Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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42.67587°N / 44.51368°E |
Route Type:
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Mountaineering |
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Time Required:
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A few days |
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Difficulty:
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approx. PD: mostly walk-up (Russian 2B) |
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Getting there
From Vladikavkaz drive by car to Karmadon village (2-3 hours?) and pass the border control station.You will need a border permit for this route. It is free of charge, but needs to be arranged approximately 1 month in advance in the Border Control Service of Northern Osetia in Vladikavkaz.
Route description
Typical schedule (relaxed and and unacclimatized):Day 1: Drive from Vladikavkaz to Karmadon village, then hike up the valley to hot baths (~2200m). Approx. 4 hours
Day 2: Climb an easy ridge until 3500 camp. Depending on the snow conditions lower part of the ridge can be avoided in the left couloir (possible avalange danger!). There are also several places for a camp a bit higher, near a big stone at 3700.
Day 3: Climb an easy ridge up to a plateau at 4200.
Day 4: From 4200 to the summit and back. Typical time is 7-8 hours.
Day 5: Descend to hot baths. Relax :)
Day 6: Descend to Karmadon and drive back to Vladikavkaz.
Essential gear
Crampons, ropes, several ice-screws, ice axe. Possibly some slings for rappelling from 3500 camp (in case of bad snow conditions). GPS can be very useful on plateau from 4200 and up in case of bad weather.External Links
1. Panorama photos from the route:http://mountain.ru/article/article_display1.php?article_id=2278 (page in Russian)
2. Another photo with the route line from mountain.ru site.
