Big chura mountain on the map. Mount Bolshaya Chura in Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi)
Below, the slopes of the M. Chura ridge towards the Shahe River valley
The bottom photo is taken slightly to the right of the previous frame.
Photo below: on the approach to Sanatornaya. If you cut the corner from this place (where the photo was taken) and go straight towards the green pointed peak (in the center of the photo), you will come across a spring in a small hollow. It is not visible from the ridge.
Reverse photo (towards Fisht) eastern slopes of the M. Chura ridge.
The section of the M. Chura ridge is the most beautiful part of the road to Krasnaya Polyana. All the way there are stunning views of the surrounding ridges, Chugush and Fisht.
In the photo below: Fisht, Pshekhosu and Fisht-Oshtensky pass.
Bottom photo: Oshten, and a fragment of the Armenian ridge.
Under the wing of the plane, the green sea of the taiga is singing about something...
Bottom photo: the saddle between the M. Chura ridge and the Sanatornaya ridge. On the right, the slopes of Bolshaya Chura.
View of Chugush from the saddle between M. Chura and Sanatornaya.
The western slope of the M. Chura ridge towards the Shahe River valley. The peaks are visible: Kut, 2081, 1973, 1958, M. Chura. (info from maps of the General Staff and Garmin GPS navigator with a map of the Krasnodar Territory on a scale of 1cm-2km).
The gorges of Sanatornaya towards the Belaya River.
In the bottom photo: on the left is a fragment of the city of Atamazhi, to the right is a fragment of the city of Chugush. Photographed in the direction of the turn of the Belaya River towards Guzeripl.
Fragment of the Malaya Chura ridge. View towards Fisht.
Telephoto of Fisht from the saddle on the town of Sanatornaya.
Bottom photo from Mount Kut to the peak of Malaya Chura.
In the evening on Sanatornaya. Below is the valley of the Shahe River. At night, from Sanatornaya you can clearly see the lights of ships sailing on the sea.
Bottom photo: morning on Sanatornaya.
At night the bear came again. The full moon unmasks the tent very well. On a slope, its profile is visible even to the visually impaired. And the bear’s hearing, sight and sense of smell seem to be amazing! He walks, only rustling and muttering branches. In the silence of the night, you can hear it from afar. But when he sees you or feels you, he begins to roar at the top of his lungs. This yelling instantly makes you wake up. That night I had already prepared fires in advance from dry grass that grows here as tall as a person. Fire really scares away clubfoot. True, I had to jump up twice a night. Light a fire, wave torches and scream at the top of your lungs. There is no time for comfort here anymore! I wish I was alive! Like on TV in the program “Survive at any cost”!
In the bottom photo: the view from Sanatornaya is slightly to the right than in the top frame. On the right is the valley of the Shahe River. In the center is the M. Chura ridge from the top of Mount Kut. Fisht is in the background.
M. Chur ridge against the backdrop of Fisht.
Bottom photo: Mount Bolshaya Chura with Sanatornaya.
Big Chura.
In the photo below, the descent from Sanatornaya to the saddle to B. Chura. Quite a difficult part of the route. Several very steep ascents and descents. Having left Sanatornaya at ten o'clock in the morning, it was only by sixteen o'clock that I reached the place on Bolshaya Chura from where the path to the town of Zelenaya and the town of Achishkho begins.
Shahe River Valley.
Autographs on tree trunks of tourists who once passed here.
Photo below: M. Chura ridge in the background. In the center of the frame, a swamp in the saddle between Sanatorona and the ascent to the first ridge of B. Chura. The water is clean, but has a swampy smell. In the absence of a better one, I had to recruit from here. Once you cross the first ridge of B. Chura and go down the snow into the gorge, you will find good springs.
In the bottom photo: Sanatornaya and the path from it to Bolshaya Chura. The photo was taken from the first ridge of B. Chura. The climb is quite difficult. Many parallel trails going to different altitude levels.
Peak Bolshaya Chura.
Mount Sanatornaya.
