The killer mountain, the Witches' Sabbath, the Caucasian Matterhorn - these are just some of the names that people have given to the mountain that rises in the middle of the Greater Caucasus. There are many legends around the mountain, it is the pride (of Georgia) and wins the heart of any person with its beauty.

Description

Ushba - means "mountain that brings misfortune" from Svan (ush - trouble, ba - mountain). The Beauty of the Caucasus got its name because of the steep slopes and sheer cliffs. Not many daredevils today have conquered the heights of the Georgian beauty. There are two of them near the mountain: Northern (4690 m) and Southern (4710). True, on the map the height of Ushba is indicated - 4700 m., Something in between the heights of the two peaks. Interestingly, another name for Mount Yuch-bash, common in Karachay-Cherkessia, is translated as “three peaks”.

The slopes of the mountain closer to the peaks become vertical and have a pink color, as they consist of granite and rot. Their length is about two kilometers. In good weather, when the peaks of the mountain are not hidden behind the clouds, which happens quite often and does not depend on the rest of the weather in the region, especially at sunset (or dawn), the view that opens on the Caucasian Matterhorn fascinates with its magnificence.

Therefore, many climbers gave their lives trying to conquer the slopes of the killer mountain, and those who were able to tame the obstinate queen of the mountains believe that the risk was justified. Perhaps that is why the names are common among the people - “coven of witches” or “Ushba - the killer mountain”.

You can admire the Beauty of the Caucasus from any high point Svaneti - Becho community, Lakhushti village, Mulakhi. The Ugi pass also serves as a good viewpoint; tourists take a lot of photos from these places.

Ushba can be observed even from Russia, as it is located near the Russian border with Georgia (1.5 km.). From here you also get wonderful pictures of the mountain, but close up, the photos, of course, turn out to be more epic. Even at this distance, the mountain attracts views.

Legend of the brave hunter Betkil

“The tribe of Svans has long lived at the foot of the mountain. Many years ago, a young hunter, Betkil, lived among them. He was young, handsome, stately and lucky. He always brought prey, as if the goddess of hunting herself - Dali helped him.

The young hunter fell in love with the most beautiful girl in the village and decided to marry her. The Svan tribe began to prepare for the wedding, and the groom, during the preparations for the wedding ceremony, decided to climb the Two-Headed Mountain in order to appear before his tribe as a great hunter.

The elders of the village dissuaded him, since the mountain was sacred, and only the gods lived on its peaks. But the young hunter did not obey and, with the dexterity of a snow leopard, climbed higher and higher until he reached the place where Dali lived. The goddess of the hunt has long watched the life of a mortal, and fell in love with him.

At the sight of the goddess, the hunter lost his head from her beauty, and Dali stopped time with a spell. And by the stream they enjoyed each other for a long time, forgetting everything. But Dali fell asleep, and Betkil decided to take a walk along the mountainside. Suddenly the hunter saw the lights of his native village and remembered his bride. The groom yearned for his beloved and it became bitter for him that he forgot his girlfriend. Betkil fled from Dali back to the valley, where the inhabitants were preparing for his wedding, only one night passed for them. Having learned about the escape of her beloved, the goddess of hunting bitterly sobbed and swore that the race did not want to become her beloved, would be a slave.

The wedding began, the Svans walked and drank, and the hunters boasted of their merits, but Betkil boasted most drunkenly. Suddenly, during the wedding, a huge tour appeared at the edge of the forest.

The groom immediately wanted to kill the tour and prove to everyone that he is the greatest hunter. Rushed after the beast Betkil, not noticing anything around. The hunter on the mountain rose higher and higher behind the tour, and the road behind him disappeared, leaving sheer cliffs. When Betkil realized his mistake, it was too late. The goddess Dali came out to him with a triumphant smile.

Then the hunter turned to the inhabitants of his tribe and asked to complete the wedding and conduct funeral rituals. After that, Betkil threw himself down from the steep cliffs with the words "Better a glorious death than the life of a slave." The blood of Betkil sprinkled the rocks of the Two-Headed Mountain and dyed them pink. The elders still make sure that no one disturbs the goddess Dali and does not go to the mountain. And since then, the goddess of the hunt has never been shown to people again.

