Kazbek stands at 5,033m in the picturesque caucasus mountain range between the Caspian and Black seas. Kazbek is easy to find with its distinctive cone shape and even though it has a simple route to the top, it will provide a good challenge for most people.
Georgia is rich in mountain culture that varies greatly from the Himalayas. If you’ve been hiking or climbing in the Himalayas or are looking for a beautiful snow covered peak, then this trip is for you. This trip will also give you a little glimpse of what it would be like to be on a mountain expedition.
This climb is suited for those who are comfortable trekking and are eager to broaden their expertise in snowy terrain. This climb will give you a more solid background on the basic technical climbing skills you need, while also teaching you the fundamentals of dealing with crevasses and fixed rope. This learning experience comes alongside the unique backdrop of Georgia.
Upon completing Kazbek, you will have the necessary climbing and altitude experience to go for more difficult climbs, such as Elbrus or Stanley.
This is our acclimatization day. You can wake up to witness the sunrise with a breathtaking panorama of the Caucasus. We’ll hike 4-5 to the glacier at 4,400m and return to the refuge. The path goes through moraine with a lot of stones and ice. Near the stonefall, it gets trickier and a helmet is necessary. We’ll then get to a flat glacier where there are crevasses, so it is necessary to be roped up. It’s a walk high/sleep low day. We’ll hike down and sleep at 3,675m.
Depending on weather conditions, we should start our summit push at around 3:00 am. The weather can be tricky which is why there are buffer days factored in. It’s an icy day today and it can be quite windy too. For the first 3 hours from the hut, we’ll start with a gently inclined traverse to the Northside of the Ortsveri glacier. We’ll follow the glacier for 4km passing under the mountain's Southside until we reach Maili
Plateau at 4500m. You’ll climb 200m on a steep slope afterward that leads to a small saddle on the West side of the summit at 4,900m. Snow, rocks, and ice with an inclination of 35 to 40 degrees pave the way to the top. We should arrive at the summit (5,033m) at midday. Depending on the weather, we might be able to see a magnificent view of the Caucasus range including Mount Elbrus, It will take us another 4 to 5 hours to descend to the base camp.
In case of bad weather on Kazbek. In case of an early summit, the buffer day will be used for sightseeing in Gudauri and Mtskheta. Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia with historical significance and several cultural monuments that became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The city was also declared as the “Holy City” by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2014.
The area around Mount Kazbek includes beech forests, sub-alpine forests and alpine meadows. Many of the plants and animals in the reserve are endemic to the Caucasus region. Once we’re on the mountain it is mostly glacier walking, up till the crux which is about 100m of relatively easy ice climbing in the couloir below the summit. We’ll also be roped in many parts of the climb due to the many crevasses that are spread out like a maze on the mountain.
Kazbek climbing season is during the summer months, as the temperatures in the winter months can reach -25 to -35 degrees on the summit and high-speed wind can cause a lot of avalanches at high altitude.
We will be having three tasty meals everyday cooked by our Georgian guiding team to give us the energy enough to go on our quest. Upon our descent we will get to enjoy the deliciously warm Georgian cuisine which offers the best of the Caucasian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern culinary traditions in one dish.
Our nights on the mountain will be spent in tents in the campsite.
Overall Difficulty
Technical Skills
Days
Fitness level
Altitude
$1,400