Georgian climbers conquer Caucasus peak in record time

A pair of young Georgian climbers has set a new time record for climbing the country’s hardest peak on Friday.

Alpinists Zura Kvestadze and Lasha Kvekveskiri made it to the summit of Mount Ushba in Georgia’s north-west Svaneti region in nine hours and 56 minutes – the fastest recorded ascent on the mountain.

Mount Ushba, measuring 4,710m high, is one of the most notable peaks of the Caucasus mountain range. Due to its steep profile and unstable weather, Mount Ushba is regarded as the most difficult ascent in the Caucasus.

The two climbers used the more difficult southern approach to reach the mountain’s peak, located on a chain of mountains that sit on Georgia’s border with Russia. The selected route had a difficulty and danger grade of ED, ranking it among the routes second hardest to scale according to the International French Adjectival System.

Kvestadze and Kvekveskiri chose the route that was named after Gabriel Khergiani, local alpinist who climbed Mount Ushba in 1937.

Meanwhile two other groups of climbers reached the peak in the days between September 14 and 19; one of which had the first Azerbaijani to conquer the glacier.

Climbers from the three groups shared their moments during the ascend on Mount Ushba. Photo by Irakli Gujabidze.

Even though Mount Ushba is the seventh highest peak in Georgia, reaching the summit of Mount Ushba is considered the hardest climb in Georgia.

Just yesterday Georgian rescuers carried an injured German tourist 10km on a stretcher after falling and injuring himself while climbing Mount Ushba. The tourist was part of a larger climbing group of German adventurers who also became lost while hiking on the mountain. The local rescuers led the group back to nearby Becho village.

Mount Ushba was first conquered in 1888 by John Garford Cokklin from England and Ulrich Almer from Switzerland. Their attempt followed the maiden and unsuccessful attempt by a group of English climbers led by Douglas Freshfield in 1868.

The first successful Georgian expedition to the summit of Mount Ushba took place in 1934. The group included Aleksandra Japaridze, the first female climber to reach the mountain’s summit.