Ascent Logbook

1. Ascent Category: High-altitude technical
2. Ascent Area: Pamir, Zaalaysky Range
3. Ascent Route with Summit Elevations: Kyzyl-Ogyn 6679 m via the eastern wall
4. Ascent Characteristics:
   • Elevation gain: 6679 m – 4600 m = 2080 m
   • Average slope of the Eastern wall: 55°
   • Average slope of the entire route (across the plateau): 40°
   • Length of complex sections during ascent: 2285 m
5. Pitons Used:
   • Rock pitons: 30
   • Ice pitons: 21
   • Bolts: –
6. Total Climbing Hours: 35.4 hours
7. Number of Nights and Camping Conditions: Three nights – one wall bivouac (5130 m) on an icy slope around 60°, two in a snow depression (6230 m)
8. Team Name: Team from the Physical Culture and Sports Committee under the Chelyabinsk Regional Executive Committee
9. Team Leader, Members, and Their Qualifications:
   1. Berdyugin G.F., CMS – team leader
   2. Vakhmenin A.S., CMS
   3. Greylikh P.F., CMS
   4. Sidorov G.F., CMS
10. Team Coach: Levin M.S., Master of Sports
11. Departure and Return Dates: August 6, 1975

5624

8–9.08

9–12.08

6230

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"Alay" means "to be surprised"

One interpretation

Over a hundred years ago, in 1871, young Russian scientists, husband and wife Alexey Pavlovich and Olga Alexandrovna FEDCHENKO, made their way through the notorious Kokand Khanate into the Alay Valley and became the discoverers of the Zaalaysky Range.

27-year-old A.P. Fedchenko wrote: "...I had long dreamed of erasing the white spot on the map between Tian Shan and the Himalayas."

Many years passed. There were fewer white spots. But they still exist: the Pamir is vast, and even in its most advanced range – the Zaalaysky – there are gorges where no human foot has trodden, and peaks that have not yet been conquered.

In late 1974, senior instructors of Chelyabinsk alpinism, M.S. Levin and G.K. Rozalskaya, decided to conduct the 17th regional advanced alpinism training courses in the Zaalaysky Range.

As we began to prepare for the peaks that awaited us in 8 months, we, candidates for the regional team, enthusiastically and gratefully received the "Table of Peaks in the USSR exceeding 6000 meters" compiled by the national coach of the USSR in alpinism, Vladimir Nikolayevich Shatayev ¹:

• 29. 6624 peak 6624 Pamir Zaalaysky Range

and a vacant spot, a "white spot," where the name of the team leader of the first ascent group should be.

So, where is this mysterious unconquered peak "6624" – the highest unvanquished Pamir peak?

We didn't figure this out right away. Meanwhile, we became seriously interested in the upper reaches of the Korzhenevsky Glacier and the white giant Kyzyl-Ogyn!

The Korzhenevsky Glacier is one of the most significant Pamir glaciers ² and was discovered in the upper reaches of the Jan-Aydar gorge ³ in the Zaalaysky Range even before the Great October Socialist Revolution.

It was discovered by Nikolai Leopol'dovich KORZHENEVSKY – a young enthusiast at the time, who later became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Honored Scientist, and Doctor of Geographical Sciences under the Soviet government.

He revisited this glacier as part of a group led by the well-known geographer and geodesist I.G. Dorofeyev. It was then (July 1-2, 1928) that the activity of the First Pamir Expedition of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR began with mapping this glacier.

Subsequently, this glacier was named after its discoverer, the tireless explorer of the high-altitude regions of Central Asia, Korzhenevsky. The adjacent segment of the Zaalaysky Range is also named "Korzhenevsky Mountains": to the west of the Pamir Highway, starting from the Polkovaya peak, through the snowy peaks of Kok-Say, Simanovich, Shakhtyor, Peak Beletsky (6075 m – the highest point), Korzhenevsky (6005 m) to the VMF peak – see Map No. 1.

Beyond the VMF peak rises a gigantic table-like massif with 5 ridges radiating almost like a star:

• east
• southeast
• southwest
• west
• northeast

This is Kyzyl-Ogyn ⁴, with an elevation of 6679 m. To the north, beneath it, two thousand meters lower, lies the firn field that feeds the Korzhenevsky Glacier. It is surrounded by two ridges of Kyzyl-Ogyn: the north-northeast ridge, culminating in the beautiful peak Spartakhiada (5746 m), and the western ridge – "Barrikady Ridge," which connects to the XIXth Party Congress peak.

