Tebulosmta

4,493 m

Georgia, Russia

Also known as ТӀуьйли-лам, Τεμπουλόσμτα, +5

ТӀуьйли-лам · Τεμπουλόσμτα · mont Teboulo · თებულოსმთა · თებულოსმთა / Туьлой-Лам · Tebulos Mta · Тебулосмта

Elevation: 4,493 m
Prominence: 2,145 m
Difficulty: 1/10; Easy walk
Best Season: Jul–Aug
Routes: 1

Routes

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GlacierNormal route

A remote, self-supported expedition rather than an established normal route: walk in from Khonischala in Khevsureti to the Atsunta Pass, then follow the Georgia–Russia border ridge over subsidiary tops of about 3,900 and 4,000 m to the small summit glacier. Loose shale, snow slopes and total isolation are the main difficulties.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: 18.1 km; one way
Ascent: +3,312 m; −566 m lost on the way up
High Point: 4,493 m
Time Up: 14h 26m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 10h 46m; DIN 33466 · same way back

There is no hut, waymarked path or guidebook-standard normal route on Tebulosmta. Climbers from the Georgian side use the long-distance trekking trail between Khevsureti and Tusheti: from Shatili and Mutso a dirt road and then the Atsunta Pass trail lead up the Andaki valley to the hamlet of Khonischala, and on to the Atsunta Pass (about 3,430–3,520 m depending on the source), normally reached in a day or more from Khonischala. Registration with the Georgian Border Police is required in this zone. From a camp near the pass, one documented line follows the border ridge north-east over two subsidiary summits of roughly 3,900 m and 4,000 m to the glacier (about 4 hours), then climbs snow and the summit glacier to the top in a further 4 hours or so; the climber who reported it called it 'not so very difficult' in August conditions. Other parties have climbed from a camp on the dividing ridge directly above Khonischala, about 2,300 m above the valley; a 2025 ski party booted up 40–45° spring snow on the east flank and crossed a narrow, exposed ridge to the summit. The rock is Jurassic shale and sandstone: loose, sharp and unpleasant, and the Chechen party that climbed the west side in 2018 described a steep slope of unstable, crumbly rock and took about 17 hours for the round trip. The glaciers total only about 3 km² but are crevassed. Descend by the line of ascent. Treat all times as rough: the route is rarely climbed and lightly documented.

Start

Khonischala1,745 m

In summer a minibus has run between Tbilisi and Shatili on a few days a week (2018 schedule: Thursday and Sunday; check locally); otherwise a hired 4WD over the Datvisjvari Pass to Shatili, Mutso and Khonischala.

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Khonischala → Atsunta Pass	11.2	1,836	75	7h 40m
2	Atsunta Pass → Tebulosmta	6.8	1,476	491	6h 46m

Waypoints

Trailhead:
Khonischala1,745 m
Last inhabited hamlet (seasonal guesthouse) on the Atsunta Pass trail; dirt road from Mutso, closed in winter and spring
Col:
Atsunta Pass3,510 m
Published elevations range 3,400–3,520 m
Summit:
Tebulosmta4,493 m

Key Passages

Atsunta Pass
Border ridge over two subsidiary tops (c. 3,900 m and 4,000 m)
Summit glacier
Narrow, exposed summit ridge

Equipment

0/11 packed

Downloads

Route confidence 35%

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Overview

The highest peak of the eastern Greater Caucasus (4,493 m), on the Georgia–Chechnya border above the Khevsureti and Tusheti valleys. Small glaciers and loose shale ridges, no huts and almost no documented routes: a multi-day, self-supported expedition.

Tebulosmta (Tebulos Mta in Georgian, Tüyloy-Lam in Chechen) is the highest mountain of the eastern Greater Caucasus and of the Chechen Republic, with a prominence of over 2,100 m. It rises on the frontier ridge between Georgia's Khevsureti and Tusheti regions and the upper Argun basin in Chechnya, about 6 km north-east of the Atsunta Pass on the popular Omalo–Shatili trek, from which it is the dominant view.

