OUR BROTHER ARCHIL
“We were arguing about whether we should take a cam no. 3, and you pack a bottle of liquor?!” Climber Archil Badriashvili replied with a smile, “Yes, this is more important!” And so they all had a sip of Georgian chacha in bad weather in the worst place in the world…
At the beginning of the year we always choose a mountain performance of the past season that impressed us with its spark and “a little bit different” approach. As a rule, these are achievements with pure motivation, without much media hype, in a small team and alpine style. During the existence of this tradition, which we started together with Martin Stolarik in the days of paper magazine Montana, James Price, the brothers Eneko and Iker Pou, or the unmistakable Hansjörg Auer have been awarded the title of “the Big Heart”.
The articles and interviews usually revolved around a particular first-ascent. This time we allowed ourselves a slight change — the new “Dirty Dancing” route to the Indian Nanda Shori (6344 m) is not the main thing here. We chose Archil Badriashvili rather for his lifetime contribution and inspiration, ed. notice.
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NEARLY-MEETING
I remember that day exactly. As part of my morning procrastination, I reached for my phone, opened instagram and was immediately drawn to Reinhold Messner’s post, condolences. I read, “During our stay in Mestia you delighted us with your humble and very friendly behavior. We talked about your fantastic ascents in the Caucasus, Karakoram and Nanda Devi…” There was no doubt — Archil Badriashvili had died. On the tenth of August 2024 he was struck by lightning while descending from the Caucasian Shkhelda (4368 m). For a good mountaineer it always seems surprising, incomprehensible and even somehow out of place when he falls in his home mountains. “That’s not possible,” we shake our heads in disbelief. “After all the first ascents in the whole world? Descending, at home?!”
The Caucasus was undoubtedly home for Archil. This is where he started and grew into a world-class alpinist. Just across the valley, on the walls of the monumental Ushba (4,705m), he left some impressive climbs, and this mountain would follow him for a good part of his climbing career. He first stood on its summit at the age of 21. And it was thanks to this mountain that I actually registered him and quickly placed him among the significantly popular climbers. So did the Caucasus itself, which, also thanks to Archil’s influence, is now one of my favourite mountains.
Even as a child I heard about the Caucasus from my grandfather, who climbed there several times in the 1980s, admired its peaks and constantly felt the magical attraction of it not only as a geographical border between Europe and Asia, but also as an important part of the Czechoslovak mountaineering story. I wasn’t just concerned with things cultural, historical or mythical, but since it is the site of a truly great climbing history, I naturally looked for what I could climb there myself today. But that was quite a problem. Georgia may have become a popular travel destination in recent years, a mecca for ski mountaineering in the winter, but the local mountaineering scene was shrouded in a surprising darkness of information.
There was only one who could be used — Archil Badriashvili. His articles on AAJ (American Alpine Journal, ed.) became for me a much needed bridge between the era of Mikhail Chergiani, represented by Yuri Burlakov’s sometimes hilarious book The Climber, or the exhausting book Forever First, and our/Archil’s era. I enjoyed Archil’s articles. Simultaneously, I started following his social networks, “to keep up with the conditions and what was being climbed…” Through instagram I also met his sister, whose name is Ruska. From the beginning I felt sympathy for both of them, quite similar to the one I have for “their” mountains and the whole country. Thanks to these two, I began to get to know Georgia better and to keep my fingers crossed that it would maintain its independence.
On descending from Ushba in September 2023, Russia wrote to me: “Are you really on Ushba? If so, descend safely and safely. My brother met you as you were going up the valley.” I didn’t recognize him, of course, because of his face covered in sweat and his dull stare at the ground. It occurred to me several times afterwards that this fleeting “meeting” might not be the last. Alas, it was.
WITH FAMILY IN CONNECTION
Archil Badriashvili was born on 26 July 1990 into a family of mountaineers and intellectuals. His mother, Nino, worked as a psychiatrist and professor, while his father, Zurab, was a philologist with a passion for mountains. Archil said of him that he was “a real rebel, because he was one of the few who carried out activities that were forbidden during the Soviet period — mainly climbing solo and choosing peaks without proper permits.”
Archil started rock climbing at the age of seven. Two years later he was climbing peaks in the Chaukhi region with his idol, his father Zurab. When he was fifteen, he climbed Kazbek and at twenty-one the “Queen of the Caucasus” — Ushba.
