Shkhara ( ka, შხარა; ) is a

mountain peak A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

and the highest point in the country of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. It is located on the

Georgia–Russia border The Georgia–Russia border is the state border between Georgia (country), Georgia and Russia. It is ''de jure'' 920 km in length and runs from the Black Sea coast in the west and then along the Greater Caucasus Mountains to the tripoint w ...

, in Russia's

Kabardino-Balkaria Kabardino-Balkaria (), officially the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 904,200. Its capital is Nalchik. The area contains the highest mountain in ...

region on the northern side, and the

Svaneti Svaneti (Svan language, Svan: შუ̂ან, ლემშუ̂ანიერა; ''shwan, lemshwaniera'', and Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georg ...

region of Georgia in the south. Shkhara is the highest peak of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range since both

Elbrus Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant volcano, dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the List of mountain peaks by prominence, tenth-most promi ...

and Dykhtau are located along the side ranges which lie to the north of the Greater Caucasus Range. Shkhara lies north of the city of

Kutaisi Kutaisi ( ; ka, ქუთაისი ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgia. One of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the List o ...

, Georgia's second-largest city, and closer to the townlet of

Mestia Mestia ( ka, მესტია ) is a highland townlet ('' daba'') in northwest Georgia, at an elevation of in the Caucasus Mountains. General information Mestia is located in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti province (''mkhare''), some ...

. The summit lies in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, to the south-east of

Mount Elbrus Mount Elbrus; ; is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe. It is a dormant stratovolcano rising above sea level, and is the highest volcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. It is situated in the south ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

's highest mountain. Shkhara is the third-highest peak in the Caucasus, just behind

Dykh-Tau Dykh-Tau or Dykhtau (; , derived from Turkic "dik dagh" which means 'Jagged Mount'), is the second-highest mountain in Russia and Europe with an elevation of 5,205 m (17,077 ft) above sea level. It is located in Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia; its ...

Morphology

Shkhara is the high point and the eastern anchor of a

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

known as the

Bezengi Wall Bezengi Wall (; ka, ბეზენგის კედელი; , also known as the ''Khalde Wall'') or Pitsrula is a long mountain range of the Greater Caucasus, in the Svaneti region of Georgia and Kabardino-Balkaria region of Russia. Highes ...

, a ridge. It is a large, steep peak in a heavily glaciated region, and presents serious challenges to mountaineers. Its north face (on the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n side) is high and contains several classic difficult routes. The significant sub-summit Shkhara West, at , is a climbing objective in its own right, and a traverse of the entire Bezingi Wall is considered "Europe's longest, most arduous, and most committing expedition".

History

The peak was first climbed in 1888 via the North East Ridge route, by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

team of English climber

John Garford Cockin John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

and Swiss guides

Ulrich Almer Ulrich Almer (8 May 1849 in Grindelwald – 4 September 1940) was a Swiss mountain guide. He made many premieres in the Alps with his father Christian Almer, one of the great guides of the golden age of mountaineering, and was one of the first Swi ...

and Christian Roth.J. G. Cockin, « ''Shkara, Janga, and Ushba'' », ''The Alpine Journal'', vol. XVI, n° 122, novembre 1893, pp. 477-494 - reproduced in Douglas W. Freshfield,
The exploration of Caucasus
', E. Arnold, 1896, Volume II, pp. 38-58 This route is still one of the easier and more popular routes on the mountain. The first complete traverse of the Bezingi Wall was in 1931, by the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

ns K. Poppinger, K. Moldan, and S. Schintlmeister.

References

{{Highest points of Europe Mountains of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria Seven Third Summits Georgia (country)–Russia border Five-thousanders of the Caucasus Highest points of countries

Morphology

History

See also

References