Last summer, the Krymovved group was going to get to the top of Paragilmen, and not from below, as usual, but to descend from Babugan. But a strong thunderstorm on the yayla prevented these plans. Because of trips across Russia (with overcoming the Kerch crossing by car three times!), They were able to climb this beautiful rock only in mid-December. Despite the calendar winter, it was possible to sunbathe on it, as in a huge solarium - the most wonderful weather was that day on South Bank Crimea. Well, the view from Paragilmen was wonderful - from Gurzuf to Sudak. 
This is how the Paragilmen looks now. Four days ago, on Christmas, we were going to climb Paragilmen again, but unexpected frost confused all our plans. 
One more memory (photo of last summer), and let's get started.
The power transmission tower points to the place where in 2008 my daughter and Alexei stormed Paragilmen head-on. Until now, goosebumps run from such recklessness. We thought that some were so crazy, but at the top we met a lady with a dog, who twice made such an ascent. And with children and a dog! 
But we urge you, if you are not professional climbers, and Paragilmen in Soviet times was one of the basic rocks for this sport, and even now it probably remains, in no case risk your life and the lives of loved ones!
Only a detour to its top! 
But memories are not easy to drive away on the way to Parahilmen. In my youth, I came here almost every weekend on the Java and waited at this very place for Volodya Maslov. He came from Yalta in "Izhak", and we drove at the foot of Paragilmen on motorcycles.
So, Paragilmen. Or the Devil's Rock. This is not a literal translation. This was the name of this gray rock in Alushta. Now I don't hear such a name, but it doesn't mean anything. After all, I communicate with common people, not with climbers. By the way, some believe that "Paragilmen" comes from the concept "Go beyond something", others - "Follow the money." The second would be more suitable for us, but I am critical of all these translations. 
The height of the rock is 871 m. And not in its pure form, but from sea level. It seems a little.
But Paragilmen has almost vertical walls. Thanks to this, its slopes are very beautiful and at the same time deadly.
We pass by the Martian landscape. In September 2005, we drove here with Andrey Pripisnov during a road trip along the route " Nizhny Novgorod - Crimea "(magazine" Auto run ").
And here is our beauty Demerdzhi.
Climbing a little higher, we see not only Paragilmen, but in a company with Kush-Kaya, from where terrible lightning drove us last summer.
As soon as we got up a little, a view of the Eastern coast of Crimea opened up inaccessible to Alushta residents.
From here, Megan (the far right cape) is seen not as a separate island, but in Alushta it is not every day and you will see it like that, but with a bridge going to the left. There is Sudak.
Directly to those places sixty kilometers!
Handsome! Do not forget that there is a reserve here - take good care of nature. 
In small photos, what Paragilmen is is not very clear. We need a scale. Now, hopefully, more clearly.
Our goal is to get to the geodetic mark. See the pyramid at the top? But let's go around.
We will climb along the gentle southern edge (on the left, if you look at Paragilmen from below).
Previously, we also climbed on the right side, bypassing vertical rocks. There the climb is steeper, but shorter. But there is now a dog on a chain at the end of the asphalt road.
The forest is not at all winter and not even autumnal, although fallen leaves rustle underfoot, but some kind of timeless.
The ascent from the south side to Paragilmen was very easy. And what did we do rock climbing before? Are we getting wiser with age?
Loosely, we did not notice how we came out to a bare area at the top. The geodetic mark is just a stone's throw away.
The phone rang, and the caller envied such winter weather and the place where we are.
Crimean SIM card MTS did not disappoint here either (we already checked it in the summer on Kush-Kai, on that majestic mountain in the background when they first went on sale). 
And here is the sign itself, which is clearly visible from the Alushta-Yalta highway. Something we slept for a long time today - we, "owls", were already outstripped by the "larks".
At the top, we met a black wolf and its owner. It was she who, as it turned out, had stormed the Paragilmen head-on twice already.
So, black, smile!
Now, now, we will get the sausage from our backpacks and treat you to it. Do not worry!
Let's have a snack and start exploring the area. True, the snack dragged on and smoothly turned into the beach sunbathing process. The sun is burning with might and main today, despite the calendar winter.
Sunbathed and that's enough. First, let's examine the spiral of stones. This is a "place of power". Unfortunately, we do not have more information, because not local shamans. More precisely - though local, but not shamans.
***
© Alexander Elchishchev
Photo by the author
(Crimea, December 14, 2014)
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Continuation of the route.