His connection with his family, not only with his father but also with his sister, was very powerful. Sister Ruska supported him in every way, promoted his performances, and acted as his personal manager. Even in the field, Archil did his best to share as much of what he was doing with them as possible. Experienced Slovenian alpinist Marko Prezejl adds: “He constantly had his satellite phone on, sharing our activity with his family, and I have to admit that I was a bit uncomfortable. Archil, in return, called me a dinosaur.”
“He was constantly sharing our activity with his family — I was a little uncomfortable. Archil, in return, called me a dinosaur.”
Even without a detailed biography, the pace and scope of his life is striking. A powerful mountaineer who worked as a doctor and mountain guide, a persistent promoter of Georgian mountaineering and especially of his native country, a prolific publicist, a Piolet d’Or winner… At the same time, a great patriot, which is typical for Georgians — given the borders with the Russian Federation and the overall historical experience, this is very understandable. For Georgian mountaineering, then, Archil did the best he could: he climbed.
And he climbed a lot, successfully and with international acclaim. But he never slipped into cheap and self-serving praise. He saw his actions as a continuation of his predecessors, his father and other famous Georgian mountaineers. “Climbing for him seems to have been much more about carrying the flag of his country and inspiring future generations. He was less concerned about his own achievements,” Owen Clarke wrote about him in an article for Climbing.com.
Dougald MacDonald, AAJ’s editor-in-chief, recalled how sometimes Badriashvili’s articles went beyond the climbing itself. “I once wrote a headline for one of his reports… When he saw it, he gently suggested I change it. It turned out that the phrase I used reflected just the kind of political slogan that might offend some Georgians.“
Archil has published 17 articles in AAJ over the past eight years. First from his Caucasus and more recently from the Himalayas and Karakoram. Since this periodical does not usually feature any holiday climbs, this is a telling picture of his mountaineering intensity. And his articles were not just dry descriptions. So were his videos — reasonably punk at first, more elaborate later, but always far from the contrived “big game”. In spite of the often depicted suffering and the complete language barrier, on the contrary, they breathe comfort, peace, friendship.
A MIX OF WEST AND EAST
He placed great emphasis on friendship and shared experiences. “I thought, ‘What the hell is this?’” recalls Frenchman Manu Pellissier of their trip to India together. “We were arguing about whether we should take a cam no. 3, and you pack this bottle of liquor? Archil replied with a smile. “Yes, but this is more important!” “We all had a sip of chacha in bad weather, in the worst place in the world, and I agreed it was a good decision.” Pellissier admitted, laughing. “For Archil, what you share with people is just as important, maybe more important, than the climb itself. I told him the next day that if he needed a three, he should just set up his bottle instead,” Manu recalled.
In a way, Archil was combining Western and Eastern styles with his climbing. Maybe it’s just my feeling, but some of his climbs bear the marks of perfect “Eastern” masochism, like the 13-day-long winter calvary on the south face of Shkhara, which he completed in 2018 with his fellow climber Giorgi Tepnadz (see video above, ed.). Such ventures are unlikely to be very appealing to European ultralight alpinists, bred in the infrastructure of Chamonix. On the other hand, lightness and alpine style in a small team are not a frequent feature of the reports written in Cyrillic…
The necessity to really suffer sometimes Archil adds to the surprisingly hard technical difficulty, which combination he and his fellow climbers perfected in 2021 on Saraghrar (7340 m) in Hindu Kush. This feat earned them the Golden Axe (the highest Piolet d’Or award, ed.).
It was the first time ever that a Georgian received the “mountaineering Oscar”. It is certainly worth mentioning that Archil has been nominated for five consecutive years. To introduce the award-winning climb, let us hear the official statement of the jury: “The choice of a virgin high peak in a little-known region and a wall that has never been attempted before. A small team, a nine-day climb in pure alpine style with the main technical difficulties above 6,200m, with the key passage located between 6,750m and 7,000m. All this requires a great level of commitment and meets the requirements of the Piolet d’Or philosophy.” A bit of numbers here then: wall 2,300m, ED2 overall difficulty, Russian/Caucasian 6B, 6b climbing, M5+, A3+, 80–90° ice.
