Mountain ushba legend. Mount Ushba is a severe test for rock climbers
Mount Ushba, rising high above the Shkhelda Gorge, is considered one of the most popular massifs located in the area of the Main. The mountain with a legendary past is shrouded in a cloud of grandeur and mystery to this day.
Meaning of the name
The difficulty of the relief, the history of conquest - all this gave her a very frightening name, which translates as "witch's coven". 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 seen this wonderful place at least once will not be able to forget the wonderful feeling of its enchanting appearance.
Description
The mysterious and alluring Caucasus offers 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 of witches does not need popularity.
But when suddenly the mountain queen wants to appear because of her white robes, 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 they love to retell locals.
The hunter Betkel lived a long time ago. 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.
Betkel lived a happy life with his goddess for a long time. 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 again appeared in front of people.
Difficulties of climbing
Mount Ushba is also striking in 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. by the most good option there will be a "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.
Not everyone is subject to Mount Ushba. Climbing it is only possible for experienced climbers who have repeatedly climbed to the top of the highest category of difficulty. Climbers have to overcome technically difficult sections of the highlands. You can use the services 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 received 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 so many people appreciate these places.
For Russian lovers 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 Caucasian ridge. 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.
Steep one and a half kilometer walls break off around the massif, along which routes pass different levels difficulties. On the this moment about five hundred routes have been laid on Ushba.
The easiest, now standard, route to the 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 at the peak of the mountain flaunt. The ascent from the Ushba plateau to the summit takes about eight hours, and it takes half the time for the return trip.
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 outlawed. 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.
In August, our friends Aleksey Kurochkin, Konstantin Markevich and Dmitry Skotnikov went to Ushba, hoping for a weather window and the favor of the peak with the most mystical reputation in the Caucasus. Ushba let go. We congratulate the guys on the mountain and share their photos and a story about how it was.
Ushba is followed by an evil, mysterious glory. Ushba is called the Witch Mountain, the mountain that brings misfortune, the killer mountain, and the like.
I am not a supporter of all this "dark" PR, but Ushba is really a special mountain, from beginning to end. Powerful, beautiful, overwhelming everything around, no matter how you look at it. Making you shudder when you come close to its walls. And of course, there are facts that forced more than one climber to think and slow down their valiant ardor and ambitions.
Five people died this August. Things and remains of a bivouac of 20th century climbers are thawing out on the glacier. In general, even before climbing, the mountain checks psychological readiness.
Fees
Now I know two options on how to more or less safely climb to the top of Ushba in the summer, and both of them are from Georgia. To the North Peak according to the classics and to the South Peak by one of the routes going along the pillar.
Kostyan already tried his hand at Ushba in 2012. From his stories we understood that there would be no weather. Because that time all the encroachments ended with a week in the base camp in the rain. On the second week, realizing that they were unlikely to go down the pole, they went according to the classics and sat for three days under the incessant snow on their shoulders. Well, you get the mood for this year.
In Moscow we wanted to climb Characternik. Closer to Georgia, they began to say that if the weather is not very good, then it is probably better than Myshlyaev. Well, after talking with the guys, Sasha Lange and Matvey Orlikov, who not long before us made an attempt to climb a pole and, pinned down by a thunderstorm and rockfall, barely carried their legs, we finally decided: better less but better.
They arrived in Mazeri at 2 am, poked at different guest houses- everybody sleeps. And, without thinking of anything better, they collapsed to sleep on the veranda of the second floor of the nearest house. The hosts were good-natured and didn't even kick us out in the morning. Foreign tourists, leaving their rooms, quietly whispered “This is Russian alpinist” and carefully took selfies against our sleeping Bichevsk background.
The sun shone in Mazeri too, and while we spent the whole day throwing ourselves at the frontier post, and another day before the base camp was good weather. We hoped that at least during the acclimatization throw under the route, the butt would come, everything would pour out in advance and then we would calmly climb. But she wasn't there. And then they sent us a forecast: the weather is clear for the next three days. We decided to climb without delay, although we didn’t manage to acclimatize properly, and the difference in the route was 1700 m.
On the glacier during the acclimatization hike
We were going, to put it mildly, with a margin. I was the supply manager and took food for six days, including a hot breakfast, lunch, a light snack and a hearty dinner. The guys, of course, thought that the caretaker just loves to eat, but in fact it was a concern for my neighbors. After all, the announced sports weight of Diman and Kostya did not reach 70 kg (as far as I understood, this is for two)).