The firn basin is vast, and the glacier flowing from it is relatively narrow and soon disappears under moraine deposits. The diversity of rocks in the moraines is striking, with varied hypses and ophicalcites, limestones, and schists. Cubes of pyrite often sparkle among the colorful rocks, and fossilized shells are frequently found – a reminder that this area was once a sea, gradually retreating and leaving behind chains of evaporating lagoons. The Pamir's uplift occurred during the Cenozoic era, accompanied by its destruction.

Intensive erosion has left characteristic marks along the southern edge of the valley – the Ledyanoi Mys ridge (highest point: Obruchev peak, 5455 m): steep rocky slopes, tiny scree fields, deep canyons of rivers flowing from highly elevated cirques.

Opposite these, the Korzhenevsky Glacier is joined by the Spartakhiada Glacier and the Zabluzhdeniya Glacier from the north. Just beyond the terminal drop of the left lateral moraine of the Zabluzhdeniya Glacier lies a large green meadow with three lakes, and in the center, a large stone with an inscription: "NAGEL'S REFUGE. 1951."

Here, at an elevation of 4200 m according to our altimeter, the Chelyabinsk Regional Advanced Alpinism Training Courses established the main base camp.

The approach is as follows: from Osh, drive by car along the Pamir Highway through Sary-Tash to the former Bordobo outpost (Bordëbë). Here, at the 224 km mark on the Pamir Highway, a dirt road turns off at a right angle to the right between the houses of road workers and soon leads to the turbulent river Kata-Aryk. There is no bridge; crossing is risky even for cars in the second half of the day.

On the other side of Kata-Aryk, the track turns left and ascends along the valley of the Jan-Aydar river ⁵, avoiding the river itself.

Rounding a triangular rock "cape" on the right, the road hugs the grassy slopes of the lower terrace of the spurs of the TOD peak. In good weather, the peak Lenin is visible ahead to the right in an unusual perspective. On the left, in the background, are the white peaks of TOD, Grot, Tashkent, and, higher than these, peaks Korzhenevsky and the eastern peak of Kyzyl-Ogyn.

Deep in the valley, to the left of the bend, three remarkably similar peaks stand "in line and by height": closest is peak Nazarov (5015 m), farthest is peak Spartakhiada, and between them is peak Tankograd (5200 m), named by the first Chelyabinsk ascenders in memory of the labor achievements of the South Urals during the Great Patriotic War.

The valley remains flat and wide, but by 12 km from Bordoba, at an altitude of 3500 m, the car must be stopped: another three kilometers could be driven, but there are heaps of stones, clearly of mudflow origin.

However, it's only about an hour's walk to the mouth of the nearest side valley, closed off by peaks Grot and Tashkent; and in the wide – over a kilometer wide – valley of the Jan-Aydar river, mudflows from the north, from side gorges, quickly subside. Moreover, an intermediate camp is set up on a safe terrace, previously used by Osh climbers. This terrace is just beyond a stream running from a cirque between peaks TOD and Grot. From here to "Nagel's Refuge" is 3-4 hours upstream along the river.

Leaving the "3500" intermediate camp early in the morning, one can return by evening, having completed one of the following ascents:

• TOD peak via the northern or western ridge – 1B, 1B
• TOD – Neizvestny – Grot peak traverse – 3A
• Neizvestny peak from the north – III non-cat.
• Grot peak from the west via a couloir (passed in 1964) – II
• Grot peak via the western ridge – II
• Tashkent peak via the eastern ridge (passed in 1975) – 2A (being formalized)
• Tashkent peak via the northwest ridge (passed in 1951, 1963, 1975) – 3B ⁶
• Tashkent peak via the western counterfort – III non-cat.
• Nazarov peak via the eastern slope – 2A

Unfortunately, our course participants did not get to know the peaks on the opposite side of the Jan-Aydar gorge due to high water. Yet, on the eastern part of the Ledyanoi Mys ridge, only one route is categorized: the traverse from the west of the Janaydar-Takayskaya Pila – 3A cat. diff.

Moreover, from the south, from the At-Jaylyau glacier, it takes no more than 40 minutes to reach the summit of peak Tashkent via scree – i.e., it's not a 3B cat. diff. route.

It's clear that even the area adjacent to the "3500" intermediate camp is not fully explored.

