Shkhelda Mountain is part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. Its northern slope is in Russia, and its southern slope is in Georgia. This is not just a mountain, but a mountain range of several peaks. The highest of them is the Eastern Shkhelda (4320 meters). The Shkhelda Glacier descends along the northern slope of the mountain, and the Shkhelda River flows out of it.
Other peaks of this mountain range are called: Central Shkhelda, Western Shkhelda, Secong Western Shkhelda, Third Western Shkhelda, Trade Union Peak. The height of all the peaks exceeds 4,000 meters. Most of the peaks have steep slopes, which is of particular interest to climbers. Routes on some slopes have the highest difficulty category.
Mount Shkhelda is visible from the high bank of the river Adyl-Su, at the beginning of the route to Lake Bashkara. If you walk along the gorge of the Shkhelda River, then you will see the mountain only from the Smile of Shkhelda Beach. This is a small hollow that divides the gorge of the Shkhelda River into two parts. There is a glacial zone in the upper reaches of the Shkhelda River, and the lower part of the Shkhelda Gorge is overgrown with dense pine forest.
Near the "beach" you need to cross the river on a suspension bridge and then walk along the stone rubble along the riverbank. After that, a fairly wide valley begins, from which Mount Shkhelda is visible. All the peaks of the mountain are visible very well. You can walk about 1.3 kilometers along the river valley to the glacier moraine. If you can walk to the glacier and climb its moraine, you will have a beautiful view of Mount Shkhelda and the glacier at its foot.
