Mousse mountain height. Dombai is a unique mountainous corner of the North Caucasus. Photo trip. Excursion to Dombay

Dombay is a small village in Karachay-Cherkessia. This is a unique place where several gorges of the Caucasus converge at one point, forming the Dombay glade. The resort village of Dombay was already well known in Soviet times among athletes, climbers and mountain hikers. Modern Dombay is one of ski resorts North Caucasus. There are so many in the gorges of Dombay beautiful places, lakes and waterfalls, that tourism is popular here both in winter and in summer. The summer season in the North Caucasus lasts from June to October - this is the best time to come to Dombay.

Excursion to Dombay

Excursion to Dombay is offered all year round by all travel agencies in any city of Caucasian Mineralnye Vody. If you are staying in Pyatigorsk, Essentuki or Kislovodsk, then you can go to Dombai as part of such a one-day excursion. Excursion to Dombai is considered long and the whole route will take about 10 hours. The cost of the tour is from 1500 rubles per person.

Excursion programs from travel companies may differ from each other, but not much. On the way to Dombai, the guide will tell you a lot of interesting things from the history of the Caucasus and Karachay-Cherkessia. Upon arrival in the village of Dombai provided free time. For an additional fee, you can take the cable car up to Mussa-Achitara peak or walk around the village and have lunch in one of the many cafes. For the first acquaintance with Dombai, a one-day excursion is quite enough to definitely return here, but for several days already.

Cableways on Dombay

If you came to the village of Dombay for the first time, you will certainly want to look at the mountains from a bird's eye view. There is such an opportunity in Dombay. Several gondola and chair lifts will alternately take you to the peak of Mount Moussa Achitara, from where good weather visible giant Elbrus and the Chief Caucasian Range. If you find yourself in Dombay in rainy weather, then do not despair. Walking in the clouds is a pleasure of a different order. Climbing Mount Mussa-Achitara is the main and most easily accessible attraction of Dombai. You only need to choose which cable car to climb. All cable cars in Dombai can be divided into two types: the old and the new complex.

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The old complex of cable cars was built back in Soviet times and it is represented by a chairlift of 5 lines. The cost of lifting is less than on the new complex, as well as the speed of lifting. The old chairlift is perfect for a leisurely hike.


The new complex of cable cars includes modern gondola and chair lifts of 3 stages. The modern cable car was opened in 2008. We will tell you more about the new complex.


There are other lifts in Dombay. During the ski season, there are several drag and tow lifts and a pendulum cable car with two trailers with a capacity of 35 people each.

The first stage of the cable car "Dombay-1"

The village of Dombay is located at an altitude of 1590 meters above sea level. It is from this height that the 8-seater cabin of the first stage starts cable car. Comfortable gondola cabins are equipped with ski pockets. The doors open and close automatically on the platform. In just 6 minutes, the cabin lifts up 687 meters to a mark of 2277 meters.

Here, as in the village of Dombai, there is a market where you can buy everything that is produced local residents and grew on the slopes of the mountains: herbal preparations, honey, jam, nuts, knitwear, sheepskins and much more. Prices do not differ at all below and above. In addition to the market, there are several cafes where you can have a delicious meal.

From a height of 2277 meters, a fantastic panorama of the mountains opens up. It will not be a revelation for anyone to say that mountains look different from different heights. Therefore, the same peaks will open for you from new angles. And the higher you climb, the more interesting the horizon will be. At this mark, the peak of Mount Belalakaya is clearly visible. Due to the almost identical shape of the peak, it is very often compared to the Matterhorn, which is located in the Pennine Alps.

In the photo in the center you can see the Alibek gorge and the Alibek waterfall, a little to the left of Belalakaya mountain and the Amanauz gorge.

