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Shino

4,048 m

Georgia

Also known as შინო, Шино, +1

შინო · Шино · Sjino

Elevation
4,048 m
Prominence
607 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

1
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Open 3D

No 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 0.15)
  • low confidence 0.15
  • Sno → Sno Pass: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 9.9 km)
  • Sno Pass → Shino Pass: dem (snap_failed, 1.4 km)
  • Shino Pass → Shino: dem (snap_failed, 1.4 km)
AlpinePDGlacierNormal route

Sources differ: Sno Pass 1B (rock/scree), Shino Pass 2B (rock/snow/ice), Russian pass categories (veskavkaz.narod.ru pass classifier)

No published summit route. Two classified passes cross the Kuro–Shino ridge west of the summit: the Sno Pass (about 3,300–3,400 m, Russian 1B, rock and scree) from the Terek side, and the Shino Pass (about 3,700 m, 2B, rock, snow and ice) just north of the peak. Linking them to the glaciated summit is plausible but undocumented.

Elevation Profile

outline from maps
1,0002,0003,0004,0005,0000 km2.557.51012.5Sno PassShino
Distance
≈ 12.6 km
one way
Ascent
≈ +2,463 m
−183 m lost on the way up
High Point
4,048 m
Time Up
≈ 10h 09m
DIN 33466
Time Down
≈ 7h 07m
DIN 33466 · same way back

Shino stands on the ridge that separates the Terek valley at Stepantsminda and Sno from the Kistinka valley to the east, 3.4 km south-east of its higher neighbour Q'uro (Kuro, 4,071 m). Small glaciers, including the Shino glacier, lie on its northern and western flanks. We found no route description, guidebook entry or trip report for the summit. The Russian pass classifier lists the Sno Pass (3,300 m, 1B, rock and scree) between the Terek and the Shinikhevi, and the Shino Pass (3,700 m, 2B in summer and spring, rock, snow and ice) between the Shinikhevi and the Kistinka, north of Shino peak. On OSM the two passes lie on the ridge west of the summit (3,411 m and 3,731 m). A party would most likely approach from Sno or Stepantsminda, camp high, cross the Sno Pass and follow the ridge or the Shino glacier east past the Shino Pass to the summit. This is our inference, not a documented route, and the grade is an estimate for a glaciated 4,000 m summit next to 2B passes. Shino lies inside Kazbegi National Park. Anyone attempting it should consult guides in Stepantsminda, who may have unpublished knowledge of the mountain.

Start

Sno1,769 m

  • Minibus from Tbilisi to Stepantsminda along the Georgian Military Road; Sno lies about 6 km south.

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Sno → Sno Pass9.81,668656h 55m
2Sno Pass → Shino2.87951183h 14m

Waypoints

  1. Trailhead:
    Sno1,769 m
  2. Col:
    Sno Pass3,372 m

    Russian 1B, rock and scree (classifier gives 3,300 m)

  3. Col:
    Shino Pass3,696 m

    Russian 2B, rock, snow and ice (classifier gives 3,700 m)

  4. Summit:
    Shino4,048 m

Key Passages

  • Sno Pass (1B)
  • Shino Pass area (2B, rock/snow/ice)
  • Unrecorded summit section

Equipment

0/6 packed
Technical
Glacier
Safety
Navigation
Hut & Camping

Downloads

Route confidence 15%

No GPX or KML: an outline from maps is not a route to follow.

Overview

A glaciated 4,048 m summit on the Kuro–Shino ridge directly east of Stepantsminda, second only to Q'uro (4,071 m) on the ridge between the Terek and Kistinka valleys. Seen by every visitor to Kazbegi, yet virtually undocumented as a climb.

Shino and its neighbour Q'uro (Kuro) are the two highest summits of the massive ridge that rises east of Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), separating the Terek from its right-bank tributary the Kistinka; on the far side of the Kistinka rises the Shan group. Small glaciers, including the Shino glacier, cling to its northern and western flanks, and the ridge is crossed by classified mountaineering passes: the Sno Pass (Russian 1B) and the Shino Pass (2B, rock, snow and ice) just north of the peak. It lies within Kazbegi National Park.

Despite its height and its position facing Mount Kazbek across the valley, we found no published route description, guidebook entry or ascent report. It should be treated as an exploratory glaciated 4,000 m objective: likely two to three days from Sno or Stepantsminda with a high camp, glacier travel and loose rock.

The Kazbegi area has good infrastructure (guesthouses, guides, transport from Tbilisi), which makes Shino more accessible than its obscurity suggests.

Climbing Notes

Only experienced alpinists should consider Shino without local knowledge: you need glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, competence on loose rock and snow up to the difficulty of a Russian 2B pass, and acclimatisation for 4,000 m (for example a few days around Juta or the Gergeti glacier first). Ask mountain guide offices in Stepantsminda whether they know a current line; conditions on the small glaciers vary greatly by season. Carry full camping and navigation equipment, as there are no huts on this side of the ridge and no marked paths.

Season

Best Jul–Aug
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Not advisable
  4. April: Not advisable
  5. May: Not advisable
  6. June: Possible
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Good
  10. October: Not advisable
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter
Feb
Winter
Mar
Winter; avalanche risk
Apr
Deep snow
May
Spring snow; the pass classifier lists spring grades for the Shino Pass
Jun
Much snow on the passes
Jul
Main alpine season in the Kazbegi area
Aug
Main alpine season; more bare ice and loose rock late in the month
Sep
Shorter days, colder nights
Oct
Early winter
Nov
Winter
Dec
Winter

Access & Permits

Rules
  • Inside Kazbegi National Park: follow park rules on camping and fires
  • The Georgia–Russia border lies a little over 10 km to the north; stay on the Georgian side and carry your passport
Getting There

Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)

Tbilisi (TBS)

  • Minibus or car from Tbilisi to Stepantsminda along the Georgian Military Road (about 150 km)
  • Taxi from Stepantsminda to Sno (about 6 km) or Juta

Hazards

  • Glacier
  • Crevasses
  • Rockfall
  • Altitude
  • Weather
  • Remoteness
Researched from 6 sourcesConfidence50%UnreviewedUpdated 8 Oct 2026
Sources & Caveats
  • merged with Wikidata/OSM names
  • curated (pipeline/config/peak_status.yaml, checked against the research) and derived from route research confidence
  • Natural Earth 10m point-in-polygon + 300 m border buffer; Wikidata P17 countries whose border is within 5 km
  • No route description, ascent report, grade, time or first-ascent record was found; the route file is an inferred outline.; Elevation is given as 4,048 m (skeleton, OSM, PeakVisor), 4,047 m (a Russian travel blog) and 4,043 m (PeakVisor's municipality list). The skeleton value is kept.; Prominence: PeakVisor gives 473 m against the skeleton's 607 m (Kirmse, summit-corrected).; The skeleton range ('Caucasus Mountains', inherited from Quro) is very broad; the peak lies on the Kuro (Q'uro) ridge east of the Terek.; Kazbegi National Park membership comes from PeakVisor and was not checked against t
  • normalizeGrade of the easiest researched route
  • OSM agrees
  • summit-corrected (raw GLO-30 597 m)
  • inherited from Quro (3.5 km, same country)
  • 69% OSM trail graph, 0% short gaps between OSM fragments, 30% DEM least-cost, 0% straight (approx)
  • elevation from copernicus_glo30