Archil himself at the beginning of the comprehensive report predicts: “It should be noted that all three of us — Bakar Gelashvili, Giorgi Tepnadze and myself — feel grateful to have had this adventure. The whole escapade felt like a return to the romantic era of mountaineering, in an ecological style, with a close circle of friends…”
FOR MOUNTAIN STUDENTS
One often finds references to romantic past times in Archil. His description of the ascent of Pangpoche II is in a similar vein: “One by one we climb to the top, then we sit for an hour and applaud the mountains, our country, our friends and our families… We cheer with French cognac.” Another comment by Archil also evokes the spirit of the rich times. “We didn’t even know exactly what the wall looked like, not to mention the quality of the rock and other important details that today’s climbers try to find out before organizing a big expedition. We were faced with steep walls, isolation, undescribed areas and a difficult route up and down — it was almost like going to our home mountains in Georgia!“
It is not only the sporting and self-promotional aspect that we see in his literary work. In his essay on Kazbek, he explores its sacred importance to Georgia and its role in the development of mountaineering there. He refers to Saint Joseph of Khevi (18th century) as the first Georgian mountaineer and expresses the hope that modern mountaineers will continue to “seek especially spiritual treasures” in the mountains, just as this saint did.
“For an hour we sit at the top and applaud the mountains, our country, our friends and our families… We cheer with French cognac.”
Archil also enthusiastically addressed the ethics of mountaineering and environmental protection. At the age of 19 he initiated a project to clean up the slopes of Kazbek and often spoke about the importance of sustainable alpinism. His last public speech in Mestia then called for restrictions on building in high mountain areas in order to preserve the natural wealth and traditional character of the Georgian landscape. He played a significant role in the functioning, development and success of the United Mountaineering Federation of Georgia.
In addition, in 2023 he founded a mountaineering school for young climbers. After his death, the Ilia State University in Tbilisi established a student scholarship bearing his name. This programme will support students from mountainous areas: whoever is selected can study for a year completely free of charge. The condition is to write an essay on the topic “Mountains” and work on a project popularising the mountain regions of Georgia during the year.
HOME AND ABROAD: SELECTION
In February 2018, Archil Badriashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze made history with their first winter ascent of the massive south face of Shkhara, Georgia’s highest mountain. The 2,300-meter-long ascent was made alpine-style, with technical difficulty complemented by significant objective danger and overall ruggedness. This climb was also marked with the highest grade of the Caucasian classification: 6B (ED2) and nominated for the Piolet d’Or. The wisdom of Georgian climbers is: “It is better to climb Ushba in the worst conditions than to go to Shkhara in winter.” (see embedded video in the article, ed.)
Archil has another route to it:
A six-day traverse with Temo Qurdian. The monumental traverse of the Bezing Wall (only from the other, Georgian side), which has always been one of the most serious Caucasus climbs ever. In addition, Archil and Giorky made it harder for themselves by climbing up the Georgian “Normal” Beknu-Khergiani Route (2,200 m, 5B ED, 1950), a bona fide “golden” classic. At 2,200m, it has rather Himalayan proportions and the approach itself usually requires four bivouacs.
“I remember moments as a teenager cautiously searching for ‘my line’ on this magical mountain. However, it seemed that all logical routes on the six faces of this two-peaked mountain had been exhausted. Giorgi Tepnadze and I wanted a new, bold line, climbed in an easy style that would test our long-standing friendship and team experience.” This was achieved and their route is described in classification parlance as follows: 1700m, 6A/6B (UIAA VI/VII), A4. And she was nominated again for the Piolet d’Or for 2021.
The first known ascent of this wall, which can be seen from a distance from the Mestia square… Climbed with Temur Kurdiani. “It’s an exciting, 1700m long line with an ever-changing character and some sections that are safer to climb really fast.”
A new route to the undoubtedly the most profligate peak of the Caucasus with Giorki Tepnadze. “We rated our new 800 m of technical climbing 5B, AI5 (90°) M4 60°. It is now the hardest route on this sacred mountain. But the funniest memento was given to me by my younger sister: she painted me a beautiful picture of me meeting a dragon.”
In September 2017, Archil Badriashvili, Giorgi Tepnadze and Bakar Gelashvili stood on the summit of Nepal’s Larkya Main (6,416 m). Their route (ED1, 6a, M5, A4, 80°) was nominated for the 2018 Piolet d’Or Award, drawing attention to the Georgian climbers.
