Mikhail Vissarionovich Khergiani (, , born Chumlian Minan Khergiani, 20 March 19324 July 1969) was a Georgian

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

. He was a seven-time national champion climber who earned the nickname the "Tiger of the Cliffs" for his ability to rapidly attack difficult routes. He was named an Honoured Master of Sport of the USSR in 1963 for his achievements.

Early life

Khergiani was born Chumlian Minan Khergiani in the village of

Mestia Mestia ( ka, მესტია ) is a highland townlet ('' daba'') in northwest Georgia, at an elevation of in the Caucasus Mountains. General information Mestia is located in the Svaneti region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti province (''mkhare''), ...

, in the historical province of

Svaneti Svaneti or Svanetia (Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of Georgians. Geography Situated o ...

of the

Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц� ...

. His father, Vissarion Khergiani, was one of the first well-known Svan climbers. He scaled the two-peaked Georgian mountain

Ushba Ushba ( ka, უშბა) is one of the most notable peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. It is located in the Svaneti region of Georgia, just south of the border with the Kabardino-Balkaria region of Russia. Although it does not rank in the 10 highe ...

in 1937. His uncle and cousin were also mountaineers, and the family introduced Khergiani to the sport early in life. After graduating from secondary school, he attended the Soviet School of Mountaineering Instructors in 1951. As his Russian climbing instructors could not pronounce Chumlian, they renamed him Mikhail, which he retained as his legal name throughout adulthood.

Career and death

In 1952, he and Shaliko Margiani shared the title of USSR Climbing Champion in

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...

. In 1956, he was named a Champion of the USSR for ascending a rock face near the village of Tyutyu-Bashi. He travelled to England in 1960 at the request of

John Hunt, Baron Hunt Brigadier (United Kingdom), Brigadier Henry Cecil John Hunt, Baron Hunt, (22 June 1910 – 7 November 1998), styled as Sir John Hunt from 1953 to 1966, was a British Army officer who is best known as the leader of the successful 1953 British ...

, leader of the

1953 British Mount Everest expedition The 1953 British Mount Everest expedition was the ninth mountaineering expedition to attempt the first ascent of Mount Everest, and the first confirmed to have succeeded when Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the summit on 29 May 1953. ...

. There, he was nicknamed the "Tiger of the Rocks". In 1963, he was named an Honoured Master of Sport of the USSR. In 1964, he ascended Ushba with a group of climbers and was again named USSR champion. In 1966, he was given the

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

for outstanding achievements in sports. In 1967 he was named and Honoured Coach of Sports of the Georgian SSR. In the summer of 1969, Khergiani and a group of Soviet climbers including Vyacheslav Onishchenko and Mikhail Anufrikov travelled to the

Italian Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

for a series of climbs, the last of which was the summit of

Monte Civetta Monte Civetta (3,220 m) is a prominent and major mountain of the Dolomites, in the Province of Belluno in northern Italy. Its north-west face can be viewed from the Taibon Agordino valley, and is classed as one of the symbols of the Dolomites ...

. During Khergiani's ascent of Monte Civetta, a

rockfall A rockfall or rock-fallWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984. . is a quantity/sheets of rock that has fallen freely from a cliff face. The term is also used for collapse of rock from roof or walls of min ...

broke his rope. Khergiani did not have a secondary rope, and plummeted approximately to his death.

Legacy

He was buried in his home village of Mestia, where a museum dedicated to him now stands. Khergiani's fame was such that after his death, songs were composed that described Dali, the Svan cliff-dwelling goddess of the hunt, in mourning for him. In 1971, the Khergiani Rock Climbing Prize was established in the Soviet Union in his honor, and several peaks and climbing routes have been named for him.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khergiani, Mikhail 1932 births 1969 deaths 20th-century people from Georgia (country) Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR Mountain climbers from Georgia (country) Mountaineering deaths People from Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Soviet mountain climbers Svan people