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Shkhara

5,193 m

Russia, Georgia

Also known as Шхара, Šchara, +11

Шхара · Šchara · Schchara · Σχαρά · Shjara · Chkhara · შხარა · Шхара / შხარა · Sjkhara · Szchara · Șhara · Šhara · Sjchara

Elevation
5,193 m
Prominence
1,357 m
Difficulty
8/10
Very hard
Best Season
Jul–Aug
Routes
1

  • AdvisoryReported 18 Sep 2026

    UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia, which includes the Bezengi (north) side of Shkhara.

    gov.uk

Routes

1
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Approximate 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? 6 check notes
  • danger scan: Austrian Bivouacs → Shkhara East: straight line 3577 m (limit 200 m)
  • danger scan: Austrian Bivouacs → Shkhara East: straight line 3577 m above the last hut/bivouac
  • danger scan: Austrian Bivouacs → Shkhara East: sustained 55° > 45° on a straight line
  • Austrian Bivouacs → Shkhara East: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: DEM path 7347 m > 1.8× straight 3577 m + slack, 3.6 km)
  • Shkhara East → Shkhara: glacier (snap_failed, 1.4 km)
  • unresolved waypoints: Bezengi Glacier, Shkhara plateau
AlpineTD-MixedNormal route

Sources differ: 4B–5A (Russian) (SummitPost) · 5A (Russian) (SummitX)

The usual way up Georgia's highest peak, climbed from the Russian side: from the Austrian Bivouacs at the foot of the Bezengi Wall, up an icefall and a 45–50° ice couloir to a long, corniced snow and ice ridge over Shkhara East to the main summit. Russian 4B–5A; typically four days from the Bezengi camp.

Elevation Profile

approximate line
2,0003,0004,0005,0006,0000 km51015Austrian BivouacsShkhara East
Distance
≈ 18.0 km
one way
Ascent
≈ +3,185 m
−126 m lost on the way up
High Point
5,193 m
Time Up
≈ 13h 07m
DIN 33466
Time Down
≈ 9h 02m
DIN 33466 · same way back

From the Bezengi alpine camp (about 2,180 m) descend to the tongue of the Bezengi glacier and walk up its broad, flat surface for several hours to the foot of the Bezengi Wall, where the Austrian Bivouacs (Avstriyskie Nochevki) and the Dzhangi-Kosh shelter lie beside the glacier. From the bivouac cross crevassed glacier and an icefall, then a broken snow slope (25–35°), an ice couloir of about 200 m at 45–50° (threatened by ice and avalanches; a bergschrund at its foot) and a 300 m snow-ice slope of about 40° to a sharp snow ridge with a short rock step. The ridge continues with ice gendarmes and cornices to a snow plateau below the East summit (about 4,870 m; bivouac), 10–14 hours from the Austrian Bivouacs. From there allow 3–4 hours along the snow-ice ridge and a 35–40° slope to the main summit; the East summit can be added in 1½–2 hours. Descend the same way (10–14 hours back to the Austrian Bivouacs). SummitX suggests four days: approach, ridge to the plateau, summit with a second night on the ridge, and descent. The Bezengi camp has required parties on Shkhara to carry one of its radios and report in regularly.

Start

Bezengi alpine camp2,134 m

  • None to the camp: fly to Nalchik or Mineralnye Vody; the Bezengi camp arranges transfers from Nalchik with the border-zone passes.
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Bezengi alpine camp → Austrian Bivouacs18.03,18512613h 07m

Waypoints

  1. Trailhead:
    Bezengi alpine camp2,134 m
  2. Bivouac:
    Austrian Bivouacs3,234 m
  3. Shoulder:
    Shkhara East4,709 m

    Summit can be bypassed or added as a detour

  4. Summit:
    Shkhara5,193 m

Key Passages

  • Icefall above the Austrian Bivouacs
  • Ice couloir, about 200 m at 45–50° (ice and avalanche threat)
  • Sharp snow ridge with ice gendarmes and cornices
  • Final snow-ice ridge from Shkhara East to the main summit

Equipment

0/11 packed
Technical
Glacier
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation
Hut & Camping

Downloads

Route confidence 60%

Overview

Georgia's highest mountain (5,193 m), the eastern pillar of the 12 km Bezengi Wall on the Georgia–Russia border above Ushguli. Every route is a serious technical climb; the normal North-East Ridge from Bezengi is Russian grade 4B–5A.