Climbing history

The nature of the mountain queen is rather nasty, she does not spare anyone who dares to set foot on her territory. But still come across daredevils who managed to tame the temper of a mountain beauty.

The mountain was first climbed by John Garford Kokin and his guide Ulrich Almer in 1888. They climbed the Gray Peak. They managed to climb the South Peak only in 1903, an expedition of Austrian, German and Swiss climbers. They were led by V. Rickmer-Rikmers. After that, such famous climbers as Mikhail Anufrikov, Lev Myshlyaev, Gio Niguriani visited the mountain.

It happens that not all climbs to Ushba end successfully. So in 1984, an avalanche covered 6 climbers of the Georgian club of climbers. In 1995, 5 athletes fell off the rocks. They had 20 meters to the North Summit. In 2000, an ice collapse covered the camp, in which there were both Russian and English climbers. Their bodies were never found.

Climbing routes

Ushba is not the highest mountain in the Caucasus, but there are quite a few successful ascents of it. Routes to the peaks have difficulty categories from 4A to 6A. Despite the fact that the real Mattehorn will be easier to conquer. The difficulty category of the Swiss mountain will be a little easier from 3A to 5A. True, the Mattehorn (4478 m) is inferior in size to Ushba.

More than a dozen different routes lead to the North and South peaks of Ushba. The difficulty of the climb depends on the time of year and weather conditions. But we must remember that the climb can be deadly, despite its category of difficulty. For some climbers, even the easiest routes proved to be the last ones.

Despite the impressive height of 4700 m, half of the way can be driven by car, the UAZ is best suited for this, the road is quite narrow. Or you can use Mountain, this mountain bike is suitable for crossing easy mountainous terrain.

Climbing the North Peak

The village of Mestia is the most popular point of advance towards Ushba. Since the ascent is possible only from Georgia. Since the location of the mountain is near the Russian border, and the border is on the castle. And all attempts to climb the Mountain are considered a crime under Russian law.

Mount Ushba is invisible on the world map. And to find it, you must first find Elbrus. The two-headed beauty is only a couple of tens of kilometers away, only the full splendor of Ushba can be admired from Russia.

From Mestia begins the safest route - a classic of Soviet mountaineering. Difficulty of lifting 4A. The route takes 8-16 hours. Time is influenced by factors of preparation and natural conditions. The descent is carried out through the Ushbinsky pass or Ushba Pillow. This meta makes great photos.

But not everything is as simple as it seems. Recently, there have been strong landslides at the Ushba waterfall. It was through him that it was possible to get earlier on the mountain. Now more and more cracks are forming in the ice, which change their location during the day. Therefore, now the previously laid routes on the map are not relevant enough.

Climbing the South Summit

The difficulty of this route is 5A. But of all the ascents to the Young Peak, it is the easiest. When climbing, climbers follow the path of Mikhail Khergiani. It is necessary to climb the crest of the South-Western buttress, pass the "mirror" of Ushba and go down to the Gulkovskie camps (near the settlement of Gul). The trip there and back takes 2 days.

Climbing this route is technically difficult. The group is required to act as harmoniously as possible, be extremely disciplined and possess the skills of movement and insurance in mountainous terrain.

Harder paths are also popular with climbers - along the Eastern Face, the center of the North-Eastern Wall, the Eastern or Western Ridge, the icefalls of the North-Western Wall.

Conclusion

Climbing Ushba is very difficult. Climbers who decide to climb are at great risk. But despite this, climbing the beauty of the Caucasus is worth it. There is no more joyful moment than to be at the end of a difficult path and see the vast expanses of the mighty ranges of the Caucasus and take a photo as a keepsake. Especially from such an inaccessible mountain as the Two-Headed Ushba.

,
Kazbek, Tetnulda and Dzhimaraikhokh, the eighth peak of the rating is Ushba, 4710 m high.