The guide will definitely tell you about the local legend about Teatralny Peak. Named after a group of artists stuck at their peak and crying out for help. The group was evacuated, and the peak got its own name. With peaks in the mountains, something like this is the case, there are so many of them that not everyone is given names. For example, here in Dombay there is also a peak of drunken hairdressers. By analogy with Teatralny Peak, it is easy to guess how it was. Teatralny Peak in the photo is the highest point on the left.

Near the Teatralny Peak there is Dzhuguturlyuchat Mountain and Ine Peak right in front of it, the height of which is 3455 meters. On some viewing platforms, Ine Peak is visually difficult to separate from the mountain. The slope of the Dzhuguturlyuchat mountain is covered by the Northern Dzhuguturlyuchat glacier. Under the glacier, there is the Dzhuguturlyuchat waterfall, which is also clearly visible from the observation point.

If you look even more to the left, then Mount Dombay-Ulgen is already visible here. The height of the peak is 4046 meters. From the Karachai language, the phrase "dombai ulgen" is translated as "killed bison". Ironically, the mountain was so named long before the extermination of the last bison in the region. In the photo, Mount Dombay-Ulgen is on the left.

The second stage of the cable car - "Dombay-2"

The second stage of the ascent is a 6-seater open chairlift that will take us from a height of 2277 meters to a height of 3008 meters. In 8 minutes we overcome the rise of 731 meters. There are also several catering establishments and a small market. In addition, here you can ride ATVs in summer and snowmobiles in winter.

The famous Tarelka Hotel was moved from a height of 2277 meters to 2600 meters.

If you are going to climb the Moussa-Achitara peak, take into account the significant temperature difference. Always keep in mind the simplest temperature calculation scheme, according to which for every 100 meters of height the temperature drops by 0.5-0.6 degrees. Thus, if the temperature in the village of Dombay at an altitude of 1600 meters is 20 degrees Celsius, then at an altitude of 2277 meters it already drops by 4 degrees and becomes 16 degrees. On the very high point Mount Moussa-Achitara (3200) temperature will drop another 6 degrees.

The meteorological station offers a wonderful view of the Teberda and Gonachkhir gorges. You can look at the brilliant strip of the Teberda River for a long time. Or consider the Gonachkhir Gorge and the Sukhum Military Road laid along it. In addition, the Second Mussa-Achitar Lake is clearly visible from here. Where is the first, you ask? The first Mussa-Achitar lake is located to the right of the second, behind the nearest hill, it is not visible from this vantage point.

At an altitude of 3008 meters, even in June, the snow reaches human height.

On the other side you can see the top of Dombay-Ulgen.

And in good weather, Elbrus is already visible from here. He hides behind the peaks of the mountains. Its appearance is unusual, instead of two peaks, only its western peak is visible from Dombai. To see Elbrus, you need to look to the east.

The third stage of the cable car - "Dombay-3"

The third stage of the ascent is a 4-seater open chairlift that will take us from a height of 3008 meters to a height of 3168 meters. This is the shortest line of the cable car. In 5 minutes we overcome the rise of 160 meters.

From the chairlift station to the top of Moussa Achitara, you need to walk only 40 meters. The ascent will not be difficult. And the views from the top of the mountain are magical.

Below you can see the village of Dombay. And before us are mountains. From left to right Tooth Sufruju whose height is 3600 meters, Belalakaya, Alibek gorge and Mount Aksaut.

Elbrus is even better visible from the top station of the cable car, the peaks of the mountains do not interfere with the view.

Moussa Achitara Peak

The height of Mount Mussa-Achitara is 3200 meters. From the top of Moussa-Achitara, views are opened that are inaccessible from other ascent points. The gorge and the Ptysh river, Mount Dombai-Ulgen are clearly visible.

