- Zaramag via the North Buttress and East Ridge (combined route, category 4B difficulty)
The path from the CSP of the Tsey area to the initial bivouac in the South Branch hut of the Tsey Glacier.
From the hut (departure at 3:00–4:00 a.m.):
- Cross the plateau of the South Branch of the Tsey Glacier (closed crevasses).
- Approach the second, counting from the right, narrow ice-and-snow couloir of the North wall of Zaramag peak.
- At the top, ice seracs of the North wall overhang the middle part of the couloir.
From the plateau, via an avalanche gully in the center of the couloir, cross the bergschrund and traverse 100 m left-upwards (rockfall, possible avalanches, ice serac collapses) to approach a small couloir descending from the North Buttress of the East Ridge of Zaramag peak and ending in a narrow shaft with a plug. Turn left at the beginning of the couloir. Via a small inclined ledge, then via steep, above-average difficulty rocks (pitons), ascend to the ridge of the North Buttress. Here, turn right and ascend simple rocks of the North Buttress to a ledge. Along the ledge, 200–250 m upwards via steep, simple, and average difficulty rocks on the right side of the North Buttress under the overhanging walls to a site. From the hut, 3–4 hours.
From the site of the I gendarme, standing to the right of the ridge of the buttress, bypass left via steep, simple, and average difficulty rocks on the right side of the upper buttress with an ascent of 200–250 m (pitons) to a site.
From the site:
- Via simple, then steep rocks of average and above-average difficulty, an ascent of 200–250 m under the 2nd gendarme.
Features:
- On both sides of the gendarme are icefalls of a wide, steep hanging glacier descending from the North wall of the East Ridge.
On the balcony under the summit of the 2nd gendarme is a bivouac.
From the I gendarme: 5–6 hours.
From the balcony, descend right to the slope of the hanging glacier, above its lower right ice seracs. From here, traverse 80–100 m left-upwards (pitons) via a steep ice slope above the left ice seracs to a clearly visible inclined ledge in the upper part of the North Buttress, blown out here by the glacier. Via a steep ice slope, then via dusty, destroyed rocks, ascend to the ledge.
Along the inclined ledge, 80 m left-upwards to a site under the wall (pitons). From the site, via rocks of above-average difficulty of the wall, 0–40 m straight up (pitons). Then traverse through the ridge.