In the bottom photo: the first ridge of B. Chura and the gorge. Fisht and the M. Chura ridge are visible. The descent into the B. Chura gorge is something special. Firstly, the slope is quite steep. There is a path, one might say. But to be more precise, there is only direction. But the most interesting “bauble” is that the entire slope is covered with fallen autumn leaves, and at one fine moment, this entire leafy carpet under your feet begins to move and slides down entirely. You feel like the ground is disappearing from under your feet, and there’s nothing to grab onto! And sliding down on your butt, you dream of one thing, that you wouldn’t crash into some tree with all your might. So I drove about twenty meters, and got away with my backpack being torn at the bottom! So prepare your brakes in advance!
Having crossed this ridge, I went down into the gorge. Just in the place where the border of the forest is visible in the photo. Below are huge thickets of ferns as tall as a man. Under the leaves of the ferns there are huge cobblestones that cannot be seen from a human height. You have to walk very carefully so as not to screw up! The worst thing is the omnipresent smell of bear in these areas. Maybe he's somewhere nearby? Here there is coolness for him and springs where he can stock up on water.
Bottom photo: eastern slopes of B. Chura. The city of Achishkho and the city of Zelenaya are visible. Taken from the rocky lintel leading from the first ridge of B. Chura to one of the peaks of B. Chura.
Fisht, Pshekhosu, M. Chura ridge, Fisht-Oshten pass and Oshten from Bolshaya Chura.
Fragment of the Malaya Chura ridge.
In the bottom photo: one of the peaks of B. Chura. The path leading to the town of Zelenaya passes under it.
Shot towards Fisht from Bolshaya Chura.
Bottom photo: the central ridge of B. Chura.
View of Chugush from Bolshaya Chura.
Bottom photo: a fragment of the M. Chura ridge, the town of Sanatornaya, the first ridge of B. Chura and the rocky lintel leading to B. Chura.
The bottom image clearly shows the profile of the path from the town of Sanatornaya to the B. Chura ridge and the rocky bridge to B. Chura.
Bottom photo: descent from B. Chura towards the trail to the town of Zelenaya. The path goes along these ridges, yellow because of the grass. Below, in the forest, the trail is practically lost, and the most difficult route in terms of orientation and lack of water begins to the town of Zelenaya.
Mount Achishkho from B. Chura.
Telephoto of Chugush.
the city of Achishkho and to the left the “pimple” of the city of Zelenaya. The “forest route” to the town of Zelenaya is visible.
Telephoto on Fisht. The ridge is visible from Mount Kut to peak 2081.
View from B. Chura to Achishkho and Zelenaya. At night, a bear again tried to climb into this place from the direction of Zelyonaya. The tent was almost on the path. For defense, I collected a whole bunch of cobblestones and prepared grass torches. Again we had to jump out of the tent a couple of times during the night and light a pre-prepared fire. Thank God everyone survived!
View from B. Chura to the mountains to the right of Chugush.
The evening sun illuminates the contours of the Fisht and M. Chura ridges.
The bottom frame is taken slightly to the right than the top one. Sanatornaya town and the path to Bolshaya Chura.
In the bottom photo is Mount Sanatornaya. View from B. Chura in the evening.
Outline of the city of Aibga. In the foreground are the Achishkho rocks.
In the morning on B. Chur. View towards Fisht.
Tourist belongings with an anti-bear torch.
The sun is getting higher. Last look towards Fisht from B. Chura.
The tourists met again! It's quite cool in the morning. Ten degrees Celsius.
In the bottom photo: the peaks of B. Chura from the descent on the way to Mt. Zelenaya.
Next is the most difficult part of the journey. Seventeen kilometers of mountain forest. There is practically no trail. Water too. Thickets of “barbed wire” made of blackberries and other all kinds of clinging vegetation. Having left B. Chura at nine thirty in the morning, I was on Mount Zelenaya at seventeen in the evening. On one of the forums, when describing this route, they didn’t believe me that I had walked this path in such a short time. Many people walk this section for at least one day with an overnight stay. Indeed, this part of the path is very difficult physically. I walked on a dry sunny day, with a GPS navigator, with short stops to rest. You can stock up on water in the only stream on the approach to the Iegosh ridge. I didn't see any other streams there. There are swamps with very muddy, stagnant water. If you have a good filter and boiling, it can probably be used. So, I say to everyone: you can walk through it in one daylight. I went out in the morning and there in the evening.
