Route Description

December 2, 2025

aid climbing bivouacs mountaineering rock climbing rope work trip report

North-West Federal District Championship 2022 (altitude-technical class)

Report on the ascent to the summit Ural (V), 4273 m, via the South-Eastern wall of the Southern buttress, V. Makarov, 1986, category 5B

The route was completed by the team from Murmansk-Voronezh

Ascent Details

Western Caucasus, 2.5. From Kithlod pass to Gezhevtsek pass (from the north of the Main Caucasian Range).
Ural (V) peak, 4273 m, via the South-Eastern wall of the Southern buttress.
Route type — rock climbing.
Route length ≈ 860 m.

Section lengths: ≈ category V — 550 m, ≈ category VI — 260 m. Average steepness of the entire route ≈ 65°. Average steepness of the wall section ≈ 80°.

Pitons left on the route: total — 0, including bolted pitons — 0. Total points used on the route: 60 (anchor pitons — 25, camalots — 35, bolts — 0). Of these, for ITO — 8.
Climbing hours to the summit: 10.5 hours over 2 days (2 hours on the first day, 8.5 hours on the second).
Coach — Gagarinov A.Yu., Kornev V.M.

Team Leader: Gagarinov Alexey Yurievich, 1st sports category Participants: Maksimova Lomara Aslanovna, 1st sports category Kornev Svyatoslav Vladimirovich, 2nd sports category

Approach to camps — August 17, 2022, at 12:00. Route processing — August 17, 2022, from 16:00 to 18:00. Continuing work on the route — August 18, 2022, at 12:00. Summit ascent — August 18, 2022, at 20:30. Return to base camp — August 19, 2022.

E-mail of the person responsible for the report: ymahaster@gmail.com

General photo of the summit

Route scheme

Route description, section characteristics

Section	Description
R0–R1	Ascend via the "ram's foreheads," along the crack between the wall and the "ram's foreheads." Very rockfall-prone!!!	6	60	60
R1–R2	Up and left, towards a series of cracks	5	60	70
R2–R3	Up the crack and through a small overhang — exit onto a small ledge (if you look left, you can see a large inclined slab visible from the glacier).	6	30	90–95
R3–R4	Up and right — through the inclined slab, to a steep wall, onto a second inclined slab.	5	30	70
R4–R5	Up the wall to an overhang 5 m above. A piton is hammered under it. Through the overhang — exit to an internal corner. ITO. Up the corner — exit onto a good ledge.	6, A2	30	95
R5–R6	Left along the ledge, around the corner, then up a series of walls and ledges to a steep wall.	4–5	60	70
R6–R7	Up the wall and right — towards a ridge col.	5–6	60	85
R7–R8	Left, onto the col, via a series of ledges. There's a potential campsite. The descent is visible from here.	4	30	70
R8–R12	Up the broad ridge, comprising internal corners and walls. Encounter good ledges for camping.	5	200	70
R12–R13	Traverse left, to a col on the left side of the broad ridge. Towards the black rocks.	3	50	30
R13–R14	Up, through a small overhang to a large internal corner.	4	50	70
R14–R15	Up the internal corner to a small ridge platform.	5–6	50	80
R15–R16	Down the ridge, under the wall. Traverse left, to a couloir. Then ascend the wall. Convenient niche for a belay station.	5–6	50	80
R16–R17	Further up, via несложным скалам — выход в осыпной кулуар. Слева, под стенкой, будет хорошее место под палатку.	4	50	60
R17–R18	Bypass the wall on the right, via broken rocks and a small ledge. Exit to the summit.	4	50	50
Descent	Descend via the ascent route to R8. Then move rightwards. There are rappel loops.

Ascent schedule and weather conditions

Team's tactical actions

August 17, 2022. Approach

Departed from the Bezengi alpine camp at 8:30. Reached the glacier under the wall by 12:00. Cleared a spot for the tent, set up, and went to process the route.

August 17, 2022. Route processing

By 16:00, the three of us had carried ropes and gear. Then a pair worked on: Maksimova led, Gagarinov provided belay. Climbed up via the "ram's foreheads" along the left edge of the couloir. Very rockfall-prone area; recommend moving onto the wall immediately.

Hung 2 ropes, 50 m each. Returned to the tent by 19:00.

August 18, 2022

Cancelled the morning departure due to rain and strong wind. At 9:00, received a weather forecast predicting worsening conditions for the next day. Made coffee, drank it, and pondered. Brewed a second batch, pondered again. Decided to ascend today.

By 12:00:

Climbed up the fixed ropes
Weather improved
Gagarinov led, Maksimova provided belay, Kornev brought up the rear

By 15:00:

Reached the col
Continued moving along the broad ridge
Climbing not very difficult, but the distance is significant
Sections are uniform, tiring

By 18:00:

Completed the broad ridge
Snow started falling

Later:

Climbed 2 more ropes in the dark; Gagarinov missed a potential campsite and continued to the summit
Returned to the campsite after the summit
Heavy snowfall

August 19, 2022

At 3:23, woke up to a lightning strike; a second, stronger strike followed 10 minutes later. Everyone alive, but suffered burns. Sleep was lost; began packing up about an hour later, and started rappelling by 6:00. Strong, exhausting wind persisted until the bottom. Reached the glacier by 14:00, retrieved left gear, and descended to base camp by 17:00.

The route is interesting, with many good climbing sections. Climbs well in dry, sunny weather. Requires great attention at the start. Large rocks fall from the couloir! The approach to the route is hazardous. Otherwise, the route is monolithic. Not recommended to camp under the summit in bad weather.