It is located separately, parallel to the Main Caucasian Range. Therefore, throughout its entire length, from any place, an exceptional view of the latitude to the south, north, east, west opens up. This ridge is considered the best observation point. From a height of more than 3,000 meters above sea level, one can admire the panorama of the Main Range, rare in beauty and size, the Teberda valley, the peaks of the Aksaut region, Bu-Ulgen, the Kuban basin, distant Elbrus. But, to Unfortunately, climbing the ridge is not accessible to everyone and therefore cannot be recommended to inexperienced tourists. However, the situation is not hopeless. To view the panorama of the Main Range, it is enough to climb into the zone of alpine meadows, from where a less wide, but just as beautiful and impressive view unfolds.

The ascent to the ridge begins behind the cafe (near the towing lift) along a wide clearing on the slope of Mussa-Achitara. The trail leads steeply up and deep into the forest, then out into the alpine meadows.

The duration of the ascent and return to the Dombai glade in time will depend on the height to which we climb. The view from the slopes of Moussa-Achitara is good from any place above the forest zone.

In the very heart majestic mountains one of the oldest tourist and mountaineering centers of our country is located in the hoary Caucasus. This is Dombay - skiing Eden, located in a protected corner of Karachay-Cherkessia. The incredible beauty of the landscapes of the North Caucasus, the purest mountain air and amazing conditions for outdoor activities attract tourists from all over Russia, as well as near and far abroad.

The modern Dombai resort is a unique center of mountaineering and skiing, a venue for international competitions, significant events in the cultural and sports life of the country.

Resort location

Dombay glade - an intermountain basin at an altitude of 1620 meters above sea level - the place where Dombay is located. It is located in the basin of the Teberda mountain stream, on the territory of the Teberda National Reserve. The alpine valley nestled comfortably at the foot of the Main River, where the waters of the Dombai-Ulgen, Amanauz and Alibek rivers merge into one.

The glade is ringed by a chain of bizarre snow-capped peaks with an unusually poetic name - Dombay-Ulgen (translated from Karachai - a killed bison), Sulakhat - a sleeping girl, the striped rock of Belalakaya, Dzhuguturlyuchat (the habitat of tours), Ine Peak, the majestic Ertsog sung by Vizbor.

Thanks to the mild climate and favorable geographic location the weather is always beautiful in Dombay: massive mountain slopes protect the resort from the winds, and the sun illuminates the valley for more than 320 days a year. Heavy snowfalls and stable snow cover determine the long ski season, lasting from November to May.

Dombay - ski Mecca of the North Caucasus

The sunny land of tales and legends - the amazing Caucasus - has long attracted travelers, explorers and climbers. Since the 20s of the last century, Dombai Polyana has been developing as a center for tourism and skiing. Today, Dombay is a ski resort that is rapidly developing its capabilities and infrastructure. The skiing conditions here are close to the Alpine resorts: modern winter slopes, more than 20 kilometers long, an extensive network of lifts, high level service, and the main advantage is the wild, untouched beauty of the surrounding mountains.

Ski slopes of the resort

Ski slopes in Dombay originate at an altitude of more than 3 thousand meters on top of the monumental Mussa-Achitara ridge. The system of slopes of various levels of difficulty and length is suitable for both beginners and ski experts. The tracks, according to the accepted classification system, are conditionally divided into "green" (simple slopes for beginners), "blue" (medium difficulty) and "red" - for self-confident pros.

The main skiing area is laid at an altitude of 2600-3012 meters and is distinguished by a flat, calm relief. For children and completely "green" beginners, the simplest gentle slopes, the so-called "paddling pools", equipped

For those who like to tickle their nerves and professional athletes, the steep slopes of the northern part of Moussa-Achitara and the Gonachkhir Gorge offer ample opportunities for freeriding. Fans of heli-skiing are in for a dizzying ride on untouched slopes from the peaks of Semenov-Bashi and the Alibek glacier, where extreme sportsmen are thrown by a local helicopter. For skiing in the late hours, the resort provides night lighting of the slopes.

Dombay lift system

Dombay is a ski resort that is served by several lift systems:

• Five lines of the chairlift, built back in the 70-80s of the XX century. The fourth and fifth stages of the cable car are delivered to the main ski area. The fourth line leads to the so-called "Moussa glade" at an altitude of 2.5 km. From here, the fifth double-seat cable car delivers tourists to the crest of the ridge.
• Eight-seat gondola lift.

