Estosadok - r. Achipse - ridge. Psekoho - Bzerpinsky cornice - r. Pslukh - Sugar Peak Pseashkho
I didn’t plan a hike to Sugar Pseashkho Peak. My friend invited me to go to the area of Mount Pseashkha and said that it would be possible to visit a fairly high peak. I was intrigued.
In the morning we (there were four of us) left Sochi. At 9 o'clock we arrived in Adler to buy passes to the reserve. At 10.30 we passed Krasnaya Polyana and stopped at the bridge over the Achipse River, next to Estosadok. From the reserve's cardon we took a short ride on a passing tourist bus to the menagerie. Then we crossed to the left bank of the Achipse River, along some kind of metal structure. Then we walked along an unpaved road upstream of the Laura. Then there was a long, grueling serpentine climb to the Psehoko ridge. Trucks drive along the ridge (Gazprom is building a cable car). By evening we had already reached the alpine zone, not far from the Bzerpen cornice. And in the evening, before sunset, we approached the booth on the Bzerpensky cornice. There were 3 people in the booth (2 men and a woman). These people are lovers of beautiful mountain photographs. In general, the seven of us had to spend the night. It was cramped. In the morning there was frost on the grass. We (two of our four) decided to climb the Sugar Pseashkho peak, our other two decided to go to the Kholodny camp. And three photographers went to Semiozerye. We (my friend and I) got up early, quickly ate and hit the road, because... we had a lot to go through that day. My friend, as always, walked very quickly and I lagged behind him. That day we had no breaks or snacks. I walked for about 10 hours. In general, we went around two spurs, crossed two streams and began to climb the Sugar Pseashkho peak. To the west there are almost sheer cliffs, to the east they are flatter, but also not very similar. We climbed straight along the rocky ridge. Then we crossed a small glacier and climbed along the southwestern spur. So we climbed to the top of the peak. The weather deteriorated slightly, clouds obscured many peaks from view. But nevertheless, the view from the top of the peak is very impressive. For some reason, getting down was more dangerous than getting on (maybe I was just tired). I already approached the booth alone (my partner ran ahead), swaying slightly from fatigue.
The second night, 5 people spent the night in the booth (2 of us and three photographers). It was comfortable to sleep (not cramped). The next morning we quickly ate and by 11 o’clock we were already down to the car at Estosadok. After lunch I was already home.
I really enjoyed the hike. I especially want to note that this was the Main Caucasian Range itself and therefore the appearance of the mountains was already “more serious” and quite severe. I have never seen this before.
You can get a lot of interesting information about the Pseashkha mountain range
Boris Alexander Tarchevsky allowed this article to be published on the Internet several years ago, then I had the opportunity to publish articles on our club’s website. But it turned out to be not as convenient as we thought. Now I have converted it to the blog format and publish it here. Let it be. In addition, my photographs were also used here.
Boris Aleksandrovich is a referent of the Sochi branch of the Russian Geographical Society. He and I went on several hikes. He studies, among other things, glaciers and lakes of the Caucasus. And in this article he gave the most complete geographical and tourist description of the Pseashkho mountain range (Caucasian Nature Reserve) of all currently available sources.
Mount Pseashkho is located in the Western Caucasus, 20 km from the village of Krasnaya Polyana in the upper reaches of the rivers Urushten, Malaya Laba, Pslukh and belongs to the Main Caucasus Range.
1 - (photo "mountain massif Pseashkho, Mramornaya - view from Khmelevsky's horizon")
2 - (photo "Pseashkho mountain massif - view from the Aibga ridge (third circus)")
3 - (photo "Pseashkho mountain massif - view from the Aibga ridge")
The toponym “Pseashkho” is translated from the Adyghe language as “high-water mountain” (apparently due to the presence of a large number of glaciers and rivers flowing from them). On old maps they often wrote “Pseashkho”, but on modern topographic maps they began to write “Pseashkha”: the city of Sev. Pseashkha, Yuzh. Pseashkha, Pseashkha ridge, Pseashkha glacier, lane. Pseashkha. Modern official maps also have the following names: Kholodny camp, r. Kholodnaya, Kholodny glacier, Mramornaya city, river. Clean, r. Small Laba, b. Psluh. Some of the names were introduced into use by the famous geographer Yu.K. Efremov: Zap. Pseashkho, Stone Castle, Kozhevnikov Peak, Bzerpi Peak. Peak Sugar Loaf or Sugar Pseashkho is named by the residents of Krasnaya Polyana. The remaining names were given by employees of the Caucasian Nature Reserve, tourists, and glaciologists: r. Mutnaya, Igolchaty Peak, lane. Stroitel (or Builders), trans. Neftyanik, per. Mramorny, Marble glacier, Sugar glacier, Pslukh glaciers (Upper, Middle, Lower), Cold West glacier, Cold Middle glacier, etc.
(drawing "diagram of the Pseashkho mountain massif")
(mountain Pseashkho massif - space photo)
The Pseashkho massif is limited on the west by a trough valley with the Pseashkho pass (2014.2 m, n/c). This five-kilometer valley, about 500m wide, was carved out by an ancient glacier that no longer exists. It stretched in the south-north direction. The longitudinal slope of the valley is so small that the passage of the pass point (Pseashkho Lane) may not be noticed.
4 - (photo "stone at the Pseashkho pass")
From the southwest the Pseashkho massif is limited by the valley of the Pslukh river, from the east by the valleys of the Malaya Laba and Chistaya rivers, from the north by the valleys of the Kholodnaya and Mramornaya rivers. The southern end of the massif can be considered the Aishkha pass (2401.5 m, n/k), the northern end is the Mramorny pass (about 2800 m, 1B*).
5 - (photo “Mramorny pass - view from the Mramorny glacier”)
The Pseashkho massif is a complex mountain cluster with ridges of different directions and peaks from two and a half to three and a quarter kilometers in height. Sharp alpine relief forms are characteristic here: rocky narrow ridges, steep slopes and walls, peaks in the form of towers, peaks, battlements. The geological structure of the massif is complex. The massif contains rocks of different ages: gneisses, schists, marbles, conglomerates, sandstones, tuffs, porphyrites.
