Traverse of peaks Ozyorny - Khimik, combined, Category 3

Route description:

From the Ulutau alpine base through the sports ground, where the trail begins, which goes past the former "Churko dorm", then along the stream (to the left of the stream), flowing from under the glacier on the northern slope of the "Treugolnik" peak. Further, the trail turns left and goes along the rocky outcrops to the training rocks "over the camp". Here the trail is lost, you need to move up the grassy slopes to the moraine deposits and further along the moraine deposits and ascents up past the cirques of the Treugolnik and Moskovsky Komsomolets peaks to Ozyorny lake. There are bivouac sites near the lake.

Going around the lake to the right, you come out onto the Ozyorny glacier. Straight ahead will be the ridge between peaks Zimny and Ozyorny (a pronounced depression in the ridge). You need to move not to this ridge, but to move along the glacier to the right along the long "fence" of the Northwest ridge of peak Ozyorny to a wide snow, in the lower part scree, couloir with a clearly visible ridge in the ridge before the gendarme.

Up the couloir to the right past rocky outcrops (to the right) to the ridge.

The first gendarme is bypassed on the left along the shelves, then exit to the right onto the ridge and further along the ridge to the next gendarme, which can be bypassed on the right along the shelves and come out onto a large snow ridge, from which the pre-summit snow and ice ascents open up. Here it is possible to organize a bivouac, since further movement goes entirely on snow, which in the second half of the day becomes very soggy.

Further, move along a not steep 25–30 ° snow and ice slope (there may be ice under a thin layer of snow) in the direction of small rocky outcrops. Along the rocks, you will come out to a small dip in the ridge, where there will be a short (10–15 m) rappel. Further along the snowy ridge and slope to the next rocky outcrops. From here, at first 25–30 m along a not steep snow slope, then 80–100 m along a steep 45–50 ° in the upper part up to 60 ° snow slope to the pre-summit ridge. From here, 30–40 m to the left to the summit of Ozyorny.

The path from Ozyorny to peak Khimik goes first along a simple rocky, possibly snow-covered with snow cornices ridge. Then descent to the left along the snow slope 30–40 m into a hollow, from which to the right and up, ascent to the gendarme Prostoy. From the gendarme, to the left and up along the snow ascents, come out onto the summit of peak Khimik. Descent from peak Khimik via route Category 2.

© Irina Morozova