Old cable car to Mount Mussa-Achitara (Dombay)

The old chairlift to Mount Mussa-Achitara, often called the old funicular, is the very first lift of the Dombay resort in the Karachayevsky District of Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia. It starts in the centre of the village of Dombay and carries riders on open chairs almost to the top of the mountain. A new gondola nearby is faster and more comfortable, while the old lift remains the cheapest and most atmospheric way up.

History

Construction of the chairlift on the slope of Mussa-Achitara began in 1969, and the first section opened in 1970. The line was extended several times in the 1970s and 1980s until it reached about 3,000 metres. It is one of the oldest cable lifts in Russia still carrying tourists and skiers. Later a pendulum cable car with red cabins was built on the same slope, and in 2007 the first section of the new gondola opened.

Route

The lift has five sections of open chairs. The lower station is in the centre of Dombay, on Spasateley Lane next to the Krokus hotel. The first section, about 860 metres long, climbs to Liya Glade at about 1,750 metres in roughly eight minutes. Further sections go higher, and the top station stands at about 3,000 metres, some 1,400 metres above the start. The full ride takes much longer than on the new gondola, but the open chairs give good views of the slopes and the valley.

What to see

From the top station it is about 500 metres on foot along a path to the summit of Mussa-Achitara (3,012 m). The view takes in the Dombay glaciers, Dombay-Ulgen, the Alibek and Gonachkhir gorges and the Teberda valley, and on a clear day, more often in the morning, Elbrus. Snow may lie at the top even in summer: it can be hot below and much colder by the top station. There are cafés and viewing platforms at the upper stations.

The legend of the name

The name is usually translated as "Mussa's weeping". According to a local legend, a thief called Mussa stole a large herd and drove it over the mountain, but the path ended at a precipice and there was no way back. Mussa sat down and wept bitterly, and the mountain was named after him.

Good to know

The old lift runs in summer for sightseers and in winter for skiers, usually during the day. Each Dombay lift has its own ticket office; there is no single pass for all of them. The chair sections stop in strong wind and thunderstorms. Dombay is reached from Mineralnye Vody, about 200 km away, or by bus from Cherkessk and Pyatigorsk.