The exploration began with army climbers led by V.I. Ratsek. In 1951, P. Karpov's group made the first ascent of peak Tashkent and traversed the TOD–Grot ridge.

At the same time, V. Nozdryukhin's group made the first ascent of peak Professor Nazarov via the eastern slope and traversed 6 peaks of the Janaydar-Takayskaya Pila. Then, this group made a notable first ascent of peak Korzhenevsky via peak VMF, now rated 4B cat. diff.

In 1956, army climbers increased the count of first ascents: G. Sol datov's group ascended peak Spartakhiada via the southern ridge, and V. Nozdryukhin's group left notes on the summits of Ledyanoi Mys and Obruchev.

In the same year, V.I. Ratsek's students achieved significant success: V. El' chibekov's group of 13 climbers made the first ascent of Kyzyl-Ogyn via the north-northeast ridge on August 6 and received third place in the All-Union Alpinism Competition. Interestingly, just two weeks later, on August 21, eight "Kyzyl-Ogyn" climbers led by G. Ovcharov successfully traversed peak Lenin!

In 1957, instructors from the "Shakhtyor" Sports Club, led by P.S. Zak, traversed the "Korzhenevsky Mountains" ridge from peak VMF to peak Simanovich. This 5A cat. diff. route remains relevant today.

In 1960, Georgian climbers pioneered a route to Kyzyl-Ogyn from the south. Baltic athletes also ascended peaks 6218 (peak Soviet Latvia) and 6211 (peak Soviet Estonia) from the south.

In 1961, a "Burevestnik" Central Council expedition led by A. Chernobrovkin worked in the Jan-Aydar valley; it is known that they repeated V. El'chibekov's route on Kyzyl-Ogyn.

Additionally, one of our course groups found a semi-rotten note on a double notebook sheet on peak VMF. On one half of the sheet, only a vigorous signature remained: "I. Bogachev" and a date (unclear which July 1961); on the other, better-preserved half, Z. Kashtanova, the first woman to ascend peak VMF, sends her heartfelt greetings to subsequent climbers – along with a poem that we enjoyed.

In 1963, an expedition from the Osh Regional Council of the Union of Sports Societies and Organizations, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Kyrgyzstan's voluntary entry into Russia, visited the area and repeated several routes on peaks Tashkent, Spartakhiada, and Korzhenevsky with multiple groups. A. Yeropunov's group repeated the VMF–Simanovich traverse ⁷, and G. Akhsanov's group made a first ascent of peak Korzhenevsky via the northern ridge, a category V non-classified route.

On August 9, 1963, a group of Osh climbers led by V.F. Litvinov repeated V. El'chibekov's route on Kyzyl-Ogyn with two nights. On the summit, there's a can of caviar stuck in the ice – but no note.

The next day, August 10, a second group of Osh climbers, led by V.Ya. Freifel'd, ascended Kyzyl-Ogyn with a one-day delay. Elvira Nasonova, a future "Snow Leopard," was the first woman to reach the summit as part of this group.

In July 1964, bad weather ruined most of the plans of a "Burevestnik" expedition from the Tashkent Regional Council, and after that, very few mountaineering groups visited the area until July 22, 1975.

---

We have mentioned almost all the routes passed in this vast area – except for the routes to peak Nazarov from the VMF pass ⁸ and to peak Spartakhiada via the eastern ridge, as we lack information on the first ascenders of these two category III routes ⁹.

Considering the area's development insufficient, the leadership of the Chelyabinsk Regional Advanced Alpinism Training Courses – and especially the head of the rescue team, Honored Coach of the RSFSR A.G. Ryabukhin – set a task for the course participants: to repeat previously climbed routes and to pioneer new ones.

On August 27, 1975, two groups of course participants, united under the leadership of "Snow Leopard" P. Greylikh, made a first ascent of an unnamed peak "5200" – the future "peak Tankograd."

In the remaining two weeks, groups of course participants repeated this route and pioneered new paths to peak Tankograd: via the couloir on the eastern wall and the southeast edge, and completed the Spartakhiada–Tankograd traverse.

Two routes were used to conquer the beauty, peak Spartakhiada. A jubilee note "Chelyabinsk – XXX years since Victory over Fascism" was left on the unvisited northern peak Nazarov. The main peak Nazarov was reached via a new route: through the left part of the western wall.

Finally, on August 10, 1975, A. Ivashchenko's group ascended the main peak Kyzyl-Ogyn (6679 m) via the north-northeast ridge – the fifth group in nineteen years.

