 20 m wall below the South gendarme of the south ridge (3–3.5 hours). Climb the wall on its right (moderate rock, piton belays) and steep snowy easy rock onto the gendarme, descend the snowy ridge to an ice-snow col (cornice), and follow the snowy rock ridge, passing small gendarmes on the left and the wall of the fourth gendarme on easy rock to the left. An ice-snow gully on the left of the ridge, steep at the top (80–100 m, piton belays), leads to the final rise and easy snow to the summit: 7–9 hours from the hut. Descend the same way. The register gives 8–10 hours for the whole climb from the Ullu-Tau camp via the Red Rocks.
Start
Ullu-Tau alpine camp2,358 m
- Bus or taxi from Nalchik or Mineralnye Vody to the Baksan valley (Verkhny Baksan), then taxi up the Adyr-Su road to the Ullu-Tau camp
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ullu-Tau alpine camp → Mestia hut | 6.4 | 841 | 0 | 3h 36m |
| 2 | Mestia hut → Adyrsubashi | 4.6 | 1,340 | 169 | 5h 22m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Ullu-Tau alpine camp2,358 m
Head of the Adyr-Su road; excluded from the border zone since 2025
- Feature: Wishing Stone2,450 m
Passport-only zone ends beyond the Wishing Stone meadow (not on route line)
- Bivouac: Mestia bivouac2,856 m
Below the left side of the Adyrsu glacier tongue, 2–3 h
- Hut: Mestia hut3,199 m
Small hut on top of the rock island in the Adyrsu glacier; status not confirmed
- Bivouac: Red Rocks bivouac3,405 m
Scree at the foot of the west buttress
- Summit: Adyrsubashi4,370 m
Key Passages
- Broken west buttress over the Massive and Big gendarmes
- 20 m wall below the South gendarme
- Corniced ice-snow col on the south ridge
- 80–100 m ice-snow gully below the summit
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
Adyrsubashi (4,370 m) closes the head of the Adyr-Su valley in the Elbrus region, where the Adyrsu ridge leaves the Main Caucasus Ridge. Its easiest route is a Russian 3A mixed buttress and ridge, a classic training climb for the Ullu-Tau camp.
Adyrsubashi rises at the southern end of the Adyrsu ridge, the spur that divides the Adyr-Su valley (a side valley of the Baksan) from the Bashil branch of the Chegem valley. To the south lie Adyrsu South (about 4,070 m) and the Main Caucasus Ridge at Sarykol and the Mestia pass; to the north-west the Khimik spur runs out over Ozernaya and Moskovsky Komsomolets. The Adyrsu glacier wraps round its western foot and the Yunom glacier lies to the north.
The peak is a traditional objective of the Ullu-Tau camp: the west buttress of the south ridge (3A) is the easiest of five routes, followed by 3B lines on the south ridge, north-west ridge and north buttress, and a 5A on the north-east ridge. Expect long sections of loose rock with short harder walls, cornices on the ridge and a steep ice-snow gully near the top.
The upper Adyr-Su valley is inside the 5 km border strip along the Georgian border, so a border-zone pass is required beyond the Wishing Stone meadow.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for parties comfortable on Russian 2B–3A (alpine PD+/AD) routes: moderate rock with piton belays, snowy ridges with cornices and a steep ice-snow gully, at up to 4,370 m. A day of acclimatisation on easier peaks around the camp (for example Kichkidar or Yunomkara) is wise. Plan two days: camp to the Mestia hut or Red Rocks, then summit and back to the camp, or one long 8–10 hour day from the camp for fit, acclimatised parties. Apply for the border-zone pass well in advance (up to 30 working days for foreigners), register the route with the EMERCOM rescue service, and consider a camp instructor or guide.
History
J. G. Cockin, H. Woolley and H. W. Holder climbed the north-west ridge on 14 August 1896, the earliest route in the Soviet table. V. Vyaltsev and A. Chernykh made the west buttress of the south ridge in 1935, L. Bogorodsky's party the south ridge and A. Zyuzin's party the north-east ridge in 1939, and Yu. Kuznetsov's party the north buttress of the west rib in 1977.
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
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Avalanche season
- May
- Deep snow
- Jun
- Snowy rock and cornices; camps open
- Jul
- Main season at the Adyr-Su camps
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Stable weather, icier gully, shorter days
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate, Kabardino-Balkaria)Required
The upper Adyr-Su valley, the Mestia hut and the summit lie within the 5 km strip along the Georgian border, where a pass is required (processing up to 15 working days for Russian citizens and up to 30 for foreigners; apply in person in Nalchik or by email to the Border Directorate). The Ullu-Tau camp and the Wishing Stone meadow need only a passport. The 2017 border register lists the 3A route among approved climbs.
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- Hut Booking
- Accommodation at the Ullu-Tau alpine camp; the Mestia hut is unstaffed
- Rules
- Stay on the registered route; ascents of Main Caucasus Ridge summits (Sarykol, Mestia, Ullu-Tau-Chana) and presence within 100 m of the state border are prohibited
- The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia
- Getting There
Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkaria)
Nalchik (NAL) or Mineralnye Vody (MRV)
- By road from Nalchik or Mineralnye Vody up the Baksan valley; at Verkhny Baksan turn into the Adyr-Su valley (vehicle lift, border checkpoint) to the Ullu-Tau camp at the road end
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Avalanche
- Exposure
- Weather
- Cornices
Huts & Shelters
1- 3,194 m
Mestia hutHut