The Caucusus, Georgia and Kazakhstan
The course of the Ural River southwest of the Urals makes a relatively small proportion of Kazakhstani territory European. The high point of this area is Gora Ichka (259m) about 10km north of Tasqala. Like Turkey’s Mahya Dagi, it is not a national high point and not really worth crossing the Kazakhstani border in order to climb. The high point of Kazakhstan is the mammoth Khan Tengri (7010m) and firmly in Asia on the border with China and Kyrgyzstan.
New States
In 2014 separatists in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine declared independence. This has led to an ongoing war in which Russia has backed the separatists. However, it is highly unlikely that an independent state will be recognised in Eastern Ukraine any time soon.
The parliament for the Catalonia region of Spain declared independence after an unofficial referendum in October 2017. As of June 2018 there remains the possibility of an independent Catalonia, but it is unlikely to happen in the coming years. The high point of Catalonia is Pica d’Estats (3143m) in the Pyrenees.
Belarus - Dzyarzhynskaya
The Belarus high point seems to have seen an increase in visitor numbers (possibly in part due to Europe's High Points). It is now clearly signposted from the road and the area around the carved stone is a landscaped garden. It is possible to reach the high point quite easily by bus from Minsk. Buses leave 2-4 times a day to Volma/Волма, times available from http://ticketbus.by/ allowing 40 minutes to visit the high point before returning back by the same bus. Departure is from Southwestern (юго-западный) bus station or Krasnaya Gorka metro. After leaving Minsk, the bus takes the P65 towards Dzerzhinsk, then turns off right to Skirmantovo/Скирмантово. Get off at stop Скирмантово-1, which is located 3.5 km after a turn. You should request a stop when you see three poles next to a house on your right hand side. Alternatively get off at the next stop in Скирмантово village and walk back along the road until you see the sign for the high point Дзяржынская гара.
Bulgaria – Musala
The cable car is now known as the Yastrebetz gondola.
Finland
Between 2015-17 there was a campaign for Norway to gift Finland a small tract of land to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finnish independence. The Halti massif straddles the border between the two nations: Finland’s current high point is the border marker at 1,325m on the subsidiary summit spur named Hálditšohkka, but the spur’s main 1,331m summit – over which our route passes – lies 50m or so to the north in Norway – an amusing proposed marginal shift if ever there was one! Although the proposal gained much publicity, Norway eventually decided to leave the border where it is.
France/Italy – Mont Blanc
Rockfall risk in the Grand Couloir has worsened since 2009 and it has on occasion been known to effectively cause the Gouter Route to close. The Grand Mulets Route continues to be used, but crevasse conditions remain dire and it often becomes virtually impassable from July onwards. Climatic warming may therefore make the three peaks route via Mont Maudit the safest option in future, if it is not so already.
Kosovo
The route we describe in EHP has reassuringly received new signage from the Erenic settlement and has seen increased footfall since 2009. Good visibility is a must and a cautious approach should nonetheless be maintained.
Latvia – Gaizinkalns
The famous large red tower at Gaizinkalns was demolished in 2012. It was never completed and was knocked down due to safety concerns. (It was definitely in an unsafe dilapidated state when one of the authors ignored the warning signs and climbed it in 2005!). The Latvians have since built an amusingly nostalgic mini version of the tower.
Lithuania – Aukstojas
There is now a viewing tower next to the summit stone.
Macedonia/Albania – Golem Korab
Since publication in 2009, the situation has vastly improved for those climbing Korab from Macedonia. The restrictions on climbing the mountain have been lifted as political tensions have eased in the area. It is now possible to climb the mountain at any time of year, although the mass ascent at the beginning of September is reportedly still popular.
The military and police presence in the area is now more low key and the guard dogs and razor wire at the Pobeda watchtower in Strezimir are thankfully long gone. It may still be advisable to stop at the police checkpoint on the bumpy road up the Radika valley and report your presence.
Route notes: The border town of ‘Durbar’ is more commonly ‘Debar’
There is still no decent map of the area. The old Soviet maps available to download on the internet are just as vague as the 1:70,000 map available at the tourist office. The route described in the guide is the 'normal' route. However, our described route goes over Kepi Bard (that we referred to as ‘Mal Korab’ in the EHP text – our map was out slightly here and the line should not have gone over the 2344m spot height, but over the Kepi Bard spot height of 2589m roughly following the line of the border). Kepi Bard was a scenic and rewarding approach to the summit. Reportedly, a more common and popular approach is to continue after the grassy slopes of Nistrovski Korab and take the path that traverses westwards across the south flank of the Kepi Bard ridge, overlooking the large grassy area of Kobilino Pole (Mare's Field) – this is the line shown by our EHP map.