Now let's see what the
44 ° 37′24 ″ N 34 ° 20′18 ″ E
Comes from the Greek word "paraginome" - "to go beyond." They say this is due to the fact that the mountain "separated" from the Babugan plateau. But the name can be considered symbolic - why don't you go beyond the usual rest by going to conquer Paragilmen?
- Mount Paragilmen is far from the highest in Crimea: only 871 meters above sea level. But from the outside it seems that this hill is difficult to access: the almost steep rocky slopes are suitable only for training professional climbers! But in fact, even a tourist without much physical training can climb Paragilmen, you just need to choose the right route.
- In summer, it is more difficult to conquer the mountain slopes because of the heat, but the top of the mountain is open and offers beautiful views. The best time to get up is late spring and early autumn. In early spring and winter, the flat top of the mountain is hidden in the clouds and, having climbed it, you will not be able to take a look at the surrounding landscapes.
- There are three popular paths to the flat top of the mountain. You can go down to it from Babugan Yayla or climb from Turquoise Lake. But the easiest route to the top begins on the Alushta-Yalta highway. For a trained person, the entire round trip route will take no more than 1.5 hours, a tourist without sports training will have to spend more time and more often make stops for rest.
Route 1: ascent from the Sharkhinsky quarry
To start the ascent, you need to get from Yalta or Alushta by trolleybus No. 52 or 53 to the stop "Maly Mayak". It is even better to get off in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Sharkhinsky quarry, before reaching Maly Mayak (from the direction of Alushta).
Near the stop, the road is crossed by a bridge, to the right of it an asphalt road begins, which goes up to an abandoned plant of reinforced concrete structures. You can walk to the plant and then move along the road along the slope until you reach a stone with the inscription "Paragilmen", and then to a white-green striped post marking the passage to the territory of the nature reserve.
You can get to this point in a different way - if initially you do not move to the plant, but walk along the road past the bridge and the cypress alley. Here it is important not to turn left along the first path, but to reach the end of the stone curb and find another inconspicuous path. It will lead you to the lavender field, through it - to the mountain and to the road left after laying the gas pipeline. You need to move along the pipe and past the tourist camp "Paragilmen" along a barely noticeable path that will lead you to the spring located above near the asphalt road. On this road you need to move to the right until the sign "Into the mountains" on the asphalt. Turn left according to the sign - to the post marking the beginning of the reserve.
There are no tourist markings on your route, but when you move through the reserve, take turns to the left at all the forks. The paths leading to the right will lead you to Babugan Yayla and other places. Without turning to the right and moving uphill through the forest, you can easily climb the western part of the Paragilmen plateau in about an hour.
From the top of Paragilmen you can see Alushta, and after walking along the cliff to the right, you can reach a place from where a view of Ayu-Dag and Partenit opens. Even at the top, you need to pay attention to two huge old yews growing near the cliff itself. The diameter of the trunk of one of them is about 70 meters. It is believed that these yews are many hundreds of years old and are among the oldest trees in Crimea.
Route 2: on the slopes from Vinogradnoye
Another option for a walk to Paragilmen, to Turquoise Lake, starts from the village of Vinogradnoye. You can get here by the same trolleybuses along the highway from Alushta to Yalta. From the stop "Vinogradnoye" you need to go through the village, turn right, and then, following the asphalt road along the blackberry thickets, turn left and up along the first of two paths at the fork.
The path leads through a deciduous and then a beech forest. After about 5 kilometers, it will again lead to a fork, which can be easily identified by the fallen post. Of the three paths, you should choose the left one - the road to the Paragilmen reserve.
If you wish, you can deviate from the route and go first along the right path to climb Mount Seraus, 629 meters above sea level. There are beautiful views from the observation deck at the top of the mountain.
From the fork begins a difficult section of the road through forest thickets with a climb. Only half an hour later, once you are on the territory of the Paragilmen reserve, you can take a breath - the path will become more gentle and straight. In addition to beeches, hornbeams will appear around, and then you will find yourself in a pine forest. On the way you will meet many springs flowing into the Turquoise Lake, which you will soon reach. A large and very picturesque reservoir is located at an altitude of 610 meters. Here you can take a break by having a rest.