As I wrote in the photo review of the previous peak, Ushba is only formally the eighth in height. AND...
This terrible in its grandeur, most beautiful, formidable, impregnable, amazing and unforgettable,
charming and fantastic, two kilometers from the foot to the top of a granite boulder,
the most difficult peak of the Caucasus, grandiose to goosebumps ... Of course, You must see it with your own eyes, and the closer,
the better, the more goosebumps will be from the delight of the forces of nature that created Caucasian Range,
and including Ushba. This peak, the translation of whose name is (perhaps controversial, but appropriate)
from Svan - "Sabbath of Witches", excited the hearts of English climbers of the 19th century.
On the most difficult "mirrors" of its walls, the strongest climbers of the USSR climbed - Mikhail Kherginani
(a legend in itself), Lev Myshlyaev, Mikhail Anufrikov and many others...
Having gone through all my photo archives since 2002, I selected the best pictures of this Summit.

1. May (high in the mountains it is still winter). View from the slope of Elbrus. Only the top of Ushba peeks out from behind the clouds from somewhere far away behind the ridges. The whole wall is not visible, and there are few places where you can see it in its entirety...

2. August 2002. Beginning of dawn. View also from the slope of Elbrus. Most of Ushba is hidden (merging) with the Shkheld massif.

3. July 2006, dawn... View from the slope of Mount Kezgenbashi in the Irik Range. To the left of Ushba is Chatyn and Shchurovsky peak, to the right are the teeth of Shkhelda. And again, only the top of Ushba is visible, located entirely in Georgia, hidden by the Main Caucasian Range.

4. May 2008, 6x zoom view from the village of Elbrus in Kabardino-Balkaria. The two towers of Ushba are somewhere in an inaccessible height behind the ridges. On the right is one of the towers of the formidable Shkhelda.

5. August 2004. Taken from the slope of Elbrus to an ancient soap box. Above the sea of ​​clouds, under the clouds illuminated by dawn, rises the Caucasian Range with Ushba at the head.

6. August 2003. View from the ascent to the Western peak of Elbrus. You can see dots of people going along the "path" to the Saddle, and in the distance, on the left, the two-horned Ushba.

7. August 2004. View from the Western summit of Elbrus. On the left - Eastern, and in the distance - the peaks of the Bezengi region, previously mentioned in the "rating" Dykhtau, Bezengi wall, Tetnuld. And on the right - Ushba, like a huge "cat" with sharp "ears", peeking out of the clouds:

May 8, 2013 high mountains everything is covered in snow. Ushba "among friends" - Chatyn, Shchurovsky Peak, Shkhelda. The narrow Ushba icefall is visible, flowing down from the plateau near Malaya Ushba (not visible).

9. January 2006. As it often happens, especially in winter, a strong wind arose. Snow is blown off the crests of peaks. If you look closely at Ushba, especially its northern ridge, you can see what a terrible hurricane it is. Well, frost -20 to boot.

9a. Ushba from the Bodorku pass.

Now I propose to "warm up" a little, look at Ushba from the south, from Svaneti (Georgia).

10. The road along the Enguri valley to Svaneti is long, picturesque, but along the monotonous wooded Enguri gorge. But at the end, approaching the capital of Svaneti, Mestia, in front of the village of Dolra, the southern peak of Ushba opens up around the turn, hiding the northern one. This is a must see! For those who love mountains, this is the deepest positive shock forever...

11. July 2013, hike 4 class, view of Ushba from the upper reaches of the Kvish valley. So far (in this post) only the top of Ushba has been visible. And from this angle you can see the entire Western Wall. I have no words, epithets and talent to tell, describe what is seen in this photo. Yes, Elbrus is higher than Ushba, the Bezengi wall too, but here ... it’s impossible to convey. I hope the photo can convey what I wanted to say.

12. Ushba and Mazeri peak from the Kvish valley.

13. The same, view closer to the Kvish glacier, dawn clouds.

14. Another angle. August 2012. Southern and Northern peaks of Ushba, Gul glacier, from the Gulichal valley.

15. Photo with a large zoom from the lower reaches of Gulichaly. There is rarely good weather on the peaks of Ushba, even when it is sunny around. Here, in this picture, the peaks are smoking with clouds - condensate near the ice cliffs of moist air from the Black Sea or the Atlantic.