The idea was, in case of bad weather, to sit on the Georgian regiment, that is, on the ridge, eat food and catch the weather. The idea is stupid. You understand this especially when you see this shelf live. In severe bad weather, the tent will definitely be torn apart: there is nothing to stretch it for. The next ready-made overnight stay (under the top of the pillar) is no better in this regard - with a strong wind, the result is the same.
I must say that with clothes and equipment it turned out no better than with food) We took a lot of things and Camalot No. 4, including ...
Route
We started from the base camp at dawn. The glacier passes in the right, least torn part of it, taking it to the Mazeri wall. Entry from the glacier to the ridge along a steep scree slope. The comb, I must say, decently exhausted us, especially considering the weight of backpacks of about 25 kilograms for each. In some places it is necessary to hang a railing, in some places it is necessary to traverse along the local old ropes. One of the ropes, the dumbest, we subsequently replaced with a freshly found one on the descent.
Ridge to "Georgian" overnight stays
We crawled in for the night, probably at 6 pm, and the first thing we decided to do was to shoot off half of the food (in a good way, we should have left all two-thirds) and a third of the equipment (but we should have half). How hard physical labor changes the worldview of a person!
We sat down to drink some water, read the forecast and think, and decided to trust the forecast and scattered it like this: a day on the pole, a day on the top and go down to the abandoned tent on the pole. Well, down already in any weather to go down. Well, once they decided, then Kostyan climbed to hang the bottom of the post as long as he had time before dark.
The next morning at 7 o'clock the pole began to climb. Myshlyaev's corner is logical and monolithic. In general, I must say that not a single stone fell spontaneously along the route during our event. But there are a lot of shelves, and no matter how hard you try, you will drop something, sometimes even on yourself. So, we didn’t climb quickly - because at first it was cold, then damp in places, then the ice appeared (everything was just like in the mountains) - but evenly.
Corner start
In the corner
Kostyan was in the lead. Climbing was rated as "dark in places, with a few short sections of 6b". In the inner corner several times there were wooden stakes, apparently from the first ascent, there are also enough rappel loops and one fresh speaker. They wanted to pick her up on the descent, but subsequently did not grow together.
By the way, the pioneers in 1960 were at the forefront of technical mountaineering: they climbed this route in a pair and, one might say, in the Fast & Light style, because they dropped the backpack somewhere under the top of the pillar. Unfortunately, it was not possible to find a report on the ascent of Myshlyaev, but there were a couple of articles describing their first ascent.
After exiting the corner. Our sleepover up and to the right
The corner of Myshlyaev is about eight fifty dollars long. But the pillar does not end there, to put it mildly. In order to get to the finished site, we climbed 4 more ropes along the destroyed inclined slabs. Overnight stay for three bedridden. Through the overnight stay, old descending ropes were stretched, which, as it turned out, lead from the top of the pillar to the top of the central fireplace, winding through the routes of Monogarov, Golubev and Characternik.
While the fattest member of the team was putting up a tent and preparing dinner, two more athletic ones managed to hang another interesting rope above the lodging for the night through the cornice. The night was incredibly quiet and warm.
Storm
As it turned out the next morning, we still had a couple of five-six ropes to the top of the post. Diman climbed the leader. The gendarmes on the crest of the pillar go around to the right (there is also an organized overnight stay here) along the slanting ledges, then the relief leads traverse to the ice-snow slope and along it 6 pitches of rotten 45-degree ice interspersed with rocks that lead to the base of the summit tower.
Somewhere beyond the rope to the base of the summit tower, the evil one sharply beguiled us, and we decided to stray out of the blue, sending Diman to the left into the inner corner of the Characternik route. But then we changed our minds and realized that here we would catch a cold one and quickly found a very oblique shelf 50 meters long, which circled the summit bastion on the right and became narrower with every meter.
This pitch is very picturesque, monolithic and especially interesting for the second and even more so for the third. Further, 2 more five ropes go up and to the right - and you get to the beginning of a long pre-summit ridge. We had a watch with an altimeter, and, fortunately, they lied mercilessly, showing at the beginning of the ridge that we were still almost half a kilometer in height. My more trained comrades offered to test this in practice, for which, in fact, thanks to them. The whole crest went at the same time. There were thoughts that it was necessary to get to that pimple and there it was no longer a shame to die, but behind the pimple there was another one, and then a little more, and then it was no longer appropriate to die.