From the lake you have to descend back to the track, but you have to return in a different way. The road will lead you into a mixed forest, in the distance you will see the Ayu-Dag mountain range, and in front of it - the Zaprudnoye village. Passing through the vineyards, you will find yourself near this settlement and go around it from the east, coming out to the highway. To the left there will be a trolleybus stop to Yalta, on the opposite - to Alushta.
Horseback riding on the slopes of Paragilmen
Paragilmen can be conquered not only on foot: at the foot mountain range there is a horse base of the same name, where you can get across the bridge from the "Sharkhinsky quarry" stop and then along the road to the barrier (you must agree on your visit with the base staff in advance by contacting via the Internet or by phone). Here you can organize horseback riding in the surroundings, accompanied by instructors, lasting 2-5 hours.
On horseback, you can go to the Mountain Lake near the village of Vinogradnoye - the road passes through a blackberry field, through a beech-hornbeam forest, past the peaks of Paragilmen, Kush-Kaya and Babugan yayla. This is a short trip for a couple of hours. Much more interesting is the 20-kilometer route to Turquoise Lake. The journey takes 4 hours. You can also climb to the top of the "Money Mountain". Although this route takes only 2.5 hours, it is challenging and requires riding skills, and it is also important that the weight of the participants does not exceed 90 kilograms, as the road is difficult for horses. The route to the artificial waterfall Ai-Yori, formed by spring water flowing down wooden beams, is also quite difficult.
To the website
CRIMEAN ROUTES. PARAGELMEN
General characteristics:Driving once again to Foros, I promised myself to return to Parahelmen, where I went in 1991 the first crimean route... And now I'm starting a series of articles with him.
The development of the massif began in the 60s, as evidenced by wooden wedges (!) And hooks from steel corners 50x50. In the 80s and at the very beginning of the 90s, this place was popular among novice climbers: many of my friends got the first two, three right here. Now the popularity of this mountain (like Sokol) among climbers has dropped somewhat. The reason for this is in some "greenhouse" twos-fours of F. Kant, Mshatka, Chelebi, where the stations are almost always in the trees, and the hooks are bad taste.
But it is worth visiting Parahelmen - firstly: the uniqueness of the nature of this corner of the Crimea, due to the proximity to Roman-Kosh; secondly: there are fewer human footprints (that is, commonplace rubbish) than on Foros, thirdly: the non-rocky structure of the rocks, high steepness, short length of routes will significantly diversify your techniques.
How to get there, where to live?
You can get to Paragelmen from Simferopol by trolleybus or a bus to Yalta, the Maly Mayak stop is the first after Alushta. Further from the highway, go up to the right for about an hour in the direction of the wall. At the beginning, go through several houses, cross the road and, finding a green water pipe, move along it through the forest with small lavender fields. You can stop at the parking lot above or below the upper road. From it to the beginning of the routes 15 - 20 minutes. Water can be taken below the upper road from a cut on a pipe. For lovers of comfort: you can also live in the village below the Simferopol-Yalta highway, then the approaches will slightly increase, but are compensated by the presence of shops, summer eateries, etc.
In addition to climbers, this area is famous among paragliders, and earlier, in the late 80s, it hosted competitions of allied level climbers.
Technical specifications:
Only the far right part of it is relatively monolithic. It is here, along a pronounced buttress, that the route of the first category of difficulty passes.The central wall is bordered on both sides by two huge inner corners-couloirs. At least 4 routes are laid on it, from the second to the fourth category of difficulty. All of them are distinguished from the Foros routes by their short length and a large number of technical difficulties. On "troikas" you can find areas with climbing IV + / V- or requiring AID, which is typical for Foros routes 4A, 4B class. Route 4 class to Paragelmen (the first ascent by Y. Lishaev) corresponds to the Foros "fives" in terms of a set of difficulties, but is inferior to them in length.
The right massif is very diverse: there are vertical walls, ivy-covered walls, local monolithic overhangs, and shelves strewn with stones. Therefore, there are no full-fledged routes there (if I'm wrong, correct me). It is this part of the array that is an ideal testing ground for those who want to try themselves as a pioneer, but before doing this - evaluate your strength again.
Descent from the top - to the east along the trail takes 20 - 25 minutes to the upper road.
List of routes to the top of Parahelmen:
Route 1
1B, II
In my opinion - the easiest route of the Crimea, category 1B, very pleasant and friendly. Ideal for the first solo sport climbing in small mountains. The route passes along the right edge and the buttress of the left Paragelmen massif, to the left of the huge rift - the couloir.