16. July 2013. Descending from the Lekzyra Gates along the Mistiachala valley, you can suddenly see two giant snow-covered blocks of Ushba peaks behind the green ridge. A photo is just a picture. And when you see this "in real life", it takes your breath away, you look at it as something unreal. Grandiose granite blocks seem to soar in the sky among the clouds.

17. Another view from the Gulichal valley, August 2012. Two rock towers on the left are trying to repeat the contours of their neighbor. But where are they to Her!

18. View from the Enguri valley, Iprali community area, August 2014, 6x zoom, taken with a soap box from a car window.

19. August 2014. Ushba from the horizon of Zuruldi in the Mestia region. Lucky with the weather!

20. Previous zoom view. South and North peaks of Ushba.

21. And finally. July 2013, Kvish Valley, Svaneti. At sunset, the clouds dissipated a little, lit up reddish, and created a simply fantastic extravaganza. This photo, although taken with a soap dish, was

Photo from mihas.35photo.ru

BSnews. Ushba (Uzhba, Georgian უშბა, translated as "Witch Sabbath") is one of the peaks of the Greater Caucasus in the Georgian region of Upper Svaneti, 1.5 km south of the border with Russia (Kabardino-Balkaria). Always different, mysterious, invariably making an indelible impression on everyone who even caught a glimpse of her. Even just in a photo. BSN ews offers you part of the notes “Captured by Georgia” by climber Veronika Sorokina about the “two-horned” talisman of Svaneti.

Veronica SOROKINA
magazine " Vertical World» №57, 2006 (taken from website Svaneti.ru )

Photo selection - as always BSNews

... “There, under the walls of Ushba, there is a good slope where we hold the championship of Georgia,” Givi says, and we go where he points.

Despite the fact that Mestia is located right at the foot of Ushba, you can see the beautiful mountain only from the airfield. And from the village itself, it is not visible. It is blocked by a high hill, overgrown with forest, on top of which there is a cross.

Up to a height of 2700 m can be reached by car. But the road is very difficult. And only UAZ can cope with it. That's really, really, an all-terrain vehicle. In such places it is much more useful than a Jeep.

Photo from radikal.ru

The road is very narrow. No imported car will simply fit on it ..

Tezo drives the car very easily and only once, twisting the steering wheel at the next sharp turn, says that he has lost the habit of "UAZ" after Land Rover. Yes… Power steering would be nice… Otherwise, Land Rover is absolutely useless on such roads.

I often looked from the slopes of Elbrus at the beautiful Ushba. And I really wanted to see her from the other side. And now, it seemed that quite a bit and the dream would come true, but ... Ushba was not in the mood and did not appear to us either on the first day, or on the second, or on the third. She has always been known among climbers for her capricious temper and unstable weather. And even when the weather around is perfect, it doesn't seem to concern Ushba. She lives by her own laws.

Photo courtesy photosight.ru.

Here is how Alexander Kuznetsov, who has seen it more than once, talks about this mountain: “Ushba ... It rises in the very center of Upper Svaneti, above Mestia.

Her appearance amazes, stuns, frightens and delights. More than two kilometers of sheer, inaccessible rocks made of pink granites and gneisses! More than two kilometers of plumb line over the green carpet of meadows and over sparkling glaciers! Try to imagine it. No, it won't work if you haven't seen Ushba. Will not work".

Here I am trying to imagine it, peering into the thick clouds that covered the mountain, and remembering the legend about why the walls of Ushba are painted red...

Photo from the site sololaki.ru

Legend of Mount Ushba

“There lived a brave hunter named Betkil. Betkil was young, slim, handsome and was not afraid of anything in the world. Luck has always accompanied him, he never returned from a hunt empty-handed. He was not afraid of the formidable Ushba either, and, no matter how they tried to dissuade him, he went to hunt on its slopes. But as soon as the hunter went up to the glacier, Dali herself met him. She bewitched the handsome young man, and he, forgetting about his home and family, stayed with her to live on Ushba.

