The South Chui ridge is located in the south of Altai, it is bounded from the north by the rivers Karagem, Ioldo-Ayra, Taldura, from the south by the river Jazator. In the east, its border conditionally passes along the Tarkhaty River, to which the Saylyugem ridge adjoins, and in the west it is limited by the Argut River and the Katunsky ridge. The South Chuysky ridge stretched in the almost meridional direction for 90 km. Its western part is slightly north of the eastern.
The South Chui ridge is one of the three proteins of Altai, the other two proteins are the North Chui ridge and the Katunsky. Squirrels is the old name for white mountain ranges (i.e. ridges with glaciers and eternal snow). It is they who largely form the microclimate in the region of the South Chui ridge. Wet air masses come to Altai from the west, higher ranges of Katunsky and Severo-Chuysky delay them, and therefore less precipitation falls on Yuzhno-Chuysky. Nevertheless, they are quite enough to form large glaciers. All the main glaciation covers the northern slopes of the South Chui ridge. The largest glaciers are - Taldurinsky and Sofia. The first to be discovered and described at the end of the 19th century was Vasily Sapozhnikov, a Russian scientist, botanist and geographer. The Taldurinsky glacier, for a long time was generally considered the largest glacier in the Russian Altai, but due to global warming, it split up and as a result lost its primacy.
The nature of the relief of the South Chuysky ridge is alpine, with many peaked alpine peaks outstanding in their beauty. The main peaks of the South Chui ridge from east to west:
Irbistu (3967 m) - the highest point, Tymoyin (3707 m) and Testa (3868 m) in the same mountain cluster; freestanding - Janiiktu (3922 m), next to which are the peaks of Janiktu (3716 m) and Ilyas (3746 m) in the main ridge; further Chuisky peak (3777 m); in the upper reaches of the Sofia glacier: Brother (3885 m), Ksenia (about 3500 m) and Sister (3750 m); in the upper Taldurinsky glacier: Olga Vostochnaya (3735) and Olga Zapadnaya (3723), Iiktu (3941 m) - perhaps the most beautiful peak in the entire ridge; north of Iiktu - the peak of Metallurg (3933m).
The history of the first ascents to the peaks of the South Chuysky ridge can be found in the article.
Glaciers give rise to many rivers flowing from the South Chuysky ridge. The main ones: Elangash, Karaoyuk, Akkol, Taldura, Oshtuayr, Meshtuyry, Bara, Tyun, Uzurgu, Tangyt, Tara. Also in the area of \u200b\u200bthe South Chuy Range there are large lakes: Dzhankul (Dzhankyol), Atkul (Atkol), Karakul (Karakol), Akkul (Akkol), and many smaller ones.
There is only one pass along the entire length of the South Chuy ridge, from which you can get from the southern part of the ridge to the northern peak - this is the Azhu pass (2911 m). It has long been used by the local population, as evidenced by both the name (Azhu - pass with the road), and impressive about the pass itself.
The fauna of the South Chui ridge is diverse and is determined by various types of landscape. The southern slopes are more arid, with less water and forest than the northern ones. At high altitudes, in alpine meadows, the Siberian mountain goat is widespread and the snow leopard, the snow leopard, still remains in some places. On the northern slopes of the ridge, especially in the Karagem valley, maral is often found, there is a wolf and a bear everywhere. A rodent squad is also widely represented, the main representatives of which are gopher, groundhog and haylord. Among birds of prey, a golden eagle, a raven, and a steppe eagle are widespread.
The tourist development of the South Chuy ridge is lower than that of the North Chuy and Katunsky because of longer and less convenient access roads, and also because in Soviet times (and now too) the entire southern slope entered the border zone , and to get there, you need to get a pass. Two compact regions were most popular: the vicinity of the Iiktu peak with the Taldurin glacier and the Taldur river, and the vicinity of the Brat peak with the Sofia glacier, the Akkol river, and Lake Akkul. These two areas are separated by a meridional ridge - the Taldurin fence, through which there are several passes connecting them. Typically, these areas were visited by sports groups that combined the South Chuysky ridge with the Severo-Chuysky or Katunsky in their route. The surroundings of the peaks of Dzhaniiktu and Irbistu were less frequently visited, with the exception of the Azhu pass, popular with ordinary walking groups. The westernmost part of the ridge in the vicinity of the Bara River, and the eastern one in the vicinity of the Sebystey River, practically did not see tourists.