• A new complex that includes six- and four-seater chairs, delivering skiers and snowboarders to a height of up to 3200 meters.
• Yugoslav cable car with a length of 1700 meters.
• A rope-pendulum road, including two trailers with a capacity of up to 40 people, raising sightseers and skiers to a height of 2260 m.
• A network of drag and tow roads serving training slopes.

Resort attractions

The main attraction of this region is the surrounding natural splendor of the Teberdinsky Reserve. mountain rivers and the picturesque gorges, rapid waterfalls, the cold beauty of high-mountain lakes - an amazing panorama of these places is opened by an observation deck on the top of Moussa-Achitara. From here you can observe distant Elbrus shining in a cloudy haze.

A remarkable place and a kind of hallmark of Dombay is the original eight-bed hotel Tarelka, made in the form of an alien ship.

On the way to the Alikbek gorge there is a quiet and memorable place - the cemetery of the dead climbers. People come here to pay tribute to the memory and respect to those who died in the mountains while climbing or trying to save the lives of their comrades. On the path leading to the graves, there is a sign with the words from Vysotsky's song: "There are no scarlet roses and mourning ribbons, and the stone that gave you peace does not look like a monument ...".

Entertainment and excursions Dombay

Dombay is a ski resort where, in addition to an exciting variety of tracks, guests are offered a lot of opportunities for active and diverse recreation. You can admire the expanses of the snow-covered Caucasus by taking a quad bike ride or an exciting snowmobile safari. Fans of thrills will not be indifferent to the opportunity to make a stunning descent in a special zorb, a voluminous transparent ball.

Special mention deserves fascinating trips with an instructor on a paraglider, opening up unforgettable views of mountain landscapes from a bird's eye view. Confident skiers can try their hand at speedriding - an extreme combination of paragliding and alpine skiing.

On the territory of the complex there is an ice skating rink, sledge rental, horse and foot excursions to the picturesque corners of the Teberdinsky Reserve are organized.

Dombai in summer and autumn

Reserved Dombai is a ski resort worth visiting not only in winter. The delightful nature of this region offers excellent opportunities for recreation in summer and autumn. When the snow cover comes off the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, the alpine meadows of the Dombai Valley bloom with a silky carpet of delicate plants. The beauty of centuries-old fir forests, turquoise mountain lakes, millennial glaciers against the backdrop of a clear sunny sky opens up to the gaze of travelers.

In summer, Dombay has a special cool climate, favorable for long walking tours. At this time of the year, mountain biking and horseback riding, climbing the peaks of the Caucasus, and trekking are popular entertainment for tourists. In autumn, the nature of Teberda lights up with a colorful palette of golden-crimson colors.

Dombay - ski resort: prices for lifting and equipment rental

Prices for lift services depend on the choice of lift system. Since the main complexes of chairlifts belong to different owners, there is no single tariff in Dombai. There is a 50% discount for children and pensioners.

• The cost of a single lift along the old chairlift depends on the queue and varies from 150 to 250 rubles, a daily pass will cost a tourist from 500 to 1000 rubles.
• The cost of a ski pass for both stages of the new cable car complex will be 1,600 rubles per day for an adult. A single lift on each line is estimated at 500 rubles.
• The services of a pendulum cable car for skiers and snowboarders will cost 200 rubles, for tourists - 300 rubles per lift.

The price of renting a set of equipment for skis and snowboards is approximately 400-450 rubles per day. On the territory of the complex, you can also purchase new equipment.

How to get there

There are several ways to get to the corner of Karachay-Cherkessia, where Dombay is located. The ski resort is located 230 kilometers from Mineralnye Vody Airport, and the easiest way to transfer is by air. Every day (during the ski season from December to March) a bus runs from the airport, delivering tourists to the center of the village. You can also take a taxi or rent a car.

