Belukha Mountain

Information

Elevation

4.506 m

Country

Rusia (RU)

Location / Range

Katunsky Range (Катунский хребет), Altai Mountains — right on the border between the Altai Republic (Russia) and East Kazakhstan; the highest point of Siberia and of the entire Altai Mountains

Mountain type

Non-volcanic twin-peak snow-and-ice massif — Paleozoic sedimentary-metamorphic rock uplifted by the Altai orogeny; mantled by two major glaciers (Akkem to the north, Katun to the south)

Volcanic?

No (non-volcanic)

Coordinates

49.8075, 86.5900

Difficulty

Technical alpine: the true summit requires ice gear (crampons, ice axe, rope) and mountaineering experience; the Normal Route via Delone Pass is rated 3B/PD+ (Russian/UIAA scale). The Akkem trek to the foot of the mountain (without the summit) is non-technical and suitable for fit hikers. The first ascent of the summit was made by the brothers Mikhail and Boris Tronov in 1914.

Best Season

July–August (snow-free trail; most stable weather; Akkem hut open). The trekking access is usually open May–October; the technical summit climb is best in July–August when the glaciers are most stable.

Permits & Rules

Since 2008, the border zone around Belukha (including the glacier zone and summit routes above ~3,300 m) requires an FSB border-zone permit (погранпропуск). Russian citizens can apply via Gosuslugi 60 days in advance; foreigners apply to the regional FSB office 2 months in advance. The trek to Lake Akkem (below the glacier zone) generally does not require an FSB permit for Russian citizens, only registration at the border post. The area is also part of the Katunsky Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO).

Hazards

Snowstorms and sudden weather changes even in summer; avalanches on the northern and eastern slopes; hidden glacier crevasses on the Akkem and Katun glaciers; hypothermia; altitude (4,506 m — AMS may occur); the access route from Tyungur can be cut off by river flooding

Description

Belukha Mountain (Белуха, 4,506 m) is the highest peak in the Altai Mountains and all of Siberia — a twin-peaked glaciated massif straddling the border between Russia's Altai Republic and Kazakhstan. Its eastern summit (4,506 m) feeds the Akkem Glacier to the north, draining into the mist-shrouded Akkem Lake valley, while the Katun Glacier to the south forms the headwaters of the Katun River — one of Siberia's longest tributaries flowing thousands of kilometres into the Ob. Belukha is part of the UNESCO 'Golden Mountains of Altai' World Heritage Site since 1998, protecting a mosaic of steppe, taiga forest, and alpine tundra ecosystems. Culturally, the mountain is deeply sacred to the indigenous Altai people as 'Uch-Sumer' (Three Sacred Peaks). Russian painter and philosopher Nicholas Roerich, during his 1926 Central Asian expedition, associated Belukha with the legend of Shambhala — lending the mountain a mystical reputation. The first recorded ascent of the east summit was made in 1914 by brothers Boris and Mikhail Tronov. Today Belukha is Russia's premier alpine mountaineering destination, with the Akkem Trek (Аккемская тропа) serving as the most popular approach route.