ASCENT. Ascent of Peak Shota Rustaveli via the Southeastern Wall Dedicated to the jubilee days of the great poet Shota Rustaveli

Brief Geographic Overview and Climbing History of the Ascent Area

Peak Shota Rustaveli (4960 m) is located on the Main Ridge of the Central Caucasus. To the north, Peak Rustaveli drops with huge icefalls onto the Bezengi Glacier. To the south, it towers with a rocky-icy wall over the Khalde Glacier. Nearby on the ridge are the peaks of Eastern Jangi (5047 m) to the west and Western Shkhara to the east. The extensive length of the walls and the significant steepness of the southern slopes make this area exceptionally interesting for challenging sport ascents. This area is relatively undeveloped. Its exploration effectively began in 1965 with the opening of the "Ailama" camp. In 1937, a group led by Master of Sports (MS) Sandro Gvalia conquered an unnamed peak on the ridge between Jangi and Shkhara and named it Peak Shota Rustaveli. Twenty years later, Georgian climbers under the guidance of MS G. Gulbani ascended Eastern Jangi via the southern wall (5047 m). In 1960, Western Jangi was conquered by an expedition of the Grusalpklub led by MS O. Kharadze. In 1965, an ascent of Central Jangi from the south was made by a team from the Central Council of the "Gantiadi" Sports Society.