The Tsey Gorge is one of the most beautiful not only in North Ossetia, but also in the entire Caucasus region. Its length reaches 15 kilometers from the village of Buron, to the lower tongue of the Tsey glacier. The Tsey Gorge is an all-season resort. In winter, you can ski here, and in summer climbers and trekking fans come to Tsey’s mountain routes.
In Soviet times, the Tsey Alpine Camp was one of the most famous mountain resorts in the country. The famous singer Yuri Vizbor dedicated some songs to the Tsey Gorge. In addition to the natural beauty, it gave the Tsey Gorge an aura of romance, which attracted thousands of young people:
This one is in white snow
Ski Lyceum
A panacea for our misfortunes.
We don`t believe the words,
But in the Alpine Camp Tsey
We were all happy.
In Soviet times, the tourist infrastructure was just beginning to develop, but then it was not a problem for young people. Now hotels and chairlifts have appeared in the Tsey Gorge, but you should not expect something similar to Krasnaya Polyana near Sochi. The length of 3 ski trails of the Tsey ski resort is 7.5 kilometers. There are two chairlifts here. The trails start at the Skazsky glacier, the height difference is 920 meters.
The Tsey Gorge is sandwiched between the Tsey and Kalperovsky mountain ranges. A pine forest grows at the bottom of the gorge. The height of the rocky mountains towering over the Tsey Gorge exceeds 3000 meters. There are also mountains with a height of more than 4000 meters, that’s why Tsey is so picturesque at any time.
Most of the hotels in the Tsey Gorge are located at the foot of Mount Monk (2990 m), which divides the gorge into two parts. These two arms of the gorge form the famous Tsey Horseshoe, which wraps around Mount Monk. Glaciers descend from the mountain peaks on both sides of the Monk. Near the Kalperovsky mountain range, the Skazsky glacier descends into the valley, and near the Tseysky mountain range, the Tsey glacier descends into the valley.
The highest mountains of the Gorge rise above the Tsey glacier: Wilpata (4649 m), Changchakhi (4462 m), Songuti (4460 m) and Tsepkhoh (4139 m). The Tseydon River originates from the Tsey Glacier merges with the Skazdon River at the foot of Mount Monk.
A trekking trail has been laid to the Tsey Glacier from the Tsey Alpine Camp. It goes along the Valley of the Tseydon River. The trail begins at the EMERCOM base and stretches for 3.2 kilometers. It ends a few hundred meters from the glacier at the beds of small streams. You can cross them and come close to the glacier. The steep slope of the Tseysky mountain range begins here. The climb on this trail is 320 meters, but it is gradual over the entire distance, so there are no difficult sections here.
In the southern part of the Tsey Horseshoe is the Tsey ski resort. Mount Aday-Hoh (4408 m) rises above this part of the Tsey Gorge. The Skazsky Glacier descends along its slope into the Gorge. In winter, there are three ski trails and two chairlifts. In summer, one chairlift works for people who want to go up to the glacier for a walk. There are no trekking trails here, but if there is a desire to make a steep climb, and not use the lift, then you can go along the ski slopes. However, this makes no sense.
Most people take thechairlift, as the climb in this part of the Tsey gorge is very significant, more than 1 kilometer. The lower station is located at an altitude of 1850 meters, and the upper one is at an altitude of 2870 meters. The lift has one intermediate station. From the intermediate station to the upper station, the mountain slope becomes even steeper. In winter, a black ski trail is laid here. Near the upper station there are short trails where you can approach the Skazsky glacier.