If getting to ski complex by train, you can choose the stations in Nevinnomysk, Pyatigorsk, Nalchik or Mineralnye Vody as your destination. The road will take from 24 to 38 hours on the way. From the station to Dombay you can take a taxi, there are regular bus routes.

Comfortable intercity buses run direct flights from Moscow to Dombai Polyana. Also, without transfers, you can get to the place of rest on your own, that is, on your own car.

The protected places of the majestic Caucasus welcome their guests all year round with their unique nature, salubrious air and magnificence of high mountain valleys. Dombay ski reviews of tourists unanimously rank among the most impressive and beautiful resorts in our country.

From moving to Dombay.

Little has been said about Dombai lately. He became unfashionable. Here Krasnaya Polyana is another matter. Here you and Putin with official and other visits. And federal programs with figures such that Alpine resorts never dreamed of. And "Radisson", and "Gazprom", and Sochi-2014, and advertising of cottages on Moscow constrictions ... A branch of Rublyovka, give or take.

Only Courchevel with Chamonix Krasnaya Polyana is still far away anyway. Yes, and the ski season in the vicinity of Sochi is short: at the end of March, skis can already be sheathed. And in Dombay they ride until June, at such heights that it takes your breath away. If the main slopes of Krasnaya Polyana are located at a little over two thousand meters, then in Dombai the height of 2266 is called the “lower point”: from here the ascent to the main skiing area just begins. Total length ski slopes- more than 20 kilometers.

Those who understand go to Dombay, and those whose heart was left in the Dombay mountains a long time ago - in those days when "skis by the stove" were in every Dnepr reel-to-reel tape recorder. But to say that today Dombay attracts mainly nostalgic people of pre-retirement age would be a big exaggeration. Rather, on the contrary, this is one of the youngest resorts in Russia in terms of the composition of vacationers. The first and main reason for this is cheapness. In terms of the average price level, Dombai significantly outperforms even the ski resorts in Bulgaria, not to mention Austria or France. Therefore, with the beginning of the season, strings of "student" trains stretch here: young and not very wealthy companies go to Dombay for romance and extreme sports. In 2014, the internal flow of tourists reached 500 thousand people.

The most influential and main enthusiast of Dombay was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin. Many of the instructors remember his visits to Dombai and gratefully remark that if it were not for Kosygin, there might not have been a resort in this fabulous place at all. It was he who gave a powerful impetus to the development of the resort infrastructure here - in those distant Soviet times, when, by and large, no one was engaged in tourism.

Once in Finland, President Kekkonen invited Kosygin to go skiing. Having thus found out about the predilection of the “Finnish friend” for skiing, Aleksey Nikolaevich decided to please him at all costs with a similar walk during a return visit. But here's the problem: there was no resort in the Soviet Union where it would not be a shame to receive such a guest. It was necessary to urgently create it, and the choice fell on Dombai, where climbers and a few savage tourists used to go. So in the 60s of the last century, by the decision of the party and the government, a ski-building boom was announced in Dombai.

Kekkonen came to these places more than once, rode on the Dombay slopes and even went, according to old-timers, along with Kosygin along the famous all-Union tourist route No. 43 - from Dombai through the Klukhorsky pass to the Black Sea itself, to Sukhumi.
In gratitude for warm welcome In 1979, the Finnish President gave the resort a generous gift - the famous high-mountain "plate" hotel, which became a kind of visiting card of Dombai.

Hotel "Tarelka" in the mountains of Dombay is located at an altitude of 2250 m. From here, a stunning panorama opens up in the Alibek gorge, then trails are laid to the Alibek glacier, in front of which a shelter hut is built.

Scheme of cable cars and ski slopes Dombai.

Alibek Glacier and Bilingual Glacier.

