Malalebismag'ali
4,007 m
Georgia, Russia
Also known as მალალებისმაღალი, МалалебисмагалиAlso known as
მალალებისმაღალი · Малалебисмагали
- Elevation
- 4,007 m
- Prominence
- 1,150 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- 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.
WorksReported 9 Aug 2024
In 2024 the bridge from the main road into Shatili village was washed away; cars could cross by another bridge. Check the current state of the road before travelling.
vestikavkaza.ru
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? 8 check notes
- no documented ascent — outline only (research confidence 0.2)
- Shatili → Upper Shatilistskali valley: closed above ~1433 m (OSM access/foot=no on way 1427672580)
- danger scan: Shatili → Vagichu Pass: DEM line 679 m off the straight axis
- 100% approximate geometry
- ascent 3345 m vs net gain 2590 m (+29%)
- low confidence 0.2
- Shatili → Upper Shatilistskali valley: dem (snap_failed, 5.9 km)
- Upper Shatilistskali valley → Vagichu Pass: dem (snap_failed, 3.6 km)
Sources differ: 2B (Russian tourist grade of the Vagichu Pass, 3,700 m) (pereval.space)
An outline line from the fortress village of Shatili in Khevsureti (Georgia): up the Shatilistskali valley to a high camp, then onto the frontier crest by the Vagichu Pass (graded 2B by Russian trekking groups) and a short way west along the ridge to the summit. No ascent report found; grade and line are estimates. Georgian Border Police permit required.
Elevation Profile
outline from maps- Distance
- ≈ 10.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +3,345 m
- −756 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,007 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 13h 57m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 10h 29m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Malalebismagali stands at the northern end of the Khevsureti range, on the Georgia–Russia border where Georgia's Dusheti municipality meets Ingushetia and Chechnya. The Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia describes a peak of Lower Jurassic clay shale with small glaciers. OpenStreetMap shows a cluster of trekking passes on the crest around it: Vagichu (about 3,700–3,800 m) about 600 m east of the summit, Ledovy (3,850 m) about 250 m west, and the Shatili Pass (3,748 m) further south-west. A pass-hopping itinerary recorded on pereval.space climbs from Shatili up the Shatilistskali to the Vagichu Pass, which it grades 2B, and its neighbours on this crest are graded 1B to 2B. The logical line from Georgia is therefore: from Shatili (about 1,450 m) walk north-west up the Shatilistskali valley past the Mitkuri side valley to a camp near the valley head, then climb snow, scree and shale to the Vagichu Pass and follow the frontier crest west to the summit, about 2,550 m of ascent in total. Expect steep snow or ice in the pass approach, especially early in summer. Descend the same way. We found no description of an ascent of the summit itself; the pass grades are the only published technical information. The crest is the state border with Russia: stay on the Georgian side, carry the Border Police permit, and do not descend to the north.
Start
Shatili1,417 m
- Marshrutka from Tbilisi Didube twice a week in June–September (2024); otherwise private 4x4 or driver over the Datvisjvari pass
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shatili → Upper Shatilistskali valley | 5.9 | 1,700 | 709 | 7h 49m |
| 2 | Upper Shatilistskali valley → Malalebismagali | 4.4 | 1,645 | 47 | 6h 07m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Shatili1,417 m
- Feature: Upper Shatilistskali valley2,407 m
Head of the mapped stream; camp somewhere in the upper valley (position not published)
- Col: Vagichu Pass3,792 m
pereval.space gives 3,700 m (2B), OSM 3,800 m
- Summit: Malalebismagali4,007 m
Highest DEM point about 60 m south at 42.7106, 45.0814
Key Passages
- Shatilistskali valley
- Climb to the Vagichu Pass
- Frontier crest west to the summit
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 20%No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.
Overview
A 4,007 m shale peak with small glaciers at the northern end of Georgia's Khevsureti range, on the frontier with Ingushetia and Chechnya above Shatili. Rarely visited; trekking groups cross the passes beside it, but no summit route is published.
Malalebismagali (Georgian მალალებისმაღალი) rises at the northern end of the Khevsureti range, a side spur of the Greater Caucasus, near the source of the Meshikhi, a left tributary of the Argun. The Georgia–Russia border runs over the summit, where Georgia's Dusheti municipality (Mtskheta-Mtianeti) meets the Russian republics of Ingushetia and Chechnya. The mountain is built of Lower Jurassic clay shale and carries small glaciers above alpine meadows.
The nearest village is Shatili, the famous fortified village of Khevsureti, about 7 km to the south-east. The crest around the peak is crossed by a string of trekking passes, mostly named by Russian and Soviet groups (Vagichu, Ledovy, Shatili, Prazhsky), graded 1B to 2B; the Vagichu Pass lies only about 600 m east of the summit. Of the passes, only the 2B grade of the Vagichu Pass is documented; nothing is published about the summit itself.
About 2.6 km south-west, on the same frontier crest, stands Makhismagali, which the Georgian encyclopedia also gives as 4,007 m; on the DEM it is slightly lower and has far less prominence. Keep the two apart when planning.
Climbing Notes
Treat this as an exploratory mountaineering objective. Plan three days from Shatili: a day up the Shatilistskali valley to a high camp, a summit day of roughly 1,000–1,500 m on snow, scree and shale with a steep pass approach, and the walk out. You need to be comfortable on steep snow and loose shale with crampons and ice axe, and able to judge snow conditions and route-find without a description. Acclimatise on lower passes first.
The summit is on the state border. Apply for a Georgian Border Police permit with your route and passport copies before you go, carry your passport and a GPS, and do not step over to the Russian side. Shatili has guesthouses but no shops or ATMs; the road over the Datvisjvari pass is usually open from late June to mid-September. There is no organised mountain rescue nearby.
Season
Best Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Good
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Road to Shatili closed
- Feb
- Road to Shatili closed
- Mar
- Road to Shatili closed
- Apr
- Road to Shatili closed
- May
- Road usually closed; deep snow
- Jun
- Road opens late June; heavy snow on the crest
- Jul
- Snow in couloirs; afternoon storms
- Aug
- Best conditions; couloirs may turn icy
- Sep
- Until mid-September; colder nights
- Oct
- Early snow; road may close
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border Police entry permit (border zone and border line)Required
The summit is on the Georgia–Russia border. Anyone entering the border zone (up to 5 km from the border) or the border line (500 m) for tourism needs a special permit under Government Resolution No. 386 of 30 December 2013. The group leader submits the application form with the planned route and scanned passports to bpol@mia.gov.ge or in person at 12 Kandelaki St., Tbilisi, or a regional division. Visiting Shatili village itself needs no permit.
bpg.gov.ge
- Hut Booking
- No huts; guesthouses in Shatili, camping above
- Rules
- The Georgia–Russia border runs over the summit and the neighbouring passes; there is no legal crossing. Stay on the Georgian side.
- The Russian side (Ingushetia, Chechnya) is a Russian border zone requiring an FSB pass.
- Getting There
Shatili (village); Dusheti and Tbilisi for supplies
Tbilisi (TBS)
- Marshrutka from Tbilisi Didube bus station to Shatili twice a week in June–September (2024 information); about 4 hours by road over the Datvisjvari pass
- By car: high-clearance 4x4 recommended on the gravel and serpentine road; avoid it after heavy rain
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Altitude