Fragments of B. Chura from the descent on the way to the town of Zelenaya.
Autographs of tourists passing here. Many such scriptures are found at sites, of which there are not very many here. There are also grave mounds lined with stones. Apparently they are old. Probably since the Second World War. No cross, no star, no inscription...
The route passes through altitudes averaging 1500-1700 meters. But before Mount Zelenaya a long, long climb begins.
The bottom photo shows the town of Achishkho. View from the shale lintel on one of the ridges on the way to the town of Zelyonaya. This jumper is one of the places where you can at least somehow, visually, orient yourself.
Picture from Google Maps with a superimposed track of the path from B. Chura to Zelyonaya.
Below is a photo of this jumper. This is on the descent from B. Chura to the Yegosh ridge.
Reverse view, from the lintel to B. Chura.
Stone Flower.
Tourists relaxing by the stream.
Autograph: 11.7.1963!
Bottom photo: Bolshaya Chura from Mount Zelenaya. The time is seventeen o'clock and kopecks. I made it from B. Chura to Zelenaya in almost eight hours!
I didn’t take any pictures in the forest. Forest and forest. And the bear was urging me on. In one place, on the trail, I saw his poop. And the freshest! Nearby there are bushes and ferns with its scent. At this point the forces themselves are taken from the “reserve”. No time for philosophy!
View of the mountains to the right of Chugush. I don't know what they are called.
One of the ski lifts in Krasnaya Polyana. Removed from the city of Zelyonaya.
The bottom photo shows the peaks of Bolshaya Chura, Fisht, Pshekhosu, and Oshten.
The interesting thing is that while taking this shot, somewhere below, a bear saw me and began to roar until I left this place. There's just some kind of trouble with these Bears!
Sunset from the town of Zelenaya. View of Yegosh.
Bottom photo: morning on Mt. Zelyonaya. View of the Achishkho rocks. Below, behind the tent, is the gorge between the towns of Achishkho and the town of Zelenaya. The depth is two hundred meters. So there, at night, as many as three bears gathered. They screamed all night. It's kind of creepy. Moreover, there were already people on Achishkho. At night I saw their fire burning. Moreover, one of their company (a bear from a company of bears) tried to climb the ridge of Mount Zelenaya to visit me. I had to light the fire several times. This camp of bears more or less dispersed around five in the morning. It must have been a corporate party! But the most persistent one screamed until eight in the morning. So, another almost sleepless night was fun! You sit in the tent, listen to this roar, and everything “goes down”! After all, there it is, civilization. There are people nearby on the neighboring mountain, the light of a fire is visible, a little further you can see the lights of the ski lift. And then, damn it, three idiot bears have gathered together, and you don’t know what they’ll decide to do next after they yell at you! Why the hell do you think that a person is drawn to these wilds, to the North Pole, to the jungle? Why can't you stay at home? However, extreme sports, life on the edge, are very attractive. Having experienced an extreme environment once, sooner or later you will want to repeat it, take the plunge one more time. Whether it's a skydive or an encounter with a ghost. The main thing is not to lose heart. After sunrise, all fears disappear. The bears crawl back into their dens and life becomes wonderful again!
B. Chura and Fisht in the morning, from Mount Zelenaya.
Big Chura. View from Mount Zelenaya.
In the photo below: the Yegosh ridge in the distance. At the bottom of the frame is the ridge of Mount Zelenaya along which a bear tried to approach at night. I pitched my tent right on the trail. There simply were no other places. Two eyes in which the light of a flashlight is reflected look creepy in the dark!
Circuses Achishkho.
Chamois on the descent from Zelenaya to the lower circus of Achishkho.
In the frame on the right, the city of Zelenaya. Descent to the lower Achishkho circus. The descent is quite steep. You could easily slip and ride on your butt!
Bottom photo: a fragment of the city of Chugush in the valley between the Zelenaya slope (left) and the Achishkho slope (right). Filmed in the lower Achishkho circus.
The river begins with a small stream... the sources of the Berezovaya River
Lower circus Achishkho from the rise to the upper circus.
Blueberry.
September blueberries.