And on August 11, S. Sokolov's group completed a first ascent of Kyzyl-Ogyn via a route recommended by the course head, M.S. Levin (who couldn't participate due to a flare-up of his ulcer). S. Sokolov's route was an ice-and-snow route up the northern wall of the eastern ridge of Kyzyl-Ogyn and then from a saddle to the summit along the eastern ridge.

---

Before these two groups ascended Kyzyl-Ogyn, our team climbed the eastern wall of Kyzyl-Ogyn, which was entered into the USSR Alpinism Championship in the high-altitude technical category.

The ascent began on August 6 and ended on August 10. The mountain proved to be a worthy opponent. Contrary to expectations, it behaved correctly throughout these days.

No one had previously climbed this wall, and no attempts had been made along its entire length.

Initially, we planned to enter the USSR Championship with a first ascent of peak "6624" – the highest unvanquished Pamir peak.

We found it on a map in the first edition of E.A. Beletsky's book "Peak Lenin" – there it is, peak "6624," and to the west of it, Kyzyl-Ogyn... but where are Kyzyl-Ogyn's five ridges? Where is the north-northeast ridge that the first ascenders took?

Something doesn't add up here.

Another map – in V.I. Ratsek's book "Peak Lenin" – doesn't show peak "6624" at all; instead, the main peak of Kyzyl-Ogyn is marked as the point where the ridges intersect.

Aerial photographs kindly provided by V.I. Ratsek show all 5 ridges "in place," and it's clear that the main peak is offset to the southwest from the point where the ridges intersect.

It's also clear that there are no significant peaks between the main peak and peak VMF.

So, peak "6624" doesn't exist? If viewed from Bordëbë, the main peak of Kyzyl-Ogyn is not visible. Without this knowledge, an observer might easily be misled and take the start of the ridge extending from the summit plateau to the southeast as the highest point of the massif.

Perhaps topographers from the Alay Valley determined the elevation of this point as 6624 m?

However, this "peak 6624" cannot be considered an independent peak – it's merely a secondary, eastern peak of Kyzyl-Ogyn, weakly elevated above the plateau and likely already visited.

Thus, becoming first ascenders of peak "6624" is not possible for us.

Too bad! After lengthy consultations, we decided to test our skills on the eastern wall of Kyzyl-Ogyn.

The eastern wall of Kyzyl-Ogyn is formed by a giant fault.

Starting under the saddle between peak VMF and Kyzyl-Ogyn, the fault runs under the intersection of the ridges and turns with the north-northeast ridge. Thus, the fault has a significant extent.

The area where the eastern and north-northeast ridges intersect is the left, highest part of the eastern wall.

The covering glacier, sliding from the summit plateau of Kyzyl-Ogyn, is reborn here. Above the reborn glacier lies a critically dangerous rock "claw," to the right of which the wall is intersected by several ridges. Only one of these ridges, with an average slope of about 60°, is not affected by ice avalanches.

Hanging glaciers lie on both sides above this ridge, and accordingly, steep ice couloirs are cut by deep grooves on the left and right. Between them are wall sections where this ridge drops to the Zabluzhdeniya Glacier.

The wall's rocks vary in structure and origin: the lower part consists of layered schists and metamorphosed limestones, which are extremely brittle; higher up lie belts of dark pink limestones, similar to the Crimean "Red Stone," in huge blocks.

There's a lot of ice on the wall. Near the wall sections, there are steep grooves.

The 1000-meter path from the glacier to the ridge is not simple – but very beautiful.

A few words about our team. For several years, the regional team has not participated in the USSR Alpinism Championships. There are many reasons for this; the main one is that we were afraid to compete without A.G. Ryabukhin, the team's constant captain and coach.

We took the risk – having almost no competitive experience, being trained in three different collectives with different styles, and leaning towards different categories of ascents.

However, we had climbed together in previous years – and enthusiastically prepared physically, running a lot on skis and later doing cross-country, eagerly competing, and increasing our workload.

Our form was monitored by a candidate of medical sciences, the region's top "alpinist doctor," G.R. Ruig – we trusted him.

On July 24, a large reconnaissance group made the first reconnaissance sortie to the upper reaches of the Korzhenevsky Glacier; G. Berdyugin and A. Vakhmenin broke away from it and turned towards the glacier flowing from the north.

