Dombay

Dombay sits at about 1,600 metres where the Alibek, Amanauz and Dombay-Ulgen gorges meet, ringed by peaks over four thousand metres - Belalakaya with its striped quartz bands, Sofrudzhu, Ine and Dombay-Ulgen itself at 4,046, the highest in the Western Caucasus - with glaciers hanging above the valley heads and dense spruce and fir on the slopes. It became a mountaineering base in the 1920s and a ski resort afterwards, and it retains that mix: a lift system up Mussa-Achitara to about 3,000 metres with the whole ring of peaks in view, walking routes to the Alibek glacier, the Chuchkhur waterfalls and the Turye lake, and old climbing camps. It lies inside the Teberdinsky biosphere reserve, so most walking needs a permit and routes are fixed. The resort infrastructure is dated in places and the valley is built up around the lift base.

What you actually see

• The peak ring - Belalakaya, Sofrudzhu and Dombay-Ulgen at 4,046 metres.
• The lifts - a system up Mussa-Achitara to about 3,000 metres with the full panorama.
• The Alibek glacier - a walk up the western gorge to the ice.
• The climbing history - camps and routes dating from the 1920s.

When to go

December to April for skiing; June to September for walking, when the meadows flower. Two days to a week. Permits from the reserve for most trails.

Honest expectations

Reserve permits are required for walking and are checked. Avalanche risk in winter is real and slopes off-piste have killed people. Lift infrastructure is a mix of new and very old. Weather closes the upper lifts frequently. Accommodation quality varies sharply.

Nearby

Teberda and the reserve headquarters are down the valley; Arkhyz is west.