Shkhara stands on the main Caucasus watershed between Upper Svaneti in Georgia and the Bezengi valley in Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia. It is the highest and easternmost summit of the Bezengi Wall, a 12 km ridge without any major dip that rises about 2,000 m above the Bezengi glacier on the north. On the Georgian side the Shkhara glacier descends towards Ushguli, the UNESCO-listed group of villages at about 2,100 m that is one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Europe.

There is no easy route. SummitPost describes routes from Russian 4B to 6B; the usual ascent is the North-East Ridge from the Austrian Bivouacs on the Bezengi glacier, a long snow and ice ridge with a 45–50° couloir, cornices and gendarmes, done over about four days from the Bezengi camp. From Georgia, climbs start from Ushguli and the Shkhara glacier; Georgia's tourism board describes a five-day ascent graded 5B, with camps at 3,500, 4,300 and 4,800 m.

The peak's height has been quoted between about 5,068 m and 5,203 m by different maps; 5,193 m is the commonly cited survey value. Because the border ridge cannot be crossed legally, climbers must choose a side: the Russian side has the Bezengi camp's rescue service but sits in a border zone in a country most Western governments advise against visiting; the Georgian side is easier to reach but has little infrastructure and slower rescue.

Climbing Notes

Suitable only for experienced alpinists who can lead 45–50° ice, move confidently on corniced ridges at around 5,000 m and spend several nights in tents on the mountain. Acclimatise beforehand on lower Bezengi or Svaneti peaks and plan reserve days for weather; storms on the Bezengi Wall can pin parties down for days.

From Russia, base yourself at the Bezengi alpine camp, which arranges border-zone passes, transfers and rescue cover, and register your route there. From Georgia, travel via Zugdidi or Kutaisi to Mestia and on by road to Ushguli and hire a local guide through Mestia operators or Georgian mountain guides. Georgia's tourism board recommends that beginners climb only with an experienced guide.

The season runs from June to September, with the best chances in July and August; Georgian sources quote mid-July to late September for the south side.

History

John Garford Cockin, with the guides Ulrich Almer and Christian Roth, made the first ascent in September 1888 by the North-East Ridge, still the normal route. The first complete traverse of the Bezengi Wall from Shkhara to Lyalver was made by the Austrians Karl Poppinger, Karl Moldan and Sepp Schindlmeister in 1931. The first ski descent, of the south side, was made in June 2008. Archil Badriashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze made the first winter ascent from the south in February 2018, the first Georgian winter ascent of their country's highest peak.

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; only rare expedition-style ascents
Apr
Spring snow, glide avalanches
Jun
Early season; more snow and avalanche danger
Jul
Best months
Aug
Best months
Sep
Colder after early September; Georgian guides climb the south side until late September

Access & Permits

Permits
  • Russian border-zone pass (Bezengi)Required

    For the Russian (north) side only. The Bezengi valley is a border zone; Bezengi camp clients send passport details in advance and passes are brought by the camp's driver. Non-clients also need a national park pass from the park office in Kashkhatau.

    mountain.ru
Hut Booking
No staffed huts on the mountain. Russian side: book the Bezengi alpine camp. Georgian side: homestays and guesthouses in Ushguli.
Fees
  • Bezengi camp accommodation and national park fee (Russian side)
  • 4×4 transfer from Ushguli to the Shkhara glacier (Georgian side)
Rules
  • The summit ridge is the Georgia–Russia border; crossing between the two sides on the mountain is not legal
  • UK FCDO (and most other Western governments) advise against all travel to Russia
  • Russian side: Bezengi camp rules require registration and radio contact for climbs
Getting There

Ushguli (Georgia); Mestia for supplies. Kashkhatau or Nalchik on the Russian side

Mestia (Queen Tamar Airport, domestic flights) or Kutaisi (KUT); Nalchik (NAL) for the Russian side

  • Georgia: shared minibuses or 4×4 from Mestia to Ushguli (about 45 km), then an off-road vehicle 8 km up the valley to the Shkhara glacier
  • Georgia: Mestia is reached by road from Zugdidi or by domestic flight from Tbilisi or Kutaisi
  • Russia: camp transfer from Nalchik via Kashkhatau to the Bezengi alpine camp

Hazards

  • Avalanche
  • Cornices
  • Crevasses
  • Glacier
  • Rockfall
  • Altitude
  • Exposure
  • Weather
  • Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

2

  • Bezengi alpine campHotelStaffed

    2,180 m

  • Austrian BivouacsBivouacUnstaffed

    3,234 m