Agmashenebeli, North Face, New Route

Georgia, Caucasus, Chaukhi Range
Author: Archil Badriashvili. Climb Year: 2015. Publication Year: 2017.

In September 2015, Giorgi Tepnadze and I climbed a new route on the north face of Agmashenebeli (3,854m, one of the highest peaks in the Chaukhi), which we dedicated to Alexander Ruchkin, who had recently been killed in Peru. Davit Agmashenebeli (David the Builder) was king of Georgia from 1089 to 1125, and Georgians consider him the most successful ruler in the history of our country. The first ascent of the north face of Agmashenebeli (Geldiashvili, Lukashvili, and friends, 1982) was awarded a silver medal in the Soviet Mountaineering Championships that year. The wall now has about six routes.

After scoping the wall for a day, we found a line toward the left side, beginning with the first 80m of the Tatsrashvili Route (2006). Levan Tatarashvili was an exceptional person and climber, who always liked trying something new; he tragically died soon after climbing this route.

We started up the face at 7 a.m. and continued directly up a crack system where the Tatarashvili Route went left. On the fourth pitch we had to resort to aid to clean mud out of a crack in an overhang. After that aiders were blissfully forgotten. Another six pitches of climbing up to 5c, and at least the same amount of simul-climbing above, brought us to the summit, where we set about preparing a bivouac.

The next day was a different story. We had to descend the south face into a totally different valley. On the last rappel a stone hit my knee and our party had to continue on three and a half legs. An inviting landscape lured us into a false exit: We were forced to cross four valleys and three ridges, and walk a total of 18km to reach Roshka village, where we were met by friends. The 850m new route was graded Russian 5B, 5c A2+.

– Archil Badriashvili, Georgia 



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