1. Russia, Kamchatka Peninsula, Ganal Range, Ganal'skie Ostryaki area. Section # 3 KMGV.
2. Ptitsa Peak (2006 m). Route: "via the North Ridge".
3. Category proposed — 3B. First ascent.
4. Type of route: mixed terrain.
5. Elevation gain: 560 m.

Route length: 740 m. Rock climbing length: 190 m. Sections of grade 5 difficulty: 6 m. Average slope of the main route section — 58°.

6. Pitons left on the route: total — 3;

Total equipment used on the route: rock pitons — 6, cams and nuts — 34, including aid climbing equipment — 6.

7. Team's climbing hours: 8 hours.
8. Team leader: Ivan Benedyk — 1st sports category.

Team members: Oleg Chirik — Candidate for Master of Sports, Evgeny Lysenkov — 2nd sports category.

9. Coach: Valery Karpenko — Master of Sports.
10. Departure from Base Camp: 6:30 AM, July 9, 2005.

Departure to the route: 9:00 AM. Summit reached at 5:00 PM. Return to Base Camp — 10:30 PM, July 9, 2005.

General photo of the summit

Route profile on the right

• "South-West Ridge". 5A category. F. Farberov, S. Panyukhin. 1991.
• "Via the North Ridge". I. Benedyk, O. Chirik, E. Lysenkov. 2005.

The photo was taken from a distance of 2000 m, height 1500 m. Point of observation # 2. Camera: Canon Power Shot Pro 1 (Zoom). August 8, 2005.

Photo of the route on the left

1 — "Ganal'skiy Palets" Peak (2007 m). 2 — "Ptitsa" Peak (2005 m). 3 — "Sunduk" Gendarme.

The photo was taken from the North-West wall of Glavnaya Peak. Point of observation # 3, height 2040 m, distance — 800 m. Camera: Samsung (35mm focal length). June 2004.

Panoramic photo of the "Ganal'skie Ostryaki" area

Point of observation # 1. Height 900 m. Camera: Canon Power Shot Pro 1 (Zoom). September 2005.

1. "From the North-West", 3B category. Leader I. Korbuh. 1981.
2. "Through the center of the South-West wall", 5B category. F. Farberov, S. Panyukhin, 1991.
3. "Via the South Ridge", 5A category. F. Farberov, S. Panyukhin, 1991.
4. "Via the North Ridge", I. Benedyk, O. Chirik, E. Lysenkov, 2005.
5. "Through the center of the North-West wall". 5B category. F. Farberov, S. Panyukhin. 1991.
6. "M-33" 5B category. I. Benedyk, O. Chirik, A. Bichenko, 2001.
7. "Along the edge of the North-West wall". 5A category. A. Bichenko, A. Alekseev, I. Bekrin, 1995.

Map of the climbing area

Scale: 1:225 000

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky — 134 km.

1. Palets Peak (2007 m).
2. Ptitsa Peak (2006 m).
3. Yuzhnaya Peak (2050 m).

Path to the Base Camp.

• Base Camp. 900 m.
• Point of observation # 1 — 1500 m.
• Point of observation # 2 — 900 m.
• Point of observation # 3 — Glavnaya Peak, South-West wall — 2040 m.

Brief overview of the climbing area

In the southern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, within the Greater Eastern Ridge system, lies a unique and compact area — the Ganal Range (Ganal'skie Ostryaki). It stretches 20 km from north-west to south-east, and is about 10 km wide. The highest point is Glavnaya Peak (2062 m). The area is characterized by alpine-style mountains, with wall elevations reaching 450 m. Despite the relatively low absolute height of the peaks, winter lasts for nine months:

• First frosts occur in early September.
• Snowfall begins around September 15-20.
• Temperatures can drop to -45 °C in December-February.
• Snow at the Base Camp level melts only by mid-June.

Most ascents in the area are made during the summer. The most suitable period for expeditions is from mid-June. At this time, it's warm enough and there are no mosquitoes or midges that are a nuisance in July. The most stable and clear weather is in late August and early September.

Access:

• From Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, it's convenient to drive to the bridge over the Vaktan Malkinsky River (144th km of the Milkovo highway, see the area map).
• After the bridge, turn right and drive 5-6 km on a forest road.
• Then, continue on foot or by off-road vehicle for another 5 km to the entrance of the gorge on the left (the first tributary of the Upper Malkinsky River).
• The road ends here.

Path to the Base Camp:

• From there, go left, through the alder bushes, on a footpath.
• Follow the left side of the valley, upwards, until you reach a terrace.
• Cross a small stream at the boundary between the forest and the shrubs.
• The ascent to the upper valley takes 50-60 minutes.
• From this point, a panorama of the main peaks unfolds: Yurchik, Glavnaya, Palets, Ptitsa, Yuzhnaya (point of observation # 1).
• From here to the Base Camp is 3 km.
• Move along the left slope of the tributary flowing from Yurchik Peak.
• After 300 m, cross the tributary and head towards the cirque, until you reach the cedar trees on the moraine cushions.
• Here, near the right side of the gorge, under a distinct pass, is a good location for the Base Camp.

