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Dykh-Tau

5,204 m

Russia

Also known as Dychtau, Ντιχ-Τάου, +6

Dychtau · Ντιχ-Τάου · Dykhtau · Monte Dij-Tau · Dych-Tau · დიხთაუ · Dîhtau · Дыхтау

Elevation
5,204 m
Prominence
2,002 m
Difficulty
7/10
Hard alpine
Best Season
Jul–Aug
Routes
1

  • AdvisoryReported 18 Sep 2026

    UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia because of the war in Ukraine; in-person consular support is very limited in the North Caucasus.

    gov.uk

Routes

1
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AlpineDMixedNormal route

Sources differ: 4B (Russian) (Wikipedia; SummitX; Explore-Share)

The easiest line on Dykh-Tau and a serious multi-day mixed climb: from the Bezengi alpine camp to the Russian Bivouacs, up an icefall and avalanche-prone firn slope to the North Ridge, then along the long, corniced mixed ridge via the VTsSPS bivouac to the summit. Russian grade 4B; usually four days camp to camp.

About 51% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.

Why? 8 check notes
  • danger scan: Misses-Kosh → Russian Bivouacs: DEM line 947 m off the straight axis
  • danger scan: Russian Bivouacs → VTsSPS bivouac: DEM line 762 m off the straight axis
  • 51% approximate geometry
  • ascent 4228 m vs net gain 3070 m (+38%)
  • Misses-Kosh → Russian Bivouacs: glacier (snap_failed, 3.9 km)
  • Russian Bivouacs → VTsSPS bivouac: glacier (snap_failed, 2.7 km)
  • VTsSPS bivouac → Dykh-Tau: glacier (snap_failed, 1.0 km)
  • unresolved waypoints: North Ridge saddle

Elevation Profile

approximate line
2,0003,0004,0005,0006,0000 km2.557.51012.5Russian BivouacsDykh-Tau
Distance
14.6 km
one way
Ascent
+4,228 m
−1,158 m lost on the way up
High Point
5,204 m
Time Up
18h 14m
DIN 33466
Time Down
14h 08m
DIN 33466 · same way back

From the Bezengi alpine camp (about 2,180 m) walk up the Bezengi glacier towards Misses-Kosh, then cross the west ridge of Misses-Tau to the Russian Bivouacs (Russkie Nochevki), below a hanging glacier that descends from Dykh-Tau's North Ridge: 5–6 hours from the camp, or about 4 hours from Misses-Kosh. From the bivouac follow a horizontal scree shelf to the glacier, pass the icefall on the right or by rocky ledges, cross gentler glacier and climb a firn slope with avalanche danger to a saddle on the North Ridge right of a large gendarme (4–6 hours; bivouac sites on the saddle). Continue up snow, turning rock steps, past a first gendarme (bypassed on the left on snow) to the VTsSPS bivouac (5–7 hours). On summit day climb a 180–200 m snow slope to a saddle on the north-east buttress, traverse left 120–150 m, pass a 10 m rock gendarme directly or on the right, and follow a corniced snow ridge to the top (8–9 hours from VTsSPS by the SummitX description; guided operators quote 9–10 hours return). Descend the same way: 4–5 hours from the summit back to VTsSPS, and 3–5 hours from the ridge saddle to the Russian Bivouacs. Allow about 2½ days from the Russian Bivouacs to the summit and back, plus reserve days for weather.

Start

Bezengi alpine camp2,134 m

  • None to the camp: fly to Mineralnye Vody or Nalchik; the Bezengi camp arranges transfers via Kashkhatau and Bezengi village, carrying the border-zone passes.
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Bezengi alpine camp → Russian Bivouacs11.02,4221,02611h 30m
2Russian Bivouacs → VTsSPS bivouac2.71,2461324h 45m
3VTsSPS bivouac → Dykh-Tau1.056001h 59m

Waypoints

  1. Trailhead:
    Bezengi alpine camp2,134 m
  2. Feature:
    Misses-Kosh3,732 m

    Traditional bivouac meadow beside the Bezengi glacier

  3. Bivouac:
    Russian Bivouacs3,530 m

    Elevation quoted as 3,550 m (Madison Mountaineering) or 3,900 m (Explore-Share)

  4. Bivouac:
    VTsSPS bivouac4,637 m
  5. Summit:
    Dykh-Tau5,204 m

Key Passages

  • Icefall below the North Ridge
  • Firn slope to the North Ridge saddle (avalanche danger)
  • First gendarme (bypassed left on snow)
  • 10 m rock gendarme above the north-east buttress saddle
  • Corniced summit ridge

Equipment

0/12 packed
Technical
Glacier
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation
Hut & Camping

Downloads

Route confidence 60%
Download GPXDownload KML51% approximate

Overview

The second-highest summit of the Caucasus (5,204 m), a steep, jagged mountain above the Bezengi glacier in Kabardino-Balkaria. There is no easy way up: the normal North Ridge is a remote, multi-day mixed climb graded Russian 4B, with avalanche and cornice hazards.