The mountain is built of Jurassic shale and sandstone, and its glaciers are small, about 3 km² in total. That makes it less a glacier climb than a long approach followed by loose ridges, snow slopes and a short glacier section near the top. There is no hut, no marked route and very little published route information; parties camp and must be fully self-sufficient, many hours from the nearest road.

In practice the mountain is approached from Georgia. The northern side lies in Russia's border zone in Chechnya, and the frontier between the two countries runs over the summit area, so climbers on the Georgian side keep to the dividing ridge and register with the Georgian Border Police.

Climbing Notes

Treat Tebulosmta as an expedition peak. You need to be confident on loose, exposed scrambling, on snow up to about 45° with crampons and ice axe, and at glacier travel with crevasse rescue, all without outside help. Allow at least a week from Tbilisi: a day's drive over the Datvisjvari Pass to Shatili and Mutso, one or two days' walk to a camp near the Atsunta Pass or on the ridge above Khonischala, a long summit day, and spare days for weather. Acclimatise on the trek in; there is nothing to buy beyond the last guesthouses.

Carry a satellite messenger, as there is no mobile coverage. Register with the Georgian Border Police (passport needed) and do not descend onto the Russian side. A local Georgian guide or trekking agency can arrange transport, horses and border paperwork; we found no operator with a documented track record of guided ascents.

History

Russian-language sources credit the first ascent to the German geographer Gottfried Merzbacher in 1892, during his Caucasus explorations; this could not be confirmed from a primary source. A team of six instructors from the Russian University of Special Forces climbed it from the west on 8 September 2018, described in Chechen media as the first ascent by climbers from the republic. In May 2025 Tom Grant, Aaron Rolph and Bine Žalohar made the first known ski descent, approaching from the Georgian hamlet of Khonischala and skiing a couloir on the north-west face.

Season

Best Jul–Aug

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Not advisable
April: Not advisable
May: Possible
June: Possible
July: Best (best window)
August: Best (best window)
September: Good
October: Not advisable
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

Jan: Road to Shatili and the Khevsureti valleys cut off by snow
Feb: Winter; no road access
Mar: Winter; no road access
Apr: Winter; no road access
May: Datvisjvari Pass usually cleared mid-May; ski-mountaineering only, deep snow on the approach
Jun: Much snow on the Atsunta Pass and ridges
Jul: Atsunta trek season opens; best snow cover on the upper slopes
Aug: Most stable weather; ridges drier and looser late in the month
Sep: First half usually good; trekking season ends mid-September
Oct: Early snow; guesthouses closing
Nov: Winter
Dec: Winter

Access & Permits

Permits

Georgian Border Police registrationRequired
The Khevsureti–Tusheti frontier area is a border zone. Trekkers register their passports with the Border Police (at Girevi in Tusheti, about an hour's process, and checked again at the Khidotani post on the Atsunta trail); parties coming from Shatili and Mutso should register at the local post before heading for the border ridge.
georgia.travel

Rules

The summit lies on the Georgia–Russia frontier. The northern (Chechen) side is in Russia's border zone; the UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia and notes very limited consular support in the North Caucasus. Climbers from Georgia should stay on Georgian territory.
No huts or facilities: wild camping only above Khonischala

Getting There

Shatili (Khevsureti, Georgia)

Tbilisi (TBS)

By car: Tbilisi – Zhinvali – Barisakho – Datvisjvari Pass (seasonal, usually cleared by mid-May) – Shatili, about 8–9 hours; 4WD advised, then dirt road on to Mutso and Khonischala
Public transport: a summer minibus has run between Tbilisi and Shatili a few days a week (2018 schedule Thursday and Sunday); check locally
From Tusheti: jeep from Alvani over the Abano Pass to Omalo, then the Omalo–Atsunta trek (3–4 days to the pass)

Hazards

Glacier
Crevasses
Rockfall
Altitude
Exposure
Weather
Remoteness