Travel time:

• Drive from the city to the Vaktan Malkinsky River — 2.5 hours.
• Walking distance — 10 km, 3.5-4 hours.

Helicopter landing:

• A helicopter can land in the Ganal'skie Ostryaki cirque.
• Flight time — 30 minutes.

Approach to the route:

• From the Base Camp, go up the gorge, on the stony moraine — 1.5 km to a large snowfield that covers the bottom of the cirque.
• Then, move straight up the steep snow towards the couloir descending from Palets and Ptitsa Peaks.
• Here, near the rocks, is the start of the ice and snow section of the route.
• Time to reach the route — 1.5 hours.

Technical photo of the route

R — belay station (section number). Arrows indicate the direction of the photo:

• R5 — photo #2, 3
• R6 — photo #4, 5

Route diagram in UIAA symbols

Scale: 1:1000

Route description by sections

Section R0

The start of the route is from the first rock outcrops (height 1500 m) of a wide snow couloir leading to the saddle between Palets Peak and Sunduk Gendarme. Move up the couloir, bypassing two smaller couloirs on the right*, towards Palets Peak. The upper part of the couloir narrows, with crevasses and ice sections. The slope reaches 40° or more. The length of this section is about 600 m.

Section R1

From the saddle between Palets Peak and Sunduk Gendarme, traverse 45 m towards Ptitsa Peak. Move along the left side of the gendarme. The rocks are broken. The belay station is on large boulders before a steep rock depression.

Section R2

Climb straight up 10 m along the broken ridge to a small ledge. The belay station is on a rock outcrop.

Section R3

Descend 15 m with a rappel from the gendarme to a connecting ridge under the tower of Ptitsa Peak.

Section R4

Start climbing the tower by moving up the left side of a vertical internal corner — onto an inclined slab and then along broken rocks — to reach the ridge. Continue along the ridge and through a series of small vertical steps and inclined slabs — to reach a rock bastion. Protection: medium-sized cams. The belay station is on an inclined slab under the bastion, with a forged horizontal piton and two cams (#1, #2)**.

Section R5

From the belay station, move left and up 12 m along the bastion and through a 2-meter wall to reach a 20-meter inclined slab, bounded on the left by a heavily broken couloir and on the right by the bastion. Climb up along the bastion. At the top of the slab, there's a small wall, tense climbing on unreliable holds, and then a 5-meter vertical internal corner, grade 4 difficulty. Protection: medium-sized cams and pitons. The corner leads to the start of a 15-meter inclined slab. The belay station is on reliable crack systems for cams #4-#6.

Section R6

From the belay station, climb 15 m up a smooth, narrow slab to reach a 6-meter vertical wall ending in a 2-meter cornice, forming the "beak of Ptitsa", visible from the Base Camp.

On the wall, climb up a crack under a large, unreliable rock resembling a "spade" sign. Be cautious, as the rock is not secure and should not be loaded.

From the rock, traverse 4 m to the right and up along a thin, diagonal crack on a smooth wall, bypassing the cornice. Tense climbing of grade 5 difficulty with aid climbing. Above the cornice, climb 4 m up, on rocks covered with lichen, making climbing even more challenging — to reach the summit.

Protection: cams #00-#4, pitons.

The summit is a moss-covered horizontal platform, 2 by 8 m. Descent from the summit is via the ascent route.

* At a height of about 1650 m (section R0), a narrow couloir joins from the right, leading to a connecting ridge between Sunduk Gendarme and Ptitsa Peak. This couloir is characterized by steepness, reaching 45° or more, with ice and rock sections (especially towards the end of summer), and frequent rockfall. Climbing this couloir is not recommended.

** The team used cams of the following sizes:

Spring-loaded cams:

• #00 — for cracks 10–12 mm wide
• #0 — 12–15 mm
• #1 — 14–18 mm
• #2 — 18–23 mm
• #3 — 20–25 mm
• #4 — 24–30 mm

Rigid cams (Friends):

• #1 — 28–33 mm
• #2 — 30–43 mm
• #3 — 38–50 mm
• #4 — 47–57 mm
• #5 — 54–67 mm
• #6 — 63–83 mm.

Photo #1

Section R4

Start of the ascent to the summit tower

The photo was taken from Sundk Gendarme. Camera: Canon Power Shot Pro 1 (Zoom). July 9, 2005.

Photo #2

Belay station R5

The photo was taken from the belay station of section R5. Camera: Canon Power Shot Pro 1 (Zoom). July 9, 2005.

Photo #3

Section R5

Approach to the belay station of section R6.

Photo #4

View from belay station R6 on sections R4–R5

The photo was taken from the belay station of section R6. Camera: Samsung (35mm focal length). July 9, 2005, 9:00 AM.

Photo #5

Section R6

Passage of the summit section of the route: V+ category, A1.

The photo was taken from the belay station of section R6. Camera: Samsung (35mm focal length). July 9, 2005, 9:00 AM.