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'Shkhara' is the highest point in the nation of Georgia. Located in the Svaneti region along the Russian frontier, Shkhara lies north of the city of Kutaisi, Georgia's second largest city. The summit lies in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, to the south-east of Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest mountain. Shkhara is the third highest peak in the Caucasus, just behind Dykh-Tau.
Shkhara is the high point and the eastern anchor of a massif known as the Bezingi (or Bezengi) Wall, a long ridge. It is a large, steep peak in a heavily glaciated region, and presents serious challenges to mountaineers. Its North Face (on the Russian side) is high and contains several classic difficult routes. The significant subsummit Shkhara West, , is a climbing objective in its own right, and a traverse of the entire Bezingi Wall is considered "Europe's longest, most arduous, and most committing expedition."
The peak was first climbed in 1888 via the North East Ridge route, by the British/Swiss team of U. Almer, J. Cockin and C. Roth. This route is still one of the easier and more popular routes on the mountain. The first complete traverse of the Bezingi Wall was in 1931, by the Austrians K. Poppinger, K. Moldan, and S. Schintlmeister.
Climbing on the Russian side of the massif is facilitated by the presence of the Bezengi Camp, a well-equipped base camp featuring huts, cottages, a library, and a sauna. The Georgian side is more remote, and persistent reports of banditry have kept climbers away. Shkhara is climbed by "only a handful of people" each year, due to its difficulty, size, and remoteness.

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References

1. This elevation is taken from ''World Mountaineering'', Audrey Selkeld, Editor, Bulfinch Press, ISBN 0-8212-2502-2, p.68, and is supported (to within 5 metres) by Peakbagger.com and other sources. Some sources, including the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, give the estimation of only 5,068 metres (16,627 feet), but this is the correct height of the lower western summit. Soviet era 1:50,000 mapping shows a 5,158 metre spot height to the east, and this can be verified using a panoramic photograph taken from Elbrus. There may be higher ground still further east along the Shkhara ridge, which may reach 5,200 metres, consistent with the figure given here.
2. Shkhara on Summitpost also has a discussion of the elevation of the peak.
3. Shkhara on Summitpost
4. ''World Mountaineering'', Audrey Selkeld, Editor, Bulfinch Press, ISBN 0-8212-2502-2, p.70.

External link

★ Shkhara on elbrus.net