4A category No. 498 as of October 28, 1980

Climbing Passport

1. Climbing type — rock climbing.
2. Climbing area — Caucasus, Tsey Gorge.
3. Peak Vostochnaya Ronketti via the North wall edge.
4. Proposed category — 5A.
5. Route characteristics: height difference 500 m, route length 5–6 km, 120 m of traversing, average wall steepness — 70°, upper part of the route — 10°
6. Pitons driven: for belaying: rock — 52, ice — 4. for creating anchor points: rock — 2.
7. Duration — 10 hours.
8. There is a spot for two bivouac sites for 3–4 people on the route.
9. Group composition and qualifications:
   1. Bondarenko Sergey Alexandrovich — 1st sports category, leader.
   2. Buryak Vladimir Vasilyevich — 1st sports category.
   3. Golovin Leonid Fedorovich — 1st sports category.
   4. Gordienko Anatoly Efimovich — 1st sports category.
   5. Dmitrenko Alexey Dmitrievich — 1st sports category.
   6. Pecheritsa Viktor Dmitrievich — 1st sports category.
10. Team coach — Matsenity Yuri Mikhailovich, Master of Sports of the USSR, honored coach of the Ukrainian SSR.
11. Departure date — July 6, 1980. Return date — July 7, 1980.

DIAGRAM OF THE BIG TSEY HORSeshoe.

Brief description of the approach

From the Tsey district KSP, follow the trail along the Tseydon River to the upper Tsey bivouac sites — 2 hours. From the upper Tsey bivouac sites, traverse via the "baranii lby" (ram's foreheads) to the right side of the Tsey Glacier. First, follow the right side, then — bypass the glacier serac zone on the left — ascend to the Nikolaev hut. From the Tsey district KSP — 3 hours 30 minutes.

Two path options are available:

1. If the serac zone of the Southern branch of the Tsey Glacier is in good condition: move up the right side of the serac zone to the upper plateau of the Southern branch of the Tsey Glacier and then to the base of v. Vostochnaya Ronketti (2 hours).
2. From the Nikolaev hut, approach the southern slopes of p. Nikolaeva and ascend via the 1B category route to the level of the "Zhabba" gendarme (200 m below the summit). Then, traverse left across the South ridge of p. Nikolaeva and descend via a snowy couloir, which descends from the saddle between p. Nikolaeva and the East ridge of v. Mamison, into the South cirque (2–2.5 hours).

Bivouac sites are located on the upper plateau of the Southern branch of the Tsey Glacier.

Route description

From the upper plateau of the Southern branch of the Tsey Glacier, approach the edge of the North wall of v. Vostochnaya Ronketti via a steep 50-meter snowy slope with a bergschrund in the direction of a standalone rock. Behind the rock — a 10-meter traverse left and exit onto broken rocks.

Ascend 90 m up broken rocks of medium difficulty with snow and ice, and sections of monolithic rocks with few holds — to a vertical chimney with a plug. Belaying is via pitons. Loose rocks.

Then:

— ascend directly up the 50-meter chimney, through the plug to a large overhanging rock that marks the end of the chimney. The chimney is wet, with some ice. Very difficult climbing. Artificial holds in the upper part of the chimney. — bypass the large overhanging rock on the right; 1st control point is on the rock. — from the 1st control point, ascend 40 m directly up to the edge of the North wall. — from there, ascend directly up a 10-meter steep slab — difficult climbing, few holds. Loose rocks at the top! — then ascend 40 m up and right — to the edge of the North wall. — then ascend directly up the edge for 60 m — to yellow overhanging rocks, which are bypassed on the right via an inner corner, with an overhanging lower section. Very complex climbing. — 2nd control point is below the inner corner. — ascend via the inner corner to a wide, scree-covered ledge. Loose rocks! — then ascend directly up snow (30 m), followed by broken rocks alternating with small walls — 200–250 m directly up — to the summit of v. Vostochnaya Ronketti.

Estimated time to complete the route — 10–12 hours.

Descent from the summit of Vostochnaya Ronketti: — via the summit of Glavnaya Ronketti — to the Ronketti pass

Route features:

— there are no tent sites along the entire route. — there is a spot for a bivouac site for 3–4 people at the 1st control point. — the route is recommended only in good weather. — group size — no more than 4 people.