(topographic map of the Pseashkho mountain massif with toponyms)
under click map 1 MB
6 - (photo "Pseashkho Northern, Southern - view from the Aibga ridge (third circus)")
The Pseashkho massif from the west, from the Pseashkho pass (2014.2m, n/c) begins with a steep spur adjacent to the Western Pseashkho peak (2899.8m). This peak is a node from which spurs extend: a short southwestern spur and a two-kilometer northern spur with peaks of 2627.8m, 2609.1m and 2629.4m. East of the West. Pseashkho stretches for a 3.5-kilometer high jagged ridge with peaks: 2822.0 m, 3065.2 m, Uzlovaya (about 3196 m) and South Pseashkho (3251.2 m). On the northern slopes of this ridge there are several glaciers and peaks: Razdelnaya (2700.5m) and Kamenny Zamok (2556.0m).
7 - (photo "Pseashkho ridge - view from the slopes of Mramornaya")
8 - (photo "Pseashkho South - view from the Pseashkho glacier")
(drawing "view of the Pseashkho massif from Mount Urushten")
From South Pseashkho (3251.2m), a sharp rocky ridge stretches northeast to the highest point of the entire massif - Mount North Pseashkho (3256.9m). This section of the ridge has a length of 775 m and breaks off to the north-west towards the Kholodny glacier with an almost vertical half-kilometer wall.
From Northern Pseashkho (3256.9 m) the ridge descends to the east. The small eastern shoulder of the peak drops steeply downwards and, after a deep notch, rises sharply upward in the form of a rock tower with steep walls and a flat top (150m from the main peak). Further on the ridge rise three more peaks, significantly inferior in height to the tower. After the third peak, the ridge descends to the north and northeast to the Mramorny pass (about 2800m, 1B*).
9 - (photo "Mramorny pass - view from the Chistaya River")
750 meters northeast of the Marble Pass rises the Azurite peak (3012.8 m, 1B), so named by A.F. Brikalov, who discovered outcrops of this mineral at the summit.
10 - (photo "Pseashkho Northern - view from the Dzitaku ridge")
11 - (photo “Zubtsy, Kholodny glacier - view from the upper Pslukhsky glacier”)
Two spurs extend from the peak of Northern Pseashkho (3256.9m). The short, steep northern ridge cuts deeply into the Mramorny glacier; here the glacier is divided into western and central parts. The northwestern ridge also goes down steeply, bordering the western edge of the Mramorny glacier. After the saddle, which is the upper reaches of the couloir along which stones constantly fall onto the Kholodny glacier (for which this couloir received the nickname “garbage chute”), the spur rises sharply upward with two sharp rocky teeth. These battlements are clearly visible from Kholodny’s camp. The western prong has an elevation of 2936.4 m, the eastern one is 30-40 meters lower. Further, the spur descends to the northwest, dividing the basins of the Kholodnaya and Mramornaya rivers.
Let's return to Mount South Pseashkho (3251.2m). 0.5 km west of this mountain is the Uzlovaya Peak (3196m) and, further to the south, Uzlovoye Shoulder (3192m).
12 - (photo "Pseashkho mountain massif - view from Khmelevsky's horizon")
From the Knot Shoulder, the ridge with a sharp decline goes south-southeast to the Stroitel (or Stroiteley) pass with a height of about 2815m (1B) and then with a sharp rise to the node, from which the ridges extend to the west and east. 250m west of the node is the Sugar Pseashkho peak (3188.9m) or the Sugar Loaf peak with a 2-kilometer spur extending to the west. This peak from Krasnaya Polyana looks like a beautiful sharp peak. Whitened by winter snow, it really resembles a sugar cone (in the old days, refined sugar was produced in the form of “sugar loaves” of a conical shape, hence the name of the peak).
13 - (photo "Pseashkho Sugar, Needle peaks - view from Khmelevsky's horizon")
14 - (photo "Pseashkho Sugar, Needle peaks - view from Lake Zerkalnoe (Achishkho)")
15 - (photo "Pseashkho Sugar, Needle peaks - view from the Achishkho ridge")
From the node mentioned above, a ridge extends to the east to the Zeleny Klin peak (3164.4 m) and further to the southeast and south and after 1.4 km it approaches the node mark of 3004.2 m, to the east of which Kozhevnikov Peak rises at 325 m with a height of 3070, 6m (the peak is named after the botanist A.V. Kozhevnikov).
16 - (photo "Kozhevnikov peak - view from the Aibga ridge (third cirque)")
17 - (photo "Kozhevnikov Peak - view from the slopes of Igolchaty Zapadny Peak")
18 - (photo "Kozhevnikov peak - view from the northern side of the Aishkho-1 pass")
A spur extends from Kozhevnikov Peak to the northeast and further to the east, ending with a peak of 2936.2 m. The length of the spur is about 1 km. From the nodal point of 3004.2 m the ridge goes south to the Aishkha pass (3.7 km). In addition to the ridges described above, in the Pseashkho massif there is a one and a half kilometer rocky ridge more than 3000 m high with peaks of 3154.8 m and 3168.5 m.
19 - (photo "Igolchaty Main Peak - view from Igolchaty Western Peak")
20 - (photo "Needle peaks (Main, Western)")
This ridge separates two branches of the Pseashkho glacier (glaciers No. 35 and No. 36 according to the Catalog of Glaciers of the USSR). Peaks 3154.8 m and 3168.5 m and the previously mentioned peak 2936.2 m on the spur of Kozhevnikov Peak look very impressive from the Malaya Laba valley. The appearance of these peaks varies greatly depending on the location of the observer. If you look at the peak of 2936.2 m from the Malaya Laba valley, near the mouth of the Mutnaya River (flowing from glacier No. 36), then this peak looks like a beautiful sharp “needle-shaped” peak. It is often called “Igolchaty Peak”.
21 - (photo "Igolchaty South Peak - view from the northern side of the Aishkho-1 pass")
22 - (photo "Igolchaty South Peak - view from the valley of the Malaya Laba River")
23 - (photo "Kozhevnikov peaks, Igolchaty Yuzhny - view from the Malaya Laba river valley")
(drawing "view of the Igolchatye peaks from the Malaya Laba valley (from different points)")
The 3154.8m peak visible to the right also looks like a rock tower. In order not to get confused in the names of these peaks, it is proposed to call the highest of the three peaks “Needle Main Peak” - 3168.5 m. The peak of 3154.8 m is proposed to be called “Igolchaty Western Peak”, and the peak of 2936.2 m in the spur of Kozhevnikov Peak is proposed to be called “Igolchaty South Peak”.
