Kionkhokh

Kionkhokh is a limestone and dolomite massif in the Rocky (Skalisty) range of North Ossetia, with walls about 400 m high on its south and west sides. From Verkhny Zgid (bus stop) a dirt road heads towards the Savaraftsag pass; leave it before the pass and climb grassy slopes to the broad grassy saddle at about 3,000 m (2,990 m by GPS) that separates Kionkhokh from Barzond-Tsagveri. Levkovsky gives 4–4.5 hours from Verkhny Zgid or Kamunta to the saddle; camp below it near one of the streams. From the saddle descend north for about 20 minutes (1 km, 260 m down) to the foot of a couloir that rises to the north ridge. In January 2008 a party found firm snow at an average of 35° with long sections of 45°, a final 150 m at 45° and wind slab in places; the couloir took 2 hours, and straying onto the rocky rib beside it needed a 50 m rope. The ridge is asymmetric: a scree or snow slope on the east, cliffs on the west. Bypass the gendarmes, including the large 'Kupol', on steep scree on the left. That party reached the west summit (about 3,407 m) in another 2 hours of deep snow and fixed a rope for the final 50 m; the main summit is about 300 m further along an exposed crest that needed fixed ropes in winter, and they turned back. Descend by the same line. Levkovsky recommends this north ridge (about 1Б) as the descent from the harder routes on the peak. Harder classified lines include the east ridge (2А) from the Savaraftsag road, the south face of the west buttress (2Б) and a line right of the rib on the south face (3А).