Saukhokh
3,711 m
Russia, Georgia
Also known as Saukhokhi, საუხოხი, +2Also known as
Saukhokhi · საუხოხი · Саухох · Sauchochi
- Elevation
- 3,711 m
- Prominence
- 643 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Сау-II → Саухох: straight line 2979 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Сау-II → Саухох: sustained 56° > 45° on a straight line
- danger scan: Сау-II → Саухох: straight line dips 644 m below both ends
- last routed vertex 2979 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- ascent 2799 m vs net gain 1884 m (+49%)
- low confidence 0.3
- Тиб → Земегондон: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 5.5 km)
- Земегондон → Кударский: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 16.6 km)
Sources differ: Kudar pass unclassified (n/k), pack-animal pass (poxod.ru guidebook; westra.ru)
A long approach from the North Ossetian side: from Zaramag on the Transcaucasian highway along the Mamisondon and up the Zemegondon and East Zemegondon valleys to the Kudar pass (2,900–3,148 m), an old pack-horse crossing to Kudaro, 8–10 hours. From the pass the main ridge leads west over the easy top of Sau-II to the twin summits of Saukhokh. Border zone.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 32.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,799 m
- −915 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,711 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 15h 12m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 12h 41m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Zaramag on the Transcaucasian highway (TransKAM), follow the old Ossetian Military Road along the right bank of the Mamisondon to its right-hand tributary, the Zemegondon. Cross the Mamisondon by the bridge and climb the road on the right side of the Zemegondon gorge, then a good path on the left bank of the Zemegondon and the East Zemegondon to a short side valley leading south. Cross the East Zemegondon and climb this valley on a path, first on grass and then on scree, to the broad Kudar pass on the Main Caucasus Range: 8–10 hours from Zaramag. Most parties camp in the upper East Zemegondon or near the pass. From the pass the main ridge runs south-west to Sau-II (about 3,500 m), described in the guidebook as technically simple, and then north-west to Saukhokh, which has two summits, east and west. Small glaciers lie on the northern side. No modern description of the ridge beyond Sau-II was found; South Ossetian climbers who reached both summits in 2025 call Saukhokh one of the hardest peaks in the republic and say it is rarely visited because of difficult routes and weather. The ridge is the border with South Ossetia; stay on or north of it. Descend the same way.
Start
Верхний Зарамаг1,828 m
- No public transport to Zaramag was found; go by car or taxi from Vladikavkaz via Alagir on the Transcaucasian highway.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Верхний Зарамаг → Кударский | 28.4 | 1,574 | 271 | 9h 59m |
| 2 | Кударский → Саухох | 4.0 | 1,224 | 645 | 5h 52m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Верхний Зарамаг1,828 m
On the Transcaucasian highway; start of the old Ossetian Military Road up the Mamisondon
- Feature: Тиб1,846 m
Hamlet in the Mamisondon valley near the Zemegondon confluence
- Feature: Земегондон2,077 m
Path on the left bank of the Zemegondon, then the East Zemegondon
- Col: Кударский3,130 m
Kudar (Kvdarsky) pass, unclassified; OSM and westra.ru give 3,148 m, the guidebook 2,900 m
- Shoulder: Сау-II3,476 m
Technically simple top on the main ridge
- Summit: Саухох3,711 m
Key Passages
- Scree slope to the Kudar pass
- Main ridge over Sau-II
- Final ridge to the east and west summits
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 30%Overview
Saukhokh (about 3,711 m) is a twin-topped peak on the Main Caucasus Range between North Ossetia and South Ossetia, west of the old Kudar pack-horse pass. It is remote, rarely climbed and poorly documented, with small glaciers on its northern side.
Saukhokh stands on the Main Caucasus Range in the Dvaleti section between the Mamison and Roki passes, with Sau-II and the Kudar pass to the east and Kosta Khetagurov peak to the north. Three ridges meet at the top: the east and north ridges carry the main watershed, and the south-west ridge runs past a 2,952 m saddle into a long spur ending at Gormagola (3,187 m), dividing the Kudardon and Dzhodzhora valleys from the Kozidon. The northern slopes drain to the East Zemegondon and the Mamisondon in North Ossetia; the southern side is the Kudaro area of South Ossetia, a Russian-occupied region of Georgia.
The range here is modest in glaciation, with small glaciers on the north side of the highest peaks, Saukhokh among them. From the north the usual way in is the Kudar pass, an unclassified pack-horse pass at the head of the East Zemegondon, from which the main ridge leads west over Sau-II. Sources describe Saukhokh as rarely visited because of its difficult routes and weather; South Ossetian climbers reached both its east and west summits in August 2025.
This is a peak for self-sufficient mountaineers comfortable with incomplete information, border-zone paperwork and a long approach.
Climbing Notes
Expect a multi-day trip with full camping gear: one long day (8–10 hours) from Zaramag up the Mamisondon and Zemegondon valleys to the Kudar pass, and a summit day along the main ridge over Sau-II. No modern route description or grade for the final ridge was found, so bring crampons, an ice axe, a helmet and a rope with a small rack, and the judgement to turn back. Acclimatise with a night or two above 2,500 m first.
The high valleys of the Alagir district are in the Russian border zone: get a border-zone pass from the North Ossetian border detachment in advance and carry your original passport. The south side of the ridge is South Ossetia; do not descend into it.
History
The military topographer A. Pastukhov reached the summit with Cossacks in 1890. On 16 September 1935 A. Metreveli, Stokaev and Tskhurbaev climbed it from the north; in August 1948 G. Sanakoev, K. Gasiev and G. Kakoev also climbed from the north, followed on 18 September 1948 by K. Astakhishvili, T. Akhmeteli, M. Mindiashvili, M. Utmelidze, P. Khovansky and G. Chichua. In August 2025 five South Ossetian climbers climbed both summits to mark the 17th anniversary of the 2008 war.
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
- Winter; avalanche risk in the valleys
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Deep snow
- May
- Snow and avalanche risk
- Jun
- Late snow on the pass and ridge
- Jul
- Second half of July usually good
- Aug
- Best month; the 2025 ascent was in August
- Sep
- Often settled; historical ascents in mid-September
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Russian border-zone pass (North Ossetian border detachment, FSB)Required
The high valleys of the Alagir district along the border are a border zone; an individual or group pass must be obtained in advance and the original passport carried. Local operators arrange group passes.
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- Hut Booking
- No huts. Camp in the upper East Zemegondon valley or near the Kudar pass; guesthouses in the Zaramag and Mamison area.
- Rules
- Border zone: carry a border-zone pass and original passport
- The summit ridge is the boundary with South Ossetia, a Russian-occupied region of Georgia; under Georgian law entering it from Russia is illegal, so do not cross or descend to the south
- Many governments (including the UK and US) advise against all travel to Russia since 2022
- Getting There
Zaramag (Alagir district, North Ossetia); Alagir
Vladikavkaz (Beslan, OGZ)
- By car from Vladikavkaz via Alagir and the Transcaucasian highway to Zaramag
- From Zaramag the old Ossetian Military Road runs up the Mamisondon; the Zemegondon road branches off across a bridge
Hazards
- Glacier
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness