Ascent Record
RUSSIAN MOUNTAINEERING FEDERATION ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ АЛЬПИНИЗМА РОССИИ
- Ascent category: technically challenging
- Ascent area: Central Caucasus
- Ascent route with indication of peaks and their heights: Malaya Ushba via the western ridge 4320 m
- Ascent characteristics:
- altitude difference: 320 m
- average steepness
- length of the challenging section: 80 m
- Pitons used:
- rock: 10
- ice: 2
- bolted:
- Number of climbing hours: 6
- Number of nights stayed and their characteristics: no overnight stays
- Team name: CHS DSO "Avangard" team
- Surname, name, patronymic of the leader, participants, and their qualification: K. N. N., Samoded A. A., Zasniky V. V., Umanets E. V., Gritsenko V. I. all athletes 1st category
- Team coach: Leopold Vsevolodovich Kensitskiy
- Date of departure and return: July 5, 1975 – July 5, 1975
Route Description
to v. Malaya Ushba via the western ridge, approximately cat. diff.
From the "Elbrus" tourist base to the "Shkheldinsky overnight stays" and further through the Ushba icefall to the Ushba plateau.
Snow crossings between Bolshaya and Malaya Ushba — approach to the start of the route. The route begins to the right of the double chute. The landmark is a snowy vertical chimney that ends with a "finger", clearly visible on the ridge.
Up an 8-meter wall, steepness 85°, with few holds, using piton belay (difficult climbing). From this spot, traverse right under an overhanging red wall (20 m) along an inclined gray ledge. Then straight up a vertical 5-meter wall and then a pendulum traverse into a vertical chimney.
Climb straight up the chimney (piton belay, difficult climbing, ice accretion!) 40 m. The chimney leads to the shoulder of the western ridge. At the exit to the shoulder — a control cairn on the "finger".
Further along the ridge on snowy rocks of average difficulty with alternating piton belay (lack of protrusions) to the summit (7 ropes).
From the plateau to the summit 5–6 h. Descent via the route 26 cat. diff. described in Naumov's book "Baksan Valley". On the ascent route:
- 10 rock pitons
- 2 ice pitons
The route is rated by the group approximately as cat. diff.
Start of the route. Ascent path. Control cairn.