24 - (photo "Needle peaks, Pseashkho glacier - view from the Pseashkho junction shoulder")
25 - (photo "Igolchaty Main Peak - view of the ascent to the Stroitel Pass")
The Pseashkho massif is interesting for its glaciation. Here you can count 11 glaciers, of which the Pseashkho glacier (glacier No. 35) is the largest glacier in the Krasnodar region. This is a cirque-valley glacier 3 km long and 1.5 km 2 in area. With its upper reaches it merges with the neighboring (to the south) glacier No. 36 (area 1 km 2), as if straddling the ridge separating them. Such glaciers are called melting glaciers. The saddle separating glaciers No. 35 and No. 36 (ice divide) is also a pass called Neftyanik (2936.8 m, 1B).
26 - (photo "Pseashkho glacier, Neftyanik pass - view from the junction shoulder of Pseashkho")
27 - (photo "view to the east from the Neftyanik pass")
Glaciers Pseashkho and No. 36, like other glaciers of the Caucasus, are shrinking in size. Parts of glaciers that are well illuminated by the sun are especially susceptible to intense melting, while the shadow parts of glaciers are in more favorable conditions. The Pseashkho glacier melts especially intensively in the place where the ice flow changes direction from northwestern to eastern. The southern branch of the Pseashkho glacier (glacier No. 36) is exposed to solar radiation and melts intensively in the summer months in the part adjacent to the southern slope of the Igolchaty Zapadny peak. Here the thickness of the ice is only 2-3 m, and the surface of the ice in the second half of summer is literally cut up by gullies with streams of melt water running into them. The Pseashkho glacier (No. 35) gives rise to the Chistaya River, glacier No. 36 - to the Mutnaya River (both are left tributaries of the Malaya Laba River).
28 - (photo "Chistaya River Valley")
To the north of the highest point of the massif (3256.9 m) there is the Marble Glacier (No. 31), which gives rise to the Marble River. The area of the glacier (1 km2) is gradually decreasing due to climate warming and the glacier is already being divided into three parts.
29 - (photo "Mramorny glacier (part of the glacier under the Mramorny pass)")
30 - (photo "Kholodny glacier (upper part) - view from the top of Jitaku")
On the northern slopes of the ridge connecting the peaks of Western Pseashkho (2899.8 m), South Pseashkho (3251.2 m) and Northern Pseashkho (3256.9 m), there are several glaciers, which previously represented a single glacier. In the process of degradation, it broke into pieces. The extreme, eastern glacier is called Cold. This is caravan glacier No. 30 (according to the catalog of glaciers of the USSR) with an area of 0.5 km 2. Overflowing the cup of the kara, the glacier pushes its tongue through the crossbar into the valley, which is why it is called kara-valley. The position of the end of the glacier changes periodically. So, in 1959, the tongue of the Kholodny glacier protruded beyond the crossbar and hung on its slope. In 1985, the tongue of the glacier moved forward and moved (according to the author’s measurements) into the valley 20 m from the foot of the crossbar. Currently, the tongue of the glacier is again on the slope of the ridge. Thus, the Kholodny glacier appears to be a weakly pulsating glacier. Approaching the glacier tongue is dangerous due to the possibility of falling rock fragments and collapses of ice blocks. The Kholodnaya River flows from the Kholodny glacier and flows into the Urushten River.
31 - (photo "Valley of the Kholodnaya River - view from the upper Pslukh glacier")
32 - (photo "source of the Kholodnaya River")
To the west of the Kholodny glacier there are glaciers No. 29 and No. 28, connected to each other by a narrow strip of ice, which in the coming years may disappear, and the glaciers will completely separate from each other. Glaciers No. 29 and No. 28 belong to the cirque type. Glacier No. 29 (let's call it "Medium Cold") has an area of only 0.1 km 2. The lower part of the glacier is heavily cracked, ice collapses can occur here, so it is dangerous to be below the glacier.
33 - (photo "Pseashkho glaciers - view from the Dzitaku ridge")
Glacier No. 28 (let's call it "Western Cold") has two branches flowing around the Razdelnaya peak (2700.5 m) with currents to the northwest (large branch) and north (smaller branch, area 0.1 km 2). The total area of the glacier is 0.5 km2.
A remarkable feature of the glaciation of the Pseashkho mountain massif is that the first glaciers of the southern macroslope of the Greater Caucasus appear here from the west. These glaciers are located at the sources of the first and second left tributaries of the Pslukh River. There are four glaciers in total. The largest of them is the Sakharny glacier, which occupies part of the glacier and the steep northwestern slope of Mount Sugarloaf (3188.9 m). Its area (according to the author’s measurements) is 0.131 km 2, the elevation of the upper point is 2800 m, the lower point is 2611 m.
34 - (photo "Saharny glacier - view from the Stroitel pass")
35 - (photo "Saharny glacier - view from the Stroitel pass")
Three other glaciers (Pslukhskie glaciers) used to be a single glacier, which broke up into three parts during the process of degradation.
36 - (photo "Pseashkho Northern, Southern - view from the Achishkho ridge")
37 - (photo "Pseashkho Northern, Southern - view from Khmelevsky's horizon")
The Upper Pslukh glacier can be classified as a morphological type of hanging glaciers. The glacier has a convex surface shape, clearly visible from Krasnaya Polyana, resembling a sail filled with wind. The lower part of the glacier has a steepness of 50°, the upper part is much steeper. The area of the glacier is 0.052 km 2, the lowest point is 3030 m, the highest point is 3200 m. Approximately 100m from the end of the glacier, the arched shaft of the terminal moraine is clearly visible. The flow from the glacier is carried out into two river systems (through depressions in the ridges bordering the glacier from the north and south): into the second tributary of the Pslukha (Mzymta River basin) by filtration through moraine sediments and into the Kholodnaya River (Urushten River basin) in the form of a stream flowing from the northern side of the glacier.