Mount Dombay-Ulgen is the highest, majestic and beautiful peak of the Western Caucasus. The height of the mountain is 4046 m above sea level.It is located on the border with Abkhazia.
However, its mighty massif includes three peaks: Main (4049 meters), Western (4036 meters) and Eastern (3950 meters).

Flight on a steam plane over the mountain peaks of Dombai

Mount Tooth Sufuruju (3630 m.)

Mount Belalakaya. Belalakaya is considered the hallmark of Dombay. This mountain beauty can be seen from many points of the Dombay surroundings.

Mount Sufruju. The top of Mount Sufruju has a height of 3781 meters.

The Dzhuguturluchat mountain range is part of the Greater Caucasus Range and stretches 3921 meters up to the clouds. The mountain is inhabited by herds of tours, and therefore the Karachais called it Dzhuguturluchat, or the pasture of tours.

Dombay glaciers.

Mount Belalakaya (3851 m.). View from Moussa-Achitara mountain.

Mount Sufruju and Tooth Sufruju(3600 m.)

Mussa-Achitara Ridge. It is located separately, parallel to the Main Caucasian Range. (3012 m.) From here a beautiful panorama of the Main

Caucasus ridge, Elbrus is visible.

View of Elbrus from the Mussa-Achitara ridge. From here in a straight line 65 km to Elbrus and 65 km to the Black Sea.

View from Mount Mussa-Achitara to Mt.Belalakaya (3851 m.) and on the glaciers of the Amanauz gorge.

Mount Aksaut (3910 m.). The Aksaut mountain range is a ridge stretching from southeast to northwest with a central ridge that
looking northeast.

The southwestern slopes of Mount Mussa-Achitara are considered the best place to ski.This Dombay skiing area is located at an altitude of 1630-3168 m. In the upper part of the slope, the track is flat,
calm without steep drops. Such a track is ideal for those who still feel insecure on skis.

In the lower part of the ski slope, the track is steeper, with the presence of hillocks. Here are the so-called "red", in some places even "black" areas for skiing,
bringing a certain sharpness of sensations to skiers.

Ascent to the observation deck mountain range Moussa-Achitara is the main point for unprepared tourists when visiting Dombai. From here, really beautiful views of the mountain valleys and ridges of Dombai open up.

In the central part of the village of Dombay is the lower station of the cable car. In total, there are 3 cable car stations on the slope of the mountain, which in winter serve to lift skiers to the slopes, and in summer those who want to admire Caucasus mountains from several viewing platforms.

The first station of the cable car (altitude 2265 m) is the most crowded and, perhaps, it is from here that the most beautiful views of the gorges of the Alibek and Dombay-Ulgena rivers open, as well as the beautiful peaks of the Dombay mountains, including the most high mountain this area - Dombay-Ulgen (4046 m). There are a lot of restaurants here, including the famous Flying Saucer, as well as stalls selling local souvenirs.

Going down from the cable car station, you need to turn right to go to observation deck, from which the Dombay glade is visible at the intersection of three valleys. Then you can go in the opposite direction along the side of the mountain to see the mountain peaks from different angles.

Then you need to climb to the upper stations of the cable car. The second station (3035 m) is actually an intermediate one, so you can immediately climb to the third (3200 m), the highest cable car station on Mount Mussa-Achitara.
From here you can clearly see not only the three peaks of the Dombay-Ulgen valley (Ine, Dzhugurlyuchat, Dombay-Ulgen), which you admire at the first station, but also the entire Caucasian Range, although it must be admitted that the views are not so picturesque. The fact is that beautiful valleys remained deep below, and here only mountain peaks and ridges are visible, however, this level has its own attractiveness.

You can feel it while walking along the Mussa-Achitara ridge in the direction of Mount Dombay-Ulgena, there are very beautiful mountain and flowers that grow right among the stones covered with high-mountain moss. However, be careful with long walks at this altitude. There is a lack of oxygen in the rarefied air, so long walks, especially if there are any problems with the heart, are not recommended.