In October 2019, Archil Badriashvili, Bakar Gelashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze successfully climbed the previously unclimbed peaks of Pangpoche I (6,620 m) and Pangpoche II (6,504 m) in the Manaslu region of Nepal. Their ascents, published again on the Piolets d’Or 2020 list, underlined their obvious commitment to exploratory alpinism. The ascents of Pangpoche I and Pangpoche II were rated 5B (Caucasus scale).
In 2022 Badriashvili, Tepnadze and Gelashvili were the first Georgians to receive the Golden Axe. To illustrate, “Giorgi climbed for seven hours, trying to gain ground at nearly 7,000 metres. For Bakar and me, the only joy was watching the animal snow blowing around the belay all day. We would have looked very funny if someone had seen us climbing such a perpendicular wall in our thick and clumsy alpine clothing. Only the birds were watching us, but even so we had to act boldly and stay cool.” The mountain is located in Pakistan’s Hindu Kush. The difficulty? 2,300m wall, ED2, Russian 6B, 6b climbing, M5+, A3+, 80–90° ice.
In the summer of 2024, together with Man Pellissier and Mark Prezejl, he went to the Indian Nanda Devi (specifically to the 7,434 m high eastern peak of Sunanda Devi, as the main peak remains closed for religious reasons, ed.). However, they did not complete the intended line due to unexpected heat and had to choose an alternative programme. This was the nearby Nanda Shori, where they climbed a route they called “Dirty Dancing” (ED M5 85°, 1200 m) in four days. The name refers to the muddy and muddy terrain that occurs at higher and higher altitudes due to the changing climate.
ABOUT A HAPPY MAN
ARCHIL THROUGH THE EYES OF MOTHER NINO
I am deeply grateful for being his mom – he brought joy with his birth and has been teaching meaningful lessons after his passing – „Gardatsvaleba“, as we Georgians call this process of metamorphosis or transformation.
Archil was a happy man, which is a mission of our lives. He devoted his conscious life to the mountains he loved wholeheartedly and never deviated from this path. He was that congruent in his drives, actions and joy…
He spent all seasons in the mountains, and I missed him constantly. That deep sense of missing continues, yet I recognise the generosity of his life, which brings me comfort – Archil reminds me of a bright star that continues to shine even after it has been extinguished.
A HUNDRED TIMES MORE THAN ME
ARCHIL THROUGH THE EYES OF HIS SISTER RUSKA
Archil (whom I call Achi) was an older brother, a friend, a pillar of support, a teacher, a role model, a confidant, and my only companion in the mountains.
I was always proud to be involved in each of his plans. I watched him explore regions and mountains, map out virtual routes, and then follow those paths.
We developed our own coded language to send a week’s weather forecast from three different websites concisely yet straightforwardly. We used letters to indicate the website, date, wind, and frost.
In recent years, he often shared his satellite location with me, and I would watch his movements. It was fascinating to experience his journey with him. I loved his calls—the triumphant cheer upon reaching the summit, the sense of gratitude, and the travelling back.
We went through a lot of worry and a lot of joy together.
What I loved most was welcoming him at the airport. Then, our tradition was to have a snack together as a family in our old kitchen. After that, the two of us would lock ourselves in his room, and he would tell me stories about the expedition—things he wouldn’t share with anybody else—until morning — his inner struggles, challenges, philosophical insights, discoveries, and realisations. He also made me laugh so much—my mother would always say that all night long, the only sound coming from the room was our laughter (and she loved that).
Archil was an idealist, a romantic, but not naïve. He was a wise man, noble, humble, serious, yet full of humor. He was always ready to share his knowledge, to give information, to pass on his experiences—relentlessly, even when I told him it wasn’t necessary—he still did.
I was recently in Svaneti, gazing at Ushba, and my heart felt heavy. He loved this Earth, nature, the summits, the winds, and the sky a hundred times more than I did. I regretted that the person who appreciated and respected all of this the most was no longer here to witness it.
On August 1st, my birthday, he took me to the summit of Tetnuldi. We were the only two there 10 days before his passing away. We lay in the tent and talked about death. That’s when he told me, “Rusa, I’m ready to leave any day, from any mountain“.
I’m glad I could endure his departure and didn’t betray him. I held myself together and acted as he expected. I had made that promise to him.