From the upper road, go in the direction of the buttress, first along the path, then along the uncategorized rocks (10-15 minutes). Further, in bundles, up 200-250 meters along simple and medium-hard rocks, belay through ledges, trees, hooks. The last 50 m is slightly more difficult than the previous sections (II). It is necessary, taking to the right, along the slabs and cracks to approach a tree with a sign, then along simple rocks 10-15 meters to the yayla.
There are many trees and old pitons on the route, which is not only a traffic guide, but also simplifies the organization of belay points.
Time of passage: 2-3 hours.
Equipment: a set of bookmarks, 5 guy wires, tree loops for organizing stations.
Route 2
2A, III, A1
The route begins to the right of the couloir-fault from the tree with a cable loop (reference point) and goes along the left buttress of the central massif (SW kf).
From the tree on the right side of the ridge, climb 30 m along rocks of medium difficulty (III) to the wall with a difficult gap (key of the route). The slot is passed using AID (long wedges, 3m, A1), then along the wall 5 m to the cable loop - R1.
Then go under the cornice, go through it on the right and enter the inner corner (II). The station is higher on a shelf with a cable loop. From R2 along the buttress 100-150 meters up the simple rocks (II-), keeping to the left side, until the summit. From it, through the failure (insurance, !!!) 50-70m to the yayla.
Time of passage: 2-4 hours
Equipment: bookmarks, 5-8 guys, some groups hit the hooks.
Route 3
3B, V, A1
One of the strongest “triplets” of Crimea. The set of sensations is equivalent to “Kamin elebi”. The route is broken often, but this does not add safety: the hooks are old (20-30 years old), not always in reliable cracks, there are even wooden wedges.
So, the route goes to the left of the center of the wall with an exit to the pre-peak tower along the SW buttress. The origin is the left of the 2-3 slots in the center of the wall. Section R1 leads to a ledge with a bolt. From R1 - along the split (IV-), bypassing the overhang on the left, approach the difficult wall. Along the wall vertically up (10 m, 85 °, V-) to a narrow ledge with two “markings” - R2. Then go 5 m under the overhang, walk along the gap (5 m, 95 °, V + A1) and along the spall (80 °, IV +) go out after 15 m to a narrow uncomfortable shelf under a vertical fireplace. For the organization of reliable belay, hooks (!!!) may be required.
Along a difficult narrow fireplace 15-20 m up (the first one to move without a backpack), then go to it left (!!!) the wall and along the rocks of medium difficulty 15-20 m up. Areas R2, R3 contain many old pitons, some of them in very poor condition.
Our walkthrough: September 30, 1995; 3 hours.
Equipment: friends (recommended), a set of tabs, guy wires (6-10 pcs.), a sling for blocking hooks, hooks + hammer - recommended. A set of bookmarks and a friend was enough for us, 6 guys, but this is not an indicator - we really wanted petal hooks to organize R3.
Known variants:
up from R1 along the spall, bypassing the overhang to the right. Probably a station in the inner corner. Further moving along very difficult (visually, at least V-V +), vertical rocks up and to the left, it is possible to approach the fireplace - R3.
We did not go through this option, but there are memories of the existence of this from Maxim Robuk (Kharkov-Krivoy Rog), dating back to 92-93 and a ladder removed from there.
Its condition and the possibility of organizing insurance are now unknown to us.
P.S. From the middle of the route you can clearly see the bolts marked in red, belonging to the four Fantik. Those who want to get acquainted with this route and warm up well - the three is for you.Paragilmen- this is one of the largest Yaylinsky renegades of the Southshore (857 m). The name of the mountain comes from the Greek "paraginome" - "to go beyond something."
The mountain is clearly visible from the trolleybus line against the background of Babugan-yayla in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Maly Mayak village. From the side of the sea, it looks like a large trapezoid; it has steep, up to 60–80 ° slopes and a flattened summit stretching from south to north for almost half a kilometer.
The mountain is made up of Upper Jurassic marbled limestones (in places by conglomerates), which makes it related to the Babugan-Yayly Yaylinsky massif (with the highest point of Crimea - Mount Roman-kosh, 1545 m), from which it broke away, moving down the slope in the Quaternary time. In a small area of \u200b\u200bMount Paragilmen, you can, like in a natural-ecological museum, see and understand the picture of the formation of various forms of relief: rocks, karst formations inherited from the yayla, deep crevices and placers of pebbles from interlayers of natural concrete - conglomerate.