On the summit ridge. In the background are Shkhelda and Elbrus
Alexey Kurochkin, Kostya Markevich and Dmitry Skotnikov on the top of Ushba
At the top is beauty. The northern peak and a huge jumper leading to us, Elbrus, Shkhelda and further down the list. We admired, took a picture, took the note of the Georgian group, looked at the clock and at the approaching cloud of an unkind color and went to repeat the same thing as the whole day, only from top to bottom. On the summit bastion they went straight down, as they like to say, along the line of falling water. After two pitches and one station under a specific waterfall, we understood what it was about)) Below the bastion we descended almost along the path of the ascent. We rappelled to the tent around 23:00. We celebrated the ascent with delicious noodles and wanted to pass out with the thought that tomorrow we would definitely be covered by bad weather, but received an SMS saying that the weather would be until we went down to the base camp)) We did not believe our luck and immediately fell asleep.
On the way down
Ushba from base camp. The glowing dot in the photo is the team on the descent
Descent
They decided to go down from the pillar along the old railings left, apparently by the Georgian team. We thought that we would get into the corner of Myshlyaev, but the ropes were taken to the vertical of Monogarov's route.
Overnight at the top of the pillar. Before the descent
None of us had ever seen such a number of bolts... They were just everywhere, like cockroaches, there was no place for the distance between the bolts to be more than 1 meter. At one station, we counted 18 pieces. But such a huge number of them, taking into account age, did not add much confidence. I looked at them, they seemed to look at me in response ... Apparently, the number of bolts hammered on the route played an important role in the distribution of places in the USSR championships of the 60s, otherwise I don’t know how to explain it.
Along the old railing we went down to the top of the central fireplace and then on our own we rappeled straight down almost along the center of the wall. They took a breath on the Georgian shelf, took everything they had left before the ascent, and trudged down. It was not possible to trudge quickly, since a stone flew into Diman's shin while still climbing, and the shin wanted to increase in size and lose sensitivity. The worn out welts of the boots periodically threw off the crampons, Kostyan froze his fingers in the rock shoes, and I just got very numb, so that they retreated for a couple of months. But, whether long or short, we still fell into the arms of friends, jelly, whiskey, food, dry socks and brushed teeth.
On the way down. At the center of the pillar
Georgian regiment. On the way down
At the base camp after the descent
P.S
It turns out that on August 14 we flew out of Moscow, and on August 23 we already sour in the base camp after the ascent. On the ascent, we were accompanied by simply bombing weather, but Ushba nevertheless showed us her harsh, changeable disposition. Within 5 minutes, a thunderstorm front can come, close the entire mountain and overshadow the gorge with flashes of lightning - we have already observed all this with our own eyes from the tent in the base camp, while drinking whiskey measuredly. And personally, I just incredibly trudged from this spectacle, realizing that we were below.
So that's what I wrote at the very beginning. Infrequently, mountains animate, but with Ushba it doesn’t work differently. The mountain not only let us go, but I would even say that she saw us through the threshold. Probably to no longer meddle. Ushba turned out to be very hospitable in Svan style, and we are grateful to her for that.
Photos by Konstantin Markevich.
In terms of the number of poetic nicknames, Mount Ushba can easily compete with the first beauties of Georgia. “The talisman of Svaneti”, “the queen of the Main Caucasian ridge”, “the mountain that remembers the loving look of Tamerlane” - this is far from complete list titles from admiring admirers.
The legendary Ushba is located in the fabulously beautiful region of Georgia - Upper Svaneti. A steep granite profile, the presence of two peaks (North and South), glaciers sliding down make one of the main mountains of Svaneti impregnable. The northern peak has a mark of 4690 meters above sea level, and the southern one - 4710 m.
This height is by no means an obstacle for climbers, Mount Ushba does not even fall into the top ten highest in the Caucasus. Then why is the number of successful climbs on it extremely small? The rebellious beauty is very capricious. Professionals rate the climbing difficulty on a six-point scale as 4A (“difficult level”) and 6A (“extremely difficult level”). The northern peak is considered more favorable to the conquerors of heights than the southern one. In any case, both peaks will require colossal professionalism and serious physical preparation from the daredevils.
Ascents from Russia to Mount Ushba are generally prohibited by law. However, having gone to, you may well get to know the Caucasian two-horned beauty in person. Climbing such difficult and life-threatening routes is not at all necessary. You can simply settle down in a nearby Svan settlement, take advantage of their hospitality and listen to beautiful legend about "Woe that brings misfortune." That is what the locals call Ushba. In their language, "ush" means "trouble."
