Archil Badriashvili’s funeral took place in Georgia on August 15. Family, colleagues, and friends of the 34-year-old climber said their last goodbyes.
Badriashvili was a true explorer, always interested in new paths in remote corners. His pioneering routes and first ascents traced beautiful lines on difficult faces and ridges around the world.
The accident
Badriashvili died on August 10 in an accident on 4,388m Shkhelda Peak in Georgia. He was climbing with Nariman Japaridze, Avto Japaridze, and Beshken Pilpan when the weather turned sour. As they descended from the summit, lightning struck close to Badriashvili, knocking him from the ridge.
His partners connected to a Russian radio frequency to call for help. The Russians notified Georgian authorities, and Badriashvili’s partners were rescued the next day. A helicopter subsequently spotted Badriashvili’s body, and rescue services retrieved it on August 12.
Shkhelda. Photo: @Mountainpeaksexplorer
The fatal accident shocked the climbing community. ExplorersWeb had just spoken with Badriashvili in July after Kazuya Hiraide and Kenro Nakajima’s fall on the West Face of K2. Badriashvili was worried about the Japanese climbers and wanted to find out how he could help. Apart from his humility and kindness, his love for mountains and mountaineering made him exceptional.
Condolences pour in
The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, expressed his condolences last Monday:
“I am saddened by the death of alpinist Archil Badriashvili. Archil was a top-class mountaineer who, together with two teammates, for the first time in Georgian alpinism, won the most prestigious sports award, the Piolet d’Or. I offer my condolences to his family members, friends, relatives, and colleagues,” Kobakhidze wrote.
Reinhold Messner also posted a message:
Dear Archil, three weeks ago, we sat together by the fire and had a good chat. During our stay in Mestia, you delighted us with your reserved and very friendly manner, and we talked about your fantastic routes in the Caucasus, Karakoram, and on Nanda Devi.
When we said goodbye in Mestia, we promised each other that you would come and visit us in the Dolomites. Now, unfortunately, we won’t be able to do so. We would have loved to show you our mountains. Archil, we will miss you.
Archil Badriashvili. Photo: Ani Khergiani
A long climbing resumé
Badriashvili was a medical doctor who obtained his degree at the Tbilisi State Medical University. He was also a mountain guide who made many outstanding ascents in the Caucasus, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, and the Himalaya.
The Badriashvili-Tepnadze route on the west-northwest buttress of Asatiani. Photo: Archil Badriashvili for the American Alpine Journal
Caucasus firsts
In 2015, Badriashvili and Giorgi Tepnadze established a new route on the difficult west-northwest buttress of Asatiani in the Chaukhi Range, located in the eastern Caucasus. Most mountains there range between 3,400m and 3,850m, and almost every summit is named after a beloved Georgian figure.
The Kartvelishvili Route with the 2015 Georgian variation, on the southwest face of Dzhangi-Tau in the Caucasus. Photo: Archil Badriashvili/AAJ
In the summer of 2015, Badriashvili, Tepnadze, and Levan Tsibadze climbed the Kartvelishvili Route on the southwest face of 5,058m Dzhangi-tau, the second-highest peak in the Georgian Caucasus. They created a new variant of at least 150m, with sections of 90º ice. First climbed in 1965, the Kartvelishvili Route had only been repeated once, in 1978.
Shkhara South during the first winter ascent in December 2015. The route followed the left skyline ridge. Photo: Archil Badriashvili
In the winter of 2015, Badriashvili and Tepnadze (with the help of Davit Mchedlishvili until the last camp) carried out the first winter ascent via the south-southwest ridge of 4,320m Shkhara South in the Caucasus. The 2,100m ascent, with a total distance of more than 25km from the village of Ushguli and back, was rated 4A.
In 2015, Badriashvili and Tepnadze climbed a new route on the north face of 3,854m Agmashenebeli, one of the highest peaks in the Chaukhi Range.
On the first ascent of the Badriashvili-Tepnadze Route on the north face of Agmashenebeli. Photo: Archil Badriashvili
A major traverse
In the same year, he soloed the first complete traverse of the Chaukhi Range. It took him 31 hours to cross eleven summits above 3,500m, grading it 5B. The traverse included a vertical gain of 2,300m. Apart from 360m, on which he either self-belayed or rappelled, everything else was completed free solo.
The Chaukhi Range solo traverse by Archil Badriashvili. Top photo: Badriashvili on the last day of the traverse, with bad weather developing. Bottom photo: Partway along the Chaukhi Ridge. Badriashvili had already free-soloed the peaks in the background when he took this picture. Photos: Archil Badriashvili/AAJ
In August 2015, Badriashvili and Tepnadze went to the west face of Ushba, a symbolic mountain of the Caucasus. There, they carried out the first alpine-style ascent of the difficult Grigorenko-Prigoda route (5B) and traversed both summits of Ushba.