38 - (photo "upper Pslukh glacier")
The Middle Pslukh glacier is the most unusual of the Pslukh glaciers. It is difficult to attribute it to any morphological type. The glacier is an ice ridge, sharp in places, stretching across the valley with steep ice slopes in both directions and flow into both the first and second tributaries of the Pslukh. At the foot of both ice slopes there are two small lakes. The western lake is dammed by a terminal moraine. The area of the middle Pslukh glacier, like the other two, is small - only 0.062 km 2 (according to the author’s measurements). Lowest points: 2909m (the foot of the western slope) and 2955m (the foot of the eastern slope). The highest point of the glacier is 3021m (the ice ridge at the summit is 3053m). One more interesting feature of the Middle Pslukh glacier can be noted. As a rule, small glaciers are located in the bottoms of ice pits and other slope depressions, where snow accumulation is better, there is more shading and, therefore, less exposure to solar radiation on the glacier. All this contributes to better preservation of glaciers. A different picture is observed on the Middle Pslukh glacier: its main part is located on a hill and is well illuminated by the sun at any time of the day. It can be assumed that the stability of the glacier is ensured by abundant nutrition due to snowstorm transport of snow associated with the peculiarities of the local circulation of air masses. Therefore, the glacier itself can be attributed to the genetic type of ridge-induced ones.
39 - (photo "middle Pslukh glacier")
40 - (photo "middle Pslukh glacier")
The Lower Pslukh glacier (tar glacier), with an area of 0.067 km 2 (according to our measurements), descends to an elevation of 2754 m and feeds the first tributary of the Pslukh. The highest point of the glacier is 2903m. With its western edge the glacier rests on a powerful arched moraine ridge. A comparison of photographs of the Lower Pslukh glacier taken by the author in 1959 and 1985 suggests that the glacier has changed little or not at all during this time, its position is quite stable.
41 - (photo "Pslukh glaciers, the first tributary of the Pslukh - view from the top of Perevalnaya Yuzhnaya")
The Pseashkho mountain massif is very popular among tourists and climbers; there are many interesting routes here. However, it should be remembered that to visit the Pseashkho area you must obtain a pass from the administration of the Caucasus Nature Reserve, and the sports training of groups and equipment must correspond to the category of difficulty of the route being traveled. It is also necessary to register the group with the rescue squad in Krasnaya Polyana.
One of the most popular routes in the area is the ascent to Sugarloaf Peak (3188.9m).
(topographic map "route to Pseashkho Sugar")
In summer, the route is rated difficulty category 1A. From the Fir Glade on the Psekokho ridge (on modern maps the ridge is mistakenly called “Psekhako”) we climb the path to the Bear Gate and then go out onto the Bzerpinsky cornice to a small house built here in 2004. We follow the path further towards the Pseashkho pass and, after walking 1.5 km, turn off the path down to the right. From a distance you need to see the path on the southern slope of the Western Pseashkho Mountain and mark a landmark to which you should go.
(drawing "view of the Pseashkho massif from the slopes of Mount South Perevalnaya")
42 - (photo "Pseashkho mountain massif - view from South Perevalnaya")
After crossing the upper reaches of the Pslukh by ford or over rocks, we go to the beginning of the trail. Once on the trail, there are usually no problems with orientation - the trail is quite clearly laid out along the gentlest part of the slope. Walking with a smooth climb, we cross the stream, then we approach the first tributary of the Pslukh. The tributary flows in a trough hanging valley, which ends abruptly at its mouth to the valley of the Pslukh River.
43 - (photo "the first, second tributaries of the Pslukh - view from the Bzerpi ridge")
A steep descent down, crossing a tributary and climbing up its left bank slope. There is a good camp site under a low flat rock here. Go ahead. There is a steep climb up the slope, and again the trail passes through a traverse with a smooth climb. Descent into the 2nd tributary of the Pslukh, crossing through it and climbing to the grassy areas of the left bank slope. The trail has ended. Here, at an altitude of about 2150m, you can set up camp.
44 - (photo "camp at the foot of the western ridge of Pseashkho Sugar")
The path to the top of Sugarloaf Peak (3188.9 m) goes along its western ridge. The horizontal distance to the top is 2.5 km, the elevation difference is about 1000 m. The ridge is overgrown with grass, in places with rhododendron, and there are rocky outcrops.
45 - (photo "second tributary of the Pslukh River")
46 - (photo "second tributary of the Pslukh River")
Before reaching the steep slopes of the ridge (approximately the middle of the ridge), we turn right, cross the snowfield and emerge onto the southwestern ridge. Along this heavily destroyed simple ridge we reach the top.
47 - (photo "Pseashkho Sugar - view from the Aibga ridge (third circus)")
48 - (photo "panorama to the east from the top of Pseashkho Sugar")
49 - (photo "Kozhevnikov Peak - view from the top of Pseashkho Sugar")
From the top there is a beautiful panorama of near and far mountains: Pseashkho (Uzlovoy, Yuzhny, Northern), Igolchatye peaks, Green Wedge, Kozhevnikov peak, Tsakhvoa, Agepsta, Akh-Ag, Aibga, Achishkho, Chugush and others. Akhun, Bytkha, the city of Sochi, and the Black Sea are visible. When descending from the summit along the southwestern ridge, you can mistakenly, especially in the fog, turn onto the southern ridge adjacent to it. To prevent this from happening, when ascending, you can mark the place of descent with stone tours or other marks.
The described route to Sugarloaf Peak is the easiest. There are more difficult routes. In 1998, Viktor Kholodilin, a climber from Lazarevsky, climbed the Sugar Loaf peak along the edge from the Pseashkho glacier, rating the route as difficulty category 3A-3B. In July 2000, Artur Brikalov, a Tuapse climber, made a traverse: Sugar Loaf Peak - Green Wedge - node mark 3004.2 m - Kozhevnikov Peak. The difficulty category of the route according to his assessment is 2B.
Another, no less popular, route leads to the Knot Shoulder (3192m) of Southern Pseashkho. Route difficulty category - 1A, length (from the camp at the Sugar Glacier) - 1.4 km, elevation gain - 540 m. The beginning of the route to the 2nd tributary of the Pslukh is described above.
