Passport

1. Rock climbing category.

2. Eastern Caucasus.

3. Yaridag peak via the left part of the northwest wall through the "mirror", category 5B.

4. Fifth ascent.

5. Height difference - 1180 m.

6. Length - 1205 m.

   Length of sections R1–R6 category - 994 m. Average slope of the route –78° (2745–3925), including R6 category –80° (3056–3146); 90° (3320–3500).

7. Pitons driven:

   Rock 82/20, bolted 6/4, placed elements 102/40.

8. Climbing hours 46.5, days - 5.

9. Overnight stops: 1st on a wide ledge; 2nd on the "glove"; 3rd on the "glove"; 4th on a ledge at the base of a giant internal corner ("book").

10. Leader: Oleg Vasilievich Rassolov CMS

Team members:

• Andrey Viktorovich Kuznetsov CMS
• Anatoly Alekseyevich Noskov CMS
• Yuri Vladimirovich Filonov CMS

11. Coach: Lionel Alexandrovich Chernov MS

12. Route start: July 22, 1984. Summit: July 26, 1984. Return: July 26, 1984.

Technical photograph of the route. July 17, 1984, 2 PM.

Photo-1. July 18, 1984, 2 PM. "Helios"–44 m, F–58 mm.

1. Yaridag via the left part of the NW wall (Shchedrin's route)
2. Yaridag via the new part of the NW wall through the "mirror" (Yefimov's route)
3. Yaridag via the "sickle" of the NW wall (Babitsky's route)
   • overnight stop location
   • control cairn

Team's Tactical Actions

On July 21, 1984, the entire team was at an overnight stop below the route. On July 22, 1984, at 7:00 AM, the team started the route in the following order: Rassolov - Filonov, Noskov - Kuznetsov. Sections R1–R5 were climbed by Rassolov with piton belay on a double rope, and subsequent sections were climbed on jumar with top-rope belay. The passage of section R5 is shown in photos #5,6. The weather deteriorated: fog, cloudiness. After section R5, there was a change of lead - Filonov went ahead. During the passage of sections R6–R7, heavy rain started. Sections R6–R8 were climbed under water flows. Only when they reached a ledge did the rain stop. Sections R5–R8 were climbed by Filonov with piton belay on a double rope, and subsequent sections were climbed on jumar with top-rope belay. At 4:30 PM, they reached the "wide ledge". At 5:30 PM, Noskov - Kuznetsov started processing the approach to the "glove". Rassolov - Filonov organized a bivouac and dried their wet gear. On this day, 3 ropes were hung on sections R8–R10. The first person's work was done on a double rope.

July 23, 1984. Departure from the bivouac at 7:00 AM, continuing movement towards the "glove". At 12:00 PM, they reached the "glove" (section R12). At 12:30 PM, they started processing the "mirror" (section R13, see photo #7). Filonov - Rassolov led the processing. To climb, they used:

• "heavenly pitons"
• ladders

4 bolted pitons were driven. The weather worsened - fog, drizzle. At 3:30 PM, it was decided to stop processing due to rain. 10 m were covered. The overnight stop was sitting on the "glove".

July 24, 1984. At 7:00 AM, they continued processing section R13. 2 more bolted pitons were driven. They used:

• "heavenly pitons"
• ladders

Rain gusts forced them to stop work and descend to wait it out. All team members took turns processing. Section R14 was climbed free solo with the use of placed elements and rock pitons for belay. Due to bad weather, only half of the working day was used for processing. At 7:00 PM, processing was stopped at the beginning of section R15. The processing of sections is shown in photos #8,9. The overnight stop was sitting on the "glove" under a tarp. It rained all night.

July 25, 1984. Due to rain, they departed at 9:00 AM in the following order: Filonov - Rassolov - Noskov - Kuznetsov. During the processing of section R15, it rained. At the beginning of section R16, there was a change of lead. Noskov went ahead. Sections R15–R16 were climbed by the lead on a double rope. Two overhangs were climbed using artificial climbing techniques. Placed elements were widely used. The rest climbed on jumar with top-rope belay. At 7:00 PM, they gathered for an overnight stop on section R17. The passage of sections R15, R16 is shown in photo #10. One rope was hung. A thunderstorm was brewing. The overnight stop was sitting under a tarp. All night - thunderstorm and rain with strong wind gusts.

July 26, 1984. Departure at 6:00 AM. Fog. Sections R18–R24 were climbed by the lead on a double rope, the rest on jumar with top-rope belay. They widely used:

• placed elements
• rock pitons

All team members worked as lead. At 10:00 AM, they were at the summit. They were back at the base camp at 5:30 PM. The descent presented no technical difficulty.

The high pace of movement was due to the following factors:

1. Having a large number of ropes.
2. Correctly chosen tactical movement scheme, ensuring fast and safe movement.
3. High physical and technical preparation of the team.
4. Use of specially selected gear. The group had three backpacks - nowhere was there a need to pull up backpacks. Communication with the observation group was carried out via "Vitalka" radio, the group had flares.

General view photograph of the route.

View of the wall

Route Description by Sections

Section R1–R2. Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes.

Section R2–R3. Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes.

Section R4–R5. In the upper part, an overhang with a "plug". Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes.

Section R5–R6. Difficult climbing. Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes.

Section R6–R7. "Sheep's foreheads" - be careful! Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes. Wet rocks!

Section R7–R8. Difficult climbing, wet rocks. Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes. Overnight stop. Control cairn.

Section R10–R11. Overhangs, careful climbing. Piton belay, jumar ascent on fixed ropes.

Section R12–R13. Smooth wall with no obvious "holds". Bolted technique, use of "heavenly pitons", ladders.

Section R13–R15. Smooth wall with few "holds". Very difficult climbing. Overhangs climbed using ladders on placed elements.

Section R15–R16. Chimney climbing with the use of ladders on placed elements.

Section R17–R18. Entrance to the "book" overhangs. Control cairn.

Section R18–R19. Be careful! Loose rocks.

Section R19–R20. Upon exiting to the top - an inclined ledge covered with loose rocks.

Section R20–R21. Be careful! Highly fractured rocks.

Section R23–R24. Be careful! Inclined scree ledges.

Photopanorama of the Area

1. Yaridag NNW (Radoshkevich's route 27)
2. Yaridag via the left part of the NW wall (Shchedrin's route 25.1)
3. Yaridag via the left part of the NW wall through the "mirror" (Yefimov's route 25.3)
4. Yaridag via the "sickle" of the NW wall (Babitsky's route)