For a long time they enjoyed their happiness, but one day Betkil looked down, saw the towers of his native village and got bored. At night, he secretly left Dali and went downstairs. And there, shedding tears, the most beautiful woman of Svaneti was waiting for him. Betkil gave himself up to a new love and forgot about Dali. At a big holiday, all the people had fun and feasted, songs, dances and round dances did not stop. And suddenly people see - a huge tour, like a horse, runs through the clearing. Nobody has ever seen such a big tour. The heart of the brave hunter could not stand it, he grabbed his bow and chased the tour. The tour jumps along a wide path, Betkil runs after him, and behind him, as soon as he steps, the path disappears and immediately breaks into sheer abysses.

Photo from mountain.ru

But the brave Betkil was not afraid (he was not afraid of anything in the world), he continued to pursue the tour. And now, on the slopes of Ushba, the tour disappeared, and Betkil remained on sheer cliffs, from where there is no return. Then he realized who sent this huge tour - the goddess Dali herself. Below, under the rock on which Betkil remained, people gathered, people shouted, cried, stretched out their hands to him, but could not help him in any way. Then the bold young man shouted loudly: “Let my bride dance!” The Svans parted, and Betkil's beloved performed a shush-pari dance for him.

Betkil shouted again: “I want to see how my sister will mourn me!” His sister came out and he watched the dance of weeping and sorrow. “And now I want to see the dance of the people!” The Svans led a round dance with a refrain about the perishing Betkil. And then the brave handsome man shouted: “Farewell!” - and the echo carried his voice through the mountains. Betkil threw himself off a cliff and crashed. The white snow among the rocks of Ushba is his bones, his blood dyed the rocks of Ushba red. Since then, the goddess Dali never showed herself to people again, and the hunters did not come close to the rocks of Ushba, where the goddess of the hunt lives.

Photo from alp.org.ua

The history of the conquest of this Legendary Mountain is interesting: “For a long time, almost all attempts to climb Ushba ended in failure.

From 1888 to 1936, only five foreign athletes visited the northern peak of Ushba, and only ten foreign athletes visited the southern peak, and more than 60 people stormed this peak. During these fifty years, many tragedies have played out on its slopes.

In 1906, two Englishmen come to Svaneti and declare their desire to climb to the top of Ushba. They are looking for a guide, but not a single Svan agrees to cross the border of Dali's possessions.

Photo from lifeisphoto.ru

However, there is a new Betkil, a brave hunter Muratbi Kibolani. He boldly leads the English over steep cliffs and reaches both peaks of the terrible Ushba. Although this time there was no meeting with the goddess Dali, one of the British died during the descent.

The Svans could not believe that people had been on top of Ushba. Then Kibolani, taking firewood with him, climbed to the top alone and kindled a fire there.

A severe competition of the Svans with an impregnable peak began.

Photo from dan.webpage.cz

Among the first Soviet people who visited Ushba was also a Svan, his name was Gio Niguriani.

For four years, a group of Georgian climbers led by Alyosha Dzhaparidze made attempts to climb, and only in 1934 four Soviet people - Alyosha and Alexandra Dzhaparidze (the first Georgian mountaineer), Yagor Kazalikashvili and Gio Niguriani - light a fire on top of the bicorn ...

And in 1937, the same year when the first wheel was seen in Upper Svaneti, a sports group, consisting entirely of Svans, climbed South Ushba. The participants of this ascent almost all belonged to the Khergiani family, they were Vissarion Khergiani and Maxim Gvarliani, their relatives Gabriel and Beknu Khergiani and Chichiko Chartolani.

Photo from mountains.tos.ru.

Not without adventures, Gabriel and Vissarion flew into the crack: the fragile rope broke; The Svans climbed directly, far from the easiest way, and ended up on a very difficult section of rocks. But everything ended well. It was the first Soviet wall ascent, the first ascent that brought the Svans the glory of real climbers. Alpinism has become a national sport in Svaneti” (A. Kuznetsov “Bottom of Svaneti”).

It was in ancient times, when there were Gods on Earth...

