Team Composition

1. Golubkov B.S. — team leader: 1st sports category (Moscow "Trud")
2. Vlasov V. 1st sports category (Moscow "Trud")
3. Milovanovich V.D. 1st sports category (Leningrad "Trud")
4. Polyakov D.A. 1st sports category (Leningrad "Trud")

Ascent Description

In July-August 1961, a mountaineering expedition organized by the Central Council of the "Trud" Sports Society was in the Pamir region, near Peak Kommunizma.

From August 13 to 17, a group of mountaineers from Moscow and Leningrad, part of the "Trud" Central Council expedition, successfully made a first ascent to the summit of "Peak 4" — 6380 m via the northwest ridge.

The first ascent of this peak was made one day earlier by B. Romanov's group of three, who approached from the west.

The peak is very visible from the expedition's base camp, located at the confluence of the "Walter" and "Moskvin" glaciers under the eastern ridge of Peak "NKVD".

After a successful ascent of Peak E. Korzhenevskaya via a new route, it was decided that two groups would attempt to climb "Peak 4" (6380).

This beautiful peak is located in the northwest spur of the Academy of Sciences USSR ridge, between Peak Voroshilov (6600 m) and Peak E. Korzhenevskaya (7105 m).

The western slope of "Peak 4" adjoins the Moskvin Glacier. Its northwest ridge leads to Peak E. Korzhenevskaya, and the southwest ridge leads directly to the Academy of Sciences ridge.

Even during the organization of the base camp near the tongue of the Moskvin Glacier, we noticed the distinctly visible snow-ice massif of this peak against the blue sky, with rocky ridges near the pre-summit rise of about 700–900 m.

The desire to climb "Peak 4" was not driven solely by sporting interest. During the ascent of Peak Korzhenevskaya, we were unlucky with the weather. Visibility from the summit was minimal, so we couldn't familiarize ourselves with the new area in detail. The need to fill this gap also prompted us to attempt to climb "Peak 4".

The ascent could be undertaken via two paths:

• the northwest ridge
• from the west

The western ascent route was fully visible and represented a purely ice-climbing ascent. The group decided to attempt the first path, i.e., the northwest ridge with a night bivouac on the snow saddle between Peaks Korzhenevskaya and "4". In case of bad weather, a rest day was planned to inspect the rocky sections.

On August 13, both groups left the base camp at 4200 m, heading towards the intermediate tent camp "5000". We took with us a 6-day supply of food, a gasoline stove, a radio, two 40-meter ropes, one 50-meter rope, ice axes, and crampons.

List of equipment:

• 6-day supply of food
• gasoline stove
• radio
• two 40-meter ropes
• one 50-meter rope
• ice axes
• crampons

Directly from the camp, we moved to the left lateral moraine of the Moskvin Glacier and descended from it onto the glacier. The glacier tongue is relatively less crevassed, and it was necessary to cut steps only when descending to the right lateral moraine (orographically).

Further, the entire path to the steep canyon went along the right bank moraine of the Moskvin Glacier. From the base camp to the canyon, formed between the right edge of the Moskvin Glacier and the spur of Peak Korzhenevskaya, it took about 3.5 hours of walking. The path through the canyon at this time was too dangerous due to possible ice avalanches. Therefore, we decided to bypass it via the glacier, which made a sharp turn to the right at this point and, as a result, was heavily crevassed.

After linking up and putting on crampons, we descended onto the glacier. For some time, we managed to navigate between crevasses and seracs without cutting steps. However, the path was then blocked by a long ice "corridor," exiting which required:

• cutting steps
• alternating movement

The first person moved with lower belay and received the others with upper belay. Overcoming the icefall and reaching the moraine took about one and a half hours.

The remaining part of the path to camp "5000" was traversed along the moraine, staying closer to the rocky ridge. The entire approach from the base camp to the assault camp took about 5–6 hours.

By the time we arrived at the assault camp, the weather had deteriorated — a strong wind had picked up, and it was snowing. Falling asleep in our sleeping bags after dinner, we comforted ourselves with the hope of good weather for the ascent.

August 14. We rose at 7:00 in the morning. In the rays of the rising sun, the slopes of Peak 4 sparkled. Romanov's group prepared to depart. We wished them good weather and success. After they left an hour later, we packed our backpacks and also left camp 5000 m.

We considered it dangerous to descend to the glacier with large backpacks down the steep slope of loose moraine with a significant loss of height. The path went along the large scree and rocky outcrops on the slope of Peak E. Korzhenevskaya. Often, we had to traverse steep snowfields.

After about 2 hours of walking along the slope, which began to veer to the left, and descending a bit, we reached the glacier. After linking up and walking another hour between seracs that reached 4–5 m in height, we reached flat ice. Probing with ice axes for snow-covered crevasses, we moved in two rope teams towards the saddle between Peak 4 and E. Korzhenevskaya.

The ascent was slow, with a slope of 15–20°, and the snow was loose. As we approached the saddle, the slope increased to 30–35°. We wore crampons. The dense snow sometimes gave way, then turned into icy firn, into which the crampon teeth barely penetrated. When planning the ascent route from the base camp, the group decided to set up an assault camp on rocky outcrops on the saddle at an altitude of 5600–5700 m. However, upon closer inspection, these rocky outcrops turned out to be frozen stones with a slope of 20–30° towards our distant base camp. In other areas of the saddle, there was a slope of icy firn with large cornices on the other side, over depths of 1000–1500 m.

