Dzhalauchat

3,874 m

Russia

Also known as Dzhalovchat, Джалаучат

Dzhalovchat · Джалаучат

Elevation: 3,874 m
Prominence: 696 m
Difficulty: 5/10; Easy alpine
Best Season: Jul–Aug
Routes: 1

RegulationReported 8 Oct 2026
Teberda National Park: the routes to Tur'e lake (Alibek), Chertova Melnitsa and the Chuchkhur waterfalls pass through the border zone and need a border-zone pass obtained in advance from the FSB Border Directorate or Gosuslugi; the park cannot issue it. No pass is needed in the Alibek gorge up to the Alibek waterfall.
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Routes

3D Preview

Open 3D

AlpinePDGlacierNormal route

Sources differ: 1B (Russian): Uzlovaya from the Dzhalovchat pass 1B (A. von Meck, 1904) and traverse Uzlovaya–Main 1B (Caucasus route classification (alp.org.ua)) · 1B (Russian), main summit by the west ridge (A. Fischer, 1904) (Caucasus route classification (alp.org.ua))

The classic Dombay ascent: up the Alibek valley past Tur'e lake and the Dvuyazychny (Twin-Tongue) glacier to the Dvuyazychny pass, on to a high bivouac on the saddle between Sunakhet and Uzlovaya, then a 45–50° snow or ice slope to the Uzlovaya top, a short sharp snow ridge and an easy rock rib to the main summit. Two days; glacier and border-zone pass required.

About 64% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.

Why? 7 check notes

64% approximate geometry
low confidence 0.4
Турье Озеро → Двуязычный ледник: glacier (snap_failed, 3.0 km)
Двуязычный ледник → Маршала Жукова Северный: glacier (snap_failed, 1.3 km)
Маршала Жукова Северный → Узловой Джалаучат: glacier (snap_failed, 0.4 km)
Узловой Джалаучат → Джалаучат: dem (snap_failed, 0.8 km)
unresolved waypoints: Двуязычный перевал

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: 8.6 km; one way
Ascent: +2,107 m; −66 m lost on the way up
High Point: 3,874 m
Time Up: 8h 14m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 5h 31m; DIN 33466 · same way back

From the Alibek alpine camp and hotel follow the path west towards the Alibek pass through rhododendron, then drop left onto the moraine of the Alibek glacier, cross the stream and head for the right-bank moraine of the longer left tongue of the Dvuyazychny glacier, reaching the glacial lake between the moraines (Tur'e lake) in about an hour. Climb the moraine and a faint path beside a stream to the snowfield between the two glacier tongues (about 2 hours from the lake; crampons late in summer), cross the snow plateau diagonally right and climb through crevasses, easy in early summer and needing detours later, to the broad Dvuyazychny pass (about 3,100 m), about 5 hours from the start. Continue left up the middle of the Dvuyazychny glacier below the east wall of Sunakhet, bypassing a large bergschrund (far to the left in midsummer), to the saddle between Sunakhet and Uzlovaya (about 3,580 m in the old guide), where a bivouac can be made on a group of rocks with little water: 7–7.5 hours from the Alibek huts. Leave by 05:00. Turn a crevasse on the right and climb the fairly steep (locally 45–50°) slope of Uzlovaya in crampons; it is often icy in late summer and soft on the way down. The Uzlovaya top (about 3,700 m) is a broad snow platform. A sharp, level snow ridge (10 minutes) leads to the rock rib of Dzhalovchat; leave crampons here, climb the rocks to the forepeak (about 30 minutes) and follow the rib to the summit (about 1 hour more). In early summer the rib is a sharp corniced snow ridge. Descend the same way. This description is from a Soviet guide of the late 1930s; glaciers have retreated greatly since. Above the Alibek waterfall the route is in the Russian border zone.

Start

альплагерь Алибек1,833 m

Bus or taxi from Mineralnye Vody or Cherkessk to Dombay; taxi or walk to the Alibek camp
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	альплагерь Алибек → Маршала Жукова Северный	7.4	1,734	66	6h 50m
2	Маршала Жукова Северный → Джалаучат	1.1	373	0	1h 23m

Waypoints

Trailhead:
альплагерь Алибек1,833 m
Alibek alpine camp and hotel, by road from Dombay through the national-park checkpoint
Feature:
Турье Озеро2,176 m
Glacial lake between the moraines of the Alibek and Dvuyazychny glaciers
Feature:
Двуязычный ледник3,039 m
Bivouac:
Маршала Жукова Северный3,497 m
Saddle between Sunakhet and Uzlovaya, the high bivouac; identification with this OSM saddle (3,650 m) is our assumption
Shoulder:
Узловой Джалаучат3,678 m
Summit:
Джалаучат3,874 m

