Archil Badriashvili – 26.07.1990-10.08.2024

Archil Badriashvili was a mountaineer, a member of Georgia’s national team, a board member of the United Federation of Georgian Mountaineers, Head of the Mountaineering School of the Federation, a mountain guide, a mountain documentarian, a medical doctor, and had a master’s degree in addiction studies.

Archil started rock climbing at the age of 7; at the age of 9, he climbed the peaks named after Guram Rcheulishvili and Guram Tikanadze in the mountains of Chaukhi with his father. At the age of 15, he climbed Mount Kazbeg/Mkinvartsveri, and at the age of 21, he climbed both peaks of Mt. Ushba.

In 2014, Archil, together with his partner Giorgi Tepnadze, started organising independent expeditions. Most of them were funded bythe United Federation of Mountaineers of Georgia.
Archil’s name is connected to many new routes, first ascents, first passes, and exciting adventures on the hardest and highest peaks of the Caucasus, as well as in the Himalayas, Karakorum, Pamir, Tien Shan, Alps, and Hindi Kush.

Also, in 2023, he climbed in Patagonia, where the first Georgians set foot on the highest peak of the region – Cerro Fitz Roy 3,405 m, with Temo Kurdiani. Route: Supercanaleta 5A/+, two days on the mountain (descent via Terray).

The names of Archil Badriashvili, Giorgi Tepnadze and Bakar Gelashvili are associated with three unclimbed peaks in the Himalayas:  Larkia Main (6,425), Pangpoche I, and Pangpoche II (6,620/6,504). They also climbed an unclimbed peak in Pakistan: Saragrar NW (7,300m.)

In 2024, Archil, Marko Prezelj, and Manu Pellisier climbed another unclimbed peak (5B) in the Indian Himalayas and named it Nanda Shore (Daughter of Nanda Devi).

Archil Badriashvili and his partners Giorgi Tepnadze and Bakar Gelashvili were awarded the Piolets d’Or in 2022 for the Saraghrar NW 7,300m. (Hindi Kush, Pakistan)- the category of the highest difficulty – “6b” (September 3-10, 2021).

Archil has been awarded the Georgian Golden Axe “Climbing of the Year” 6 times in the following years:  2015, 2017, 2018, 2019,2020 & 2021. (It should be noted that after 2021, the Golden Axe Ceremony was no longer held in Georgia.)

He and his partners were nominated for the Piolets d’Or four years in a row—2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021—and finally, in 2022, the nomination was crowned with the highest award.

Nominee climbs:

• Larkia Main 6,425 – for climbing the unclimbed peak (with Giorgi Tepnadze and Bakar Gelashvili) 1700/700 ED1 M5 6a A4, Nepal, Himalayas
• Shkhara 5,203 The first winter ascent of the highest peak of Georgia, from the Georgian side, in a new way, in a pair with Giorgi Tepnadze “6B” 2,300 ED2 M5, WI5
• Pangpoche I and Pangpoche II, 6,620/6,504—the first ascents of unclimbed peaks 2300 and 1700, both 5th category, with Giorgi Tepnadze and Bakar Gelashvili, Nepal, Himalayas.
• Ushba 4,710 North West Wall Direct, New Road “6A/6B” 1700, ED2 A4 with Giorgi Tepnadze

As for other outstanding climbs, let’s recall some more in the Caucasus region:

 Archil and Giorgi Tepnadze’s names are associated with the first winter ascent of Georgia’s highest peak, Shkhara (5,203 m), from the Georgian side.

• Ushba 4,710 & 4,695 – Six climbs by six different routes, including Ushba Traverse 6a (First Georgian Golden Axe (2016)
• Kazbegi Mountain 5,054 – Fifty ascents of one of the highest peaks of the Caucasus, including the ‘Gveleshapi’ route, in winter (“5b”)
• Janghi-Tau 5,058 – the second highest peak in Georgia; climbed a new variant of the Kartvelishvili (5b) route (AAJ Report)
• Year Ailama 4,547 new road-direct 5b South Face direct (AAJ Report)
• 4,420 north wall of Chatin, 6a in pre-winter conditions;
• Chaukhi trilogy (the three most difficult walls of the massif) – new ways:
• Asatiani’s “Column” NW Column; The first passage of the east wall of Asatiani East Wall, and the north wall of Agmashenebeli;
• The first complete traverse of Chaukhi (11 peaks, Javakhishvili – Tikanadze) solo, in two days, 5b.
• Around 20 first solo ascents and first winter ascents in Chaukhi massif (up to category 5b)

Pakistan (Karakorum and Hindi Kush)

• Nanga Parbat 8,126 m. The 9th highest mountain in the world. The first Georgian ascent; as an advanced team without auxiliary oxygen, carriers and “fixing team” (Documentary 2019)
• Languta Barfi (Bride of Hindi Kush) 6,833 m. First ascent from Pakistan side. Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Himalayas

• Makalu 8,485, the 5th highest mountain in the world. Head of the first Georgian climbing expedition. Giorgi Tepnadze and Bakar Gelashvili climbed to the top without auxiliary oxygen, carriers and a “fixing team”.

Indian Himalayas:

In 2024, in the Indian Himalayas, Archil Badriashvili, Marko Prezelj and Manu Pellisier climbed Mt. Changuch with a new route (5A).

The recent issue of the American Alpine Journal 2024 published an article on two more ascents of Archil with his partner Temo Kurdiani about the Shkhara Traverse and the first ascent of the South Face of Tetnuldi.

Archil has greatly contributed to the development of mountaineering in Georgia and placing Georgian mountains and alpinism on a world map. His articles have been published in leading mountaineering publications such as the Americal Alpine Journal, PlanetMountain, Explorersweb, etc; his films about his team’s ascents are uploaded on YouTube. Archil was also an active respondent to various media – he talked about traditional Georgian mountaineering and modern challenges and was passionate about the popularisation of aplinism.

Archil devoted much time to raising the new generation, preparing and training them. In 2024, with his participation founded the Mountaineering School of the United Federation of Georgian Mountaineers, of which he was the first head. Archil led the sports flow of the school’s first educational/practice meeting held in Chaukhi.

Archil died on Shkhelda Mountain on August 10, 2024, at the age of 34. He, with his friends – Nariman Japaridze, Avto Japaridze and Beshken Pilpani  – was completing the Skhelda Traverse in 4 days. During thunderstrike, he was hit by the lightning and as a result fell from the cliff.

It is worth noting that Archil made a solo ascent on the mentioned peak of Shkhelda one year earlier, in 2023.