If time could take me back, with this knowledge, I would still see him off to the mountains with the same enthusiasm, just as I always did when I told him farewell with my parents. We are a mountain family; we love and respect them, and for us, death in the mountains is an honor.
MEMORIES OF FRIENDS
Avto Japaridze, 23 (Mestia)
He was climbing Shkhelda with Archil when the fatal tragedy occurred. Archil enjoyed spending time with him and saw great potential in his climbing.
I miss you, brother. One day we will meet again.”
Temur Kurdiani, 28 years old (Kutaisi)
Archil climbed with Temur for several years, mainly in the Caucasus, but they also went to Patagonia together.
Great hope! That’s what Archil means to me. Great hope.
Some may ask, why am I talking about Archil in the present tense? There’s only one answer to that! He’s still here with us! He will stay here as long as I am here, as long as Avto and Nari, our boys, his sister Ruska, mother and father… When I look at them, I see hope in their eyes, I see Archil.
Calm… I wish everyone could see for one second his calm step, his overwhelming respect and awe! He literally caresses the rock and the ground with his footsteps. Acho is never in a hurry, but he is always very fast. Did you know he slows down time?
He is a true warrior, fearless and full of faith. The mountains are strict disciplinarians, you’d almost think… Did they really want him that strong? It seems so… And not just for himself, but for us. Archil is raised by the mountains and we are raised by him.
Love loves Archil. I wish everyone knew how much love we carry within us. How much the mountains adore him! How the sun admires him so much that he warms us twice as much. The stones dream his dream. The wind blows his breath. Is he really dead? Up there?
And now, at the end of my speech, let’s be clear. Archil simply stays with everyone… With the mountains, with me, Avto and Nari, with our boys, with the Russian, his mom, dad and his beloved dog Lukian… And certainly with you, my dear reader.”
Beschken Pilpani, 22 years old (Mestia)
Another young talented Archil’s offspring and friend. He participated in his last hike.
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The memories of surviving friends, family or wider society will never be a true representation of the whole person. They will always be a little one-sided and celebratory…
What is important, however, are the motifs and details that repeatedly emerge from those celebratory memories. Someone will be remembered as a tireless mountain climber, someone as a warrior, or a sporting talent…
I like to think (and others in the editorial office do too, note) that in the case of Archil Badriashvili, what prevails above all is that he was a good man.
SOURCES
A Climber We Lost: Archil Badriashvili, Climbing.com
Inside the Piolet d’Or-winning Ascent of Saraghrar, Climbing.com
A Tribute to an Exceptional Man and Climber, Explorersweb.com
Tribute to Archil Badriashvili, Pioletsdor.net
A Rare Expedition to the Hindu Kush…, Americanalpineclub.org
Personal pages – Facebook, YouTube
An annual award for climbers that made an impression on us due to their spark and attitude. It’s all about mountain projects driven by pure motivation, without excessive promo, done in a small team and in alpine style
2013
Jirka Pliska and Ondra Mandula – first ascent on na Uzum Brakk, Pakistan
2014
Cyrill Bösch, Elias Gmünder, Arunas Kamandulis a Gediminas Simutis – first ascent on Lotus Tower, India
2015
Marek “Regan” Raganowicz and Marcin Tomaszewski for a new route in the Troll Wall, Norway
2016
Jindřich Bednář and Michal Plunder for the first Czech ascent of Nameless Trango Tower, Pakistan
2018
Hansjörg Auer for his solo ascent of Lupghar Sar West in Karakoram, Pakistan
2019
Eneko and Iker Pou for the first ascent of the “Latin Brother” route on Midi d’Ossau in the Indian Himalaya
2020
Silvia Vidal for the solo first ascent of “Sincronia Magica” on Chileno Grande in Patagonia, Chile
2021
James Price for solo first ascents on Passu East, Passu North and Maidon Sar in Karakoram, Pakistan
2022
Caro North, Capucine Cotteaux and Nadia Royo Cremer for the women’s first ascent of “Via Sedna” in Greenland
2023
Marc Subirana a Miquel „Miki“ Mas for Atracció Instintiva (7a, 1100 m, A2+, M5) first ascent on Latok Thumb (eMontana)
2024
Archil Badriashvili not only for the FA of Dirty Dancing on Nanda Shori (eMontana)
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