M­A­L­A­Y­U­SH­B­A (4200 m) (175) 5B cat. diff., central wall, Gorodetsky's route, 1977

Tactical plan of ascent. 21.07.1977 — 5:00 — departure from АУСБ «Адыл-су». 13:00 — «Nemetsky bivouac».

22.07.1977 — 4:00 — ascent. 5:30 — departure. 2:00 — on the saddle between М.Ушбой and «pillow». 18:00 — processed п. Чалаат, bivouac.

23.07.1977 — 5:00 — started descent to л. Чалаат. In the lower part of bergschrund (15 m). 9:00 — reached the ridge rocks, bivouac.

24.07.1977 — observing the route. The wall is lit from 8:00 to 15:00.

25.07.1977 — 8:00 — departure of the first rope.

80 m of simple rocks of the destroyed ridge, crossed the pass separating the ridge from the wall and went to the oblique inclined shelf in the lower part of the wall (slabs).

On the shelf 40 m to the right-up (sect. 3) to a steep slab with a cleft. Along the cleft (sect. 4) to approach under the 5-meter overhanging wall (sect. 5, ИТО).

Further along the right part of the inner corner (sect. 6) — exit to a small site with a snowy drift.

Control stage I.

From the site:

• 10 m along the slab with a slot (sect. 7) — go around the overhanging rocky bastion to the right,
• exit by difficult climbing under a small overhanging wall (sect. 8) at the base of the wide couloir of the inner corner. The wall is passed with ИТО.
• Further 30 m along the vertical wall of the left edge of the inner corner (sect. 9) straight up with ИТО under the overhanging gray wall with two parallel vertical slots (sect. 10).
• 20-meter section of heavily destroyed rocks (sect. 11).
• Further 20-meter overhanging inner corner (sect. 12) — complex climbing, ИТО.

By 18:00 approached a small rocky crest on the top of the bastion. Overnight stay on small ledges of the crest (sitting).

26, 27, 28 July 1977 — bad weather, rest.

Second control stage.

29 July 1977 — 8:15 — departure of the first rope.

• After a section of 10 m of destroyed rocks of the crest (sect. 13) approached under the wall (sect. 14) — few holds and cracks — 30 m.
• Exit to an oblique shelf. Inclined slabs of the shelf 20 m (sect. 15) to the right-up in the direction of a light-yellow quartz vein.
• The shelf ends with a small rocky cornice, which is bypassed to the left along a 10-meter inner corner (sect. 16).
• Exit to an oblique stepped shelf.

2nd sitting overnight stay.

30 July 1977 — 9:00 — departure of the first rope.

• From the shelf 10 m straight up along the overhanging wall (sect. 17, ИТО) — exit to the base of the inner corner with a cleft, gradually turning into a deep vertical chimney (sect. 18) — 25 m, to the flattening section of rocks of slab-like structure.
• Along the snow-covered slabs (sect. 19) 15 m of complex climbing to the base of a vaguely expressed vertical inner corner 40 m (sect. 20).
• The corner is interrupted by a huge rocky spall, clogged in the lower part with ice and snow.

3rd control stage. Sitting overnight stay.

31 July 1977 — 8:00 — departure of the first rope.

• From the spall along the monolithic inner corner (sect. 21) — difficult climbing 60 m straight up to a huge slot-chimney (water, ice).
• Along the chimney (sect. 22) 40 m on закладках and ИТО — ascent under a huge rocky cornice resembling a bird's beak. The chimney leads to the right wall of the «beak».
• Along the sheer monolithic wall, bypassing the beak to the right (sect. 23) 30 m straight up with the use of ИТО — ascent under a 10-meter overhanging wall of the «beak».
• Along the wall along the crack — ascent on ИТО on the «beak» (top of the sheer and the inflection point of the wall, sect. 24).

By 19:00 the whole team is on the «beak». Overnight stay in a tent.

1 August 1977 — 7:00 — departure.

• Ascent along 80-meter snow-covered and ice-covered rocks (sect. 25) in the direction of the rocky wall under the snow-covered crest (piton belay).
• Further 30 m of rocky wall (sect. 26) with the use of ИТО — exit to a simple snowy crest.
• Along it 200 m to a small saddle under the summit boulder (sect. 27).
• Along the wall of the summit boulder along the inner corner, turning into an ice-rock couloir (sect. 28) straight up to the exit to the summit crest.

Descent started at 12:40. At 14:00 — on Ушбинское plateau. At 16:00 started descent along Ушбинский ледопаду. At 22:00 — return to АУСБ «Адыл-су».

100-000