Svetgari
4,118 m
Georgia
Also known as Svetgar, სვეტგარი, +1Also known as
Svetgar · სვეტგარი · Светгар
- Elevation
- 4,118 m
- Prominence
- 698 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: 3B (Soviet/Russian classification; Svetgar South–Main traverse, L. Bogorodsky route) (Gory Svanetii (Central Caucasus) guidebook, via skitalets.ru) · Asmashi Pass 3A (Russian trekking-pass grade) (Westra 2015 trek report, mountain.ru)
The easiest documented way to the 4,118 m main summit: from the Mestiachala road end north of Mestia up the Murkvam valley and a waterfall couloir to the crevassed Murkvam glacier and the Asmashi Pass (about 3,610 m), then the south ridge of Svetgar South (2B) and the corniced north-east ridge to a short, hard summit tower (overall Soviet 3B). Three to four days in the border zone.
About 100% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 7 check notes
- danger scan: Mestiachala–Chalaati road end → Asmashi Pass: DEM line 2313 m off the straight axis
- 100% approximate geometry
- ascent 2935 m vs net gain 2457 m (+19%)
- low confidence 0.4
- Mestiachala–Chalaati road end → Asmashi Pass: dem (snap_failed, 8.8 km)
- Asmashi Pass → Svetgari: glacier (snap_failed, 2.2 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Murkvam valley camp, Murkvam couloir, Murkvam upper cirque, Svetgar South
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 11.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,935 m
- −478 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 4,118 m
- Time Up
- 12h 07m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 8h 50m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the end of the vehicle road at the confluence of the Mestiachala and the Chalaati, about 1,650 m, cross the suspension bridge to the left bank and follow the trail up through forest onto the step at the mouth of the Murkvam valley. Continue up the left bank past the junction of the two Murkvam sources to camp sites around 2,300 m (a 2015 party took just over 3 hours). The way to the glacier is a narrow rock couloir beside the stream: the Soviet guide describes 50–60 m of slabs onto a grassy slope, but in 2015 a trekking party needed an abseil, a 15–18 m chimney beside a waterfall, a fixed-rope stream crossing and several pitches of loose rock to reach the upper cirque moraine at about 3,160 m, taking 9.5 hours with heavy packs. Older ledge systems in the couloir appear to have collapsed. From the moraine, crampon up open ice between large crevasses, rope up where the glacier becomes snow-covered and turn left to the Asmashi Pass (3,609 m in the 2015 report, 3,636 m on OSM), crossing a bergschrund and a steep snow or ice slope; there are tent platforms on the pass. The guide gives 7–9 hours from the road end to here in Soviet-era conditions. From the pass turn north onto the south ridge of Svetgar South: easy scree-covered rock to a gendarme, passed on the left, then a 20–25 m wall of moderate rock (pitons; it can be turned on the right by steep snow and ice), broad easy ridge and a final 60 m step of snow and rock to Svetgar South (about 4,000 m), 2–4 hours from the pass. Descend 40–50 m of steep rock to the long, narrow, corniced north-east ridge and follow it, with loose blocks, to the wall of the main summit's west ridge; climb 10–15 m of harder rock onto the west ridge and follow it to the summit tower, finished by a difficult 8–10 m wall on which the guide indicates aid. Allow 3–4 hours from Svetgar South. Return the same way, abseiling the tower and the wall.
Start
Mestiachala–Chalaati road end1,661 m
- Marshrutkas from Kutaisi and Zugdidi to Mestia; then a taxi up the Mestiachala road towards the Chalaati glacier trailhead.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asmashi Pass → Svetgari | 11.0 | 2,935 | 478 | 12h 07m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Mestiachala–Chalaati road end1,661 m
Border post nearby; suspension bridge to the left bank of the Mestiachala
- Col: Asmashi Pass3,608 m
Tent platforms on the pass; Asmashi glacier on the far side
- Summit: Svetgari4,118 m
Key Passages
- Waterfall couloir from the Murkvam valley to the upper cirque
- Crevassed Murkvam glacier and the bergschrund below the Asmashi Pass
- 20–25 m wall on the south ridge of Svetgar South
- Corniced north-east ridge of Svetgar South
- 8–10 m summit tower
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%Overview
A 4,118 m glaciated massif north of Mestia, the highest point of the Svetgar ridge between the Lekzyr glacier and the Tviberi basin. Climbed by Soviet parties since 1937 but rarely today, it is a serious multi-day mixed ascent in Georgia's border zone.
