Unguided Climb of one of Georgia's Highest Peaks: Mount Kazbek

I didn't think we'd have to cross into Russia to get to the summit of this mountain, especially not via a border lying at nearly 5,000 meters.
Our journey started in the town of Stepantsminda, in the Kazbegi region of Georgia, from where we could see Mount Kazbek looming over us for the whole time we were there.
Climbing Kazbek was no easy feat.
There is no cozy Alpine hut here with a half-board option to break your journey down, only the Soviet-style Bethlemi hut that offers such little comfort, that mountaineers choose to sleep outside of it in tents.
We decided to hike and camp at a point called Black Cross at 3,850 meters, to shorten and aid our summit day, since we wanted to do this mountain in a 2-day push.
The views from the summit of Mount Kazbek over the Caucasus mountains were unforgettable, spanning all the way into Russia and even to Mount Elbrus, inspiring new goals to come.
My links:
► / traintosummit
► / traintosummit

[@tooloo]

You should have adopted that dog! What a perfect companion that would have been.

[@sambogambo]

The highlight of any week is when you upload a video

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you so much for the lovely comment ☺

[@andrewgardener1668]

This was MEGA!! Absolutely classic from you two to try and do a 3 day hike in half the time. Bravo 👏🏼

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks Andy! The next day's soreness was memorable 😂

[@HipFireRich]

When you know you've pushed yourself to your limits to get above 5000m and a dog just sits there licking his nuts wondering what all the fuss is about😂. Nice work again guys. I've never been above 4000m so I can only guess at how tough a hike like that must be.

[@TraintoSummit]

This is the 4th peak where we have seen a dog on the summit of a mountain this year!! And every time it felt deflating (especially after seeing a pekingese dog next to Capanna Margherita at 4,500m). Thanks for watching!

[@RobRoy2012]

Great video Cris and Viv. You climb in areas I'd never heard of and the scenery is stunning. You open up a whole new world for us armchair climbers!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you. It always amazes me what the world has to offer. I'm so happy you enjoy the videos!

[@Attila1968Huk]

Amasing awesome...thanks ❤

[@davidw8201]

Inspirational stuff guys. You did a great job of showing the scale of the mountain. Loved the footage at dawn. Stunning!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you!

[@MehrSpaamSpaHabenHaben]

Beautiful & Amazing

[@sandralutz-rodriguez2864]

What an amazing journey that had to be!! Well done! And that dog!!!!❤️. So beautifully filmed and edited. You guys rock!!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks so much! That dog was just incredible😂

[@highlandexplorer990]

Wow! 🏔 Your climb was epic! ⛏ The glacier view was breathtaking. 🏞

[@TraintoSummit]

That whole area left me speechless... Thank you for your comment and for watching!

[@petergaskill2753]

Thanks for making this video! That was just spectacular!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks for your lovely comment and for watching!

[@mrburns1980]

Beautiful and inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you for watching 🙏🏻

[@WillemExplores]

Great work! Defo on my list!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks! It's an amazing mountain, enjoy 🙌

[@jitendrakhare9219]

Mind blowing terrain...Enjoyed every bit of your climb !!!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you!

[@lachlanbrown2045]

Another great one. The weather looked unreal, finally!

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks Lach, bout' time the weather improved!!😂

[@tomaszwozniak4343]

Thanks for sharing. Hoping to go there next year

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks for watching! Have fun up there 💪

[@Pachosk]

Wooooow, congrats to both of you👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you! 🙌🏼

[@cameliamariacristea4836]

Fain! Felicitări!❤❤❤

[@TraintoSummit]

Mersi mama❤

[@amandacrozier6172]

Incredible- well done both of you😀

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@abelsietecuatro9249]

Beautiful mountain. I didn't know about this one. I like mountains and high places. In Bolivia we have a football field at 4983 meters altitude. Chorolque town. The match Nacional (Uruguay) vs Allways Ready (Bolivia) will be played at 4100 meters in El Alto city. Some Uruguayans don't want to play this match. I don't understand why😂

[@justusnowak1551]

Really like your videos, keep it up man 😊

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks so much! 🙌🏼

[@RAMA-zl5jw]

მადლობა სტუმრობისთვის

[@carl8568]

That dog is an absolute trooper. Really well put together video. What's the go with roping up without fixed lines? A fall from that steep would likely drag two down would be my concern, unless the lead climber is super confident with an ice axe arrest.