Legend of Ushba
Families from generation to generation pass on the story of a fearless hunter named Betkil. He easily conquered the mountains of Svaneti in search of game. Inspired by his own successes, Betkil once ventured up the Ushba. At the top he was met by the goddess of mountains and hunting - Dali. She really liked the strong and courageous Svan. Dali bewitched him and left him to live. Over time, Betkil yearned for home, relatives and the beautiful bride that was waiting for him below. At night, the young man secretly left Dali and returned to his village. The goddess could not forgive the refusal of a mere mortal and lured Betkil to the slopes of Ushba by cunning. He enthusiastically ran after the huge tour sent by Dali, and the road behind the young man was cut off step by step. Realizing that there was no way back, Betkil rushed down and died, staining Ushba with scarlet blood. And although this is just a legend, and the slopes owe their color to red granite, it is very difficult to find a guide to the Witch Mountain among the locals.
There is another story about Ushba among climbers. It is not at all dramatic and more modern. Georgians remember how in 1903 Prince Dadeshkeliani gave famous mountain climber from the Rickmers expedition. The Svans were indignant, because it is not worthwhile to give the beauty of the homeland to strangers. To this, the reasonable prince replied that Ushba, as she was in place, remained, and the woman was pleased \u003d)).
The peculiarities of the mountain itself can be safely attributed to its unusual microclimate. Weather phenomena here are absolutely not subordinated. general rules. While the weather in the valley is sunny and clear, Ushba can hide behind dense fog or clouds for days. And between the two ridges there is a jumper, which is called a "pipe" - it is always windy in this place, regardless of the general air flow.
The northern peak of the mountain was conquered only in 1888, the southern height was taken 15 years later - in 1903. One of the most famous pioneers on Ushba was a native of Georgia, Mikhail Khergiani. His route is still used today.
So, if you are lucky enough to go to, be sure to treat yourself to the joy of seeing one of the most beautiful and famous peaks in the world. You may not reach the peaks, but the experience will undoubtedly become unforgettable.
Photo
Dedicated to my friends who died while climbing Ushba.
Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba
I look at old photographs. I see the stern faces of people who risked their lives for the sake of true friendship and a common, indivisible victory into small parts. And the common victory, like real friendship, knows neither state nor national differences and borders. Some of these people are no longer alive. But their departure is not shrouded in bashful evasions and vague omissions. Everything is clear and simple. They knew why and where they were going. And they knew what price they could pay. And they paid. Completely.
Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba This story began a long time ago, braided with intricate knots around the peak with a strange and disturbing name - Ushba. From time immemorial, this mountain hangs like a gloomy rock mass over the Svan village of Mestia, with its severe grandeur from an early age filling the hearts of the highlanders with courage and pride in their people. How this happens is a mystery, but maybe it doesn't matter how. The important thing is that a simple traveler who accidentally finds himself on a road that, cutting through a mountain slope, descends in loops to Mestia, even a person alien to these mountains feels a strange tension. And it is not difficult to determine its source - a strict, majestic peak, eerily regular in shape, the vertical base of which seems to rest on the very edge of the village, where the ancient Svan towers have been taking an example of proud impregnability from this mountain for almost a thousand years.
Ushba is a special mountain for Svaneti. Any man of this tiny mountainous country grows up with a deep sense of respect and awe before his most worthy personal test - Ushba. In the very appearance of this mountain lies a challenge to the courage of man. Unapproachable and majestic, Ushba all the time serves as a reminder that encourages the most courageous to act, the audacity of which does not fit into the scheme of everyday necessities. Without the slightest selfish interest, the Svans risk their lives for the sake of a pure, meaningless from the generally accepted point of view, but at a huge cost of a given victory - climbing to the top of Ushba. Svans do not go to Ushba for money or awards. There is no economic or hunting interest there. A one-of-a-kind fact, amazing, like the whole history of Svaneti - a small mountainous country, whose proud and free disposition nature itself expressed in the form of a Mountain.
Central Caucasus, Climbing Ushba There is no greater reason for pride and respect in Svaneti than climbing Ushba, a peak that seems inaccessible to a mortal. For this unique quality, I especially love and respect the Svan people.
For us, Russian climbers, who are accustomed to seeing Ushba from the other side, from the north, this mountain does not have such a metaphysical significance as for the inhabitants of Svaneti, but still, its appearance is eye-catching and intimidating. The majestic double-headed peak rightfully reigns over the entire line of the Caucasus Range. No doubt - before you is the Queen. The tallest. The most slender. And inaccessible.
