Ushba South via Myshlyaev route. The first ascent by an all-famale team

The all-female team of Steel Angel award winners—the Russian equivalent of the Piolet d’Or for women— Olga Paducheva, Oksana Kochubey, Nadezhda Pilshchikova and Nadezhda Muzhikina completed the Myshlyaev route on Mt. Ushba South (4710 m), 6A RUS, ED+

Olga Paduchyeva

Nominee for the “Steel Angel” award in 2015 and 2022.
Olga started mountaineering in 2006 in Novokuznetsk. In 2016 climbed the Mikhailov route (5B RUS) on Peak Box in Ala-Archa in winter. After a long hiatus to build her career and recover from knee injuries, she found new inspiration for mountaineering after moving to St. Petersburg in 2021. The city’s high climbing walls, nearby rocks, numerous competitions, and active community rekindled her passion. In the first half of 2024, she completed four 6A routes, with the most captivating being Ushba.

Oksana Kochubei

Winner of the St. Petersburg Mountaineering Championship in Technical Class 2022, Silver Medalist in 2023, Bronze Medalist in 2021, two-time holder of the Russian Cup in Mountain Distances in 2023, Silver Medalist of the Russian Cup in Mountain Distances (group discipline) in 2024, and recipient of the “Steel Butterfly” award in 2023.
Born and raised in Vladivostok, Oksana started mountaineering after moving to St. Petersburg. Her home club, “Polytechnic,” became like a family where she grew and developed as an athlete.

Nadezhda Muzhikina

Silver Medalist of the St. Petersburg Mountaineering Championship in Technical Class in 2020, Bronze Medalist of the Russian Championship in Rock Class in 2018.

Born and raised in Angarsk, Irkutsk Oblast, Nadezhda moved to St. Petersburg after high school, where she began mountaineering. She is a doctor and candidate of medical sciences.

Nadezhda Pilshchikova

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Nadezhda first encountered the mountains almost by chance, joining friends on a commercial tour to Belukha in Altai. The beauty and vastness of the mountains captivated her, and since then, she has spent every summer and winter in the mountains. Her home climbing club is “Shturm” in St. Petersburg.

Mount Ushba is located in the Main Caucasian Range at the very end of the Shkhelda Gorge, on the border between Russia and Georgia. The Ushba massif consists of two peaks: the North (4690 m) and the South (4710 m).

Myshlyaev Route on Mt. Ushba South (4710 m)

Difficult: RUS 6A, ED (Difficult rock and mix climbing, aid climbing)
Elevation gain: 1700 m
Total length: 2500 m
Length of technical sections (V–VI difficulty): 650 m

The ascent for the team took 7 days, of which a total of 3.5 days were spent climbing up, one day was spent waiting out bad weather at the bivouac on the “Pillar, ” and 2.5 days were spent rappelling.

Myshlyaev’s route is particularly notable for the wall section of the “Pillar, ” which features a massive dihedral transitioning into a chimney. The varied terrain allows the use of a full array of protection points in trad climbing: nuts, cams, and pitons.

Ushba is considered one of the most challenging 4000-meter peaks in the world, and its reputation is not only due to the technical difficulty of its sheer walls, which have no easy routes. According to numerous accounts, even in clear, ringing weather, a thunderstorm front can arrive within five minutes, covering the entire massif and striking it and the entire valley with flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.

The First 2.5 Days

For the first 2.5 days, the weather was favorable, allowing the team to climb two-thirds of the route, including the most technically challenging section to the top of the “Pillar.”

Weather Worsens

However, the weather soon began to deteriorate, and the forecast was not promising. The team decided to wait it out for a day. After a day of waiting in the tent on the ledge of the “Pillar, ” they took advantage of a two-day weather window and set off to storm the summit lightly equipped to climb more quickly, following the tactical actions described by K. Markevich’s team on the FAR website. They planned to push hard that day to reach the summit and descend before the impending bad weather. However, Ushba’s notorious reputation held true—it is unpredictable, and the weather started worsening by the evening of that day.

The Climb

As often happens in big classic mountains, after the monolithic key section, “slums” begin, which drain psychological strength even more. Myshlyaev’s route is no exception. The slope after the wall section is stone-prone and consists of “ram’s heads” with stones lying on them. There are few places for reliable protection points. The team of four wasn’t the most mobile, so they had to move as carefully and securely as possible. Yet, they couldn’t avoid all the stones, and some ropes were cut. “Never before had I shouted ‘rock’ so many times on a route, ” said Olga Paduchyeva. “Just before reaching the ridge, a rockslide severed the dynamic rope in two places and showered the belay station with stones, where two members were standing. Thankfully, there were no injuries, but it tested the strength of our helmets and bodies.”

Summit Decision

Reaching the summit, the women decided not to risk nighttime rappels in the dark and fog while dodging rockfall. Moreover, a storm front was approaching. Ultimately, perhaps due to their perseverance and determination, they earned a memorable bivouac on the summit ridge. According to Olga: “It was snowing, -7°C, with lightning flashing around, storm winds blowing, and clouds rolling in. We sat on the ropes, huddled together, and waited for dawn, periodically nudging each other to stay awake and not freeze in our sleep. In the morning, in wet clothes covered with frost, shivering from the cold, we began the descent. It snowed all day, despite the forecast for clear weather. We had enough strength to descend 10 rappels to the tent and spent half a day warming up in it. The remaining 1.5 days of descent passed unnoticed.”

Ushba’s Test

As someone once said, “Ushba is a peak where the Svan people test men!” Ushba tested our women’s spirits and willpower to the limit. “Ushba was not easy for us; it kept us on edge until the last step, a very capricious and unpredictable mountain, ” shared Olga. “Special thanks to our observer, Andrey Panov, who encouraged and guided us in the most challenging moments.”