50 - (photo “the path to the Saharny glacier along the valley of the second tributary of the Pslukh River”)
Next we go up the tributary valley towards the Sakharny glacier. The glacier itself is not visible; it is closed by a crossbar (2650m), which with its steep slope blocks the valley of the 2nd tributary. Next, the path goes up along a moraine overgrown with grass and rhododendron. The main tributary flowing out of the Sugar Glacier remains on our right. On the left is a powerful stream with waterfalls. The moraine along which we climb adjoins the left (as viewed from below) edge of the crossbar. Here the ascent follows a faint path. You have to climb carefully - on the left the slope drops steeply to the stream. Behind the crossbar there are good camp sites, behind them is the lower bowl-shaped part of the Sugar Glacier, and further is the saddle of the Stroitel pass (2815m, 1B). From the camp you can go through the Stroitel pass to the Pseashkho glacier.
51 - (photo "approximate route to the Stroitel pass from the Sugar Glacier")
The slope along which you climb to the pass seems steep, but in fact it is easy to walk. To the left of the Stroitel pass, the Knot Shoulder (3192m) is clearly visible. The path to it (from the camp at the Sakharny glacier) goes along the scree slope of the left bank of the stream. At the very end of the ascent along the stream, where the bed cuts deep into the ridge, the movement is somewhat complicated by the steepness and unstable stones lying on the scree. Having crossed the incision of the stream, we come out to the Middle Pslukhsky glacier with a small lake at the foot of the steep eastern slope, and on the right, 300 meters away, the Upper Pslukhsky glacier hangs like a steep ice wall, bordered on the right (from the south) by a non-steep, heavily destroyed ridge. Along this simple ridge, climbing from one rock block to another, we reach the top of Knot Shoulder (3192m).
52 - (photo "Pseashkho Sugar - view from the nodal shoulder")
53 - (photo "panorama to the north from the top of Pseashkho Sugar")
If you follow the ridge further north, leaving the Upper Pslukhsky Glacier on the left, you can reach the Knot Peak (3196m). When moving along the ridge along the upper edge of the glacier, you need to be careful (ice ax at the ready!), since if you fall, you can slide down, where the glacier’s steepness is 50° and it will be problematic to stay.
Following from the junction peak further along the ridge to the east, after 500 m you can reach the peak of South Pseashkho (3251.2 m). At the top there is a metal pyramid - a triangulation point (heavily damaged by winter snow and wind). This route has a higher difficulty category - 1B.
54 - (photo "peak of Pseashkho South - view from Pseashkho Sakharny")
55 - (photo "Pseashkho South - view from the junction shoulder")
Sometimes tourists, having climbed Knot Shoulder, believe that they have reached the top of South Pseashkho, and, having climbed South Pseashkho, they think that they have climbed North Pseashkho. This error can be easily eliminated, remembering that there is a pyramid on the top of South Pseashkho, but there is no pyramid on North Pseashkho.
You can also reach Knot Shoulder via other, more difficult routes. If you go up the valley of the 1st tributary of the Pslukh, you will have to overcome a simple wall, on which the tributary splits into three branches, forming waterfalls. Next, you need to overcome the steep slopes of the Pslukh glaciers - Lower and Middle (crampons, ice ax!). After descending from the Middle Glacier, the ascent route coincides with that described above. Route difficulty category - 1B.
Another route (also 1B) runs along the crest of the watershed ridge separating the basins of the 1st and 2nd tributaries of the Pslukh with access to the western ridge of the Knot Shoulder. The route is somewhat tiring, with overcoming numerous rocky climbs and, in the first half of summer, sharp snow ridges.
From the camp at the Sakharny glacier you can go to the Igolchaty peaks through the Stroitel pass (2815, 1B). From the pass they go along the Pseashkho glacier (crampons, ice ax!) to the Neftyanik pass (2936.1 m, 1B) and then traverse the slope of glacier No. 36 in the direction of the southern spur of the Igolchaty Zapadny peak (3154.6 m). Along a simple, mostly scree and heavily damaged ridge of the southern spur, one ascends in a northerly direction to the top of the peak. Difficulty category - 1A.
56 - (photo "the path to the Western Needle Peak")
The traverse of two peaks is more difficult: Igolchaty Zapadny - Igolchaty Main. Brikalov A.F., who completed this route, rates it 2A category of difficulty.
Simple routes (no higher than 1A) lead to the Razdelnaya (2700.5m) and Kamenny Zamok (2556.0m) peaks, provided they are climbed along their southern ridges (from the north, these peaks are quite difficult to climb). The problem here is different - the complexity of the approaches.
57 - (photo "left tributary of the Kholodnaya River")
The path along the left tributary of the Kholodnaya River (flowing from glacier No. 28) is quite unpleasant in its lower part. Walking along the right bank of the tributary (leaving the waterfall on the right), you have to wade through thickets of crooked forest without a path. After entering the tributary valley, you should go in the direction of a large stone and further to the “mutton foreheads” with a small lake. The next obstacle is a rock barrier. On its left side there is a shelf with a path trodden by tours. Higher up the trail becomes lost and you have to overcome steep rocks. This is followed by a simpler and gentler climb to the northern edge of glacier No. 28. Along the gentle moraine along the edge of the glacier we move east to the southern simple ridge of Razdelnaya (here glacier No. 28 is divided into two branches - northwestern and northern). Along the ridge there is an easy way to the top (2700.5m). Rounding Razdelnaya from the east, they descend to the Stone Castle and along a very light, almost horizontal, wide meadow ridge reach the highest point (2556.0 m).
It is much more difficult to climb to the highest point of the entire massif - Northern Pseashkho (3256.9m). There are no easy paths to this peak. Below is a description of one of the ascent options (along the route taken in July 1998 by the team A. Brikalov - B. Tarchevsky). The difficulty category of the route is approximately 2B-3A.
(picture "climbing route to Pseashkho Northern")
From the Kholodny camp they go southeast along the right bank path along the Kholodnaya River. Before reaching the mouth of the Mramornaya River, the trail begins to go to the left (in the direction of rocky cliffs) and, gaining height, leads into the valley of the Mramornaya River. Having crossed the river, we climb along meadow, scree and snowy slopes, through a snow bridge between two rocky ridges to the western part of the Mramorny glacier, to the moraine at the foot of the rocky Teeth of Pseashkho (2936.4m). From the moraine we climb the steep slope of the Marble Glacier (crampons, ice ax!), bypassing the cracks and further to the left to the saddle in the lower part of the northern edge of the peak (leaving the northwestern edge on the right).