Commercial tourism on the South Chuysky ridge is practically absent. In our opinion, it is undeserved, since it is one of the most beautiful and nothing like regions of Altai. We are trying to fill this gap and offer our routes:
In our photo gallery see
The South Chui ridge is part of Central Altai. Located far from popular tourist centers and inaccessible to transport, it is one of the wildest areas of this mountainous country. The South Chuysky ridge is slightly lower than the North Chuysky, its average heights are 3000-3500 m, the highest point is Iiktu peak (3941 m.). The main difference between these two ridges is that on the slopes of the South Chuy Range there is practically no forest - only meadows and thickets of dwarf birch. Thanks to this, from many peaks a beautiful view opens up for 30-50 kilometers around, picturesque panoramas of the harsh Chui steppe, Katun and North Chu ridges.
Climate
The South Chui ridge is located in close proximity to the arid semi-deserts of Mongolia, which cannot but affect the climatic features in this area. Naturally, there is much less rainfall on its slopes than on the North Chuysky or Katunsky ridges, but very large glaciers - Bolshoi Taldurinsky and Sofiysky - flow from here, from the slopes of the South Chuysky ridge.
Glaciers
The South Chuy Range is the second largest in the Altai in terms of glaciation. 243 glaciers located on it have a total area of \u200b\u200b222.8 sq. Km. The central place is occupied by the Bolshoi Taldurinsky glacier, the length of which exceeds 8 km., And the area is 34.9 square meters. km and Sophia Glacier 10 km long. and an area of \u200b\u200b24 square meters. km
Rivers
Large tributaries of the Chui originate from the ridge - these are the Chagan, Taldur, Tarhat, and Irbistu rivers. On the other side of the ridge, numerous tributaries of the Jazator River originate.
Lakes
There are very few lakes, and in beauty they are significantly inferior to the lakes of the North Chuy and Katunsky ranges. The most picturesque are Akkol and Karakol lakes in the Akkol river valley. Akkol, translated from Altai - "white lake". And indeed, the water in it is light, milky in color. Karakol, on the contrary, is a "black lake", and this is also true - the water in Karakol seems dark. It is noteworthy that these opposite lakes are located just two kilometers from each other. On the shore of Akkol, tourists often set up a base camp, from where they make walks to the Sofia Glacier or make mountain climbing to the neighboring peaks.
Tourists began to visit this area much later than the North Chuysky or Katunsky ranges. This is due to the transport remoteness of the area, and the fact that in Soviet times, these places were considered border territory, the passage through which was carried out strictly by passes.
Chui steppe
Chuiskaya steppe is the largest intermountain basin of Altai. With a length of 80 kilometers, its width reaches 40 km. The bottom of the basin is concave and is located at an altitude of 1850-1750 meters above sea level. The southern extremities of the steppe coincide with the state border of the Russian Federation and Mongolia.
On all sides, the steppe is framed by snow-capped ridges - Yuzhno-Chuysky, Severo-Chuysky, Kuraisky, Saylyugem plateau. This is due to the harsh climate of the steppe. The absolute minimum temperature is -62 degrees C, maximum +31. However, the average July temperature is only +13.8 degrees - this is due to the significant difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures, characteristic of a sharply continental climate. At the same time, the Chui steppe has a very dry climate. The annual rainfall here barely exceeds 100 mm per year, with most of it falling in the summer. In winter, there is almost no snow in the hollow, so local residents almost do not build houses with gable roofs that are usual for our eyes - it’s quite flat here.
Rare representatives of the Altai fauna - the zelin antelope, the corsac fox and the Pallas cat - live in the Chui steppe and are currently inhabited by the Altai fauna. You can meet cranes, swans, golden eagles and black vultures. It is impossible to count the local rodents - in the steppe they live in huge numbers. These are gophers, groundhogs, jerboas, pikas, Dzungarian hamsters and many others.
A huge number of archaeological sites are concentrated in the Chui steppe. About 20 Paleolithic sites are known here, many monuments of the Bronze and Iron era. These are archaeological complexes in the valleys of the Yustyd and Bar-Burgazy rivers, which include hundreds of monuments of different times: paleolithic locations, mounds, funerary fences, stone sculptures, cave paintings, pottery and iron smelters, etc. A lot of cave paintings - petroglyph complexes can be found in the valleys of the rivers Yelangash, Chagan-Uzun, Kyzyl-Dzhar, Zhalgys-Tobe and many others. other
How to get there
Chuy steppe crosses the federal highway M-52 "Chuysky tract". You can get to areas of the steppe distant from the tract by all-wheel drive car. Regular buses run from Gorno-Altaysk to Kosh-Agach, but the majority of the population use the services of local taxi drivers. A trip in such a "taxi" to Gorno-Altaysk costs about 500 rubles. From the Republic of Tuva to the Chuiskaya steppe there is a dirt road through the Buguzun pass, which goes to the village. Kokoria.