In the bottom photo, in the right center of the frame, is Mount Zelenaya. Taken from the upper circus of Achishkho.
"Walls" of the circus of Mount Achishkho.
Achishkho rocks. Here are the promised places. Plenty of parking spaces. Water in the form of streams and waterfalls. In warm, sunny weather, a very pleasant place!
Chugush is very close. Free observation deck.
Brook: - this is how the Berezovaya River begins.
The following shots: - various types of Achishkho circus.
The glacier where the river is born. By the way, the only one preserved along the entire route from Guamka to Krasnaya Polyana.
In the bottom photo: the upper circus of Achishkho, to the right is Mount Zelenaya and far away in the haze is Mount B. Chura. I took a photo from the ascent to the Achishkho ridge.
Here the view is almost in the same direction, but Fisht, Pshekhosu and Oshten are visible.
Bottom photo from the Achishkho ridge towards Krasnaya Polyana. The city of Aibga is visible.
On the descent from Achishkho. Below is the “real” path to Krasnaya Polyana, and crowds of tourists.
Mount Achishkho from the former weather station. The weather is getting worse.
Fisht from the lakes at the former weather station.
Krasnaya Polyana from the observation deck of the former weather station.
A dried-up lake on the territory of a former weather station.
Khmelevskoye Lake. Here the naturalism of nature ends. Civilization. Cars, people, etc.
Khmelevskie lakes.
The road to the Khmelevsky Lakes.
Fog on the serpentine mountain road from the Khmelevskie Lakes to Krasnaya Polyana.
View of Krasnaya Polyana and the Aibga ridge from the observation deck of the cafe on the descent.
Aibga in rain clouds.
Jeep safari to Khmelevskie Lakes.
Waterfall on the way to Krasnaya Polyana.
"Olympic" construction in Krasnaya Polyana.
Mount Aibga.
End point of the route: Adler railway station. From Krasnaya Polyana to Adler it is an hour and a half bus ride.
For those who are interested in the “time schedule” of the route:
- from Guamka to lake. Psedonakh is a three-day journey. (It’s better to travel by car from Guamka to Mezmay. Cut two days.)
- lake Psedonakh to the Belorechensky pass, a day's journey.
- Belorechensky Lane, Mount Kut, a day's journey. (You can walk to the top of 1973, there is an excellent parking place. It all depends on the length of daylight hours. I went at the end of September).
-Mount Kut to Sanatornaya, a day’s journey.
-G. Sanatorium mountain B. Chura, day of travel. (I hesitated on the board there! Several ascents and descents)
- B. Chura to Zelenaya, a day's journey. (Forest jungle, no water. In one place you will cross a stream. There are swamps with rotten water. The whole way was with a GPS navigator. You can easily get lost).
- Zelyonaya to Krasnaya Polyana, a day's journey. (you can be in Adler in the evening. I was in no hurry, spent the night by the lake at the weather station)
With. Orekhovka - Sakharnaya town - Amuko town - Bolshaya Chura town - Achishkho town - village. Krasnaya Polyana
I have been dreaming of doing this route for a year. I still couldn't find my partner.
And finally, I managed to find a like-minded person for the hike. Our physical preparation for the exit was that we ran 8 km 3 times a week at the stadium for 1.5 months. We also bought some things to make it easier to endure harsh hiking conditions. A detailed menu was compiled for each day of the hike. They took food for 7 days + “NZ” - an emergency supply for the 8th day. It turned out to be 4.5 kg of food for each. And the route was covered in 6 full days.
Unfortunately, we were not very lucky with the weather on this trip – it was snowing and raining for the last three days of the trip. Therefore, the photos are mainly from the first half of the hike. We were unable to get passes to the reserve. But we didn’t meet any people there. It turned out that all 5 nights we slept at an altitude above 1500 m above sea level. The GPS navigator helped a lot; without it we definitely wouldn’t have gotten out so quickly. We were unable to climb the peaks of Bolshaya Chura and Achishkho due to bad weather. But we walked only 100 m from the trigopoints.
