Mount Kazbek

Mount Kazbek, Mkinvartsveri in Georgian, is a dormant volcano on the Georgian–Russian border in the central Greater Caucasus, rising to 5,054 m above Stepantsminda. Its white summit dominates the Khevi valley and is the backdrop to Gergeti Trinity Church. Georgian legend links the mountain with Amirani, a hero chained for defying God, a story close to the Greek myth of Prometheus. Most visitors see Kazbek from the town, the church or the Gergeti Glacier trail.

Climbing it is a serious glacier ascent. The standard route goes from Gergeti Trinity Church over the Sabertse Pass and across the Gergeti Glacier to the Bethlemi hut, a former weather station at about 3,600 m, then up to the summit in a long push. Climbers usually allow 5 to 7 days including acclimatisation. The usual season is July and August, and a licensed mountain guide, crampons, rope and ice axe are essential.

Kazbek's first recorded ascent was made in 1868 by the British climbers Douglas Freshfield, Adolphus Moore and Comyns Tucker with the French guide François Devouassoud. The mountain has long been sacred in Georgian tradition, and hermits once lived in a cave high on its slopes known as Bethlemi. Today it is one of the most popular high-altitude climbs in Georgia.