On the saddle, we cleared a spot for the tent. One rope team without backpacks went further to the rocks and returned after two hours. We worked on the site at an altitude of 5400 m for about 3 hours.

The pre-assault day turned out to be more challenging than we thought. Six hours of approach and three hours of clearing the area for the tent at altitude took a lot out of us.

August 15. The weather was bad, with strong winds, blowing snow, cold, and overcast, but the route was well scouted the day before. We departed at 6:00. After passing rocky outcrops, we followed a snow-ice chute with a slope of 30–35° and reached the base of the first step of the rocky wall in two hours. We removed our crampons, which we had worn after the night bivouac. The rocks were composed of frozen, cracked rock. We had to spend a long time clearing holds and carefully belaying.

As planned earlier, we ascended the first step of the rocky wall via a barely visible couloir that went up to the left. The rocks were complex. Belaying was mostly with ice axes, alternating. "Living rocks" posed a significant danger, to which one becomes accustomed very slowly, and even then, not fully, as a moment's distraction could lead to an inevitable fall. Using rock pitons was impossible as the rock began to crumble at the first hammer blows. We used only ice pitons throughout the ascent. During the passage of the first step, with an average slope of 60–65° and a length of 4 ropes, 20 pitons were hammered in, and only reliable rock outcrops were used for belaying. The first step ended with a wide, inclined ledge with a slope of 30°. After a short traverse to the right along the ledge, we approached a wide couloir of the second step of the rocky wall. The rocks were complex, 2.5 ropes long, with a slope of 50–60°, similar to the first step. By driving in pitons every 3–4 meters, we reached a snow-covered wide ledge towards the 3rd wall. We spent a long time searching for a way to the 3rd step, which was 2 ropes long. We chose a path through a narrow internal corner with a plug at the top. The average slope was 60–70°. The first climber approached the plug, hammering in two intermediate pitons and one under the plug. The belayer from the second rope team approached him using climbing techniques and released the first climber to bypass the plug. The plug was navigated cautiously, with careful belaying, first 2–3 meters to the right along a narrow ledge where a piton was driven in. Then, 4–5 meters of very difficult climbing straight ahead followed, complicated by the loose nature of the rock (rock or piton pitons could not be used). After the plug, an intermediate piton was hammered in, then along a small steep snow patch, from which firn snow fell on those waiting below the wall, the first climber reached the rocky ridge, where belay was organized. The next climber passed with upper belay, the rest using climbing techniques.

The ridge was traversed with transverse belay for 150–170 meters of tension. The first climber spent a long time clearing loose rocks from each step; each rope length along the ridge (with a slope of about 40° and 3 drops) took 1 hour. The ridge gradually turned into a firn slope.

Further along the firn slope, we reached a wide, inclined rocky terrace, where we finally gathered together for the first time and took a half-hour rest, during which we studied the further path visible in frequent cloud breaks. Along a gently sloping rocky ledge, we bypassed the upper part of a large couloir and approached the base of a large snow-ice wall with a slope of 55–60°, 3 ropes long.

It was 17:00, and we wondered if we could clear a platform behind the ice wall. We decided to set up a bivouac. The platform was again cleared in the firn under the ice wall.

August 16. After breakfast, the first rope team departed to pass the wall, while the second dismantled the bivouac.

The wall was ascended using the front points of crampons, sometimes having to break through a layer of snow to reach the ice. Belaying was done with pitons into the ice and occasional rocky outcrops.

At the top of the wall, after breaking through a small snow cornice, we found ourselves under a large gendarme on the pre-summit ridge. The ridge consisted of rocks of medium difficulty, with a slope of 30–40°, alternating with small snow-ice sections. The ridge was 5 ropes long. Part of the path was traversed along the ridge simultaneously; on serious sections, we used alternating belay.

We reached the summit at 10:30. The clouds parted frequently, sometimes revealing surrounding peaks. The wind with blowing snow did not subside. At 15:00, we began our descent from the summit. Until the gendarme, we followed the ascent route, then turned left into a large snow-ice couloir, along which we descended along the ridge with alternating belay via ice axes. In the lower part of the couloir, the ice was exposed, and the slope increased sharply to 45–50°. After passing two ropes with front points of crampons, we reached the ridge. We traversed one rope length of medium rocks without removing crampons, reached the lower gendarme, organized a rappel — 30 m down a sheer wall, and exited onto a snow-ice slope, and further along route "4," we returned to camp 5000 m. The ascent took 4 hours, the descent — 7 hours. We descended into the camp already in twilight.

On August 17, we descended along the ascent route, but on the turn, seracs had collapsed during our ascent, and we had to find a new return path to the camp.

The glacier turn had to be navigated above the glacier along the slopes of Peak E. Korzhenevskaya; further, the path followed the already familiar route marked with cairns.

The rocky section, 620–700 m vertically, was located starting from an altitude of 5600–5650 m. It was complicated not only by technical difficulties but also by the fact that the entire rock, as mentioned above, was highly fractured at significant steepness. It was impossible to use rock or piton pitons, and for ice pitons, we had to search for reliable spots for a long time. Additionally, all inclined ledges were covered with snow lying on an icy base or very unreliable, heavily fractured rock. The entire complex technical rocky section was located at an altitude above 5700 m.

• The entire route from camp to camp was completed by the group in 5 days. Snow and ice conditions during the ascent varied greatly, but on the ascent, we frequently encountered ice sections with a thin layer of loose or compacted snow. Passing these sections required great attention and careful belaying.

The group assessed the completed combined route as a good ascent of category 5A complexity.