Kideganismag'ali
4,275 m
Georgia, Russia
Also known as კიდეგანისმაღალი, КидеганисAlso known as
კიდეგანისმაღალი · Кидеганис
- Elevation
- 4,275 m
- Prominence
- 869 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? 5 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.2)
- ascent 3834 m is 1.8× the net gain 2126 m: the line probably detours down and back up (not a traverse)
- low confidence 0.2
- Amgha → Kideganismagali: dem (snap_failed, 9.8 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Arkhotistavi Pass, Arkhoti hiking shelter, High camp below the Kidegani glacier
Sources differ: 2A (Russian), from a search excerpt of an offline Russian guidebook; unverified
An exploratory glacier ascent of the highest point of the Kidegani Ridge on the Georgia–Ingushetia border. Trek from Juta over the Arkhotistavi Pass into the remote Arkhoti valley, walk up the head of the Asa valley from Amgha and climb the east-facing Kidegani glacier to the summit. No route description has been published.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 35.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +3,834 m
- −1,709 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,275 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 20h 36m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 17h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Kideganismagali ('Kidegani High') crowns the Kidegani Ridge, the stretch of the main Caucasus watershed between the Juta and Arkhoti valleys in Georgia and the Armkhi valley in Ingushetia. On OSM the Kidegani glacier lies about 800 m east-south-east of the summit, on the Georgian side, draining into the Asa river in Arkhoti; the Armkhi rises below the northern glacier on the Russian side. We found no modern trip report, so this line is an outline based on the trekking approach and the map. The approach follows the Juta–Roshka trek (Caucasus-Trekking, updated December 2025): from Juta (about 2,150 m, 30 minutes by taxi from Stepantsminda) a red-marked path runs up the Veshattskali valley to the Arkhotistavi Pass (about 3,230–3,287 m). A new unstaffed hiking shelter stands on the plateau below the pass on the Arkhoti side (open in summer, locked at some point in autumn); guesthouses are 2–3 hours further at Akhieli. From Akhieli and Amgha, the highest of the three Arkhoti villages, walk west up the head of the Asa valley to a high camp below the Kidegani glacier, then climb the glacier and the final slopes to the summit. Expect crevassed glacier, loose Jurassic shale on the ridges and a long day of about 2,000 m of ascent from Amgha unless you camp high. Descend the same way. The summit is on the international border: stay on the Georgian side.
Start
Juta2,149 m
- Marshrutka Tbilisi–Stepantsminda, then taxi to Juta (about 60 GEL one way, 30 minutes)
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Juta2,149 m
Border police post in the valley writes a permit (passport needed)
- Waypoint: Akhieli1,795 m
Guesthouses
- Waypoint: Amgha1,738 m
- Feature: Kidegani glacier4,175 m
not on route line
- Summit: Kideganismagali4,275 m
Key Passages
- Arkhotistavi Pass
- Head of the Asa valley above Amgha
- Kidegani glacier
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 20%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
The 4,275 m high point of the Kidegani Ridge on the Georgia–Ingushetia border, above the near-deserted Arkhoti valley in Khevsureti. A remote glacier peak with no published route, reached by a two-day trek from Juta.
Kideganismagali, literally 'Kidegani High', is the culminating summit of the Kidegani Ridge, a section of the main Caucasus watershed east of Kazbek and Mount Shani. Its eastern glacier, the Kidegani, drains into the Asa river in Arkhoti, a high Khevsur community of three villages (Chimgha, Akhieli and Amgha) with fewer than 15 permanent residents; the northern side falls to the Armkhi valley in Ingushetia, Russia. The ridge is built of Jurassic clay shale, so expect broken, loose rock wherever the glaciers end.
The mountain is hardly ever mentioned in climbing literature. Soviet-era trekking clubs crossed the high passes of the Kidegani Ridge (the Kidegansky Pass, 3,725 m, is graded Russian 3A), but we found no modern account of the summit. It is a peak for experienced, self-sufficient alpinists who want genuine exploration within reach of Kazbegi.
Arkhoti itself has become easier to visit: a red-marked trek from Juta crosses the Arkhotistavi Pass, a new hiking shelter opened below the pass in 2025, and Akhieli has guesthouses.
Climbing Notes
Plan five to seven days from Stepantsminda: one or two days to Arkhoti over the Arkhotistavi Pass, a day to establish a high camp at the head of the Asa valley, a summit day and spare days for weather, then out the same way or over the Bogovachisghele Pass to Roshka. You need glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, crampon and ice-axe confidence, and the judgement to pick a line on unfamiliar, loose terrain. Acclimatise on the trek in; the summit is about 2,000 m above Amgha. Carry your passport for the Border Police, a satellite messenger and full camping kit. A Kazbegi-based mountain guide with knowledge of Khevsureti is the sensible option for most parties.
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
- Jan
- Arkhoti cut off by snow
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Winter
- May
- Deep snow on the Arkhotistavi Pass
- Jun
- Snow on the pass; good glacier cover
- Jul
- Best period; shelter open
- Aug
- Most stable weather; open crevasses later in the month
- Sep
- Settled but colder; shelter locks at some point in autumn
- Oct
- Early snow
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Georgian Border Police registrationRequired
Juta and Arkhoti are in the border zone. Guards at the post in the Juta valley check passports and write a permit (about 15 minutes) for the Arkhoti trek.
caucasus-trekking.com - Border Police entry permit (border zone and border line)Required
The summit is on the state border. Tourists entering the border zone (up to 5 km from the border) or the border line (500 m) need a special permit; the group leader submits the official form with the planned route and passport copies to the Border Police (12 Kandelaki St., Tbilisi, a regional division) or by email to bpol@mia.gov.ge. On-the-spot registration at valley posts is the usual practice on trekking routes, but a climb to the border crest should be covered by an advance permit.
bpg.gov.ge
- Hut Booking
- The Arkhoti hiking shelter is unstaffed and not bookable; guesthouses in Akhieli take walk-ins in summer.
- Rules
- The summit lies on the Georgia–Russia (Ingushetia) border. The Russian side is a closed border zone and the land border here is not a crossing point; stay on Georgian territory.
- Getting There
Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)
Tbilisi (TBS)
- Marshrutka Tbilisi (Didube)–Stepantsminda, about 3 hours
- Stepantsminda–Juta by taxi, about 30 minutes (from about 60 GEL one way); the Mountain Freaks shuttle no longer runs from 2026
- Exit via Roshka: no public transport; guesthouse drivers charge about 150 GEL to Barisakho
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness