I. Passport

1. Technical class.

2. Central Caucasus, Adyl-Su gorge.

3. Bashkara peak via North wall 4241 m.

4. Complexity category 6A.

5. Height difference 568 m; length 693 m; average steepness 57°.

6. Number of pitons used:

   ice	rock	chocks	bolt
   		elements
   12 / –	17 / 1	36 / 2	– / –

7. Climbing hours: 24 and days: 2.

8. Overnight stays — one (on a rock ledge — sitting).

9. Leader: Burlutsky S.V. — Candidate for Master of Sports Grigorov A.V. — Candidate for Master of Sports Leonov P.G. — Candidate for Master of Sports Khanina A.Ya. — Candidate for Master of Sports

10. Coach: Porokhnya Yuri Ivanovich — Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.

11. Approach to the route: August 14, 1994. Summit: August 15, 1994. Return: August 16, 1994.

12. The ascent was organized within the framework of the CIS Championship — UMC "Elbrus".

Description of the route passage

To the peak Bashkara via North wall 6A category (CIS Alpine Championship)

On August 12 at 18:00, the group arrived at the "Green Hotel" and set up for the night. After a prolonged bad weather, it was decided to wait for at least one day.

On August 13, they approached the Bashkara glacier and set up for the night.

August 14:

• At 3:00, they set out and, by the light of lanterns, reached the ice falls by 6:00.
• The ice falls were bypassed on the right, which complicated the path, but seemed safer and shorter.
• The bergschrund was approached head-on, as no snow bridge was found.
• By 9:00, they reached the rocks.
• Movement on ice was simultaneous; only when passing the ice fall and bergschrund did they move in turns.
• Belaying was done through ice axes and ice screws.
• The first to work was the rope team Grigorov — Leonov.

After reaching the rocks, they moved in turns with piton belays. The first (Grigorov) worked on a double rope, the rest followed the fixed ropes with top belay. Sections were passed using artificial aids. By 19:00, having passed the section, they stopped for the night. The overnight stay was sitting on a sloping rock ledge.

Order of movement on August 14

Grigorov — Burlutsky — Khanina — Leonov.

On August 15, they started at 10:00; the technique and tactics of the ascent were the same as the previous day, only Burlutsky and Grigorov swapped places. By 16:00, they reached the West ridge. By 18:00, they reached the summit, removed the note from the Perm gatherings, and at 19:00 settled in for the night half a rope length below.

On August 16, the descent via the North-East ridge began at 10:00. Order of movement: Leonov — Burlutsky — Khanina — Grigorov.

By 15:00, they descended to the saddle, then through the plateau and the Jan-Tugan pass, and by 19:00, they were at the "Green Hotel", and by 21:00, at the base.

Throughout the ascent, the weather was unstable. On the night of August 15-16, the weather deteriorated sharply — snow, hail, strong wind, poor visibility — so that they had to descend almost "blindly".

We would like to thank the leadership of UMC "Elbrus" for financing this ascent, the leadership of AUSB "Shkhelda" for their help in conducting the ascent, and the Saratov Regional Federation for their help in compiling the report.

Description of the route by sections

Section R0–R1: Five ropes of ice under the wall. It is recommended to pass early in the morning. Rockfall and icefall are possible.

Section R1–R2: A two-meter wet rock wall. Pass head-on with piton belays.

Section R2–R6:

• 50 m ascent on destroyed rocks under an internal corner through a difficult wall upwards, traverse right along a ledge.
• Another 50 m up rocks of medium difficulty and smooth 30-meter slabs.
• Through an ice-snow couloir, exit onto an ice-snow slope.
• 350–400 m up the slope under the rocks of the North wall.

Section R6–R8:

• Simple, then medium-difficulty and difficult rocks lead to a ledge under a vertical wall.
• Difficult rocks on the left side of the wall upwards.
• Exit onto a large ice-snow ledge, which is passed in crampons straight up under the wall.

Section R8–R12:

• Overcoming a 20-meter wall (artificial aids), through snow-covered and destroyed rock ledges, traverse up-right to the North-West ridge.
• Further up steep snow-covered areas, heavily destroyed, with short walls and complex rocks, ascent to the West shoulder of peak Bashkara.
• From the shoulder, rappel down into a depression.
• Then along a sharp, uncomplicated ridge, exit under the summit ascent.
• Ice-snow couloir ascent to Bashkara.

Throughout the route:

• The lead climber moved on a double rope.
• The rest moved on fixed ropes.
• Every 2–3 ropes, the lead climber changed.
• At belay stations, ropes were secured to at least 2 points and blocked between them.

A team of 2–6 people can realistically complete the route in 1–2 days with good weather and route conditions.

The route is characterized by the fact that in case of prolonged bad weather, it will be difficult to descend or switch to the Egger route due to the large number of loose rocks.

Tactical actions of the team

According to the tactical plan, the route was planned to be completed in two days (plus a reserve day in case of bad weather) without prior processing. In case of bad weather, preliminary processing of the route was planned. The team followed the tactical plan without deviations. On July 21 at 2:00, they departed from the moraine bivouac, located within 30 minutes' walk above the "Green Hotel".

Organization of the ascent:

• The first ropes were passed on ice in crampons using titanium ice screws with a handle.
• Then, having reached the rocks of the North wall, the first climber was belayed with a double 12 mm rope bearing the UIAA quality mark from firms "Mammut" and "Edelweiss".
• The first climber was belayed through a Sticht plate.
• For belaying, the following were used:
  • Rock pitons — titanium and VTsSPS;
  • "Rocks" chocks;
  • Stoppers;
  • Asymmetric hexes;
  • Removable bolt pitons;
  • "Friends" — spring-loaded chocks.
• Chocks and "friends" allowed for reduced time in organizing belays.
• For ice belays, titanium ice screws with a handle were used.
• For better rope handling, nylon rope extenders were used.
• During the passage of route sections through artificial aids, étriers and ring ladders were not used.

Equipment and gear:

• The team was equipped with 7 ropes, allowing for top belay for all climbers on the fixed ropes.
• The first climber ascended without a backpack, free climbing.
• Rucksack hauling was not used.
• The average weight of backpacks was 7–8 kg.
• The rest of the team members moved on fixed ropes with two jumar ascenders.

Medical support:

• The team had a doctor.
• In case of injury, a resuscitation kit and two first-aid kits were available (with the second and last climbers).

Protection from bad weather:

• In case of bad weather, the group took waterproof nylon cloaks.

Preparation of participants:

• All team members had good rock (2 Candidate for Master of Sports) and ice preparation.
• Route processing was done by different rope teams.
• Rock sections were climbed in rock shoes.
• Ice sections — in rigid crampons "Footfang".

Organization of overnight stay:

• The overnight stay was safe, on a snow ridge, outside the area of falling rocks.
• At the bivouac site on the moraine, two observers remained, with whom communication was stable, and no radio session was missed.
• According to the route conditions and weather, the team conducted the planned overnight stay at the designated location.
• There were no deviations from the pre-planned plan.

Descent:

• From the summit, on new ropes, the team descended to the saddle between Bashkara and Jantugan, then on snow — to the Jantugan plateau, and through the Jantugan pass — to the "Green Hotel".

Route scheme in UIAA symbols

Pitons driven: rock (rock) — 54 / 4, bolts (bolt) — 1 used, ice (ice) — 42, chocks (chocks) — 41, "friends" chocks (friends) — 16.

July 20, 1993, 18:00, "Industar-58" lens, focal length 75 mm, distance 4 km, shooting point № 2 (2300).

Debriefing protocol

Ascent to peak Bashkara via North wall 6A category within the CIS Alpine Championship

led by: Burlutsky S.V. team members:

• Grigorov A.V.
• Leonov P.G.
• Khanina A.Ya.

present:

• coach Porokhnya Yu.I.
• head of CO Rasskazov A.V.

Burlutsky S.V.: On August 12, the group arrived at the approach. On the way, they inspected the condition of the wall. After prolonged bad weather, it was in poor condition (snow, verglas). They decided to wait at the "Green Hotel" for one day to let some snow melt on the wall.

On August 13, they approached the Bashkara glacier and set up for the night.

On August 14 at 3:00, they set out onto the glacier and, by lantern light, reached the ice falls by 6:00. They bypassed them on the right (difficult ice climbing) and approached the bergschrund. Overcame the bergschrund and ice slope, then approached the rocks. On the rocks, as on the ice, Grigorov A.V. worked first, the rest moved on fixed ropes. At 19:00, they stopped for the planned overnight stay before the section.

On August 15, after overnighting, they started moving at 10:00 and by 18:00 reached the summit. At 19:00, they settled in for the night 20 m below.

Porokhnya Yu.I.: "Who worked first this day and in what order did you move?"

Burlutsky S.V.: "This day I worked first, followed by Grigorov, Khanina, Leonov. After the overnight stay on August 16, they began the descent."

Leonov was the first to descend, Grigorov the last. In conditions of poor visibility, it was very difficult to find the descent path; they had to wait for visibility to improve slightly. By 15:00, they were on the saddle, by 19:00 — at the "Green Hotel", and by 21:00 — at the base.

Grigorov A.V.: "The route turned out to be more difficult than expected after consultations, especially after bad weather. The north wall is very cold, with no sun. The rocks were icy; the first ropes had to be climbed in crampons."

Khanina A.Ya.: "The route is quite dangerous, with many 'live rocks', blocks. Therefore, it was necessary to move very carefully. The most physically difficult part was the ascent to the wall. This is my first 6A, and it was indeed more challenging than the 5B categories I had climbed before."

Leonov P.G.: "Burlutsky, Grigorov, and I were on:

• peak Chatyn (S wall, Myshlyaev's route, 6A category);
• peak Kyukyurtlyu (Central-North-West wall, Lukashvili's route, 6B category), so the team is prepared and capable of more complex tasks. Last year, during preparation for the Russian Alpine Championship, we climbed peak Shchurovsky (Bas. North wall, Khergiani's route, 5B category), and Khanina A.Ya. was in the group. We noticed her as a skilled alpinist. This year, we decided to test her on a 6th category route, and she showed herself from the best side. About the route, it's quite complex and difficult, and also dangerous, especially the upper part, with many 'live rocks' and blocks. However, the coordinated and careful work of all team members ensured a reliable and safe ascent."

Rasskazov A.V.: "Radio communication was clear, the information transmitted was complete. The route was passed safely, and from a professionalism standpoint, the group did not raise concerns."

Porokhnya Yu.I.: "The group is excellently prepared both physically and technically. The route was completed according to the tactical plan. The ascent was conducted without violating the 'Rules of Mountaineering'. Burlutsky coped with the leadership. The ascent and leadership are to be confirmed. I recommend submitting this ascent for the CIS Championship."

coach: /Porokhnya Yu.I./ team captain: /Burlutsky S.V./