Taldur River Valley
The Big Taldurinsky Glacier is the largest glacier in the Russian territory of the Altai Mountains. Located on the slopes of the South Chuy Range. Only a small mountain range Taldurinsky fence separates it from the Sofia glacier. The area of \u200b\u200bthe glacier is 28.2 sq. Km. with a length of 7.5 km. Near Big Taldurinsky is another large glacier, Small Taldurinsky. Its length is 2.5 km, and the area is slightly less than 2 square meters. km Nearby is the highest point of the South Chui ridge - Mount Iiktu (3936 m.)
How to get there
The road to the village of Beltir turns from the Chuysky tract behind the village of Ortolyk. From here to Beltir 27 kilometers on good asphalt. Further, asphalt is replaced by gravel. Not far from Beltir, on the right (orographic) slope of the Taldura valley, you can see the effects of the 2003 earthquake - a giant landslide. The road all the time winds along the bank of the Taldur, then flying up above the water, then on the contrary, it goes down to the river. In the upper reaches of the valley, the soils are very boggy, however, with a winch, a shovel and a head on their shoulders, overcoming these obstacles will not be difficult. The road does not reach the Taldurinsky glacier, interrupting 2-3 kilometers from the beginning of its tongue.
Akkol River Valley and Sophia Glacier
The Akkol River Valley is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful in the South Chuysky Range. The Akkol River originates from the Sophia Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in Altai. The thickness of the ice here reaches 160 meters. The glacier was first described by prof. Sapozhnikov in 1895. He also called the surrounding mountains - Brother (3885 m.), Ksenia (approx. 3500 m.) And Sister (3750 m.). In the river valley are the picturesque lakes Akkul ("White Lake") and Karakul ("Black Lake"). Indeed, in Akkul the water is milky white, the water of Karakul is black. The slopes of the valley are very beautiful. They combine stones, eternal snows, larch and cedar forests, thickets of carly birch and alpine meadows. Especially bright colors can be seen here in August-September. At this time, autumn red and yellow colors contrast with gray stone, white snow and green needles of trees.
From Akkul Lake you can take walks to the Sofia Glacier. Six kilometers along a picturesque trail with beautiful views of the glaciers, the snow-capped peaks of Ksenia, Olga and Brat, as well as many small lakes of various colors.
How to get there
You can drive to Akkul Lake by an all-terrain vehicle. As on the way to the Taldurinsky glacier, we must first get to the village of Beltir. Further the roads to the Taldurinsky glacier and Lake Akkul diverge. The road to Akkul goes to the left, and to Taldur - right along the valley. The length of the further path to the lake is about 30 kilometers, the first twenty of which are a relatively good sandy road. Apparently, before this was the bed of the Sophia Glacier. Branches in different directions constantly leave the road. They lead to the shepherd sites, of which there are quite a few in the valley. Altaians graze cattle here and harvest grass for the winter. Then begins a stone road with steep ups and downs, shallow fords and swampy meadows.
By car, you can drive about 5 kilometers after the lake. Further, the steep slopes of the valley block the path. Sophia Glacier can only be reached on foot.
Yelangash River Valley
The Yelangash River originates from the slopes of the South Chuysky Range covered with eternal snow. The main attraction of the valley is a giant complex of rock paintings. Stretching 18 kilometers inland, it reaches 1.5 kilometers in width. Scientists have copied more than 30,000 drawings here. The most common subjects of petroglyphs are deer, goats, a procession of bulls, anthropomorphic figures, camels, chariots, fighting animals, etc. The drawings are made using the technique of point knockout and graffiti. The complex presents images belonging to different periods, from the Bronze Age to the present day. Among the huge number of ancient drawings you can find a modern image of a truck. For some people this is outrageous, for others it is a smile. But I believe that in a thousand years this drawing of the car will become as old as the Scythian images of deer.
Only one shepherd with his son lives in the valley. Their house is located in the upper river, not far from the pass to the Tara (or Dara) river valley, on the southern slopes of the ridge. He gladly talks about his herds. Yaks, for example, serve as an excellent barometer. They graze on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, and if the herd goes down, to the foot - wait for the weather.