Key Passages

Crevasses below the Dvuyazychny pass
Bergschrund on the Dvuyazychny glacier
45–50° slope of Uzlovaya
Sharp snow ridge and rock rib to the summit

Equipment

0/6 packed

Mandatory by Regulation

Passport and border-zone passrequired above the Alibek waterfallMandatory

Technical

Crampons and ice axe45–50° slope on Uzlovaya, often icy in late summerRequired

Glacier

Glacier kit: harness, 50 m rope, ice screws, crevasse-rescue gearRequired

Safety

HelmetRequired

Footwear

Alpine boots and warm layersRequired

Hut & Camping

Tent, stove and fuel for melting snowlittle water at the high bivouacRequired

Downloads

Route confidence 40%

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Overview

Dzhalovchat (3,874 m) is a snow-and-rock summit on the Main Caucasus Ridge above Dombay's Alibek valley. Its normal route crosses the Dvuyazychny glacier and pass, then climbs a steep snow slope over Uzlovaya and a short rock rib: a two-day Russian 1B that the 1930s Soviet guide called one of the best of the easier Teberda climbs.

Dzhalovchat (OSM: Dzhalauchat) stands at the head of the Alibek valley west of Dombay, on the watershed between the Teberda basin, the Aksaut valley and, to the south, Abkhazia. It forms a group with Uzlovaya (the junction summit, about 3,700 m), Maly Dzhalovchat (Tumanlytau, 3,696 m), Sunakhet and Ertsog. From Dombay the snowy Uzlovaya and Dzhalovchat's rock rib and diagonal snowfield are clearly visible. To the west, the Dzhalovchat glacier falls towards the Aksaut and is the largest in the area.

The normal route is a glacier walk to the Dvuyazychny pass, a high camp at about 3,600 m, and a short summit day over the snow dome of Uzlovaya and a sharp ridge. It is a Russian 1B, roughly PD, and has been a classic Soviet qualifying climb since the 1930s. The traverse onward to Ertsog is a step harder. From the top, the old guide describes views over the forests of Abkhazia to the Black Sea.

The approach starts in Teberda National Park at the Alibek alpine camp, a short drive from Dombay. Above the Alibek waterfall the route is in the Russian border zone, and a border-zone pass is needed.

Climbing Notes

Needs glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills and confidence on 45–50° snow or ice. Plan two days from the Alibek camp: day one is a long 7–8 hours to the high bivouac on the Sunakhet–Uzlovaya saddle (little water; bring fuel to melt snow), and day two is an early start (by 05:00) for the summit and the return. Late in summer the Uzlovaya slope is often icy, and in the afternoon the descent is on soft snow; take care.

The route description comes from a Soviet guide of the late 1930s. The glaciers have retreated a lot since then, so ask at the Alibek camp about current conditions. Arrange the border-zone pass in advance through the FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia or Gosuslugi; the national park cannot issue it.

History

Fischer's party made the first ascent of the main summit by the west ridge in 1904, and A. von Meck climbed Uzlovaya from the Dzhalovchat pass and traversed to the main summit the same year (both listed as 1B). Soviet climbers first reached the summit in 1929. N. Popov climbed Maly Dzhalovchat by its north-west ridge in 1947 (2A), and A. Walter first traversed from the main summit to Ertsog in 1932 (2B).

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: Possible
October: Not advisable
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

May: Deep snow; avalanche risk
Jun: Crevasses well bridged, but the summit rib is a corniced snow ridge
Jul: Main season
Aug: Main season; Uzlovaya slope often icy late in the month
Sep: Open crevasses, ice, shorter days

Access & Permits

Permits

Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia)Required
Beyond the Alibek waterfall (Tur'e lake and above) the route is in the Russian border zone. Get the pass in advance from the FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia or through Gosuslugi; Teberda National Park cannot issue it. Agencies quote about 15 working days for Russian citizens and 30 for foreigners; the pass is valid to 31 December.
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Teberda National Park visitor feeRequired
Pay at the Alibek checkpoint (КПП «Алибек») and keep the receipt as your pass. Tariffs are set by the park's tariff order.
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Hut Booking

No huts on the route. The Alibek alpine camp and Alibek hotel at the trailhead offer rooms and camping.

Fees

Teberda National Park entry fee, paid at the Alibek checkpoint

Rules

Teberda National Park: follow the visitor rules (Order No. 91 of 15 November 2024)
The main ridge to the south is the Russia–Georgia border with Abkhazian-controlled territory beyond; do not descend to the south side

Getting There

Dombay

Mineralnye Vody (MRV)

By road from Mineralnye Vody or Cherkessk via Karachayevsk and Teberda to Dombay
From Dombay by road through the national-park checkpoint to the Alibek alpine camp

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Cornices
Avalanche
Rockfall
Exposure
Weather