Dzhuguturliuchat
3,928 m
Georgia, Russia
Also known as Dzhuguturluchat, ДжугутурлючатAlso known as
Dzhuguturluchat · Джугутурлючат
- Elevation
- 3,928 m
- Prominence
- 694 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: 2B (Russian), main summit from the south (V. Budanov, 1936) (Caucasus route classification (alp.org.ua))
Up the Amanauz gorge from Dombay and along the Amanauz glacier to a rock bivouac, round an icefall to a firn plateau below the south wall, then a couloir of snow, mixed ground and solid rock to the sharp main summit. Two days; glacier travel and moderate rock climbing.
About 89% 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
- 89% approximate geometry
- ascent 3340 m vs net gain 2338 m (+43%)
- low confidence 0.4
- КПП Аманауз → Amanauz glacier tongue: dem (snap_failed, 6.3 km)
- Amanauz glacier tongue → перевал Джугутурлючат: glacier (snap_failed, 5.1 km)
- перевал Джугутурлючат → Джугутурлючат: dem (snap_failed, 1.1 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Rock bivouac on the Amanauz glacier
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 14.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +3,340 m
- −1,003 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,928 m
- Time Up
- 14h 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 11h 49m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Dombay walk up the Amanauz gorge (national park checkpoint at the entrance) to the tongue of the Amanauz glacier. Climb onto the right-bank moraine, drop onto the glacier, cross to its right side and follow it up along the right bank. Go round the slopes of the main Dzhuguturluchat massif to a snow slope that descends left of the rocks of South Dzhuguturluchat (on the ridge linking Amanauz-bashi with Dzhuguturluchat) and climb it to a rock outcrop in the glacier; approach the rock from the left to avoid the bergschrund. The rock gives a good bivouac with water on the glacier, about 6 hours from Dombay in the 1930s guide. Next morning go a little higher, then almost horizontally north to pass an icefall (steep ice slopes and occasional seracs above on the right). Beyond it climb east on the glacier and then a small firn crest to a large firn plateau in the saddle below the south wall of the main summit (about 2 hours from the bivouac); a deep, steep drop falls to the south-east from its edge. Near this edge a couloir, snowy at the bottom, comes down from the summit. Climb the couloir throughout, first on snow, then on rock with snow and ice, and finally on clean rock of moderate difficulty; the guide describes the rock as solid and the couloir as free of rockfall. Above the couloir easier but less solid rock leads to the sharp summit, about 3 hours from the plateau. Descend the same way. The description dates from the 1930s. The Amanauz glacier has retreated a great deal since, so the approach to and along the glacier will differ.
Start
Домбай1,590 m
- Bus or taxi from Mineralnye Vody or Cherkessk to Dombay; on foot from the village
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Домбай1,590 m
- Waypoint: КПП Аманауз1,635 m
National park checkpoint at the entrance to the Amanauz gorge
- Feature: Amanauz glacier tongue3,348 m
Climb onto the right-bank moraine, then onto the glacier
- Col: перевал Джугутурлючат3,627 m
Firn plateau in the saddle below the south wall; identification with the OSM Dzhuguturluchat pass is our assumption
- Summit: Джугутурлючат3,928 m
Key Passages
- Icefall bypass with seracs above
- Bergschrund below the bivouac rock
- Summit couloir: snow, mixed ground, then moderate rock
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%Overview
Dzhuguturluchat (3,928 m) is the highest of a cluster of sharp rock 'needles' on the Main Caucasus Ridge south of Dombay, between the Amanauz and Ptysh valleys. Its easiest route climbs the Amanauz glacier and a south-side couloir of snow and solid rock: a two-day Russian 2B.
The Dzhuguturluchat massif is an L-shaped ridge of rock towers about 3,800–3,900 m high above Dombay. Its northern arm, running west to east, carries the West and East summits above the hanging North Dzhuguturluchat glacier, clearly seen from the Amanauz meadow and the Teberda road. The Uzlovaya (junction) tower stands on the Main Caucasus watershed, which runs south-east to Ptysh and south-west to Amanauz-bashi; the main summit is on this south-western arm, falling in steep rock to the south and an icy slope to the north. Wide hanging glaciers drain the east and west sides.
The normal route comes from the west: up the Amanauz gorge from Dombay, along the Amanauz glacier to a bivouac, around an icefall to a firn plateau under the south wall, then up a couloir to the summit. It is a classic intermediate Russian route (2B), needing glacier skills and confident movement on mixed ground and moderate rock. Harder lines (3A–4B) climb the west ridge, the north slope and the subsidiary summits, and the full traverse of the massif is a 5A.
The approach is in Teberda National Park and, higher up, in the Russian border zone.
Climbing Notes
Plan two days from Dombay: about 6 hours to the bivouac on the Amanauz glacier and an 8–10 hour summit day (about 5 hours up from the bivouac plus the descent and walk-out). You need glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, crampons for the icefall bypass and the lower couloir, and the ability to climb and downclimb moderate rock with snow and ice on it.
The only detailed description is from the 1930s; the Amanauz glacier has shrunk a great deal since, so check current conditions with the Dombay rescue service or local guides before going. Arrange a border-zone pass from the FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia in advance and buy a national park ticket at the Amanauz checkpoint.
History
Soviet climbers explored the massif in the 1930s: V. Budanov made the main summit's southern route in 1936, V. Miklashevsky climbed the East and West summits from the north the same year, and E. Abalakov traversed the massif in 1944. I. Smirnov added the north slope route (3A) in 1952.
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
- Heavy snow and avalanche risk
- Jun
- Crevasses well covered but much snow in the couloir
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; more bare ice late in the month
- Sep
- Open crevasses, icy couloir, short days
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia)Required
The Amanauz gorge beyond the Amanauz waterfall is in the Russian border zone. The national park cannot issue border-zone passes; apply in advance to the FSB Border Directorate for Karachay-Cherkessia (Cherkessk) or through Gosuslugi, and carry the pass and your original passport. Agencies advise allowing about 30 days.
tgpbz.ru - Teberda National Park visit feeRequired
Pay at the route checkpoint (cash only at present) and keep the receipt; tariffs are set by the park's tariff order.
tgpbz.ru
- Hut Booking
- No huts; bivouac on the Amanauz glacier. Hotels and campsites in Dombay and at the entrance to the Amanauz gorge.
- Fees
- Teberda National Park visit fee, paid in cash at the checkpoint
- Rules
- The main summit is on the Main Caucasus Ridge, on the line between Russia and Abkhazia (Georgia under international law); do not descend to the south side
- Teberda National Park: without a border-zone pass, visitors may go only to Russkaya Polyana (Dombay-Ulgen gorge), the Amanauz waterfall (Amanauz gorge) and the Alibek waterfall; the park's 'Turprodukt' permit sold at its checkpoints to Russian passport holders covers only the official eco-trails to the Ptysh and Chuchkhur waterfalls and the Sufrudzhu waterfalls. For travel off the official trails, contact the park's protection department (avb.teberda@yandex.ru).
- Teberda National Park visitor rules: Order No. 91 of 15 November 2024
- Getting There
Dombay
Mineralnye Vody (MRV)
- By road from Mineralnye Vody or Cherkessk via Karachayevsk and Teberda to Dombay
- From Dombay on foot into the Amanauz gorge
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Exposure
- Weather