[@mattstalker4084]

I attempted this mountain last year, my first ever high altitude expedition. I had to turn back at 4800m through sheer exhaustion. It’s so impressive what you both did, and brought back fond memories of a beautiful place and a hulking great mountain. Don’t miss the toilets at Meteo station (Betlemi Hut) though… 😂

[@TraintoSummit]

We definitely felt the exhaustion around that point, it's always interesting looking back at the footage and hearing our speech slur from the high altitude. You made the right choice to turn back, I hope you go back soon and get to the top 💪 I also bet that toilet was memorable... 😂

[@feryc5120]

Great Video

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you!

[@Lasha_Shanidze_2000]

Welcome to Georgia 🇬🇪 🍇

[@TraintoSummit]

Madloba!

[@Roberto123valdez]

Amazing adventure, I never miss any of your videos! Try to always carry a spare pair of glasses, here in the Andes, corneal burns are very common.

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks Roberto, much appreciated! That's definitely the plan from now on. It's good it happened there where we had a half-day descent and not somewhere more committing...

[@johngardener4536]

Loving it, and the drone footage is spectacular

[@TraintoSummit]

Thank you John! At the summit of Kazbek, I flew the drone in the ice axe and snapped its propellor in half, it's a miracle it still flew and so well at that!

[@matsalden3445]

Which drone do you use if i may ask? Great footage!

[@TraintoSummit]

@@matsalden3445 I use the DJI Mini 3 pro. Thanks for watching!

[@Attila1968Huk]

Great Hiking

[@TraintoSummit]

It's an amazing route!

[@myhandle321]

How do you guys plan for this? Maybe in one video you can share how you plan your summer to do all these wonderful trips? Not all rosy things, but reality also. :)

[@user-vt8qs2ib4f]

👋👋👋

[@rivciks5045]

3300Hm in zwei Tagen das ist doch ziemlich moderat. Beeindruckend wäre es an einem Tag zu meistern.

[@maxzhang7705]

This was MEGA!! i have a question, why did you leave the tent at the camp and get it on the way down to make it easier to climb the summit ? thanks

[@TraintoSummit]

I took the tent with us since it's quite light and I really didn't want it stolen 😅 We did leave other things at camp like sleeping mats, gas cillinder, etc. Thanks for watching!

[@willemvissers1]

Great video! Is it possible to do it solo?

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks! I wouldn't recommend it via the route we did since you would be crossing a glacier without being roped up. I did see videos of a few people soloing it though...

[@zbuchus]

13:49 I hear polish language on the top, no surprise here ...

[@TraintoSummit]

The Poles are some hardcore mountaineers 💪

[@adamheathyt]

Hey, great video, do you have a list of equipment you use somewhere? Thanks

[@TraintoSummit]

Thanks for watching! We don't, but funnily enough Viv suggested today that we should make a video on this subject. We'll get a video out soon, stay tuned 💪

[@adamheathyt]

Sounds good, thanks :) @@TraintoSummit

[@abdelali789]

That s amazing ❤, I am planning to climb it in this summer, I just want to ask you is there any militants or checkpoints in the border, as I may cross Russia by hiknig is there any problem if I dont have russian Visa ?

[@TraintoSummit]

No problem at all. There are no border checks or guards anywhere there. It's the norm for everyone to summit the mountain from Georgia and not have an issue. Have fun, Georgia is a gem of a country!

[@abdelali789]

@@TraintoSummit Wonderful! Thank you for reaching out. Wish you all the 👌 waiting for next video bro

[@Ari-xv8qr]

Hey hey, do you think I can find and join a group for the summit push? I've no experience on glaciers, if that would affect ppl accepting me. thanks!

[@vivcristea]

Hey Ari, sorry we only just read this! We wouldn't recommend it. Unlike mountain climbs in Europe where everyone stays in a hut and eats together, people camp all over for Kazbek. You'd be approaching people in tents asking for a long time. It's also important to learn glacier skills before you try to cross one. There are great courses in Chamonix for beginners and many other locations across Europe. Good luck !