Bol'shaia Marka
3,758 m
Russia
Also known as Уллу-Марка, Большая МаркаAlso known as
Уллу-Марка · Большая Марка
- Elevation
- 3,758 m
- Prominence
- 729 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–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.
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 0.25)
- ascent 2664 m vs net gain 2193 m (+21%)
- DEM 25 m before the summit is 3685 m vs summit elevation 3758 m (DEM too coarse for the summit block?)
- low confidence 0.25
- Красный Карачай → Большая Марка: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 26.0 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Upper Bolshaya Marka valley camp, Большой Маркинский ледник
Sources differ: 1B (Russian), rock, 'from the north by the west ridge' (Caucasus route classification (alp.org.ua))
Outline of the classified easiest route: a long walk up the Ullu-Marka (Bolshaya Marka) valley from the abandoned aul of Krasny Karachay in the Aksaut valley to a camp at about 2,800 m, then the western branch of the horseshoe-shaped Bolshaya Marka glacier and the west ridge (Russian 1B). No modern description was found.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 25.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,664 m
- −471 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,758 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 13h 03m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 10h 07m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive up the Aksaut valley from Khasaut-Grecheskoye on the dirt road to Krasny Karachay, where the Ullu-Marka (Bolshaya Marka) valley branches off. Shepherds' paths lead about 18 km up the valley, which turns south, to its head: a flat, boggy grassy basin with Markinskoe lake below the Baduk pass (3,004 m). Camp on the moraines and meadows at the east end of the upper valley at about 2,800 m; there is no shelter, so bring a tent. The camp can also be reached in about 10 hours from Teberda over the Baduk pass, but that approach crosses Teberda National Park. The north slope of Bolshaya Marka carries a single horseshoe-shaped glacier about 4 km wide. The classified 1B goes 'from the north by the west ridge'; the 1930s Soviet guide advised using the western branch of the horseshoe for the west ridge, which it expected to be easy, but gave no description. The guide's own line goes up the eastern branch to the middle of the horseshoe (3,190 m, 2 hours), up steep firn to the saddle east of the summit (1.5 hours) and along the snowy east ridge to the top (about 3 hours). The first party, in 1929, turned back 150 m below the summit on this line. Descend by the line of ascent. Check recent reports with Russian alpine clubs before going; glaciers have retreated since these descriptions were written.
Start
Красный Карачай1,565 m
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Красный Карачай1,565 m
Abandoned aul at the mouth of the Bolshaya Marka valley; dirt road from Khasaut-Grecheskoye
- Summit: Большая Марка3,758 m
Key Passages
- Horseshoe glacier on the north slope
- West ridge
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 25%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
Bolshaya Marka (Ullu-Marka, 3,758 m) is the highest peak of the Teberda ridge between the Teberda and Aksaut valleys, a rock and snow summit above a 4 km-wide horseshoe glacier. It is remote and rarely climbed, and the easiest classified route is a Russian 1B from the north.
Bolshaya Marka, also called Ullu-Marka, stands on the Teberda–Aksaut ridge north of the Main Caucasus Ridge, where the Kichi-Teberda, Baduk, Khuty and Ullu-Marka valleys meet. Its north slope carries one large horseshoe-shaped glacier about 4 km wide; older maps wrongly showed two. On the Teberda side, the Baduk lakes lie below it in Teberda National Park. On the Aksaut side, the long Ullu-Marka valley ends in a flat, boggy basin with Markinskoe lake.
The mountain sees few ascents. The route classification lists a single 1B 'from the north by the west ridge'. The 1930s Soviet guide describes only the east-ridge line, on which the first party turned back 150 m below the top in 1929. Whichever way you go, expect a long walk in, a tent camp at about 2,800 m, glacier travel and a rock-and-snow ridge.
There are two approaches. From the Aksaut valley it is about 18 km up the Ullu-Marka valley from the abandoned aul of Krasny Karachay. From Teberda it is a two-day walk via the Baduk lakes and the Baduk pass (3,004 m), which crosses the national park. The views take in Dombay's peaks and the main ridge.
Climbing Notes
For parties with glacier and basic alpine skills. Allow three to four days: a day up the Ullu-Marka valley (or over the Baduk pass from Teberda) to the upper-valley camp, a summit day of 6–8 hours, and the walk out. The upper valley has no shelter and is cold at night. With no modern route description, take time to inspect the horseshoe glacier and the west ridge from the valley, and look for recent reports from Russian alpine clubs. There is no mobile signal in the Aksaut valley, and help is far away.
History
The first attempt, in 1929, reached a point 150 m below the summit by the east ridge. The classification gives no first-ascent party for the 1B route.
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
- May
- Snowmelt; Aksaut road and fords difficult
- Jun
- Snow on the upper valley and the Baduk pass until July
- Sep
- Shorter days, colder nights
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Teberda National Park visitor fee (Teberda approach only)Optional
Needed only if you approach from Teberda via the Baduk lakes, a paid national-park route: pay at the checkpoint and keep the receipt. No border-zone pass is needed for the Baduk lakes.
tgpbz.ru - Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia)Optional
The upper Aksaut valley is in the border zone. The Ullu-Marka valley is not on the lists we read, but border guards patrol the Aksaut road; carry a passport, and consider a pass if you plan to go further up the Aksaut.
akademiya-gornih-turov.ru
- Hut Booking
- No huts; camp in the upper Ullu-Marka valley. The Kishket tourist base near Khasaut-Grecheskoye is the only lodging in the Aksaut gorge.
- Rules
- Teberda National Park on the Teberda side: stay on permitted routes and follow park rules
- Getting There
Khasaut-Grecheskoye (village); Teberda (town, for the eastern approach)
Mineralnye Vody (MRV)
- By car via Karachayevsk or Cherkessk to Kardonikskaya and south to Khasaut-Grecheskoye, then the Aksaut dirt road to Krasny Karachay (fords; high-clearance vehicle)
- Eastern approach: bus to Teberda, then on foot from the national-park headquarters via the Khadzhibey ranger station, the Baduk lakes and the Baduk pass
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Remoteness