Appendix No. 1 to the Unified Requirements for Classification Report
Report Form for Routes 1B–3B Category of Difficulty
REPORT ON THE FIRST ASCENT TO THE SUMMIT MUKAL VIA ROUTE 2A CATEGORY OF DIFFICULTY BY THE TEAM OF MAC "Freeline" FROM PYATIGORSK ON JUNE 10, 2021
I. Ascent Passport
| No. | 1. General Information | |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Full Name, Sports Rank of the Leader | Popov M.L. CMS |
| 1.2 | Full Name, Sports Rank of the Participants | Khlyshch G.A. 2nd sports rank Lustina S.V. 2nd sports rank Kovalev R.A. 2nd sports rank |
| 1.3 | Full Name of the Coach | Motienko N.I. CMS |
| 1.4 | Organization | MAC "Freeline" |
| 2. Characteristics of the Ascent Object | ||
| 2.1 | Region | Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkaria |
| 2.2 | Gorge | Kyrtyk River Gorge |
| 2.3 | Section Number according to the 2013 Classification Table | 2.4 |
| 2.4 | Name and Height of the Summit | Mukal 3899 m |
| 2.5 | Geographical Coordinates of the Summit (latitude/longitude), GPS Coordinates (1) | 43.19.330 N 42.37.277 E |
| 3. Characteristics of the Route | ||
| 3.1 | Route Name | Mukal via the North-Eastern Ridge |
| 3.2 | Proposed Category of Difficulty | 2A |
| 3.3 | Degree of Route Exploration | First Ascent |
| 3.4 | Relief Characteristics of the Route | Combined |
| 3.5 | Height Difference of the Route (altimeter or GPS data) | 650 m |
| 3.6 | Route Length (in meters) | 1010 m |
| 3.7 | Technical Elements of the Route (total length of sections with different categories of difficulty, indicating the relief type) | I cat. diff. (rocky) — 200 m II cat. diff. (combination) — 580 m III cat. diff. (rocky) — 230 m IV cat. diff. (rocky) — 0 m V cat. diff. (rocky) — 0 m Movement on a closed glacier — 0 m |
| 3.8 | Descent from the Summit | Via the ascent route |
| 3.9 | Additional Characteristics | |
| 4. Characteristics of the Team's Actions | ||
| 4.1 | Time of Movement (team's walking hours, in hours and days) | 5 hours 30 minutes |
| 4.2 | Overnight Stays | None |
| 4.3 | Start of the Route | 7:00 on June 10, 2021 |
| 4.4 | Summit Ascent | 12:30 on June 10, 2021 |
| 4.5 | Return to the Base Camp | June 10, 2021, 15:00 |
| 5. Responsible for the Report | ||
| 5.1 | Full Name, e-mail | Popov Mikhail Lvovich mikl.popov@inbox.ru, 89282657130 |
1. Characteristics of the Ascent Object
General photo of the 2A category of difficulty route to Mukal summit
Orange line — team's ascent route
Yellow — 2B category of difficulty route via the North Wall
Photo of the route profile
Photopanorama of the area. Photo taken from the Mukal River
Brief overview of the ascent area and approach description
The ascent area is located in the part of the Lateral Ridge of the Central Caucasus, stretching from the summit Irik (4046 m) to the summit Mukal (3899 m). The object of ascent — Mukal summit — is located in the ridge next to the Kezgen summit.
From the village of Verkhny Baksan, along a dirt road in the Kyrtyk River valley to the last koshi at the confluence of the Kyrtyk and Mkara rivers (15 km). The road from Verkhny Baksan is passable for vehicles like Lada "Niva" and UAZ "Patriot". Then, across a bridge over the Mkara River and along its orographic right bank, on a marked trail up to the edge of the "hanging valley" (3 km). Then, left along a marked trail, bypassing peak 3428. At a convenient place, cross the Mukal River and move up along the scree along the ridge connecting peak 3428 and peak Nakhodka. After some time, the slope becomes more gentle and turns into wide sandy fields. At the beginning of the glacier — a lake, where overnight stays are possible. From the cars — 2 hours.
There is no mobile connection in the gorge. Border permits are not required.
2. Characteristics of the Route
Technical photo of the route
Technical characteristics of the sections of the 2A category of difficulty route
| Section No. | Relief Characteristics | Category of Difficulty | Length, m | Type and Number of Hooks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R0–R1 | Rocky ridge | 2 | 250 m | 3 |
| R1–R2 | Ridge, destroyed rocks | 2–3 | 80 m; 20 m | 2 |
| R2–R3 | Simple ridge | 1; 2 | 50 m; 50 m | 0 |
| R3–R4 | Rocky ridge | 3 | 130 m | 4 |
| R4–R5 | Destroyed rocks | 3 | 80 m | 3 |
| R5–R6 | Scree, destroyed rocks | 2; 1 | 80 m; 100 m | 0 |
| R6–R7 | Destroyed ridge | 2; 2 | 150 m | 0 |
| R7–R8 | Scree slope | 1 | 50 m | 0 |
3. Characteristics of the Team's Actions
| Section No. | Description | Photo Number |
|---|---|---|
| R0–R1 | Along the ridge 200 m 30–35° 2 cat. diff. to the flattening | 1 |
| R1–R2 | Along a simple ridge 30 m 2 cat. diff. to the wall, which is passed directly 20 m 3 cat. diff. 50° | 2 |
| R2–R3 | Simple wide ridge 1–2 cat. diff. 80 m 15–20° | 3 |
| R3–R4 | Destroyed ridge 100 m 40–45° 3 cat. diff. to the gendarme | 3; 4 |
| R4–R5 | Gendarme is bypassed on the right along the destroyed rocks 50 m 50° 3 cat. diff. | 5; 6 |
| R5–R6 | Behind the gendarme, we move to the left side of the ridge and along a simple ridge 150 m 1–2 cat. diff. to the isthmus | 7 |
| R6–R7 | From the isthmus along the pre-summit ridge 35° 3 cat. diff. 150 m | 7 |
| R7–R8 | Along a simple scree slope 50 m 1 cat. diff. to the summit | 8 |
R0–R1 (Fig. No. 1)
R1–R2 (photo No. 2)
R2–R3. R3–R4 (Fig. No. 3). R3–R4 (Fig. 4)
R4–R5 (Fig. 5)
R5–R6 (Fig. 6)
R6–R7 (Fig. No. 7)
Photo at the summit
Conclusions and Recommendations
The route is logical and safe in terms of rockfall danger. In our opinion, it corresponds to the 2A category of difficulty. We compared it with a similar route to Maly Donguzorun summit, Aykhva junction. It is convenient for educational and sports ascents. The approach from the camp to the start of the route takes 30 minutes.