The Shkhelda Glacier lies on the northern slope of Shkhelda Mountain at the end of a small but very picturesque gorge. The meltwater of the glacier forms the Shkhelda River, which flows into the Adyl-Su River after 4 kilometers. Back in 2022, there was a large moraine with a beautiful arch here, but in 2023, the arch of the Shkhelda glacier collapsed.
Shkhelda Mountain has several rocky peaks. It is part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. The state border of Russia and Georgia runs along it. Almost all the mountain peaks of the range have glaciers, and some of them are quite large. The Shkhelda Glacier is located at a low altitude, only 2,300 meters above sea level. Therefore, it melts much more actively than glaciers lying at an altitude of about 3,000 meters and above.
The length of the route from the Shekhelda Mountaineering camp is about 4 kilometers with a slight climb (from 1950 to 2300 meters). There is a 2.7-kilometer-long hiking trail from the Mountaineering camp to the Smile of Shkhelda Beach. Next, you need to cross to the other side via a suspension bridge and then go to the Upper Reaches of the Shkhelda River. There is still about 1.3 kilometers to go from the bridge to the glacier.
To get directly to the Shkhelda Glacier in the final section of the way, you need to overcome the river flowing from the glacier on Mount Brzedukh. Before flowing into the Shkhelda, this river splits into a large number of streams. It is almost impossible to cross them without getting your feet wet. If you take rubber slippers with you, they will help you cross the river a lot.
After crossing these streams, you will come to the moraine of the Shkhelda glacier. It is possible to climb it, although it is quite difficult, since the stones left after the melting of the glacier are moving. The moraine overlooks the Shkhelda Glacier, which is actively melting. The large moraine arch of the Shkhelda Glacier collapsed in 2023. You can still find photos of this blue arch in various resources. From the moraine of the glacier, it can be seen that the ice masses have been preserved only on the slope of Mount Shkhelda.
