Chugush
3,238 m
Russia
Also known as Čuguš, Monte Chugush, +2Also known as
Čuguš · Monte Chugush · ჩუგუში · Чугуш
- Elevation
- 3,238 m
- Prominence
- 1,322 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Aug–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Not currently accessible
The whole mountain is in a closed wildlife zone of the Caucasus Reserve; special permission is rarely given.
dmrashitov.livejournal.com
Routes
1Sources differ: 2A–2B (Russian) for the east and south-east ridges (tripmir.com)
The usual way up from the Krasnaya Polyana side: about 20 km of forest road from the Laura cordon (about 600 m) up the Achipse valley to the Osmanovy Balagany meadows (about 2,000 m), then tur paths to the main ridge and a camp at the Chugush Yuzhny pass (2,760 m). The summit day crosses two small glaciers and finishes on broken rock. Inside a closed zone of the Caucasus Reserve.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 30.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +3,647 m
- −958 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,238 m
- Time Up
- 17h 53m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 14h 18m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Laura cordon of the Caucasus Reserve above Esto-Sadok (about 600 m). A good dirt road climbs the Achipse valley for about 20 km, fording the Rudovaya and Turovaya streams, past the Kolkhida Gates pass and the old Grechko dacha (about 1,500 m; the last running water on the route in a dry summer) to the Osmanovy Balagany clearing at the tree line (about 2,000 m), where the reserve has a salt lick for tur. Reserve vehicles can drive this far in a little over two hours; on foot it is a full day of about 17–20 km and 1,500 m of ascent. From the clearing, tur paths climb the Osmanov spur to a nodal summit of about 2,600 m on the ridge, with the Kisha valley below. Follow the ridge north past the Transkavkaz pass (2,649 m) to the Chugush Yuzhny pass (2,760 m), about 2 km from the summit. The 2017 party camped here and melted snow for water. On summit day cross glacier No. 18 (South Chugush glacier), climb broken rock to the east ridge of the 3,094 m fore-summit, then descend steep loose rock onto glacier No. 17 (East Chugush glacier). The east ridge proper is blocked by a vertical tower, so the 2017 party moved onto the south ridge and finished with about 150 m of easy scrambling. Published Russian grades for the east and south-east ridges are 2A–2B. Descend the same way. The 2017 party covered 52 km and about 3,000 m of ascent in two long days from Laura.
Start
Laura cordon549 m
- Bus or train from Sochi/Adler to Esto-Sadok or Krasnaya Polyana, then on foot or by taxi to the Laura cordon by the Gazprom Laura complex.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laura cordon → Чугуш Южный | 28.9 | 3,137 | 920 | 15h 55m |
| 2 | Чугуш Южный → Чугуш | 1.6 | 510 | 39 | 1h 59m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Laura cordon549 m
Caucasus Reserve cordon above Esto-Sadok, at the mouth of the Achipse valley
- Col: Колхидские Ворота1,553 m
Kolkhida Gates; Grechko dacha and last reliable spring nearby
- Feature: урочище Османовы Балаганы2,072 m
Osmanovy Balagany clearing at the tree line; end of the road
- Col: Транскавказ2,637 m
- Col: Чугуш Южный2,768 m
Chugush Yuzhny pass; usual high camp, no running water
- Feature: Glacier No. 17 (East Chugush glacier)3,150 m
Reached after crossing glacier No. 18 and the east ridge of the 3,094 m fore-summit (not on route line)
- Summit: Чугуш3,238 m
Key Passages
- Achipse valley road with fords of the Rudovaya and Turovaya
- Osmanov spur to the main ridge
- Glacier No. 18 (South Chugush glacier)
- Steep loose descent onto glacier No. 17
- South ridge to the summit
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 50%No GPX or KML while the mountain is not accessible.