From the saddle the ridge rises steeply. We go around it on the left along the shelves, then go up to the ridge. Along the ridge with sharp feather-shaped rocks, going around them on the left along the slab, we emerge between two “gendarmes”. Again, go around the ridge on the left along the shelves, exit onto the ridge and then up the steep rise of the ridge. Now the ridge becomes sharp and jagged again, but on the right there is a detour along the shelves and screes. There is a small grotto on the right. We go around the summit wall on the right and along a simple scree slope we reach the highest point of the entire Pseashkho massif (3256.9 m).
From the top there is a magnificent panorama of the mountains. Below, under your feet are the Pseashkho, Kholodny, Mramorny glaciers, the green valley of the Kholodnaya River, the sharp Teeth of Pseashkho. South Pseashkho with a pyramid on top is clearly visible; a rocky ridge bristling with towers and battlements leads to it. In the southwest, through the haze, one can discern Mount Akhun and even Bytkha with white dots of houses. Endless chains of mountains with intricate patterns of glaciers and snowfields sparkling in the sun go to the east. A world of silence, grandeur and beauty!
B. A. Tarchevsky
Photos: "CAT"/"R4"/PNL Krasnodar, D. Komarov, Sochi
This will be a report in two parts. There are two parts because everything happened on different days with an interval of a week, and there is one report because the purpose of both events is the same, common. Something like that:).
The idea to run to Pseashkho Sugar in one day was born last year. At the same time, we wanted to organize something like a test competition, but it didn’t work out - Gazprom didn’t want to let us through the construction site, and then the weather turned bad. In November, we explored the option of climbing around the Psekhako ridge, through the Bzerpi peak. And now we wanted to go the entire route, from Narzan through Kogot to Sugar Pseashkho and back. So, the first part: on July 24 at 8-00 we started from Narzan. We expected it to be 6 a.m., but by now we got to Polyana, by the time we received the reserve pass (and thank you for giving it to us so early), by the time we got along the broken (but also under construction) road to Pslukh, by the time the border guards signed us up... Three of us went - me, Sanya from Lazarevskoye and Maxim from Rostov (a famous multi-athlete, organizer of the Caucasus Race in Lagonaki - he was just vacationing in our area). I described the route to Bzerpi Peak earlier, so I will give only a couple of noteworthy photos.
Just a mushroom...
and just a tractor :).
All photos, by the way, are clickable and have geotags - i.e. linked to the card.
The forest was very damp, and when we walked through the grass, our shoes simply began to squelch. Because of the tall grass, walking was more difficult than in the fall. But there was an abundance of various flowers.
We did not go to the Bzerpi peak itself, since we were short on time, and, in addition, we discovered a bypass path leading to the Bzerpi cornice.
The trail passes through a depression between Tabunna and Bzerpi peak, a kind of pass on which there are places for overnight stays and several marshy puddles.
View of the Bzerpa cornice.
We passed the house at about 13-00, at 13-20 we crossed Pslukh and headed towards Saharny.
It began to rain, which intensified as we approached the second influx. After discussing the situation, we turned back at 14:30. We returned to Narzan around 20-00. That's all for the first part. Conclusion: this option of the route is too difficult for a one-day passage, plus difficulties with border guards. But then we decided to check another option..
So, part two. On July 31 at 9:30, Sanya and I will start from the upper station of the Gazprom cable car. This time we were luckier with the weather, and the road along the Psekhako ridge was partially cleared.
In 40 minutes we reach the beginning of the trail, then another 40 to the forest border, where we meet descending groups.
We walk for another 40 minutes along the path that traverses to the Bzerpa cornice.
We pass the house at 11-30.
We are approaching the place where we need to turn into the Pslukha gorge - this time the final goal is already visible from here - the peak of Sugar Pseashkho.
We walk along the left side of the gorge, gradually ascending. The path is overgrown with grass, in some places as tall as a person, which makes it quite difficult to walk in the heat - there is no breeze. By 13-10 we approach the second influx. Sugar is shrouded in fog, but the peak is visible from time to time. There are two tents at the overnight sites.
We start getting up from spending the night at 13-20. We go to the left of the ridge, sticking to the dry ravine.
There is no paved trail, but there are tourists.
The ascent option is much safer than the one we used. In half an hour we reach the ridge and continue along it. Suddenly a figure emerges from the fog towards you with a huge tripod in his hands, followed by two more. They are surprised that we are going so late, and promise us another 5 hours of ascent. They are even more surprised when we say that a month earlier we climbed to the top in two and a half hours. We wish each other good luck and part ways. In fact, I understand that now we will be walking longer - in June we walked in the morning, rested and more or less acclimatized. And now the height and fatigue begin to be felt - shortness of breath appears, the muscles in the legs feel clogged. But we continue to climb. At the point where we need to traverse to another ridge, we stop and wait until the fog clears to choose the optimal path. 
Approximately in the middle of the traverse, behind the stream, we meet a herd of aurochs.
We climb a little along the grassy scree slope, avoiding small rocky outcrops, and then go out to the right onto the ridge.
There are no difficulties encountered, and at 17-10 we reach the top - as usual, in complete fog :). We sit for about 40 minutes, hoping to see the surrounding panorama. The peak itself is periodically illuminated by the sun.
The sun projects our shadows onto the fog.
Without seeing anything around, we begin our descent.
The usual fog gives way to a fine mist of water that covers my glasses—I have to constantly wipe them. We descend strictly along the path of ascent - this is the most optimal path. We leave for the night at 19-40, there are no tents anymore. It starts to rain, and water immediately begins to squelch in your shoes from the wet grass. On the approach to the first tributary, Sanya, who is slightly behind, loses the trail (although it is quite well paved). I wait for him near the stream, then I return along the path, I call - silence. Fog, nothing is visible beyond 10 meters. Then Sanya was finally found - he crossed the stream above the path and went down. We lost at least half an hour looking for each other.. Then we go, switching places - Sanya is ahead. Because of the rain we are walking quite slowly and slippery. We pass the house on the Bzerpa cornice at ten o'clock. It got dark, but we prudently took flashlights. At 12 we pass the upper station of the cable car and go further along the road. Here we were lucky - we picked up a passing Kamaz. At one o'clock in the morning we are already near the car waiting for us in Esto-Sadok.
