Passport

1. Rock Climbing Category

1. Rock Climbing Category.

2. Central Caucasus. Digor Gorge.

3. Main Galdor peak via the Southeast wall.

4. Proposed difficulty category — 5B cat. diff., first ascent.

5. Route height difference — 417 m, length — 490 m.

6. Length of sections with 5–6 cat. diff. — 376 m.

7. Average steepness of sections with 4–6 cat. diff. — 77.

8. Of which 6 cat. diff. — 104 m with a steepness of 90–95°.

9. Pitons hammered:

9. Team's working hours: 20 h, days — 2.
10. Overnight stay: sitting on a ledge.

2. Leader

Leader: Pogorelov Alexander Grigorievich — Candidate Master of Sports

Participants:

• Pyatnitsin Alexander Alekseevich — Candidate Master of Sports
• Sokolov Viktor Mikhailovich — Candidate Master of Sports
• Pashchenko Valentin Viktorovich — Candidate Master of Sports

12. Coach: Artsishevsky Yuri Yurievich, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR
13. Departure to the route: July 3, 1983. Summit: July 4, 1983. Return: July 5, 1983.

Photo No. 1. Main Galdor peak on July 2, 1983, 10:30. Lens: Yu-37A, F = 135 mm, distance about 1 km, shooting height H = 3300 m.

Legend:

• 1 — team's route
• 2 — route via the South ridge 4A cat. diff.

Photo No. 2. Left wall profile. July 1, 1983, 17:00. Lens: O-37A, F = 135 mm, distance about 3 km, shooting height 2910–3000 m. 1 — team's route; 2 — route No.

Pitons by sections (Scheme No. 3)

Route description by sections

R0–R1. Approach to the wall via a steep snow-ice couloir.

R1–R2. Rocks of medium and above medium difficulty with good holds. Piton belay and protection through protrusions.

R2–R3. Up 12 m of difficult climbing on a wet chimney with sections of formed ice, to a small ledge. Then via an internal corner (18 m) — exit to a ledge. Piton belay. Corresponds to the 1st rope in the debriefing report.

R3–R4. Initially up a chimney 8 m, then exit from it to the right and up a smooth wall with a small number of holds and cracks (6 m). After the wall, an internal corner (26 m). Character of the rocks — wet monolithic slabs. Piton belay. Petal pitons were used for ITO on the wall.

R4–R5. Via a vaguely expressed internal corner (20 m), then via a difficult chimney (ITO) — approach under an overhang. The overhang is bypassed on the left via slabs and a wide chimney (8 m). After bypassing, exit to a small ledge. Here is a belay point. The chimney under the overhang is half-filled with ice. In the upper part of the chimney, there are hanging ice icicles. Placement elements, large sector, were used in the chimney.

R5–R6. 30 meters up a wide internal corner, then via a very difficult 10-meter wall — exit to a small, for one person, ledge. Piton belay using placement elements for passage.

R6–R7. At the start of the section, an overhanging wall (5 m, ITO), then an 8-meter wide crack. The crack is climbed via free climbing. After it, 27–30 meters of difficult climbing left-up via slabs. Piton belay.

R7–R8. From R7 also left-up via slabs into a wide wet couloir. Via a chimney, 25 meters of tense climbing, and exit to a ledge. The ledge is small, for one or two people. There is formed ice in the chimney. Piton belay. Bolt pitons. ITO was used.

R8–R9. From the ledge, right-up via slabs 18 m to an internal corner. The beginning of the internal corner represents smooth slabs with a small number of holds. The internal corner leads to a ledge. On the ledge, there is a place for an overnight stay. Piton belay on the section. In the upper part of the corner, stopper placement elements work well.

R9–R10. From the ledge straight-up, left of an ice-filled diagonal crack. The first 10 meters — an overhanging wall (ITO). Then 30 meters via difficult monolithic rocks. Piton belay.

R10–R11. 40 meters up smooth monolithic rocks with a small number of cracks for pitons. Piton belay.

R11–R12. Initially via smooth monolithic slabs (18 m), then via an internal corner with good holds — exit to a ridge.

R12–R13. Via a sharp snow ridge, covered in snow — exit to the summit (80–100 m).