Overview
Chugush (3,238 m) is the highest point of the Republic of Adygea: a sharp gneiss pyramid with about ten small glaciers, deep inside the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve north of Krasnaya Polyana. It is a two-day glacier and scramble ascent (Russian 2A–2B) in a wildlife 'zone of rest' that is normally closed to visitors.
Chugush stands just north of the main Caucasus watershed at the head of the Belaya, Berezovaya and Kisha valleys, on the border between Adygea and Krasnodar Krai. It is one of the highest summits of the western Caucasus; only the Pseashkho summits nearby are a few metres higher. The ridge runs about 14 km north-west to south-east, carries roughly ten cirque and hanging glaciers covering about 1.2 km², and drops through alpine meadows into fir, spruce and beech forest with tur, chamois, bear and lynx.
The usual approach is from the Sochi side: a 20 km forest road from the Laura cordon above Esto-Sadok up the Achipse valley to the Osmanovy Balagany meadows, then tur paths along the ridge to the Chugush Yuzhny pass (2,760 m). The summit is reached across two small glaciers and loose rock on the east and south sides. Published Russian grades are 2A–2B for the east and south-east ridges; the north-west ridge is harder.
The main obstacle is legal rather than technical. The mountain is in a strictly protected wildlife 'zone of rest' of the Caucasus Reserve, outside the handful of routes open to eco-tourists, and climbers' reports describe access as prohibited or only occasionally allowed. Plan only with written permission from the reserve.
Climbing Notes
Expect two long days from Laura with full camping gear: about 23 km and 2,200 m up to a high camp at the Chugush Yuzhny pass, then a summit day of around 30 km with 800 m up and 2,800 m down back to the cordon. There is no running water above about 1,500 m in late summer, so carry a stove and melt snow. You need crampons, an ice axe, a helmet and basic glacier skills; a rope is sensible for the crevassed step onto the East Chugush glacier. Cloud often sits on the ridge, so carry a GPS track. Above all, contact the Caucasus Reserve's tourism department before planning: without a pass inspectors will turn you back or fine you, and multi-day trips should also be registered with the emergency services (MChS).
History
The first maps and descriptions came from an 1896 railway survey for a Maikop–Adler line, when engineer Bartsikovsky's party crossed between Chura and Chugush. A 2019 regional article says German mountain troops made the first ascent in 1942 and Soviet climbers the second in 1949, recovering the German note; this was not confirmed in a second source.
Season
Best Aug–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Deep snow; reserve zone closed
- May
- Heavy snow on the approach ridge
- Jun
- Much snow on the ridge and glaciers; reserve routes open from late May or June
- Aug
- Most reported ascents; little water above the forest
- Sep
- Glaciers bare of snow in early autumn; crevasses visible
- Oct
- First snowfalls
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Caucasus State Biosphere Reserve passRequired
The whole mountain lies in the Caucasus Reserve, where every visitor needs a pass. Chugush is in a wildlife 'zone of rest' that is not on the list of open eco-tourist routes, so an ordinary route pass does not cover it; ascents need special permission from the reserve, which climbers report is rarely given.
kavkazzapoved.ru
- Hut Booking
- No huts. Camp at the Chugush Yuzhny pass or at Osmanovy Balagany.
- Fees
- Caucasus Reserve entry and camping fees apply on open routes (300 roubles per adult entry and per night in 2018); current fees for special permission were not found
- Rules
- Chugush is inside a 'zone of rest' of the Caucasus Reserve where visitor access is normally prohibited; entering without permission can lead to a fine and being turned back
- No camping, fires or leaving the route except as allowed by the reserve
- Reserve inspectors may restrict access for independent tourists after severe-weather warnings
- Getting There
Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi)
Sochi (AER)
- Bus or Lastochka train from Sochi or Adler to Esto-Sadok/Krasnaya Polyana, then about 2 km on foot up the Achipse valley to the Laura cordon near the Gazprom Laura complex
- By car via the A-148 from Adler to Krasnaya Polyana; reserve vehicles can drive the forest road to Osmanovy Balagany in a little over two hours
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Exposure