The Svetgar ridge runs west from Lekzyr Uzlovaya on the Main Caucasus Range, a short distance south of the Russian border. Its core is a compact group of summits around 4,100 m: East, Main and Central, with the separate Svetgar West (Dvuzubka, about 3,950 m) and Maryanna (3,670 m) further west, the dark rock tower of Svetgar North on a northern spur and Svetgar South (about 4,000 m) on the spur that runs down to the Asmashi Pass. The north faces feed the eastern branch of the Lekzyr glacier; the south side drains through the Asmashi and Murkvam glaciers to the Tviberi and Mestiachala valleys.
The massif is visible from the Koruldi lakes above Mestia but is far less visited than Tetnuldi or Laila. Soviet alpinists climbed it from 1937 onwards and established more than a dozen routes from Soviet grade 2B to 5A, most of them long, corniced ridges of loose rock and snow. Recent reports come mostly from Ukrainian and Russian club parties.
Expect crevassed glaciers, steep snow and pitched rock on every route, a remote setting with no huts and frequent fog. The approach from the Murkvam valley has changed with glacier retreat, and the old descriptions should be checked against recent reports.
Climbing Notes
You need solid alpine experience: glacier travel and crevasse rescue, steep snow and ice with crampons, and leading loose rock with pitons and nuts at Soviet grade 3B. Acclimatise on a lower peak first: a 2014 Kyiv club meet climbed Banguriani (3,838 m, 1B) as a warm-up and spent several days acclimatising and carrying loads before Svetgar.
Plan three to four days from the Mestiachala road end, with camps in the Murkvam valley, on the upper moraine and on the Asmashi Pass. The waterfall couloir below the Murkvam glacier needed fixed ropes and hauling in 2015. Snow softens quickly on the south-facing slopes, so move early. A border-zone pass from the Georgian Border Police in Mestia is needed, and you should register with the rescue service there. Local guides in Mestia can advise on current conditions.
History
The Svaneti guidebook records the first routes in July–August 1937: A. Zolotarev and E. Ivanov climbed Svetgar East by its east ridge (3B) on 12 July 1937 and Svetgar South by its south ridge (2B) on 14 July 1937, and L. Bogorodsky and Yu. Aleksandrov made the traverse from Svetgar South to the main summit (3B) on 25 August 1937. Harder lines followed, including the north rib of Svetgar East (4B, 1952) and a 5A combination of the north rib and the traverse to Maryanna in 1956.
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
- Jan
- Winter; expedition conditions
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; high avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring snow; ski touring in the lower valleys only
- May
- Heavy snow cover and avalanche risk
- Jun
- Soviet parties climbed in June; deep snow on the glaciers, high streams
- Jul
- Main season; most recorded ascents July–August
- Aug
- Main season; open crevasses and more stonefall late in the month
- Sep
- Cooler and more stable; first snowfalls possible
- Oct
- Early winter
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Border-zone pass (Georgian Border Police)Required
The upper Mestiachala and its side valleys lie in Georgia's border zone with Russia. A 2015 report describes emailing participant details and the planned route to the Mestia border service in advance and collecting a pass in person at the border office on the eastern edge of Mestia, next to the airport; passes were checked at the outpost at the Mestiachala–Chalaati confluence. Requirements may have changed; ask in Mestia.
- Hut Booking
- No huts; camping only.
- Rules
- Border zone: carry your passport and border pass, and do not cross the Main Caucasus Range into Russia
- Register your route with the rescue service in Mestia before setting off
- Getting There
Mestia
Mestia (Queen Tamar Airport, domestic flights from Tbilisi) or Kutaisi (KUT)
- Marshrutkas to Mestia from Kutaisi and Zugdidi; flights from Tbilisi in good weather
- Taxi from Mestia up the Mestiachala road to the end of the vehicle track near the Chalaati confluence
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Altitude
- Avalanche
- Cornices
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness