The Crimean peninsula is situated in the South-Eastern Europe, it is part of the Ukraine. Its area is 27 000 square kilometers. It is washed by the Black Sea and the See of Azov. The administrative border in the north stretches along the Perekop Swell. Northern part of Crimea is flat (so called Steppe Crimea), southern part is covered by Crimean mountains (so called Mountainous Crimea). A narrow zone that stretches along the Southern feet of Crimean Mountains is called the Southern Coast of the Crimea . In the Northern part climate is moderate, dry on the Southern Coast it is Mediterranean . Average temperature in January is 1° С in the North and 4° С in the South, in July it is 24° С . Precipitations vary from 300-500 mm/year in the north to 1000-1200 mm in the mountains. Rivers are shallow. Main rivers include Chernaya (Black), Belbek, Kacha, Alma, Salgir.

Arfen-Char-Buroon

Approximately 5 kilometers east of Balaklava along the seacoast there is a vertical rocky peak 235 m high which rises up from the sea. It is a branch of Arfen-Char-Buroon ridge. You can come to the foot of the wall from Balaklava by boat in 40 minutes. It is necessary to have a stable floating vehicle because the first pitch starts directly from the boat. Nowadays there are several routs 6A grade.

Cape Aja

Several kilometers east of Arfen-Char-Buroon Cape Aja is located (558 m), as if rises up from the sea. The eastern side of the cape is a very attractive face for alpinists. There are approximately 10 routs, though most of them are visited very seldom. The most popular route – “Vorota” (“Gates”) 5B+ (right alternative). Difference is 440 m. Rout length is 550 m. The main inconvenience of the region is long descent path. The nearest descent path is between Aja and Kush-Kaja massifs.

Kush-Kaja

Kush-Kaja mountain (627 m), in translation from Turkic “Bird's mountain”, is situated above Batiliman and Laspy bay on the thirtieth kilometer of Sevastopol-Yalta road. Due to Kush-Kaja, which protects this area from northern winds, Batiliman is famous for its warm microclimate. It is especially appreciably in winter when on the Laspi pass there is a lot of snow and piercing wind, and in the meantime below, under the rocks of Kush-Kaja, the weather is wonderful for training and even for sun tan. The massif offers about 18 routs from 1B to 5B grades. Average rout length is 430 m. All lower zone of Kush-Kaja rocks 30-100 m high has for a long time been chosen by climbers and alpinists as an excellent place for trainings and competitions. Descent from Kush-Kaja mountain can be done by paths on the both sides if the peak. More convenient path climbs down Kush-Kaja mountain to Laspi bay. Unhurried descent takes about 30 minutes .

Ilyas-Kaya

Ilyas-Kaya massif is situated above the rocks of Laspy bay, overhang the Sevastopol-Yalta road. Here two routs are located (2 and 6 grades), which almost aren't visited because of rather long approach, lack of water and information. In the middle of April 1999 in the central part of southern wall a large rock slide took place. As a result of the rock slide a vast red overhang arose. Local alpinists named the wall “Crimean Pti-Dru”. One more remarkable wall of this region borders with the Southern wall from the west and has clear western orientation. The wall remains in shadow almost till the evening. It is always cool there, even in the august heat. Slope of the wall is about 75-80 degree, with solid terrain. The crack system allows to make logical and beautiful routs of 4-5 grade about 3 pitch long. But it is a matter of future. For the present no one has climbed there.

Chelebi

Chelebi massif is situated in the Western part of the Main Ridge of Crimean mountains between the “Baydarsky Gates” pass and Ilyas-Kaya mountain. Relative altitude is 200 m, absolute altitude is 657 m above sea level. In spite of low altitude there are 12 routs 2A-6A grades in its central part.

Forossky Kant and Uarch-Kaya (Merdven-Kaya)

Forossky Kant is an informal name of the left part of Mshatka-Kaja mountain which rises over Foros village. On the wall there are about 7 “classical” routs 5A-5B grades. One can come to the routs from the bus stop near the Foros turn on the Yalta-Sevastopol road or by car directly to the wall. Many routs are equipped by fixed belay points. Rout length is about 350 m.

Mshatka-Kaja

The wall of Forossky Kant gradually comes into Mshatka-Kaja (650 m). Here about 12 routs 2B-5B grades have been made. Average route length is 250 m. Special interest arouse little-known routs of Yuriy Lishaev (“Fantik”) 5B grade which demands sport and technical skills.

Zamok

Zamok peak (650 m) rises several meters over the upper (old) Yalta-Sevastopol road near Foros village. To the left from Zamok Mshatka-Kaya mountain is located, to the right – Small Kilse-Buroon. The most interesting routs to Zamok are on the Southern wall – two 6A and one 5B. They are 8 pitch wall not counting “roof”. Route length is about 500 m. All 3 routs were passed by Yuriy Lishaev (“Fantik”) for the first time. On more gentle South-Eastern part there are several relatively easy routs (1B, 3B).

Small Kilse

Going along the upper (old) Yalta-Sevastopol road to Yalta , behind Zamok peak you will see an elegant pyramid of Small Kilse. Wall difference is relatively small – about 250 m. But solid wall cut by cornices attracts experts. It has several routs 5B-6A grades. Along the edges of the wall there are more simple routs.

Kilse Buroon

To the right from Zamok and Small Kilse Kilse Buroon peak is situated (712 m). Wall difference is about 400 m.

Native Crimeans were the first who began to develop Kilse Buroon. But the most difficult route here was passed in 1976 by a group of Dons under the guidance of Mihail Turkevich. This route in the centre of red overhanging section, first climbers called “Crocodile”. There are 15 routs 2A-6A grades on this massif.

Bashnya (Tower)

Bashnya (Tower) mountain (610 m above sea level) is situated near Sanatornoe village, on the eastern side of the highest peak of Kilse Buroon region. It consists of three peaks: Western, Central and Eastern.

On the Central peak of the Bashnya (Tower) there are two very popular easy routs №1 “Truba” (Pipe) 2B and №2 “Cherep” (Skull) 1A.

Kastropol wall

Kastropol wall is located in the Main ridge of Crimean mountains above Kastropol village.

From the career under Morcheka 2,5 km to the west by the upper road. Wall difference is about 200 m, with many overhanging sections. The wall is rarely visited, even on competitions. There are 6 routs, passed in late 70-th, early 80-th. Among them five 6A and one 3B.

Treugolnik ( Triangle )

Treugolnik (Triangle) mountain (1000 m above sea level) is located above Parkovoe village, 2 km west from Morcheka. The wall has western orientation, that's why it is hardly seen from the lower road. The wall length in its central section is more then 400 m, wall difference is more than 300 m. The best way to come to the wall is through the career. From the water spring on the slide-rocks go up during 15 minutes to the wall. The wall has three routs of 6 grade. On the South-Western ridge there is 3 grade route. The wall has plenty of resources for new routs.

Morcheka

Morcheka (980 m) is one of the most beautiful and difficult mountains in Crimea which has more than 20 climbing routs of 5-6 degrees, 17 routs of 6A-6B degrees. It is a “runway put up vertically” – 400 m of solid rocks. In ancient times water of underground river flew on its surface (Medovaya cave). Present look of the wall was formed as a result of great landslide in 1786 which buried two villages Kuchuk-Koy and Kikineiz. The villages were moved closer to the seashore and the Cyclopian remains of the landslide nowadays amaze us their dimensions.

Shaan-Kaya

Shaan-Kaya (871 m) is located in the Alupka region. It is not a part of the Main Ridge. It is moved forward in front of Alupka wall. Wall difference is about 250 m. In the central section the wall overhangs. The wall has 6 routs, all of them 6 grade. To reach Shaan-Kaya one has to arrive at Alupka Pitomnik (farm) bus stop, then go up along the road, through vineyards go to the ground road which takes nearly to the wall.

Ay-Petri

Castellated peak of Ay-Petri has become a peculiar emblem of Great Yalta and of course attracts the attention. Ay-Petry (1234 m above sea level) is worth visiting for the sake of the moment when flame-colored ball of the Sun comes to the surface from the dark blue deep. The Ay-Petri plateau is an ideal model of karst processes. Here surface and underground karst forms are presented: more than 230 underground vesicles have been explored, 35 of them are caves. There is a weather station on Ay-Petri which was founded in 1895, a mountain shelter and a restaurant. Here one can touch one of Crimean meridians. Its place is marked by geodesic sign – metal globe on the stone base.

Paragilmen

Driving from Alushta to Yalta in 10-15 minutes to the right one can see a massif with abrupt southern slopes.

Paragilmen peak contains three different massifs. Western (left) one is a much crushed massif which became overgrown with trees. Only extreme right section is relatively solid. Just here along the buttress the 1 degree route is located. The central face is surrounded on the both sides by two great interior angles – couloirs. It has minimum 4 routs from 2 to 4 grades. The right massif is very diverse: it has vertical walls and walls twined with ivy, local solid overhangs and ledges gravel with stones. Route length is about 250 m .

Sokol (falcon)

Sokol (falcon) peak (474 m) rises above the sea between Sudak town and Novy Svet village. On the southern and south-western walls there are more than twenty routs 1-5 degrees. The most difficult routs go along the nail walls of the central section of the wall. Several easy routs are on more steep south-western wall which is well seen from Novy Svet. Route length is 150-400 m.