TO THE QUALIFICATION COMMISSION OF FASIL ST. PETERSBURG

CHAMPIONSHIP OF ST. PETERSBURG ON ALPINISM 2011

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASCENT TO Mt. KOSHTAN-TAU (5151 m) VIA THE LEFT PART OF THE CENTRAL COULISSE OF THE NORTH FACE (A. SIMONIK) 6A cat. diff.

THE ROUTE WAS CLIMBED BY THE COMBINED TEAM OF ST. PETERSBURG

Team captain — Alexander Gukov, team head coach — Yuri Saratov

Ascent Passport

1. Central Caucasus, Bezengi region, Main Caucasian Range, route classification section № 2.5
2. Name of the peak: Koshtan-Tau, 5151 m, route name: via the North Face
3. Cat. diff.: 6A
4. Route type: combined
5. Route elevation gain: 1151 m Route length: 1500 m. Length of sections: 5 cat. diff. – 670 m, 6 cat. diff. – 180 m. Average steepness: main part of the route — 70° entire route — 60°
6. "Hooks" left on the route: total – 1; including pitons – 0. "Hooks" used on the route: stationary pitons – 0, including for ITO – 0 removable pitons – 0, including for ITO – 0 Rock "hooks" (including anchors) – 38, including for ITO – 5, camalots – 26, including for ITO – 5, chocks – 35, ice "hooks" (ice screws) – 111. Total artificial points of support (ITO) used – 5;
7. Team's travel hours to the summit: 32 hours, 3 days.
8. Leader: Gukov Alexander Borisovich, CMS Participants: Kuzenkov Petr Vladimirovich, 1st sports rank Akkaev Aznaur Alimovich, 1st sports rank
9. Head coach: Saratov Yuri Sergeevich, MS, 1st category instructor
10. Departure for the route: 4:00, August 30, 2011 Summit ascent: 11:30, September 1, 2011 Descent from the summit: 15:00, September 2, 2011 Return to Base Camp: 23:00, September 2, 2011

GENERAL SUMMIT PHOTO Mt. Koshtan-Tau. August 2011, Taken from the 3900 bivouac. Denotations of the existing routes on the wall:

1. Route via the left part of the central coulisse of the North face (A. Simonik, 1961) 6A cat. diff.
2. Route via the right part of the central coulisse of the North face (B. Vasiliev, 1966) 5B cat. diff.
3. Route via the left part of the North face (A. Nosov, 1969) 5B cat. diff.

PHOTO OF THE WALL PROFILE FROM THE LEFT Taken by the combined team of St. Petersburg on the descent via the classic path. September 2011.

TECHNICAL PHOTO OF THE ROUTE September 1, 2011 5050 m August 31, 2011 4400 m

August 30, 2011 4000 m

PHOTO AT THE SUMMIT

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE The route can be divided into three main sections:

• Section R0–R2: ice wall 150 m with a transition to the main counterfort of the route. Insurance on ice screws.

Section R3–R20

• Clearly defined counterfort of the North face
• Throughout the entire length, the sections do not differ much from each other in complexity from start to finish
• Ram heads and slabs covered with ice and snow
• Chocks — everything that can be placed
• Searching for and clearing crevices takes a considerable amount of time

Key sections R11–R12: beginning of the second day of ascent after a clearly visible red rock in the center of the counterfort. The rock is bypassed on the left via rocks. No good bivouacs were found throughout the entire main part of the wall. The group bivouacked under the red wall. The bivouac was sitting.

Section R21–R26: gradual flattening, transition from rocks to a snowy ridge, leading:

• first to a plateau under the summit tower (good bivouac);
• then via moderately difficult ice-covered rocks — to the summit.

Descent via the North-East ridge — 4A cat. diff.

ASCENT SCHEDULE September 1, 2011 11:30 5150 5100 August 31, 2011 20:00 5000 August 30, 2011 20:00 4900 4800 4700 4600 4500 4400 4300 September 1, 2011 19:00 4200 4100 4000 August 30, 2011 4:00 September 2, 2011 15:00