From the Yelangasha Valley, through a simple but protracted pass, you can get into the Tara River Valley. This is the southern slopes of the South Chuysky ridge, and the Tara is a tributary of the Jazator. Best of all, this pass is suitable for motorcycles and ATVs. There is no road, but the ascent along the grassy and then stone slope is quite gentle and quite passable even in bad weather. By car, passing the pass is not even possible for an experienced driver.
How to get there
Shepherd parking is accessible by four-wheel drive. The road is bad, rocky, and on it tires of the car can seriously suffer. Just above the parking lot, the road ends. From here you can walk on foot to the upper Yelangash, to the foot of the peak Irbis-Tu ("Snow Leopard Mountain"), whose height is 3967 m. And to the Yelangash-Tara pass, from which, in clear weather, a picturesque view of the South Chuy Range opens.
The South Chui ridge is located (just do not be surprised!) To the south. The ridges are separated by the valley of the Karagem river. The length of the South Chui ridge from east to west is about 70 km. The tops of the mountains have heights of almost 4 km, in particular, the height of Iiktu is 3936 m, and Janiiktu is 3922 m. Some of the largest glaciers of Mountain Altai lie on this ridge - the Sofia Glacier in the Akkola Valley and the Taldurinsky Glacier in the Taldura Valley. The South Chuysky ridge is less visited than the frequency response due to the greater remoteness from the Chuysky tract. From the Chuysky tract, the peaks of the SSC are barely noticeable; they begin to be seen from the tract only from the village of Ortolyk. In addition to the valleys of Taldura and Akkola, tourists also visit the valleys of the Karaoyuk and Yelangash rivers. In the Yelangash river valley there is a road for cross-country vehicles, such as the GAZ-66, and the Karaoyuk valley is almost uninhabited, it does not even have a visible path, and the places are mostly swampy. The most visited valley on the South African Union is the Akkola Valley.
To get to the Taldur valley (Taldurinsky glacier, Iiktu peak) or the Akkola valley (Sophia glacier), you need to turn towards Beltir in Ortolyk. Beltir village was founded in 1922. Previously called Kyzyl-Mana (red flag). It was a collective farm. They were engaged in cattle breeding. In the river valleys that are nearby: Taldura, Akkol, Chagan, Karaoyuk, Yelangash, many winter houses have been built that have remained here from the old times.
From the same time, preserved roads for UAZs and GAZ-66. At the beginning of this century, a series of earthquakes swept through the area, the strongest of 9.5 points. The village of Beltir more than others was affected by the earthquake. All stone buildings collapsed. Later, the new village of Beltir was built, not far from Kosh-Agach. Part of the population moved to a new place, and part remained to live in the same place. Wooden houses are almost all restored. The village is quite large. Many residents of the village have passable transport, and this can be used for further transfer to the glaciers.
On the maps, the road to Beltir is indicated from Chagan-Uzun, but now no one is driving along it. There is a good road from Ortolyk - 29 km. The first 5 km is asphalt, then up to 17 km is gravel, and then to Beltir itself is asphalt. Any car can drive.
Near the village, the Chagan River flows into the Taldur River, and then the river is called Chagan-Uzun. Beltir in translation means "merger" (two rivers). The altitude here is -1936 m. At the end of the village there is a bridge over the Chagan River, after the bridge to the right goes the road to the Taldurinsky Glacier, and to the left - to the Sofia.
A good road along the Taldur valley goes to the Dzhelo river, UAZ will reach it without any problems, in this place (to the right on the slope) the ascent to the Karagem pass and further to the Karagemskaya glade begins. With ordinary cars, it does not even make sense to try to drive to the Dzhelo River. After 7 km from Beltir, on the left slope of the valley (in the direction of travel), you can see the aftermath of the earthquake in 2003 - a section of the slope (about 1 × 0.9 km) with the forest slid down, this place is now called Arch-Uzuk (“ torn down forest ”).
Further along the Dzhelo river along Taldura it is better to go to GAZ-66 or URAL. Better yet, walk along the valley, it's worth it. Moreover, the road is good everywhere. Guaranteed to meet edelweiss - small Altai wonder flowers. The local mountain landscapes, unlike the frequency response, will greatly impress you with their diversity. A few kilometers before the last winter hut, you will have to cross the Taldur River on the right bank, the maximum depth is slightly above the knee.