“There are many legends, songs, and stories connected with this harsh mountain,” Badriashvili explained. He said that his father, Zurab Badriashvili, a pioneer of solo climbing in the Caucasus, first pointed out the Grigorenko-Prigoda route to him.
You can read Badriashvili’s exciting report on this climb here.
The twin summits of Ushba from the southeast. Photo: Archil Badriashvili
Kyrgyzstan and more Georgian projects
In 2016, again with Tepnadze, he went to Kyrgyzstan. The duo established the Georgian Direct on the south face of Korona VI, located in the Ala Archa National Park. The climb included sections of a steep rock wall, where they spotted pitons and rappel slings. They had to free-climb on wet rock in horrible weather. The Georgian Direct was the first new route Georgians climbed in the Ala Archa.
Giorgi Tepnadze (left) and Archil Badriashvili during their ascent of the Georgian Direct on Pik Korona. Photo: Giorgi Tepnadze
In 2016, Badriashvili and Tepnadze made the first ascent of the impressive east face of 3,820m Asatiani in the Chaukhi Massif of the Georgian Caucasus.
Later that year, the duo climbed a new route up the Dragon’s Wall (again in the Caucasus) on the east face of 5,047m Kazbek in winter. Kazbek rises 3,200m above the village of Stepantsminda.
Top photo: the Badriashvili-Tepnadze route during the first ascent of the east face of Asatiani. Bottom photo: The Dragon’s Wall (the east face) of Kazbek and the line of the Georgian winter route. Photos: Archil Badriashvili and Christian Stangl/AAJ
Trips further afield
In 2017, Badriashvili, along with fellow Georgian climbers Bakar Gelashvili, Giorgi Tepnadze, and Gia Tortladze headed to the Manaslu Himal. There, they made the first ascent of the granite southeast face of 6,416m Larkya Peak.
High on the headwall of the Georgian Route on the southeast face of Larkya Peak. Photo: Archil Badriashvili
In 2018, Badriashvili and Tepnadze carried out the first winter ascent from the south of 5,203m Shkhara, Georgia’s highest mountain. Their route involved 2,500m of climbing (60-plus pitches) and was graded 6B (ED2), M5 WI5, 75-80º.
During the 2017 Larkya Peak climb, Badriashvili noted the beauty of two unclimbed peaks nearby: 6,620m Pangboche I and 6,504m Pangboche II. Pangboche I was attempted in 2009 by a Japanese party, and in 2012 by Norwegians. Pangboche II had never been attempted.
In the autumn of 2018, Badriashvili, Tepnadze, and Baqar Gelashvili made the first ascent of both peaks. They climbed Pangboche I by the northeast ridge and Pangboche II via the southwest ridge and south-southwest face.
Pangboche I from the summit of Pangboche II, near sunset. Photo: Archil Badriashvili
Nanga Parbat
In July 2019, Badriashvili and Tepnadze ascended Nanga Parbat.
In 2020, Badriashvili and Tepnadze opened a direct line on the northwest face of Ushba in lightweight style (1,700m ED2, 6A/Bm 6a, A4). When Badriashvili was a teenager, he was already studying maps to find his line on this dangerous mountain. The climb was proof of the strength of Badriashvili and Tepnadze’s partnership.
In the same year, Badriashvili and Tepnadze climbed the southwest face of 4,547m Ailama in the Central Caucasus.
The 2,300m round-trip route on the northwest face of Saraghrar Northwest. Photo: Archil Badriashvili
In August 2021, Badriashvili, Tepnadze, and Gelashvili made the first ascent of the south face and east ridge of 6,833m Languta-e-Barfi in the Pakistani Hindu Kush. The next month, they made the first ascent of Saraghrar Northwest (ca. 7,300m) by the northwest face, for which they won a Piolet d’Or.
In 2021, Badriashvili, Tepnadze, and Gelashvili made the first winter ascent of the west face of 4,860m Tetnuldi in the Caucasus. A big storm arrived when they were near the summit, and they climbed the remaining 150m of the ridge in poor visibility.
The west face of Tetnuldi. After summiting, they descended the south ridge. Photo: Shalva Lejava for AAJ
2023-4 efforts
In August 2023, Badriashvili and Temo Qurdiani made the Shkhara traverse via the Beknu Khergiani and Rolleston-Longstaff routes.
Finally, this past June, Badriashvili, Marko Prezelj, and Manu Pellisier were in the Indian Himalaya. Here, they made the first ascent of 6,344m Nanda Shori and opened another route on 6,322m Changush.
Badriasvili’s reports for the American Alpine Journal are great reads, full of exciting passages and stories from the history of mountaineering. They would form a fantastic adventure book.
Badriasvili won Georgia’s version of the Golden Ice Axe several times.
He will be sorely missed.
Archil Badriashvili. Photo: Nanike Chanturia/Facebook