The ancient people of the Svan tribe lived at the foot of the Holy Mountains...
And Betkil was the best Hunter in all of Svaneti, Betkil was lucky and handsome. Women's hearts beat when they saw Betkil walking past with his unchanging Bow of the Iron Tree and a quiver of sharp-pointed arrows on his back...
The most beautiful girl in all of Svaneti was chosen by Betkil the Hunter as his Bride, the day of a merry Wedding was already appointed, when Betkil decided to try his Luck and climb the Sacred Two-Headed Mountain Ushba, which, translated into other languages ​​from Svan, meant "Mountain that brings misfortune."

And then the Two-Headed Mountain was not at all impregnable, but simply the wise Old Men forbade anyone to go there, not their own, not someone else's. They considered the two-headed mountain Ushba sacred mountain where mortals do not live, but Gods live...

Betkil was young, brave and dexterous. Like a snow leopard, he climbed higher and higher, but along with joy, Pride came to him. No one has yet climbed the Top of the impregnable Two-horned Mountain, only Betkil was able to set foot on the Unexplored Part of the Forbidden Place.

And the Female Eyes of the Ancient Goddess of Hunting Dali looked at him from the Top....

The Goddess Betkil has noticed for a long time. She knew him from the wild, untrodden paths, where she often noticed him and sometimes helped in the Hunt.

And this time, from the very Foot of Her Two-horned Mountain, She watched the brave Hunter, at any moment she could throw him, like others before him, from a steep slope straight into a deep gorge. But the Goddess admired the beauty of a mere mortal, and suddenly, without even expecting herself, cast a spell...

And Time stopped on the Top of the Two-Headed Mountain... And the amazed young man saw the Beauty of the Goddess... He knelt down, knowing Who She is... And he bowed his head in anticipation of Punishment... The old people said: Holy place", but Betkil did not listen to them, and now Dali herself stands before him in the Radiance of the Night Moon ... But how beautiful the Eternally Young Goddess is! One can die to see what mere mortals cannot see ...

The Goddess glided towards him like a soft Shadow... And he felt with his skin the rustle of the weightless fabrics of Her wonderful clothes... And he heard a laughter like a crystal bell, and when cool and tender hands touched his hair, and he felt the taste of wild strawberries in his mouth, then Betkil decided to open his eyes and the Radiance of Beauty exploded in front of him with bright flashes...

Betkil and Dali arranged their Shelter for Hot Love Games by the beautiful Creek... Both of them did not notice anything, and Time stopped and from the Dark Sky with many bright stars the unchanging Moon shone for them, without changing the Sun...

But then one day Betkil left the sleeping Dali. Satisfied with his Fate, he stood on the Edge of the Summit and suddenly saw the warmly flickering lights of his native home. And suddenly it became cold to Betkil, and in vain the young man wrapped himself in his cloak, nothing helped. But Betkil remembered the Sun, remembered the warmth of the hearth, remembered the faces of Relatives, Friends and the smile of his Bride. And Betkil was ashamed that he had not kept His Word. The young man resolutely approached the edge and began to go down. He did not even cast a glance to where the Eternally Young Goddess Dali slept in a serene sleep.

And for all the people there was no Betkil for only one Night... No one noticed the absence of the Hunter... Everyone was preparing for the Magnificent Wedding and Unbridled Joy...

And high on the Top of the Two-Headed Mountain, the abandoned Goddess Dali fought in weeping and moaning ... Again and again she looked at the Wedding Feast in the distance and tears dripped into the Stream, where until recently she washed the Muscular Body of her Betkil ..

The Svans raised the Horns filled with Wine to the brim. The musicians beat the drums. The unmarried Girls were circling in a leisurely proud dance. The tables were bursting with many dishes. We wished the Young Groom and Bride happy days.

Betkil's head was spinning from the intoxicating drink, and the memories of Dali completely left him, and only a barely noticeable fear moved somewhere in the very depths of his heart. And Betkil poured himself more and more, trying to drown out his Bad Premonition... And getting drunk, Betkil laughed and talked about what a Great Hunter he was...

The old men looked at him disapprovingly, but could not object, for no one could get as much game as the Young Lucky Hunter brought... As if the Goddess of the Hunt Dali herself favored him...

And suddenly, unexpectedly for everyone, right at the edge of the mountain forest, the Black Tur, hitherto unknown in size, appeared... Its Powerful Horns shone with gold against the background of the Setting Sun...