A couple of kilometers from the Taldurinsky glacier is the last winter hut in this valley, there are five in all. By car, you can reach the last winter hut. Then you can take a walk to the Taldurinsky glacier, climb the glacier itself or simply approach it. From here, the peaks Olga and the highest point of the UCh - Iiktu 3936 m will be clearly visible. About 40 km from Beltir to the Taldurinsky glacier.
The easiest route between the Taldura and Akkola valleys is through the Leningrad pass of 3300 m (1B) and further along the lake and the Tura-Okzh river to the Akkola valley.
If you go from Beltir to the left, towards the Sophia Glacier along the Chagan Valley, the road will be even better than to Taldur. The first 10 km, it is generally perfectly flat and runs along the steppe, which is more like a desert here. Here you will meet the mounds.
If you look at the slopes of the mountains, you can understand that they are smoothed by glaciers. This once again proves that the glacier once reached Beltir. Further, small mountains will begin, and the road will pass by two lakes, Karakul ("clean", "black") and Akkul ("white").
Here, too, there are winterhouses. It is possible to reach by car (no less than UAZ traffic) only to the Tura-Oyuk River. And then, in almost 2 hours, you can reach the Sophia Glacier. Those. almost to the glacier can be reached by car.
From Beltir to the Sofia Glacier, about 35 km. In front of the moraine glacier a large lake spilled with muddy glacial water, and next to it there are many more small lakes, each in its own moraine bowl, and in each of them water of a different color, from black to light green.
But to see them, you will need to cross to the right bank of the Akkol River, and the road goes all the time along the left bank. This can be done either by fording, or by walking to the glacier and moving across it to the other side.
The easiest route between the Akkola and Karaoyuk valleys is through the Udachny pass 3000 m (1A) along the glacier of the same name.
There is a bridge at the confluence of the Akkola and Karaoyuk rivers on the Akkol River, but the river here spills into two branches, and you will have to ford through one of them.
: / (G) (O) (I) 49.816667 , 87.65 49 ° 49′00 ″ s w. 87 ° 39′00 ″ c. d. / 49.816667 ° c. w. 87.65 ° in. d. (G) (O) (I) (T)
South Chuy Range - a mountain range in Central Altai. It is located south of the North Chuy Range in the interfluve of the Karagem and Chagan-Uzun rivers in the north and Jazator in the south. South of the ridge is the Ukok plateau.
Physico-geographical characteristic
Geographical position
The South Chuysky ridge is lower than the North Chuysky, the average heights here are 3000-3500 m, the highest point is Mount Irbistu (3967 m). On the slopes of the South Chuysky ridge, unlike the North Chuysky, there is practically no forest - only meadows and thickets of dwarf birch. Thanks to this, from many peaks a beautiful view opens up for 30-50 kilometers around, picturesque panoramas of the harsh Chui steppe, Katun and North Chu ridges.
Climate
The South Chui ridge is located in close proximity to the arid semi-deserts of Mongolia, which affects the climatic features in the area. Precipitation on its slopes is much less than on the North Chuysky or Katunsky ranges, however, very large glaciers flow from the slopes of the South Chuysky ridge.
Glaciers
The South Chuy Range is the second largest in the Altai in terms of glaciation. The 243 glaciers located on it have a total area of \u200b\u200b222.8 km². The central place is occupied by the Bolshoi Taldurinsky glacier, the length of which exceeds 8 km, and its area is 34.9 km² and the Sophia Glacier 10 km long and 24 km².
Rivers
Large tributaries of the Chui - the Chagan, Taldur, Tarhat, Irbistu rivers - originate from the ridge. On the other side of the ridge, numerous tributaries of the Jazator River (Jasater) originate.
Lakes
There are many lakes on the South Chuysky ridge, and they are not inferior in beauty to the lakes of the North Chuysky and Katunsky ranges. The most picturesque are Akkol and Karakol lakes in the Akkol river valley. Akkol translated from Altai - "white lake". And indeed, the water in it is light, milky in color. Karakol is, on the contrary, a “black lake”, and this is also true - the water in Karakol seems dark. It is noteworthy that these opposite lakes are located just two kilometers from each other. On the shore of Lake Akkol, tourists often set up a base camp, from where they make walks to the Sofia Glacier or make mountain climbing to the neighboring peaks.
Tourism
Tourists began to visit this area much later than the North Chuysky or Katunsky ranges. This is due to the transport remoteness of the area, and the fact that in Soviet times, these places were considered border territory, the passage through which was carried out strictly by passes.