Document #64751942 - Route Description

Koshtantau via the East Ridge - Category 5B (B. Garf, G. Vedennikov, G. Karavaev, and V. Kizel - August 22, 1948; Fig. 16, 17).

The path from the "Bezengi" alpine camp to the "Trud" bivouac in the Dumala gorge is described in route 18.

From the "Trud" bivouac:

Head to the upper plateau of the Ullu-Auz glacier, keeping to the left of the Northeast ridge of Koshtantau, and then to the second glacier icefall leading to the Ullu-Auz pass.
Ascend the center of the second icefall or closer to the slope of the Koshtan-krest ridge (ice avalanches are possible from the ridge!).
At the top of the icefall, move left onto the snowy slope of the Koshtan-krest ridge (dangerous!), ascend it, then move right to reach the upper plateau of the Ullu-Auz glacier.
Follow the plateau, keeping to its left side, and ascend to the Ullu-Auz pass via snowy slopes.

Time:

From the pass:

Ascend right and up a snowy-icy slope and simple rocks to reach the first gendarme on the East Ridge of Koshtantau.
Descend from it via a 2-3-meter negative wall.
Continue up the sharp snowy ridge, alternating with icy ascents.

Overcoming the second gendarme:

Ascend the first 25-meter wall directly via a 16-20-meter icy couloir.
Then via a 5-6-meter internal corner (pitons!).
Ascend a steep 30-meter icy-snowy slope to reach a snowy ridge, and follow it (beware of cornices!) to the second 30-meter wall of the gendarme.
Climb the wall via moderately difficult rocks to the left of a narrow icy vertical groove.

Further:

Follow the sharp, heavily serrated rocky-snowy ridge (beware of cornices!) with 3-4-meter icy ascents and rocky walls, which are climbed directly or bypassed to the right via snow - to the 70-meter wall of the third gendarme.
Ascend the gendarme directly up a 5-meter wall to a horizontal ledge.
Follow the ledge to the right and through a hanging, loose rock to a vertical chimney (pitons!).
Ascend a 7-meter chimney of an inclined slab and a steep 20-meter icy slope to reach under an overhanging wall.
Under the wall, move 4-6 meters left to a vertical, frozen rocky couloir.
Ascend the couloir (pitons!), keeping to its right side, 40 meters up, exiting it onto a slab to the right.
From the slab, ascend a 7-8-meter snowy ridge to the gendarme.
Follow a relatively easy, serrated rocky-icy ridge to its sheer western side.
Descend from the gendarme via a 40-meter rappel onto a steep snowy southern slope of the ridge.

Further:

Traverse 180-200 meters to the right along the snowy slope, keeping to the southern rocky walls of the ridge.
Then follow a wide 45-50-meter ledge and a 120-150-meter destroyed southern rocky slope to reach a col on the East Ridge.
20-25 meters before the ridge, on rocky ledges on its southern side - bivouac.
From the Ullu-Auz pass - 11-13 hours.

From the bivouac:

Descend 45-50 meters via simple rocks on the ridge to a sharp snowy col under a rocky ascent of the fourth gendarme.
From under the ascent, descend 50-60 meters left along a steep snowy slope.
Then move right and along the lower edge of slabs - 15-20 meters traverse of the gendarme from the south (pitons!).
Further, ascend a 15-meter corner and 50-60 meters of moderately difficult rocks up and left - under a vertical wall.
Under the wall, continue traversing along the southern side of the ridge to a snowy-icy couloir.
Descend 40 meters down the couloir and a 6-meter sheer wall in its middle.
From the couloir, continue traversing the ridge along a steep southern snowy slope, near rocks - to a snowy col under the fifth gendarme.

Bypass the fifth gendarme from the south:

First, follow a snowy slope.
Then ascend 60 meters up the boundary of ice of a wide icy couloir rising up the southern side of the gendarme.
At the top of the couloir, traverse 12-15 meters left and ascend to the shoulder of the Southern buttress of the gendarme.
From the shoulder, traverse the gendarme along a ledge on the southern wall to a sharp "finger" (water is located behind the second buttress!).
From the sharp "finger", descend 4-5 meters down a crack and traverse again along an inclined slab to a wall dropping into a wide icy-snowy couloir.
Descend 4-5 meters into the couloir and ascend 120-140 meters up its right side to a col before the sixth gendarme on the East Ridge.
Ascending to the col is possible via rocks on the right side of the couloir.

From the col:

Ascend directly up heavily destroyed rocks of the couloir of the sixth gendarme, exiting it up and left via an internal corner.
Further, follow a wide snowy ridge, snowy fields, and gentle icy-snowy slopes to ascend to the Southeast plateau, 100 meters below the summit of Koshtantau.
Bivouac on the plateau.
From the bivouac on the East Ridge - 12-14 hours.

From the plateau:

Ascend to the summit of Koshtantau via a 100-meter icy-snowy slope, to the right of rocky islands, crossing a bergschrund.
On rocks on the southern side, 5-8 meters below the summit - a cairn.

Descent from the summit is via the Northeast Ridge, as described in route 35.

Recommendations for climbers

Number of participants - 4-8 people.
Initial bivouac - plateau under the Ullu-Auz pass.
Departure time - 3-4 AM.
Equipment: main rope - 2 × 40 m; auxiliary rope for expenses - 10 m; rappel rope - 40 m; rock pitons - 12-16; ice pitons - 5-6; rock hammer - 2; carabiners - 12-14; crampons - 4 pairs; tent - 1.
Bivouac locations - on the Ullu-Auz pass, on ledges on the southern side of the third gendarme, on the shoulder of the Southern buttress of the fifth gendarme, on the icy-snowy ridge behind the sixth gendarme, on the Southeast plateau under the summit, and on the descent route.
Koshtantau via the East Wall
Initial bivouac on the Tyutyun glacier should be located far from the slopes (icefalls! rockfall!).

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