A few days back, the Hungarian National Climbing Team set out to conquer the challenging 5,193m Shkhara in the Georgian Caucasus. Their journey began at the glacier by the mountain’s south face, but they encountered tricky weather and had to wade through chest-deep snow.
Despite these challenges, the climbers were equipped with enough food for a 10-day adventure. Their plan was to spend four days ascending through the Beknu Khergiani route, capitalizing on a brief period of predicted favorable weather.
A change in Plan
However, things took an unexpected turn. The promised four days of good, dry weather never showed up. Instead, a meter of fresh snow slowed down the team. Faced with this setback, they had to rethink their strategy.
“The weather window is too short,” they noted.
Undeterred, the climbers shifted their focus to an unnamed 3,862m peak situated in front of Shkhara’s south wall. The climb presented its own set of challenges, including a 400m wall with hard snow and a mixed section with difficulties of M4 and M5.
Despite not reaching their original goal, the team remains optimistic. They left some of their gear on Shkhara and are closely monitoring the weather. If conditions permit, they’re ready to make another attempt at climbing Shkhara at the beginning of the next week.
