Сергей Дидора. http://4sport.ua/articles?id=28268↗
Description of the route to Shkhelda Peak via the South Ridge, category 4B, to the traverse (R. Gelbling, 1903).
To Shkhelda Peak via the South Ridge, category 4B, to the traverse (R. Gelbling, 1903).
From the horizontal part of the Ushba glacier, an ice-and-snow ascent leads to a nunatak. The rocks are bypassed on the left. There are platforms on the nunatak in case of bad weather. The height gain is 250 m — 1–2 hours.
Approaching the rocks of the eastern slope of the South Ridge — 300 m — 20–50 minutes; category 2-3 difficulty.
Ascending the rocks and moving upwards, choosing safe sections until the overnight stay below the gendarme — 700 m — 5–8 hours, category 3-3+ difficulty.
Height gain is 700 m;
Bypassing the gendarmes towards the South Ridge, traverse — 100 m — category 3 difficulty.
Ascent via the couloir to the South Ridge — 120 m — category 3 difficulty.
Approaching along the South Ridge to the "Petukh" gendarme — 120 m — category 2-3+ difficulty.
From the overnight stay — 2–4 hours.
To "Petukh" — 90 m — category 3-4 difficulty; 30 m rappel; 1–2 hours.
To the tower — 200 m — category 3-4+ difficulty; 1.5–3 hours.
Along the ridge to the summit — 300 m — category 3 difficulty.
Route specifics:
Until the overnight stay below the gendarme:
- There is little snow in the couloirs.
- Due to the heat, spontaneous rockfalls often occur into the couloirs on the left and right of the rocks.
Therefore, it is safe to ascend via the rocks and along them.
There is no water at the overnight stay below the gendarme — only snow!
During the descent, one has to ascend to the "Petukh" gendarme — 30 m with category 4+ difficulty. The descent from the summit to the overnight stay may result in 10 rappels! This can be a significant time investment for the group!
The ascent along the ridge to the summit is along the border! In case of rescue operations, there will be significant problems since there are no routes along the north and south walls of the tower! Traversing an injured person is usually impossible!