Dychtau

Dychtau
height	5204 m
location	Kabardino-Balkaria ( Russia )
Mountains	Besengi / Greater Caucasus
Dominance	64 km → Elbrus
Coordinates	43 ° 3 '10 " N , 43 ° 7' 54" E Coordinates: 43 ° 3 '10 " N , 43 ° 7' 54" E
First ascent	1888, John Cockin, Albert Mummery
particularities	Second highest mountain in Europe

The Dychtau ( Russian Дыхтау ; also Dykh Tau , Dikh Tau or Dycktau ) is a mountain in the Greater Caucasus . If the Greater Caucasus north of the main ridge is counted as part of Europe, at 5204 m it is the second highest peak in Europe after the Elbrus .

Together with Koschtantau ( 5152 m ) located about six kilometers to the east, the mountain marks the "Brothers of Besengi", which form the western end of the northern range of Besengi . The Dychtau was climbed for the first time in 1888 by Albert Mummery and his Swiss mountain guide Heinrich Zurfluh from Meiringen; In the same year an expedition of John Cockin, Holder, H. Woolley and Ulrich Almer followed.

The route used for the first ascent is now considered the easiest ascent (level of difficulty 4B on the Russian scale). The ascent of the Dychtau is considered a demanding task when mastering the Seven Second Summits , i.e. the ascent of the second highest mountains on all seven continents.

The mountain range is protected by the Kabardino-Balkarian High Mountain Nature Reserve . The characteristic animal species of the area include golden eagles, ibex and chamois.

literature

Douglas William Freshfield: The exploration of the Caucasus . Volume I . With illustrations by Vittorio Sella. Publisher: Edward Arnold. London and New York 1896
The exploration of the Caucasus . Volume II . With illustrations by Vittorio Sella. Publisher: Edward Arnold. London and New York 1896 - read online in Internet Archive

Web links

Dychtau on summitpost.org (English)
Dychtau on Tourenwelt.info

Individual evidence

↑ Photo of Dych Tau in: AF Mummery: My climbs in the Alps and Caucasus . Publisher TF Unwin London; C. Scribner's sons New York, 1895
^ Douglas William Freshfield: The Exploration of the Caucasus . Adegi Graphics, 2000, ISBN 978-1-4021-8653-0 , pp. 19 f . ( Excerpts online from Google Books [accessed August 26, 2010]).

[1] Photo of Dych Tau in: AF Mummery: My climbs in the Alps and Caucasus . Publisher TF Unwin London; C. Scribner's sons New York, 1895

[2] Douglas William Freshfield: The Exploration of the Caucasus . Adegi Graphics, 2000, ISBN 978-1-4021-8653-0 , pp. 19 f . ( Excerpts online from Google Books [accessed August 26, 2010]).