Helpful update: There is some confusion about Mal Korab. The 2344m height attributed to it on the EHP map should not be referred to as Mal Korab – this was our mistake. Mal Korab (2683m) is a sizeable upthrust of limestone cliff at the head of the valley. (Confusingly, Mal Korab also used to be known as Kepi Bard. This is not the same as the Kepi Bard under which the main path traverses!)
There is no change in our advice to not attempt to summit from the Albanian side of the mountain.
Montenegro – Zla Kolata
As of 2018 Dobra Kolata and Zla Kolata, 2528m and 2534m respectively, are widely recognised as the two highest mountains in Montenegro – with the Montenegrin-Albanian border acknowledged as going directly over their summits. The two peaks are also consistently marked on the much improved modern maps available for the area. The highest peak of the Kolata massif is Rodi e Kolates (Maja e Kolijats) 2553m, which is actually in Albanian territory. The third-highest peak in Montenegro is generally considered to be Maja Rosit (2525m). However, despite the appearance of modern mapping for this area, it is still desperately in need of an accurate modern survey, and the exact heights of these peaks may well be subject to change in future. Nonetheless, basic surveys and other collected data have continued to find in almost all instances Zla Kolata and Dobra Kolata to be higher than Bobotov Kuk – the formerly recognised official highest mountain in Montenegro. That said, there is very little in it, and high pointers should definitely ascend both Dobra Kolata and Zla Kolata to cover their bases. Likewise, they might well feel it prudent to ascend Bobotov Kuk (2523m) in the Durmitor Range – a description we include here. We remain confident Maja Rosit is lower than Zla and Dobra Kolata.
Route Update In 2009 Dobra and Zla Kolata were included in the new Prokletije National Park, spanning Montenegro and Albania. Consequently, the infrastructure for hikers and tourists in the region has improved considerably. This has included a new waymarked trail up Zla Kolata on a route differs somewhat from the one we describe below – it will prove an easier if less adventurous option. Likewise, new mapping names are inconsistent with the mapping we used in 2005: what we refer to as the Lower Preslopit Pass is shown on some maps as Cafa Borit. The new waymarked trail largely follows our route until after crossing the two streams on the approach to Dobra Kolata, where it then takes a more southerly line through the karst formations in order to bypass the steep ascent up the west face of Dobra Kolata. From just below what is now generally referred to as the Preslopit Pass, the route branches off trending eastwards below the north face of Zla Kolata to wind up to the col between Dobra and Zla Kolata. From here both summits can be easily reached. (If our original route is used in ascent, this route would make for a pleasant descent and a good circular.)
This new route is marked on new 50,000 Prokletije maps as route 520. (Maps - various 1:50,000 and 1: 60,000 maps are now available, many subsidised by the EU development agency.)
The new waymarked route starts beside the mosque in Vusanje with a signpost to Zla Kolata. It may well be that the army barracks in Vusanje referred to as the start of the route in EHP is being used for another purpose, reflecting a decrease in military tension in the area - although this is not confirmed by the authors.
Serbia - Midzor
Maps - Serbian Geokarta 1:50,000 map Stara Planina, Bulgarian Domino 1:50,000 Stara Planina 3.
The access road for the ski development near Babin Zub appears to have been improved: at the end follow the sign to Babin Zub hotel up a side road and ignore a sign to Falkenstein hotel on the new main road. The area is apparently no longer a controlled area; it is now a Nature Park, with signposted routes.
Russia – Mount Elbrus
Due to safety concerns, instability and previous terrorist attacks perpetrated in the Elbrus area it is essential to check with the FCO www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advi... before making plans to travel to the region. The mountain was the scene of the high profile shooting of three tourists and bombing of a ski lift in 2011 which led to Russian forces carrying out air strikes in the area in the hunt for Islamic militants.
Switzerland – Dufourspitze
Removal of fixed ropes! Previously, climbers doubting their physical or technical capabilities could consider the far easier alternative fixed-roped route from Silbersattel the col between Nordend and Dufourspitze. However, the fixed ropes were damaged by rockfall and removed in 2016 and although they may be replaced in future, the condition of that route for both ascent and descent needs to be checked before setting out.
For descent, a reverse of the ascent route is presently the norm. However, a more rounded alternative is still possible to Silbersattel (the col between Dufourspitze and Nordend) if prepared for minimum 40m abseil pitches (i.e. two ropes of 40m needed, good anchors).
Turkey – Mount Ararat
Ararat, a firmly Asian national high point, is presently affected by even greater ethnic tensions and the spillover from several conflicts than in 2007. Tensions between Kurds and Turks in the area are more serious than ever. The war in Syria, the wars against Isis, the declaration of Kurdistan as an independent state and any number of other events have made the region increasingly volatile. It is essential to obtain up-to-date information before setting out and though we are never keen to recommend being part of a guided group, in the case of Ararat it is virtually unavoidable and probably a much safer option.
