Ak-Shatyr
3,434 m
Georgia, Russia
Also known as Ак-ШатырAlso known as
Ак-Шатыр
- Elevation
- 3,434 m
- Prominence
- 631 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Aug
- Routes
- 1
No documented route
We found no published description of an ascent. Any line shown is an outline from maps only — not a route to follow.
NoticeReported 1 Jul 2013
A trekking report from July 2013 (exact day not given) states that Teberda reserve administration banned visits to the Kizgych valley after European bison were released there. No later confirmation or lifting of the ban was found.
tkg.org.ua
Routes
1No documented ascent route — outline from maps only
We found no published description of an ascent. This line only joins features on the map; it is not a route to follow, so there is no GPX download.
Why? 6 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.2)
- ascent 3693 m is 1.9× the net gain 1975 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- low confidence 0.2
- Архыз → урочище Чертова Мельница: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 34.4 km)
- урочище Чертова Мельница → Чвахра: dem (snap_failed, 7.8 km)
- Чвахра → Ак-Шатыр: dem (snap_failed, 1.0 km)
No route on Ak-Shatyr is published. The summit stands on the Main Caucasus Ridge at the head of the Kizgych basin, and the obvious line is up the Kizgych valley from Arkhyz to the Chvakhra pass just south-west of the summit, then up the summit ridge. The Kizgych valley is a protected part of Teberda National Park and was closed to visitors in 2013.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 43.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +3,693 m
- −1,718 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,434 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 21h 08m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 18h 31m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Ak-Shatyr ('white tent') is a snow-capped summit on the Main Caucasus Ridge about 5 km west of the Marukh pass, between the Chvakhra pass (about 2,950 m) to the south-west and the Kizgych-Marukh pass to the east. A short northern spur of the Main Ridge with a 3,273 m point branches from it towards the Bugoychat pass. No ascent description, grade or time was found, although a photograph in the guidebook 'Ot Marukha do Elbrusa' was taken from its summit, so it is climbed. The logical approach is from Arkhyz up the Kizgych valley past the Chertova Melnitsa locality towards the head of the valley and the Chvakhra pass, which lies about 700 m south-west of the summit and some 480 m lower; the summit would then be gained by its south-west ridge. This is an inference from the map, not a described route. Before planning, check with Teberda National Park whether the Kizgych valley can be visited: in 2013 the park banned visits after European bison were released there. The Main Ridge is the line between Russia and Abkhazia; do not descend to the south (Chvakhra valley).
Start
Архыз1,460 m
- Bus or minibus from Cherkessk to Arkhyz
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Архыз1,460 m
- Feature: урочище Чертова Мельница2,055 m
Locality in the upper Kizgych basin (OSM); its place on the approach is our assumption
- Col: Чвахра2,831 m
Chvakhra pass on the Main Caucasus Ridge, south-west of the summit
- Summit: Ак-Шатыр3,434 m
Key Passages
- Chvakhra pass
- Unknown south-west ridge to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 20%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
Ak-Shatyr ('white tent', 3,434 m) is a snow-capped summit on the Main Caucasus Ridge between Arkhyz and the Marukh pass, best seen from the Green Lakes above the Sofia valley. It is climbed rarely and no route description has been published; the Kizgych valley approach lies in a protected part of Teberda National Park.
Ak-Shatyr stands on the Main Caucasus watershed about 5 km west of the Marukh pass, at the head of the Kizgych basin south-east of Arkhyz. To the south it falls towards the Chvakhra valley in Abkhazia; to the north a short northern spur of the Main Ridge (unofficially Dzhuguturlusyrt) with a 3,273 m point branches from it towards the Bugoychat pass and Lake Mironov. From the Marukh valley it is not at its best, but from Arkhyz, for example from the Green Lakes, it looks like the 'white tent' of its Karachay name. Neighbours include Chiganak, Alan and the Karakaya group to the east.
No ascent report, grade or route description was found; a photograph in the guidebook 'Ot Marukha do Elbrusa' shows the Karakaya group taken from its summit, so it has been climbed. The natural approach is up the Kizgych valley from Arkhyz to the Chvakhra pass just south-west of the summit. That valley is part of the Arkhyz section of Teberda National Park and in 2013 visits were banned after European bison were released there, so access must be checked first.
This is a summit for experienced, self-reliant parties prepared to find their own way on glaciated ground near an international border.
Climbing Notes
Plan at least three days from Arkhyz and treat the climb as exploratory: no route, grade or time is published. Bring crampons, ice axe, rope and glacier kit, and be ready to turn back. Before going, ask Teberda National Park whether the Kizgych valley may be entered, get a border-zone pass from the FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia or Gosuslugi (the summit is on the state border line), and register your plans with the rescue service in Arkhyz.
Season
Best Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jun
- Late snow
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia)Required
The summit is on the Main Caucasus Ridge, the state border line; the valleys below are in the border zone. Apply in advance through Gosuslugi or the FSB Border Directorate in Cherkessk and carry the pass with your passport.
tgpbz.ru - Teberda National Park permission for the Kizgych valleyRequired
The Kizgych valley belongs to the Arkhyz section of Teberda National Park and is not one of its official visitor routes; in 2013 the park banned visits after bison were released. Contact the park (protection department, avb.teberda@yandex.ru) before planning a trip.
tgpbz.ru
- Hut Booking
- No huts; camping only.
- Rules
- Kizgych valley (Teberda National Park): visits banned since bison were released there, according to a 2013 trekking report; current status not confirmed
- The Main Caucasus Ridge is the line between Russia and Abkhazia (Georgia under international law); do not descend to the south
- Getting There
Arkhyz
Mineralnye Vody (MRV)
- By road from Cherkessk via Zelenchukskaya to Arkhyz
- From Arkhyz on foot into the Kizgych valley, subject to park permission
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Remoteness