Tsey Glacier in the Tsey Gorge

The Tsey Glacier is the second largest glacier in North Ossetia after the Karaugom glacier. The length of the Tsey glacier reaches 9 kilometers. It is constantly melting and annually becomes shorter by 3-5 meters. Now its lower tongues descend into the Tsey Gorge to a height of 2200 meters.  

The trekking trail to the Tsey Glacier begins near the Tsey Alpine Camp at an altitude of 1850 meters and passes through the valley of the Tseydon River. The climb on this trail is 320 meters, but it is gradual over the entire distance, so the trail is not difficult, even for untrained people.  

The highest mountain towering above the Tsey Glacier is called Wilpata (4649 m). However, the glacier itself is formed in the firn fields of the neighboring mountain Adai-Hoh (4408 m). On the other slope of the Adai-Hoh mountain, the Skazsky Glacier descends, which can be seen in the neighboring branch of the Tsey Gorge, on the opposite side of the Monk Mountain. 

The area of the Tsey Glacier reaches 9.7 square kilometers. In summer, along the trekking trail, you can come close to the blue chunks of the glacier. Some even enter its grottoes, but it is dangerous. The glacier is constantly melting, and these grottoes can collapse at any moment. In winter, everything is covered with snow here, so you can only see the Tsey Glacier from afar. On the mountain slopes above 2500 meters, snow lies all year round.