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Hungarian Climbers Forge New Route on Shkhara’s South Wall

In an impressive feat of mountaineering, David Kocsis and Marton Nagy from Hungary have successfully established a new route on the South Wall of Shkhara, which stands at 5,193 meters, making it the highest peak in Georgia. Despite challenging weather conditions, treacherous terrain, and limited time, their endeavor represents only the second completed ascent of that particular wall.

The duo commenced their climb on February 28. Upon reaching an elevation of 3,800 meters, they faced extremely challenging weather characterized by heavy snowfall. The technical challenges escalated at 3,900 meters, where they navigated 100 meters of waist-deep snow along a daunting 65-degree slope.

At 4,058 meters, they made camp by excavating a niche in the deep snow for their shelter. That night, temperatures plummeted to -26 degrees Celsius, and by morning, an avalanche had buried their tent. Fortunately, they were able to dig themselves out and opted to relocate their tent closer to the rock formations to mitigate the risk of further avalanches.

Realizing that the safest option was to complete their ascent to the summit of the wall, they pressed on despite the adverse weather. After overcoming a particularly difficult section, Kocsis and Nagy successfully finished their new route, as reported by Mozgasvilag.

Challenges Ahead

Upon reaching a vantage point at approximately 4,600 meters, the climbers assessed the glacier’s deteriorating condition and determined it was unsafe to proceed further due to the risk posed by impending serac falls. Consequently, they made the difficult decision to turn back. After a challenging descent, they were able to return to base camp safely.

Kocsis had previously attempted to scale Shkhara’s South Face in the winter of 2024 as a part of the Hungarian National Climbing Team. This climb was particularly significant as it represented the team’s efforts to achieve what had been attempted in 2020. During their 2024 expedition, the late Archil Badriashvili advised them on their climbing strategy. Badriashvili, alongside Georgi Tepnadze, completed the first ascent of the South Wall of Shkhara in February 2018 and reached the mountain’s summit as well.

Back at base camp, the friends of Badriashvili gathered to celebrate the new route with Kocsis and Nagy, reflecting on the triumph and the poignant absence of Badriashvili, who tragically lost his life in a climbing accident in Georgia the previous year.

Overall, this venture not only demonstrates the prowess of Kocsis and Nagy but also pays tribute to the legacy of collaboration and resilience within the climbing community.

Source
explorersweb.com