And the men jumped up, ran home for their bows and slings, everyone wanted to get such a trophy and become famous among others. But Betkil was the first to lose his head. Armed men were just running out of the houses, and Betkil was already flying like the wind in pursuit of the Great Black Tour with Golden Horns.

And suddenly all the other men stood up as if rooted to the ground. With excitement, they saw how far in the mountains, barely visible how far, Betkil climbs the Forbidden and Holy Mountain, climbs for the Black Tur, and behind his heels the stones break off and the Mountain becomes an impregnable Wall, where it is impossible to climb and it is impossible to go down.

All the people screamed in vain, trying to warn Betkil about the Trouble, the Young Hunter did not hear them... He came to his senses only at the already familiar Peak, when the Black Tur melted in the air... Betkil looked around helplessly, and saw that behind him was a sheer wall, on which there is no way back ever.

Then Betkil understood everything. He turned to face the Top, sighed sadly and said, twisting his lips: "Rejoice, Dali. Your Charms are still working."...

And after the words he turned back over his shoulder and looked longingly at the Towers of the Ancestral House in the distance below... And then She came out from behind one of the Horns.... And Triumph sparkled on her Cold Face.... A simple one will not go anywhere a mortal... He didn't want to serve on an equal footing, - such is the fate of a mere mortal before the Gods...

And the Young Hunter approached the edge of the Great Abyss on the Edge ... He put his palms with a mouthpiece and shouted so that it could be heard down there:

Do you hear me, my Bride?!...

And came in response: -I hear you, My Beloved Betkal!

Dance the Dance of the Bride for me, My Beloved!!!

The Goddess Dali was fascinated by the graceful dance of a mere mortal...

Do you hear, my sister?! Betkal shouted again.

Yes bro! - came from the Abyss Below...

Show, dear, how you will mourn your Brother!!!

And the Sister thrashed in tears, feeling unkind ...

Do you hear me, your Son, Svan people?! - Betkal asked, and Pride was heard in his voice ...

And all the people shouted: "Yes, we hear You, Betkal!"

Know, then, My People, that a Glorious Death is better than the Life of a Slave! - and the Glorious Hunter Betkal turned to the Pale Goddess Dali and with a smile of the Winner looked into Her astonished Face and Proudly thrusting his chest forward, stepped into the Abyss...

Terrible was the cry of the people when this happened... Terrible was the cry of the Goddess Dali... She tried to catch the Young Hunter, but even the Gods could not fly as fast as the mere mortal Betkal flew that day. And on that Day He became Immortal for Ages and Millennia.

The Svan people still honor Proud Betkal. Until now, the Old Men forbid anyone, neither their own nor strangers, to climb the Two-horned Mountain Ushba ... For this is a Holy Place ... And ordinary mortals cannot understand this ...

Mountain Ushba ("Coven" from Georgian) is located at the very end of the Shkhelda Gorge, on the border of Russia and Georgia. Altitude 4700 m above sea level.

The Ushba massif consists of two peaks - North (4690 m) and South (4710 m). They are connected by the Ushba lintel or "pipe", this name is not given in vain, even in good weather it is windy in it.

Ushba is considered one of the most difficult "four-thousanders" in the world. The easiest route to the North Ushba is 4A, to the South - 5A.

From all sides, the slopes of the massif break off with steep 1000 - 1500-meter walls, along which 10 routes of the 6th category of difficulty and 13 - 5B k.tr. Today, about fifty routes have been laid on Ushba, a dozen of which are classified in category 6a, and about thirty have category 5b.

The simplest, which has become a classic route to Northern Ushba (4A) passes through the Ushba plateau through a characteristic "shoulder" called "Pillow", and then along a steep ice-snow "knife" of 300 meters, which rises from the "Pillow" to the summit ridge . There is ice under the snow, and if there was heavy snow in the days preceding the ascent, the danger of avalanches increases sharply. Further along the long northern ridge, framed by double cornices, exit to the summit. They usually climb from the Ushba plateau and spend 6-8 hours to the top and 2-4 hours for the descent.