Dalar via Northwest ridge, peak Shokoladny, combined, cat. 4B

Route description:

From the bivouac, traverse the plateau to reach the foot of peak Shokoladny. Ascend the snow and scree slopes, transitioning to broken rocks in the upper section, to reach the peak (category 2A difficulty). The ascent from the bivouac takes approximately 1.5 hours.

From the peak's summit, descend steep rocks to the left and downwards, circumventing the first drop of the ridge via chimneys and internal corners. From the second drop of the ridge, perform a rappel to a narrow saddle adjacent to the "Palets" gendarme.

Bypass the gendarme on the left, then rappel leftwards to a ledge and follow it to regain the ridge. Subsequently, descend 25 meters down steep rocks and perform another rappel down an overhanging wall. The broken rocks lead to a saddle between peak Shokoladny and Dalar. Bivouac sites are available on the left, beneath the overhangs. The descent from the peak's summit takes around 2 hours.

From the saddle, traverse rightwards along ledges that cut through Dalar's western wall, eventually leading to the main ridge beneath the summit tower. The ledges vary in width and have a general inclination to the right. From R8, a narrow cleft ascends upwards, culminating in a ledge beneath a couloir with a waterfall. Ascend via the couloir-chimney and a series of ledges (R10), overcoming a gendarme on the ridge "head-on," to reach a snowy and icy ascent leading to the junction of the north-eastern and north-western walls of the summit tower. From R13 (end of the ascent), a series of ledges traverse along the wall to R16 (avoid the edge of the ledges due to loose rocks!). From the upper ledge, ascend a narrow crevice to a vertical wall (R17–R19), then again via a crevice to reach a gap in the summit ridge (R21).

From the gap, descend 5 meters to the other side of the ridge and follow straightforward rocks to reach the summit. The ascent from the saddle takes approximately 10–13 hours.

The descent from the summit follows the "Dalar from the South" route.

• Initial bivouac is on Dalar's plateau.
• The ascent is completed within a single daylight period.
• In the second half of summer, all chimneys, corners, and crevices contain streams, and in the mornings or during cold weather, there is ice formation.
• The rocks along the entire route are predominantly of a broken nature, with many loose stones.