On the first day of the hike the weather was quite good. We passed the barrier at Orekhovsky Falls safely (there was no ticket attendant). Then along the Prokhladny ridge and climb Mount Sugar. I have already done this path many times and this section did not seem difficult to me. There was only one unpleasant event - before the summit on Sakharnaya it started to rain for 40 minutes. we put on rain protection and waited it out. At the top we met a group of 5 guys who were returning from Mount Amuko to the camp near Sakharnaya. There was snow at the top, and there were no problems with water for dinner. The place for the tent was quite level.
On the second day we moved towards Mount Amuco. There was almost no snow and we had to make our way through the bushes along the Path of the Brave. On the approach to Amuco it started to rain, half an hour later it was hail, then it rained again - in general, it rained on us for about two hours on the second day. I remember one moment: lightning flashed and then immediately an explosion of thunder - so loud and close that we squatted down and looked around for a long time afterwards. There was no more noise. Apparently lightning struck somewhere very nearby. But we were in the very middle of the cloud! At the top of Maly Amuko we met a group of tourists from Krasnodar. We climbed over the saddle to Amuco. I had never walked further before this. We started descending onto the Amuko ridge, and suddenly came across a cliff, approx. 4 m. We overcame this cliff and found ourselves on the Amuko ridge. It was good in the snow, the views were wonderful. In the evening we couldn’t find a flat place for a tent for a long time. Somehow we settled down on a small slope.
On the third day we went further along the Amuko ridge. In the afternoon it started to rain and hail. In total it lasted about 3 hours. In the evening we went to the foot of Bolshaya Chura. A steep, dangerous climb... but don’t go back! We climbed the mountain. Before the last ascent to the trig point, we set up a tent.
On the fourth day it started raining in the morning. We lay in our sleeping bags until 10 o'clock. Then we started preparing breakfast. Cook and cook - suddenly bam! - it started snowing. The tent is sagging, the wind is getting stronger, it’s getting colder... In short, we quickly packed up and headed up the mountain. On the mountain itself it’s just terrible: hard snow, strong wind, poor visibility, cold. In addition, the snow cover is growing before our eyes, and I began to worry about the danger of avalanches. Climbing on the rocks is dangerous. In general, we had to shiver there from fear and cold. Finally we climbed over Bolshaya Chura and began to descend. The snow has changed to rain, there is no wind in the forest. It continued to rain until the end of the day. Everything about us was wet: clothes, sleeping bags. We are very tired. Somehow we prepared dinner and went to bed in wet sleeping bags.
On the 5th day, in the morning we tried to dry our things - it was of little use, clouds were constantly rolling over the ridge and carrying moisture with them. In the second half it started to rain. We quickly took our clothes off the rope, got dressed and hit the road. Somehow we went in the opposite direction. I look at the navigator - we’re going back. I couldn't believe my eyes. In short, we climbed 200m up. I looked at the navigator - we were walking in the opposite direction. And from the looks around us, it looks like we’re going the right way. In general, we got lost there for a long time and almost went along the path to Yegosh. From that moment on it snowed or rained constantly. At the end of the day, completely wet, tired and cold, we pitched the tent directly on 1 m thick wet snow, and at the same time rain was falling from the sky... it was terrible.
On the 6th day, in the morning, we decided to “shovel” to Krasnaya Polyana. We put on our cold, wet clothes from yesterday and went. On the way up Mount Green, the rain turned to snow. It was terribly scary in the Achishkho circus - silence, heavy snowfall, steep slopes with freshly fallen thick layers of snow hanging from all sides. It is very scary that an avalanche may occur. Driven by fear and the desire to get home quickly, we trampled down the steps in the snow, rising to the top. Then a descent into the second circus... Then again an ascent to the ridge. And then the lights of the village of Krasnaya Polyana appeared ahead. We started to descend. The snow turned to rain. At 11 pm we got onto the federal highway and took a taxi home.
The hike left a lot of impressions and overall I liked it, although I was not able to see the views from the peaks of Bolshaya Chura and Achishkho.
Mount Bolshaya Chura is part of the southern branch of the Main Caucasian Range and is located on the territory of the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve.
The height of the mountain is 2250.7 meters above sea level.
The Bzych ridge begins from the northwestern side of the mountain, and the Amuko ridge begins on the eastern side. The Sochi and Shakhe rivers begin their flow from the slopes of Mount Bolshaya Chura.
