Mount Ushba, rising high above the Shkhelda gorge, is considered one of the most popular massifs located in the region of the Main Caucasian Range. The two peaks (Northern and Southern) are separated by the Ushba jumper, nicknamed by climbers a "pipe" for the strong winds that constantly walk in it. The mountain with a legendary past is still shrouded in a cloud of grandeur and mystery.
Meaning of name
The difficulty of the relief, the history of conquest - all this gave her a very frightening name, which translates as "coven of witches". But Ushba, the killer mountain, is also known under another name. This name has been attached to it from ancient times to the present day. She became famous for her strict disposition and unpredictable character. It happens that climbing to the top from just hard work turns into a hard struggle for life. Nevertheless, throughout the history of mountaineering and mountain sports, Mount Ushba beckons with its splendor. Anyone who has ever seen this wonderful place will not be able toforget the wonderful feeling of her bewitching appearance.
Description
The mysterious and alluring mountain ranges of the Caucasus offer a wonderful view from the slopes of Elbrus, but Mount Ushba is capricious and famous for its unstable weather. If the day is clear throughout the Caucasus and the tops of all peaks are clearly visible, then this beauty can be shrouded in fog. In order to see it from Elbrus, you often have to wait several days. The coven does not need popularity.
But when suddenly the mountain queen wants to appear from behind her white robes in the form of clouds, then you can enjoy a bewitching wonderful sight. Almost two kilometers of pink granite and gneiss cliffs hang over emerald meadows and a glacier sparkling with diamond light. This is unrealistic to imagine even with a very violent fantasy. You can enjoy all the views that Mount Ushba can give you only by looking at it with your own eyes.
Legend
The scarlet walls of the royal mountain became the main theme of a very wonderful story that the locals love to retell.
A very long time ago the hunter Betkel lived. His marvelous appearance, youth and bold character attracted good luck: he constantly brought prey from the hunt. Once the young man decided to climb the mountain Sabbat of witches. All the villagers began to convince him, but nothing came of them. When Betkel approached the glacier itself, the Georgian goddess of the hunt, Dali, appeared before him. She really liked this brave young man, and she did everything to make him fall in love with her.
Lived a lot of timeBetkel happy life with his goddess. But one day, when the clouds parted, he looked down and saw the familiar walls of his settlement. Having become homesick, the young man quietly fled from Dali. In his native village, he met the most beautiful girl in Svaneti and decided to marry her. A wild tour came from the mountains to the wedding celebration, and the young man decided to shoot him in honor of the holiday. For a long time he ran after the tour, not thinking about where the road leads.
The hunter climbed very high on the slopes of Ushba when the tour evaporated. Betkil guessed that he had fallen into Dali's trap. The whole village came to the foot of the cliff, where the young man climbed. He asked the inhabitants to perform the ritual of the wedding and funeral, and then fell off the cliff, painting it in the color of his blood. Since then, hunters have been forbidden to climb there, and Dali has never appeared in front of people again.
Climbing difficulties
Mount Ushba also impresses with its size. The height of its northern peak reaches 4690 m, the southern one - 4710 m. Both of them are covered with a thick snow cover. Despite this, more than half of the route to the point of 2700 m is easy to drive by car. Of course, this will require an SUV. The best option would be "UAZ", which is not in vain called an all-terrain vehicle. Its cross-country ability in these places is much better than that of the famous jeeps. On a very narrow road, large foreign cars simply will not pass.
Mount Ushba is far from being subject to everyone. Climbing it is only possible for experienced climbers who have climbed more than onceto the top of the highest category of difficulty. Climbers have to overcome technically difficult sections of the highlands. You can use the services of a good guide or climb on your own.
If you decide to storm these peaks, you need to know the Ushba icefall well, because it is full of cracks. In periods suitable for ascent, they do not disappear anywhere, but become more noticeable. These are the most dangerous places, in connection with this, the mysterious beauty got her sad nickname Ushba - the killer mountain.
Pride of Svaneti
The whole of Svaneti, a mountainous country with a free character, was presented by nature itself in the form of Ushba. In the Central Caucasus, there is no greater reason for pride and respect than climbing this mountain, impregnable for a mere mortal. This is why many people appreciate these places.
For Russian lovers of mountain peaks, who have the opportunity to see Ushba from another territory, from the north, this massif does not have such a mythical halo as for the inhabitants of Svaneti. Nevertheless, the image of the mountain attracts the eye and frightens at the same time. A huge two-headed peak, as a ruler, reigns over the entire territory of the Caucasus Range. And there is no doubt that she is a queen, tall, stately and impregnable. This is Mount Ushba. Georgia can be proud of this creation of nature.
Interesting facts
Steep one and a half kilometer walls break off around the massif, along which routes of different difficulty levels pass. At the moment, about five hundredroutes.
The easiest, now standard, way to Northern Ushba is the category 4a route. It passes through the Ushba plateau, through a place called "pillow", and then three hundred meters along a steep slope with an ice-snow surface stretches to the summit ridge. There is ice under the snow cover, and if there was a snowstorm before the rise, there is a threat of avalanches. Along the long northern ridge, double cornices decorated by nature itself flaunt at the peak of the mountain. The ascent from the Ushba plateau to the summit takes about eight hours, and it takes half the time on the way back.
Outlaw
The famous Mount Ushba, where there are many difficult, but at the same time interesting routes, a wonderful dream of many climbers, is now considered illegal. There is one very important point. It so happened that the mountain popular all over the planet, an integral part of the history of Soviet, and today Russian mountain sports, is now banned, and climbing it is considered a serious violation. Nothing can be done - at the moment the situation is such that within the short southern spur of the Main Caucasian Range, the state border just passes.