As expected, this turned out to be the Zabluzhdeniya Glacier – turning right, behind a ridge of an unnamed peak "5200" that blocked the view, the pair saw the eastern wall of Kyzyl-Ogyn in the same perspective as in a photograph from 1963.

On the return trip, they carefully examined and marked an optimal route to the upper reaches of the Zabluzhdeniya Glacier, to be used in case of bad weather or poor visibility.

On July 26, the day before a training ascent, the entire team observed the wall from different points from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The weather allowed us to study the wall's relief quite thoroughly (using a tenfold spyglass and two sixfold binoculars).

By 6:00 PM, the team gathered on a smooth plateau under the southern slopes of the aforementioned ridge of the unnamed peak. Exchanging opinions on the route choice and tactics, wall features, etc., we discussed the feasibility of a training ascent to this unnamed peak – a great observation point – with the course head, Honored Coach of the RSFSR A.G. Ryabukhin. A.G. Ryabukhin provided valuable advice.

On July 27, from the snowy summit of the unnamed peak, later named "peak Tankograd," the profile of the wall and the ascents on the north-northeast ridge of Kyzyl-Ogyn are clearly visible.

Finally, we determine the locations of possible bivouacs on the wall – but their suitability can only be assessed after hours of observation and timing the wall's "life."

The training ascents are completed. On August 5, from 6:00 AM, the entire team monitors the wall's behavior from a bivouac on the smooth plateau under peak Tankograd. By 6:00 PM, we conclude that there are no safe places for a bivouac below the base of the rock "triangle."

The wall's snowy conditions result in relatively rare and small rockfalls, but ice avalanches from the upper hanging glaciers are unpredictable. However, we notice that debris falling from above follows the left, main groove – not the old grooves along the wall sections.

The ascent's safety was ensured by several factors. Having thoroughly explored the wall and the route as a whole, the team was confident in its ability to safely navigate the entire route, especially its potentially hazardous sections.

The protruding ridge in the upper part of the wall, connecting the north-northeast ridge to the top of the rock "triangle," acts as a reliable "icebreaker" against ice avalanches.

Year-round training, participation in various competitions (P. Greylikh and G. Sidorov have 1st sports ranks in hockey, G. Berdyugin plays football and has a 1st sports rank in skiing, A. Vakhmenin is fond of orienteering) – and a significant workload during reconnaissance outings and training sessions under the II stage program allowed the team to maintain a high tempo and technical precision on training ascents.

Confidence in oneself was reinforced by confidence in teammates – all participants in the planned ascent were psychologically prepared to face significant challenges.

The team was equipped with a "Vitalka" radio station with new batteries and signal flares. Besides the observation group, course participants were constantly present in the area.

For example, S. Sokolov's group started their route on the slopes of the saddle between peak VMF and Kyzyl-Ogyn only on the day we began our descent along the north-northeast ridge. The group included the head of the course rescue team, A.G. Ryabukhin.

While descending the north-northeast ridge, we met A. Ivashchenko's group ascending it. Thus, during our route, there was a mobile rescue team with appropriate qualifications and a doctor, G.N. Bazhukov, at the bottom.

However, radio communication was often disrupted by interference in the evenings, and only our flares – or rather, their reflections in dense clouds – maintained contact.

Characterizing the climbing conditions in the Korzhenevsky Glacier area, we note that, in our opinion, it would be ideal to establish a branch of the "Vysochnik" alpinist camp here – similar to the one currently located under the Geographical Society Glacier.

The sporting potential of this area is difficult to fully assess. It's not just an excellent school for young high-altitude climbers but also offers great prospects for rock and combined first ascents; and, finally, one can complete a multi-day traverse here.

However, when the Chelyabinsk Advanced Alpinism Training Courses were in the area, ascents were complicated by the following factors:

I. In late July – early August, the Jan-Aydar river is very swollen. The nature of its banks is constantly changing, sometimes several times a day. Crossing its northern tributaries in the second half of the day is challenging.

II. Snow cover on glaciers and slopes is very heavy (compared to the Lenin Glacier, for example – one of our course participants, S. Sokolov, who participated in rescue work on peak Lenin in July, confirms this).

III. The weather in the area changed "suddenly" several times. These sudden, very sharp deteriorations in weather should be considered when planning ascent tactics. We also note very strong winds that bothered us both in the base camp and on the routes. We might be mistaken, but from above, it seemed to us that it was significantly quieter and calmer on peak Lenin.