None of the peaks of the Caucasus is covered with such a halo of legends, stories and dramatic facts as Ushba. This Mountain is a Legend, no less famous than the European symbol of mountaineering - the Matterhorn. In some ways, these two mountains are very similar, some strange internal similarity unites them.
Historically - the same parallel. There would be no such drama and self-sacrifice in the birth of mountaineering in the Alps, if not for the Matterhorn. And who knows how Soviet mountaineering would have developed if not for Ushba?!
For a dozen generations of climbers, Ushba has become the foundation of mastery, the criterion of maturity. On stories about the legendary ascents of Ushba, they brought up in young athletes respect and the desire to improve mountaineering skills. But not everyone was able to achieve the desired goal. The cruelty and deceit of Ushba were also part of the glory of this peak. Many lives have been lost here...
And, as usual, I hear this question - was it worth it?! Woe to relatives, grief to friends. For what?! Ice and stone, the madness of a powerful element... But those who accepted the challenge and withstood this duel will not hesitate to answer. It was worth it. What remains in the heart justifies that risk. Many times.
There are few values in the world that do not age. But from the moment of the first ascents of Ushba at the end of the 19th century, when Austrian climbers first climbed the unexplored heights of the most difficult peaks of the Caucasus, to the present day, when, at the risk of being jailed for violating state border and not even hoping for help in case of failure, climbers go to the most difficult routes- the price of the issue has not changed one iota - the game is definitely worth the candle.
Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba the most beautiful routes, among which there are no simple ones - this mountain is available only to the strongest and most experienced. The names of the pioneers have also become a legend for a long time - Kokkin, Khergiani, Myshlyaev, Abalakov .... There was not a single athlete in the Union who crossed the master's line, who would not know the full depth of the meaning of this short word - Ushba. The Ushbists were especially respected, because they had a unique experience, which could only be obtained in a confrontation with the Queen of the Caucasus - Ushba. Even the categories of difficulty for routes to Ushba did not fall into the general framework of sports categories - athletes who did not have experience climbing routes of the same category were not allowed on the Ushba routes. Ushba has always been the most famous technical peak of the Caucasus in the country.
As you probably already understood, for me Ushba is not just a peak. From the very beginning of my acquaintance with the mountains, Ushba was the criterion by which the purity of aspirations, the strength of courage, and the inflexibility of the will are measured. This is the Top. I guess I'm a little swan in my heart. But after my first ascent of Ushba, I felt like a different person. And the success of our memorial ascent in 2002 is also largely based on a common understanding for all participants of the exceptional importance of Ushba and a reverent attitude towards it.
But Mount Legend, the cherished dream of so many climbers, is now outlawed.
Another amazing fact well match the rest. How is it possible that the world-famous peak, an inseparable part of the history of our, Soviet, and now Russian mountaineering, suddenly turned out to be banned, and climbing Ushba became a serious crime. However, this is the situation today.
Ushba is located in the short southern spur of the Main Caucasian Range. That is, abroad, which runs along this very ridge. The border with Georgia, for those who have not yet guessed. And Georgia is now an enemy for us.
Central Caucasus, climbing Ushba The state must protect its borders. From whom should they be protected? From enemies, of course, from criminals, smugglers and terrorists. But none of these criminal elements are interested in Ushba. It is difficult to even imagine a more fantastic, complex and intricate way to violate the border.
No, hundreds of heavily armed Russian border guards guard Ushba only from climbers. What for? Who needs to deprive people of the pure joy of sports victory? How did it happen that those who, not sparing their own lives, saved mine, and then wept at the top with the joy of a common victory - now, as propaganda claims, have become enemies?! No, something is wrong here. It can not be. I misunderstood something or got it all mixed up. After all, it cannot be that the enemies of the state become its own citizens?!
I just looked at old photos from the expedition to Ushba. The now forbidden top.
P.S. If (suddenly) this text catches the eye of one of those in whose hands there is power and authority over issues of a national scale, think, just think, no more - what's wrong with the fact that climbers will have the opportunity not only to look at Ushba and listen to the stories of veterans?! Is it really an unresolvable political impasse that the majestic peaks of Ushba can be accessed from the Russian side, as it has been for over 100 years? Is it really so difficult for politicians to take a step forward, even if not to each other, but at least to their own citizens, athletes, whose only interest is to be amazing at the top? beautiful mountain experience the pure joy of victory?! Is it really so difficult and deeply infringes on state interests?
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