So, conclusions: 1. You need to train :). 2. It is advisable to get to the starting point early - i.e. to be thrown by car early in the morning, when the cable car is not yet operating. 3. Rain slows down movement very much (it becomes slippery), but it usually falls in the late afternoon. In general, it is quite possible for a trained person to complete the route in daylight. And the monsters that run to Elbrus in two hours may well have time to run away during the operating time of the cable car :). The route is in some ways more difficult than on Elbrus, mainly due to overgrown paths. But at the same time it is quite safe - even in bad weather you can safely go down without the risk of freezing (although there is a risk of getting lost). The length of the route from the upper station of the cable car to the top of Saharny Pseashkho is 16 km, the elevation difference is almost 2 km. So I invite everyone who wants to test themselves to the Sugar Marathon on September 10th ;).
Details a little later.
These regions were new to us, we went towards Kardyvach, but not here yet.
On the way from Pikhtovaya Polyana to the Bzerpa Cornice, one could admire all the ski slopes that exist in Krasnaya Polyana. I took a souvenir photo of the Rosa Khutor trails, which are still being prepared.
Finally, the Bzerpa cornice:
Beautiful there! And the views from the “cornice” are good:
About animals (not wild ones): two little dogs became attached to us from Gazprom itself, we nicknamed them Belka and Strelka. These businesslike people were running, seemingly going about their business, but at the same time following us. At the halt, Strelka fell asleep, and Belka ran on with us. A large group of boys and girls, led by an adult leader, was stomping behind us (those lagging behind were whining terribly))), and after some time we see - Strelka woke up, caught up with them and continues to run :) In this photo on the right you can see the dogs, and It was not possible to photograph them anymore: the inhabitants of the house were indignant that we were violating the protected regime and dragged them here. To which we objected that we didn’t invite them here, and the dogs were driven downstairs, but it’s a pity, I managed to get attached to them, and in general it was fun to go in their company, although, on the other hand, we still don’t have food for them was:)
But I didn’t have to be bored for long without living creatures, because... The Stupid Horse followed us :) Later we found out that he followed literally all the tourists, interfered with some of them while having dinner, trying to steal food right from the bowl, we also found out that the animal eats lard and sausage, is not inclined to do any good, and is nicknamed Geser (I think this is from the Day or Night Watch, I don’t understand them :)) We drove him away as best we could, but he didn’t care. It turned out that our efforts were in vain: he didn’t want to go far into the Pslukh valley himself, he liked to hang out along Bzerpi, there were more people there, there was someone to cheer him up :))
The sharp cone of Pseashkho Sugar was visible along the way, and it seemed completely unrealistic that tomorrow we would be there at the very top - for some reason it always seems that way :)
We turned into the Pslukha valley, the path went along the top, leaving the river far below. It was getting cloudy, I don’t have any good photographs of this area. The first tributary of the Pslukh had to be forded.
The second tributary could be crossed via a snow bridge. We set up camp behind it. On the way, we met a good man Misha and his family, including little Tatyana, who had already been to the mountains several times, carried her own backpack and was generally great :) Misha also wanted to climb Pseashkho, and we decided to spend the night together and climb the four of us in the morning.
We got up at half past five. From the camp there was a good view of Agepsta, Turi Gory and Aibga.
It was necessary to walk horizontally only about 2-3 kilometers, but climb 1000 meters up :)
The camp lay in the shade, and during the ascent the sun suddenly hit us right in the face.
Chugush appeared.
Slowly clouds began to appear. We probably left a little late after all. But for now there is still visibility. And it’s a long way to the top... :)
Finally got there!
I didn’t do a circular panorama because... it was too cloudy from the northwest.
The note on the top was as old as October. Apparently, we are not the only ones who forget to take a pen with us :) Because... There was nothing to write our own with, so we didn’t take this one off, we returned it to its place.
We sat for a little while and it’s time to go down, so as not to get caught in the fog.
There were more and more clouds, and several times we rested, sitting on the ridge and watching them rise from the valleys, thicken and dissipate, open and close the views around us, pass from right to left, left to right, top to bottom... It was like 3D movie on a huge screen :)
The next photo is very remarkable, and I know a couple of people who will be pleased with it)))) I lie down and say something like: “Oh, how wonderful these flowers smell!” And Mitya says: “Anya, you’re lying with your head right in Turk’s poop!”)))
Our top sometimes opened up so we could see where we had just been.
Our camp is already visible.
We need to get ready and go, but I really want to sit around doing nothing...:)
In general, we wanted to get to the Jitaku lakes that day. But we came down from the top quite late. The ascent took 4 hours, I don’t remember the descent. We decided - let's go as far as we can get.
The clouds descended into the Pslukh valley, and then the sun came out again.
Our further path lay through the Pseashkho pass. I really wanted to look at this pass. He is a valley type. That is, you walk, you walk along the valley, and you don’t notice any passes in sight. But the flowing water (and also the cyclist:)) notices any slope. And now the streams running down from the mountains flow towards you, to the south. And after some invisible point, new streams begin to run with you along the way - to the north. At this very point, the southern and northern slopes of the Western Caucasus are divided, so different! The waters of those streams will flow into the Black Sea, and those into the Kuban.
We are a little tortured at the point where the pass is marked on the map:
We spent the night at Maly Lake, deciding to run to the other lakes in the morning if the weather was good. I don’t have a lake in the photo, but there is a Magnificent Hump! This stream flows from the lake and flows into Urushten, which is born nearby. The hummock captivated me, I didn’t even step on it to cross this “groove” :)
In the morning there was rain and fog, and we decided to leave the lakes for another time. Or rather, there was nothing to decide - it was so nice to set the alarm clock ahead two hours and sleep some more while listening to the sound of rain... we barely woke up :)
Here are some other interesting stones I came across in the creeping fog:
And so on the way back, little was visible.
You will find a detailed description of the route, a map showing trails and possible radials (with GPS coordinates), as well as a description of the weather and the most up-to-date information on obtaining passes for this route. Here is some brief information about this particular hike.