Climbing Bolshaya Chura cannot be called easy, because on its slopes there are steep cliffs and moraines, dense bushes grow, creeping clouds float and gusty winds blow. The surrounding area of the mountain is home to many wild animals. Tourists regularly meet graceful chamois and curious brown bears here. On the northern slope you can find the wreckage of a plane that crashed during the Great Patriotic War.
Prices in 2019 for entry to the Caucasus Nature Reserve
The fee for staying on the territory of the reserve is charged daily (checkout time is 00:00):
- for an adult - 300 rubles,
- for a child aged 7 to 14 years - 100 rubles,
- children under 7 years old are free.
You can obtain a permit to visit and pay for entry at the central estate in Sochi, as well as at the Office of the Eastern District Forestry (Psebay), the Karapyr cordon (Damkhurts), the checkpoint of the Guzeripl cordon, the Lagonaki checkpoint, the Laura cordon (Esto-Sadok), the office of the Western district forestry (Dagomys). Addresses are on the official website.
- disabled people and participants of the Second World War and combat operations,
- participants in the liquidation of the Chernobyl accident,
- disabled people of groups I and II,
- large families,
- conscripts.
Rivers
From the mountain, 2 beautiful rivers begin their flow - Shakhe and Sochi, flowing into the Black Sea. The Shakhe River occupies the second place of honor in terms of length in the city of Sochi after the Mzymta. Its length is 59 kilometers. Winding among the mountains, making 7 turns on its way, Shahe flows into the sea near the village of Golovinka. All-Union tourist route No. 30 runs near the river "Through the mountains to the sea" from the Lagonaki plateau to the sea. The Sochi River flows into the sea in the city center near the Sochi seaport. Its length is 45 kilometers, which makes it the third longest in the city after Shah.
Mountains near Bolshaya Chura
From the top of Mount Bolshaya Chura there are wonderful views of other mountains of the western part of the Main Caucasus Range:
- Fisht or “White Head” is a mountain with a height of 2867.7 meters, one of the most beautiful and popular peaks of the Caucasus Range, after which one of the Olympic venues in Sochi, Fisht Stadium, was named.
- Oshten or “Eternal Snow” is a mountain 2804 meters high, together with the Fisht and Pshekha-Su mountains forming the Fisht-Oshten ridge,
- Achishkho or “Goat Mountain” is a 2391 meter high mountain, from the top of which the Black Sea and Abkhazia are visible,
- Green is a mountain with a height of 2079 meters, which is part of the Achishkho mountain range,
- Amuko is a mountain 1918 meters high, which is clearly visible from the center of Sochi,
- Sugar Mountain is 1550 meters high, from the top of which there are magnificent views of the city of Sochi,
- Green is a mountain 2079 meters high, from the top of which wonderful views of the Achishkho ridge open,
- Chugush or “Top of the Earth” is a beautiful mountain 3237 meters high, to the top of which there are many climbing routes of varying degrees of difficulty,
- Yegosh is a mountain 1789 meters high,
- Pseashkha or “High-Water Mountain” is a 3256-meter-high mountain with 11 glaciers, one of which is the largest in the Krasnodar Territory.
Rules for visiting the reserve
Basic rules for visiting, which should be treated with special attention so as not to spoil the joy of staying in a unique place:
- Entry into the protected area is possible only with a pass, which can be issued at official representative offices,
- go only along pre-agreed routes,
- do not cut down trees, do not pick flowers, do not pick mushrooms and berries,
- do not litter or write on rocks,
- don't light fires
- do not fish or hunt,
- don't scare animals
- Organize parking only in specially equipped places.
How to get to Mount Bolshaya Chura
Routes to the mountain mainly start from the village of Krasnaya Polyana through the Achishkho and Zelenaya mountains. Other routes start from the village of Nizhnyaya Orekhovka through the Sakharnaya and Amuko mountains. In total, there are 4 ways to the mountain - through the main ridge from Fisht, through the Amuko ridge, through the Iegosh ridge and through the Bzych ridge.