IV. UHF radio communication in the area is difficult due to the lack of direct visibility into side gorges. At the same time, when developing a flare communication code, one faces the issue that groups camping at high altitudes (around 5600–6000 m) cannot see response flares that do not rise high enough.

During preparation for the ascent, team members completed the following climbs:

• July 27: peak Tankograd P. Greylikh (leader) via the right edge of the eastern wall ~3B cat. diff. G. Berdyugin (first ascent) – one day A. Vakhmenin (total 7 people)
• July 31: peak Tankograd via the southeast edge ~5A cat. diff. G. Berdyugin A. Vakhmenin P. Greylikh (total 6 people) (first passage) – two days
• August 4: peak Nazarov via the left part of the western wall ~4B cat. diff. G. Berdyugin A. Vakhmenin G. Sidorov (total 4 people) (first passage) – one day

In previous seasons, A. Vakhmenin, P. Greylikh, and G. Sidorov had climbed together, completing a 5A cat. diff. route on peak Soviet Constitution (1973) and others.

Having established during reconnaissance that passing the lower third of the wall is desirable without direct sunlight, the team developed a tactical plan based on the following:

• As soon as the team felt they had achieved the necessary form, they would set out on the route immediately, without taking a rest day – if the departure day coincided with good weather, they would camp as close to the wall as possible and start climbing as early as possible; if the weather was not ideal – cold, windy, cloudy – they would still depart, as such conditions reduce the potential danger of the lower third. The team's acclimatization and cold tolerance were not in doubt.

• Organize the first day's work to avoid more than one night on the wall.

The team decided against a preliminary cache of fuel and supplies at the "5700" mark on the north-northeast ridge of Kyzyl-Ogyn, considering it impractical and not crucial for the ascent's success. With the team's usual high form in the mountains, such a cache wouldn't provide a significant time advantage, and the risk of it being destroyed by wind was high.

Preliminary processing of the route the day before the ascent was also not planned: from the team's perspective, pre-fixed ropes wouldn't significantly speed up the ascent in the lower part of the wall. It wasn't worth risking being hit by a rock or ice fragment while fixing ropes during the day when the same section could be passed quickly and safely at the start of the day.

No preliminary processing was done on the sections to be climbed on the first and second days. The team was prepared for it, but it simply wasn't necessary.

To ensure a high speed of advancement throughout the first, "wall" day, the team decided to lighten G. Berdyugin's backpack – the most versatile climber and team captain – so he could more effectively solve unexpected problems, make additional retreats, and work more efficiently at the front.

The work at the front was planned rope by rope – and if things didn't go exactly as planned, it was because the calculations were based on more ropes than were actually used. The wall turned out to be shorter than expected.

Otherwise, the team adhered to the planned distribution of roles, not overloading G. Sidorov with work at the front: he was to keep a diary of the first ascent as they gained height.

When developing the plan, the team aimed to minimize the number of fixed ropes, with связки (climbing pairs) working sequentially and passing hooks forward as needed. However, in practice, there were more fixed ropes than planned: on section X (second day), they weren't planned, but it was deemed more sensible to fix ropes along the couloir while the group prepared to move, thus saving time and increasing the morning tempo.

As in their previous high-altitude ascents, the team used ropes of different lengths: 40 m and 60 m, which proved fully justified. On the first day, all four climbed in crampons with boots, carrying валенки (felt boots) – A. Vakhmenin had шекльтоны (a type of footwear) – in their backpacks. On the second day, they changed into dry валенки and, upon reaching the north-northeast ridge of Kyzyl-Ogyn, left their boots there along with unnecessary pitons and other gear – a total of 13 kg.

Not only P. Greylikh and G. Sidorov, "Snow Leopards," were known for their consistent high performance, but G. Berdyugin (peak Lenin and 2 six-thousanders) and A. Vakhmenin (4 six-thousanders) had also proven themselves to be consistently focused on climbing. Therefore, the team decided to limit themselves to three acclimatization and training ascents and not to undertake a fourth, to a six-thousand-meter peak. This decision proved correct: while battling the wall on the first day, the team felt fresh and ready for work, with a reserve of strength.

This aligned with the medical control data provided by course doctors T.V. Popova and G.N. Bazhukov.

How did things change compared to the planned plans? The route was followed strictly as planned – the line of movement only deviated in one place during planning (the rock "triangle" can be bypassed both left and right), and before and after that, it was unambiguous. The team passed exactly as planned, choosing to bypass the "triangle" on the left: more physically and technically challenging for the lead climber, but allowing the others to pass relatively quickly, which was the goal.