The southern slopes of Paragilmen are rocky, like alpine walls. There are tall junipers, very old specimens of berry yew and very rare endemics of Crimea. On a patch of the upper plateau, there is a well-preserved grove of old, with half-meter thick trunks, of Ugly pear trees. On a hot summer day, its downy silvery leaves resemble a blooming crown. Many species of Paragilmen flora are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Paragilmen has been a natural monument since 1964. In 1979, on the Paragilmen mountain and the adjacent area of \u200b\u200bthe beech forest, a reserve of medicinal plants was organized, ten species of which are listed in the Red Data Books.
An ancient pack trail leads through Paragilmen, along which a popular ascent route to the city of Roman-kosh runs (1545 m) - the highest point of Crimea. The dirt road from the trolleybus line starts at the village. Grape.
There are many legends about Paragilmen. Filmmakers here filmed romantic scenes for adventure films like Hearts of Three.
sights
The most interesting sight of Paragilmen is two large yews nestled in a deep crevice at the top. The trunk of one of them is about 70 cm thick, and the mighty branches spread out to the sides by 7–8 meters. This giant yew is not inferior in age to its thousand-year-old counterpart on Ai-Petri.
Rock climbing
Climbing routes of various categories of difficulty are laid on Paragilmen Mountain: Paragilmen peak includes three massifs that are unlike each other. West (left) - is a heavily destroyed tree-covered massif. Only the far right part of it is relatively monolithic. Here, a route of the 1st category of difficulty passes along a pronounced buttress. The central wall is bordered on both sides by two huge inner corners-couloirs. At least 4 routes are laid on it, from the 2nd to the 4th category of difficulty. The right massif is very diverse: there are vertical walls and walls covered with ivy, local monolithic overhangs, and shelves strewn with stones. The length of the routes is about 250 m.
A little to the north of the village of Maly Mayak is the highest limestone outcropping of the Main ridge of the Crimean Mountains, Paragilmen. Its walls are so inaccessible that the ascent seems impossible at first. But routes are laid here too.
The mountain lures travelers from afar with its slopes, curly from the abundance of vegetation, promising to present the daredevils with a delicious treat from a mixture of fresh cool air and the aromas of numerous trees and bushes.
"Paraginome" is a Greek word that translates as "transcended something." And the object we are considering, indeed, left its ancestral nest - the Main Ridge, breaking away from it in antiquity, during the formation of the relief.
Features:
The parahilmen is shaped like a trapezoid. This giant stretched for half a kilometer from north to south and rushed up to almost 900 meters, presenting itself as a flat platform before the heavenly kingdom. It is part of Babugan-Yaila and passes a route through itself to the highest point of Crimea - Roman-Kosh.
Wonderful vegetable world mountains: almost thirty species of trees inhabit its sides and top. About 10 are listed in the Red Book. Junipers predominate, some endemics are found. The special pride of this place is the two yews at the top. They may well be considered one of the oldest trees on the entire peninsula, as evidenced by their size. The one that is larger is about 70 centimeters in diameter and about 8 meters in branch span.
The steep slopes are very attractive for mountaineers and rock climbers. Athletes from Alushta and many other cities, and even countries come here for rallies and competitions. Trails of varying difficulty are assembled by pros and beginners.
An old tale translates the name of the mountain as "Follow the money." Unusually, this has its own rationale.
Once upon a time a certain Sufrakis lived in Lambada. The villagers called him Crooked because he had one leg longer than the other, and his gait gave out such zigzags that it was impossible to understand where he ultimately wanted to come.
And once there was a disaster in the area: the residents learned that soon pirates would attack them. Then they gathered their goods and hastened to hide on the mountain. Crooked Sufrakis personally took the egg capsule to a secluded spot at the top and buried it. The robbers burned out the entire settlement, but they did not find the hidden one and promised to return.
And so, after more than one decade, when peace was established in Lambada, the old man Sufrakis exclaimed: "Paragilmen (go for the money)!" yew so many steps to the west, and then the same number to the north. But the unfortunate man forgot that he was walking in a completely different direction in which he wanted. The poor fellows dug the whole mountain, but they did not find the cherished wealth.
How to get there
To get to the treasures, most often they choose the path from the Alushta-Yalta highway. You need to exit in front of the bridge and go up the asphalt road, turn right and along the pipeline to reach another route. Nearby there is a pointer that will lead to the top.
Height - 871 m.
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