Route map in Google Earth
Legend:
A B- the beginning of the trail, the entrance to the territory of the Caucasus Nature Reserve, C D- place to spend the night, E F G- Camp Kholodny. H
Hiking timing
- 12:00 - took the cable car to the upper Gazprom station
- 13:40 - having lost a lot of time, we barely passed the Olympic construction site and reached the dirt road leading to the Bzerpinsky cornice
- 15:00 - 17:00 - lunch break
- 18:30 - went up to the house on the Bzerpinsky cornice
- 20:30 - set up camp at the bottom of the canyon of a tributary of the Pslukh River
- 06:00 - left the camp
- 08:30 - reached the western ridge of Sugar Pseashkho
- 9:45 - 10:30 - transition to the southwestern ridge of Pseashkho by traverse of the western slope
- 12:00 - 13:00 - rest on the top of Sugar Pseashkho
- 18:30 - return to camp
- 10:00 - left the camp
- 10:30 - Pseashkho pass
- 12:30 - 15:30 - rest in the Kholodny camp, lunch, swimming in the river
- 17:00 - Jitaku pass
- 19:30 - return to camp
- 10:00 - left the camp
- 10:40 - Bzerpinsky cornice
- 13:00 - upper station of the Gazprom "Laura" cable car
Important note regarding hike timing: In order to get the necessary time to complete this or that section of the route, we can safely divide the time we spent by two. We walked very slowly, took a lot of photographs, were in absolutely no hurry, and besides, I also got sick on the second day of the hike (it was still freezing under the air conditioning in Sochi). So tourist groups moving “in sports mode” will go through all this faster!
Legend:
1 - upper station of the "Laura" Gazprom cable car, 2 - Bear Gate pass (n/a, 2100 m), 3 - traverse of the western slope of Mount Sugar Pseashkho, 4 - peak of Mount Sugar Pseashkho (n/k, 3188 m), 5 - Pseashkho pass (n/k, 2014 m), 6 - Camp Kholodny, 7 - Semiozerka pass (n/k, 1920 m).
Coordinates of key points of the hike
- GPS01(upper station of the "Laura" Gazprom cable car) - 43°41"37.61"N, 40°18"49.28"E,
- GPS02(beginning of the trail) - 43°41"39.44"N, 40°21"1.43"E
- GPS03(house on the Bear Gate pass) - 43°42"34.25"N, 40°22"36.13"E,
- GPS04(turn of the trail to Sugar Pseashkho) - 43°43"18.23"N, 40°23"3.99"E,
- GPS05(beginning of traverse of the western slope, transition to the southwestern ridge) - 43°42"32.05"N, 40°25"50.74"E
- GPS06(point of exit to the southwestern ridge of Pseashkho) - 43°42"20.09"N, 40°26"10.44"E,
- GPS07(top of Sugar Pseashkho) - 43°42"31.15"N, 40°26"39.42"E,
- GPS08(beginning of the upper trail to the Semiozerka valley) - 43°44"3.00"N, 40°23"28.08"E
- GPS09(place of the Urushten ford for access to the Semiozerka valley from the side of the Kholodny camp) - 43°45"16.88"N, 40°24"23.32"E,
- GPS10(new suspension bridge over the Kholodnaya river) - 43°45"34.30"N, 40°25"1.01"E,
- GPS11(house of the Kholodny camp) - 43°45"47.16"N, 40°25"3.42"E,
- GPS12(viewpoint on the Semiozerka pass) - 43°45"15.73"N, 40°22"34.19"E.
- Actually completed track for Garmin navigators - .gdb, .gpx
- Track for viewing in Google Earth - download
update! photos of houses in June 2014
Trek budget
(calculated per 1 person)
- Pass to the reserve, for 5 days - 750 rub.
- Products for 5 days of hiking - 800 rub.
- Gas - 150 rub.
- Minibus Sochi - Krasnaya Polyana (Gazprom cable car) - 100 rubles.
- One ascent + one descent on the Laura cable car - 600 rubles.
- Minibus Krasnaya Polyana (Gazprom cable car) - Sochi - 100 rubles.
- Total: 2500 rub.
Border pass and pass to the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve
There are two points you need to know. First, you will need a nature reserve pass. Secondly, if you are not going along this route, but, for example, to the area of Lake Kardyvach, then you will additionally need to obtain a border pass! It turns out it’s not easy - you need to provide a photocopy of your passport and a completed application in which you indicate the desired area(s) to visit. It seems that documents can be sent by fax, but you will still have to receive them locally, that is, in Sochi. The passes are made free of charge, the production time is from one to two months and are valid until the end of the current year at the time of submission of documents.
General information about routes, weather and other nuances of hiking through the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve is in my homemade guide to Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana for outdoor enthusiasts and hikers. Read it, I think it will be useful.
Office addresses of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve
to get a pass for the route:
- Adler, Karl Marx St., 8. Opening hours: from 9-00 to 17-00, except weekends and holidays.
- Krasnaya Polyana, Aviary complex (2 km along the road from the Gazprom cable car). Working hours: from 9-00 to 17-00, without weekends and holidays.
Useful information and contacts
- Transfer by jeep from Krasnaya Polyana to the barrier of the Biosphere Reserve cordon - Pavel (+7 918 204 4303). A professional driver, like his father. Pavel is an ethnic Greek, as befits a real Krasnopolyan. The cost of transportation is about 1000 rubles per person, but not less than 3-4 people.
- Georgy Vitalievich (+7 928 661 5210) – senior ranger of the reserve. You can negotiate with him about horses for transportation to Kardyvach. The cost is around 3,000 rubles per horse per day. You can also inquire about transferring by car to Engelman Glades or obtaining a pass for a particular route.
conclusions
- Very beautiful! Especially the section from the Bear Gate pass to the Pseashkho pass
- I was very surprised by the cleanliness of the route. No beer cans or candy wrappers. Respect to the reserve staff (and tourists?)
- Excellent trails and equipped parking areas on the Bzerpinsky cornice and in the Kholodny camp
- Thanks to all the above factors, the area is ideal for exploring the mountains and making your first hikes!
- I will definitely leave this area as one of the best for short training hikes in fast&light style
- And yet radials rule! We wouldn’t have had time to walk so far “in line”!
- I remembered an important truth - you need to take a very responsible approach to choosing a place for camp. Sleeping and eating in a beautiful place means a lot both for recuperation, and it’s just always nice to admire the beautiful view right from the camp!
- You should definitely go ski touring here in winter. UPDATE! Made! Look
