Malaia Marka
3,746 m
Russia
Also known as Малая МаркаAlso known as
Малая Марка
- Elevation
- 3,746 m
- Prominence
- 724 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? 4 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.2)
- low confidence 0.2
- Сырзавод → Малая Марка: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 11.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Saddle south of the Mukhinsky pass, Upper Malaya Marka lake, Saddle between West and East Malaya Marka
Sources differ: 1B (Russian), rock, West Malaya Marka 'from the Marka valley', L. Bogorodsky 1948 (Caucasus route classification (alp.org.ua))
Outline: from the old cheese-factory site in Teberda's Mukha valley, cross the watershed south of the Mukhinsky pass into the Malaya Marka valley, walk up past its lakes to the upper lake (2,740 m), then over moraine and snow towards the saddle between the West (main) and East summits. Classified as Russian 1B from the Marka valley; no detailed description found.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 11.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,778 m
- −192 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,746 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 7h 45m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 5h 38m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The 1930s Soviet guide starts at the cheese factory in the Mukha valley (Teberda National Park). A path climbs to a saddle in the western watershed ridge south of the Mukhinsky pass and descends, easily enough for a horse, in about 45 minutes into the Malaya Marka valley on the Aksaut side. Follow the right bank of the Malaya Marka to the lower Malaya Marka lake (horses can go this far), skirt it and climb a rocky, partly grassy slope to the upper, larger lake at 2,740 m, about 2 hours along the valley. This is the natural place to camp. From the lake, cross coarse moraine and a snowfield into the south-west cirque and climb a low ridge from which the saddle between the West summit (the main summit, given as 3,741–3,746 m) and the East summit (about 3,500 m) comes into view. The guide describes only the East summit, by one of the steep couloirs on its flanks; it noted that the West summit was still unclimbed and would probably be reached by the glacier. The West summit was first climbed in 1948 by L. Bogorodsky's party, and the classification lists it as 1B, rock, 'from the Marka valley', without further detail. Descend the same way, or from the East summit into the Azgek valley.
Start
Сырзавод2,160 m
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Сырзавод2,160 m
Old cheese-factory site in the Mukha valley (Teberda National Park)
- Summit: Малая Марка3,746 m
Key Passages
- Moraine and snowfield above the upper lake
- Final rock to the West summit
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 20%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
Malaya Marka (3,746 m) is a two-headed rock peak at the northern end of the Teberda–Aksaut ridge, above the lakes of the Malaya Marka valley. Little visited: the main west summit was unclimbed until 1948 and its only classified easy route is a Russian 1B from the Marka valley.
Malaya Marka rises on the rocky ridge between the Teberda and Aksaut valleys, north of Khadzhibey-Bashi and south of the Mukhinsky pass. It has two summits. The West summit, given as 3,741–3,746 m, is the main one; the East summit is about 3,500 m and topped by a squarish rock tower. Small firn fields lie in the cirques at the head of the Malaya Marka, and the valley holds two lakes, the upper one at 2,740 m. The 1930s guide praised the view of the neighbouring Khadzhibey-Bashi, Azgek-Bashi and Toguz-Kel-Bashi group.
As a mountaineering objective it is obscure. The old Soviet guide describes only the East summit, by steep couloirs from the upper lake, and calls the higher West summit unvisited. The modern classification lists the West summit as a 1B rock route from the Marka valley, first climbed in 1948. We found no recent ascent report.
The usual way in is from Teberda: up the Mukha valley in Teberda National Park, over a saddle in the watershed south of the Mukhinsky pass, and down into the Malaya Marka valley on the Aksaut side. Expect a tent camp by the lakes and a long summit day on moraine, snow and rock.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for parties with basic glacier and scrambling skills who are comfortable finding their own line. Allow three days from Teberda: walk in to the upper Malaya Marka lake, make a summit day, and walk out. With no modern description, study the cirque from the low ridge above the lake before committing. Pay the national-park fee for the Mukha valley approach, and check current trail and road status with the park office in Teberda.
History
The East summit was first climbed in 1931. The West (main) summit was still unclimbed when the Soviet guide was written in the late 1930s; the classification credits its first ascent, by the 1B route from the Marka valley, to L. Bogorodsky in 1948.
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
- Jun
- Snow on the watershed path and in the cirques
- Sep
- Shorter days, colder nights
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Teberda National Park visitor feeRequired
The Mukha valley approach is in Teberda National Park; the park lists Teberda routes including the Shumka waterfall and the Mukhinsky pass as paid routes. Pay at the checkpoint and keep the receipt as your pass.
tgpbz.ru
- Hut Booking
- No huts; camp by the upper Malaya Marka lake.
- Fees
- Teberda National Park entry fee for the Mukha valley approach
- Rules
- Teberda National Park: stay on permitted routes and follow the visitor rules (Order No. 91 of 15 November 2024)
- Getting There
Teberda
Mineralnye Vody (MRV)
- Bus or taxi from Cherkessk or Mineralnye Vody via Karachayevsk to Teberda
- On foot (or by vehicle where allowed) up the Mukha valley to the old cheese-factory site
Hazards
- Glacier
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Remoteness