Coordinates of Mount Bolshaya Chura - 43.791352°, 40.000221°
There are several ways to get to the village of Krasnaya Polyana:
- by personal or rented car - get directions,
- by bus to the stop. "Heliport" - No. 63, 105, 105с, 135, 219,
- by train to the station "Esto-Sadok"
- by taxi - maxim, Yandex. Taxi, Gett, etc.
You can get to the village of Nizhnyaya Orekhovka in the following ways.
Mount Bolshaya Chura is located in the southern spur of the GVH, on the territory of the Caucasus Nature Reserve. The sources of the Shakhe River, one of the largest watercourses on the Black Sea coast, begin from the Chura massif; the Sochi River originates from the southern slopes. Height 2250.7 m. The long Bzych ridge extends from the peak to the northwest. The eastern slopes of the massif are rocky and steep, while the western slopes have flatter shapes. They are covered with subalpine vegetation. From the Amuko ridge through Mount Bolshaya Chura you can reach the ridge of the Main Watershed Range and get to Krasnaya Polyana, bypassing the Achishkho massif.
A rather long and very beautiful ridge section begins from Mount Malaya Chura. A wide smoothed grassy ridge gradually turns into a narrow rocky grassy ridge. 200 meters below, the slopes on both sides sharply flatten out and forest is already growing there. Here and there you can see stripes of fallen trees - traces of snow avalanches. On the right you can see the vast valley of the upper reaches of the Shakhe River, closed on three sides by the Malaya and Bolshaya Chura ridges, on the lower left are the sources of the Kudo River (a tributary of the Belaya). It is here that the Belaya River turns 180°, bending around the Cherkessky ridge, and at the bend a large tributary flows into it - the Berezovaya River, so the river valley seems very wide in this place, the opposite slope of which rises up with kilometer-long cliffs of the Chugush ridge.
After an hour and a half we reach an unnamed peak of 2123 m, from which Mount Sanatornaya (2091 m), standing significantly to the left of the ridge, is clearly visible. The trail now follows the southern grassy slopes. Soon you need to cross a small stream. Further the path lies through extensive rhododendron thickets and access to a wide, gentle slope, from which you can already see the descent to the lintel in front of Mount Bolshaya Chura. The main peak of Mount Sanatornaya remains far to the left - a kilometer to the northeast. On the descent near the forest border the path becomes lost; you need to pass through dense thickets of low-growing trees. Then, along the barely noticeable path that appears again, we descend to the col (in total we drop 350 m in height).
The dam is a wide clearing overgrown with tall, dense grass, mostly ferns. In the far part of the clearing on the right you can see a tiny swampy lake. We climb 150 meters along a wooded ridge, then slightly flatten out, where the path gets lost again. All around is a low, impenetrable forest. Further the path goes along steep wooded gullies. Underfoot there is black crumbly rock - black slate. In one place there is a fork: a good path goes up to the right, you need to go along the left path. The relief here is so rugged that the majestic Chugush massif becomes clearly visible behind. The path turns to a rocky ridge, reaching the ridge, we turn left, in the direction of the easternmost peak of Bolshaya Chura. The ridge is very broken in the vertical profile, so you have to constantly climb the rock, then go down from the ledge, or go around the gendarmes. On both sides of the ridge there are cliffs of 30-100 m. Low trees and bushes mostly help - there is something to grab onto, but sometimes they get in the way.
Approximately in the middle of the ridge, in front of a high rock, the path suddenly leaves the ridge to the right. If you follow it, then after 15 meters you will find yourself on a narrow sloping grassy shelf with a lonely birch tree. Below us there is a 30-40 m vertical line, but if we go further along this shelf, we will see that the descent is still possible. Descending with backpacks is not possible here. Therefore, if there is no rope, then we return to the ridge and go around the rock on the left along a smooth 30-degree rocky shelf, holding onto a narrow crack in the rock with our hands. The further path is simple. There is a snowfield on the lower right where you can replenish your water supplies. From the clearing in front of the snowfield you can clearly see the entire ridge. Climbing onto the next bushy hillock, a view of the long and sharp Bolshaya Chura ridge opens up. Huge snowfields hang on its slopes. The path leads to the main ridge to the left of the eastern peak.