The team didn't reach the line of the ridge above the "triangle" on the first day. They stopped about 80 m short, thinking they had a longer ascent to go and not wanting to risk it, as the couloir slope where they stopped had been thoroughly examined during reconnaissance and deemed suitable for a bivouac. Indeed, from a safety perspective, this slope withstood a very critical test when an earthquake occurred during the night. The hollowed-out ice platform wasn't very large, but it allowed everyone to lie down.

It's possible that the platform they had identified from below as the first suitable one (immediately under the rock "triangle") would have been more comfortable for a night's stay. The tactical plan had considered this bivouac, but only under extremely difficult conditions that made further movement impossible. At 3:00 PM on the first, "wall" day, the weather wasn't good, but there were no storms, hurricanes, or thunderstorms either – the team moved on to one of the most complex sections, confident in themselves and the correctness of their actions.

The number of nights differed from the planned: there was one less. This happened because the working mood of the first day was maintained – and, encountering very strong wind and a blizzard on the north-northeast ridge, the team didn't stop for a bivouac but found the strength to move on to 6200 m, to a convenient depression, about which they had heard from climber A. Balinsky (1963 ascent). This high-altitude bivouac allowed us not only to rest well but also to meet us on the return trip after an exhausting traverse across the Kyzyl-Ogyn summit plateau to retrieve the notes and back.

And finally: we set out as four, although we had registered six. In reality, by the time we departed, there were only four of us (Master of Sports V.A. Nadein had left for a foreign business trip and didn't appear in the area at all; and our coach, M.S. Levin, had tried in vain to persuade doctors – with an exacerbated ulcer, they wouldn't let our boss go). But even if we had gathered 8 candidates for the ascent, we should have gone in a group of four – this is dictated by the route's specifics. From the experience of course participants' ascents on peak Korzhenevsky, we knew that at altitudes of 5600–6000 m, snow is mostly dense, and in the densest zones, it's no deeper than 30 cm – so we could manage with four, without exhausting ourselves with path-making.

We didn't use any fundamentally new equipment on this route. Titanium rock pitons and клинья (wedges), two-threaded tubular ice pitons, ice screws – we've been using all this for a long time. We had brought самодельные дюралевые снежные крючья (homemade duralumin snow anchors) – but due to the snow conditions on the route, which were typical for the entire area, we decided not to carry these anchors on Kyzyl-Ogyn after training ascents, as they were unnecessary.

Our backpacks were quite heavy anyway. From the base camp, we carried an excess of food and fuel to the wall, and when we ate it all on the evening before the ascent, our four backpacks weighed a total of 56 kg! Since each of us took part of G. Berdyugin's load, the other three had about 20 kg each in their backpacks.

Twenty kilograms in a backpack is almost the maximum weight with which we can climb 40 m on front points without stopping – and still recover to normal afterward.

Twenty kg was acceptable for us, as it ensured the necessary high tempo, if needed.

August 6, 1975

At 2:00 PM, we depart from the "4200" base camp – following the familiar path to the plateau under the southern slopes of peak Tankograd.

It's a very hot day today. The snow covering the moraine has melted. Attracted

Footnotes

1. "Information Bulletin No. 2" of the Alpinism Federation of the USSR, November 1974. ↩

2. length 19.5 km, area 89.12 km² ↩

3. "JAN-AYDAR" (Kyrgyz) – "The Soul of the Horseman". ↩

4. "KYZYL-OGYN" (Kyrgyz) – "Red Stream". ↩

5. locals also call it "Jan-Aydar-Taka". ↩

6. in our opinion, this route, first passed in 1951, should now be classified as 2B cat. diff. Since no one has ascended peak Tashkent from the south, according to our information, the "Classification Table of Mountain Peaks in the USSR" should be updated accordingly. ↩

7. incorrectly noted as a group of first ascenders in the "Conquered Peaks 1965-1967" collection (p. 291). ↩

8. inaccuracy in the "Classification Table of Mountain Peaks in the USSR": it should be "from the VMF pass," not "from the Korzhenevsky pass." The Korzhenevsky pass is a pronounced depression in the northeast ridge of peak Korzhenevsky, allowing passage from the Nazarov glacier to the At-Jaylyau glacier. ↩

9. in our opinion, both routes should be downgraded by half a category. ↩