Dykh-Tau rises in the Bezengi region of the Central Caucasus, about 5 km north of the Georgian border, on the side ridge opposite the Bezengi Wall across the Bezengi glacier. Seen from the glacier it is a tall, steep pyramid of rock and ice, with a main and a slightly lower eastern summit. It counts as the second-highest peak of Europe in the 'Second Seven Summits' list and is protected within the Kabardino-Balkarian high-mountain nature reserve.

All of its roughly ten routes are technical; ExplorersWeb notes that none is easier than Russian grade 4A (around AD+). The normal route, the North Ridge first climbed in 1888, is long and mixed, with an icefall, an avalanche-prone firn slope to the ridge, gendarmes and a corniced summit ridge. Only a handful of parties reach the top each year.

The mountain is climbed from the Bezengi alpine camp, a Soviet-era climbing centre at about 2,180 m which is the only base in the valley. Access lies inside Russia's border zone and needs passes arranged in advance. Most Western governments currently advise against all travel to Russia.

Climbing Notes

This is a climb for experienced alpinists comfortable leading mixed ground and moving on corniced ridges at 4,500–5,200 m, with self-sufficient camping for three to four nights. Acclimatise first on lower Bezengi peaks; guided programmes typically include an acclimatisation hike and a rock-climbing day before a four-day push (camp to the Russian Bivouacs, to the VTsSPS bivouac, summit and return to VTsSPS, descent), with two or more reserve days.

The main objective dangers are avalanches on the firn slope leading to the North Ridge, cornices on the summit ridge and storms. Register with the Bezengi camp rescue service before setting out. The season is July and August; IFMGA-guided ascents are offered by a few international operators.

All visitors need a Russian visa, a border-zone pass and a national-park pass; send passport details to the Bezengi camp well in advance so that passes are ready at the checkpoint.

History

Albert F. Mummery and the Meiringen guide Heinrich Zurflüh made the first ascent on 24 July 1888 by the south-west ridge, one of the landmark climbs of the period. On 20 August 1888 John Garford Cockin, Henry William Holder and Hermann Woolley with the guide Ulrich Almer made the second ascent by the North Ridge, which became the normal route. The south ridge was climbed in 1928, the north-west ridge in 1935 and the south pillar in 1958 by George Band and Michael Harris.

Season

Best Jul–Aug
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Not advisable
  4. April: Not advisable
  5. May: Not advisable
  6. June: Possible
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Possible
  10. October: Not advisable
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; camp closed
May
Heavy snow cover; high avalanche danger
Jun
Early season; more snow on the ridge, avalanche danger on the approach slope
Jul
Main season
Aug
Main season
Sep
Late season; colder, shorter days, some operators still run trips

Access & Permits

Permits
  • Border-zone pass (propusk)Required

    The Bezengi valley lies in Russia's border zone. Bezengi camp clients send passport details to the camp administration in advance and the camp's driver brings the passes; independent visitors apply to the FSB (foreigners about a month ahead). Rangers and a checkpoint on the approach road check documents.

    mountain.ru
  • National park / reserve passRequired

    Visitors not staying at the Bezengi camp need a separate national park pass; the park administration is in Kashkhatau, about 50 km from the camp.

    mountain.ru
Hut Booking
There are no huts above the Bezengi alpine camp; book the camp directly (info@mountain.ru per the camp's site).
Fees
  • Bezengi alpine camp accommodation and registration
  • National park fee
Rules
  • Border zone: entry only with a valid pass
  • UK FCDO (and most other Western governments) advise against all travel to Russia
  • Fines apply for breaking ecological and sanitary rules in the camp and park
Getting There

Kashkhatau; Nalchik is the regional capital

Nalchik (NAL) or Mineralnye Vody (MRV)

  • Road from Nalchik via Kashkhatau and Bezengi village to the Bezengi alpine camp; transfers are arranged by the camp

Hazards

  • Avalanche
  • Cornices
  • Rockfall
  • Crevasses
  • Glacier
  • Altitude
  • Exposure
  • Weather
  • Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

3

  • Bezengi alpine campHotelStaffed

    Summer climbing season (July–August)

    Website of Bezengi alpine camp

    2,180 m

  • Russian BivouacsBivouacUnstaffed

    3,530 m

  • VTsSPS bivouacBivouacUnstaffed

    4,750 m