Belukha Mountain, Mountain peak in Altai Republic, Russia
Belukha Mountain is a twin-peaked summit on the border of Russia and Kazakhstan, rising to 4,506 meters (14,783 feet). Around thirty glaciers cover the slopes, forming steep ice walls and snowfields that extend down into lower valleys.
The Tronov brothers reached the top in 1914, choosing a route from the southern side. Soviet mountaineering expeditions later explored new ascents from the northern side during the 1930s and 1950s.
The name Belukha comes from the Russian word for white, describing the year-round snow that covers both summits. Visitors traveling through nearby valleys often see prayer flags and small shrines left by pilgrims who still honor the mountain's spiritual importance.
Visitors need a special border zone permit that must be requested about two months before the trip. Most expeditions start from the village of Tyungur and follow trails through forests and rivers before reaching higher camps.
Researchers extracted ice cores from the glacier between 2001 and 2003, containing climate data from several thousand years. These samples show changes in temperature and precipitation reaching far into the past.
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