Kazakh Mountaineers and Tourists Club

1962 Alma-Ata

Description

Ascent to Peak Komsomola (4376 m) via the Northwest Ridge

It is advisable to organize an overnight stay at the moraine of Bогдановича glacier, at the foot of the western ridge of v. Komsomol. From the bivouac, the path goes along the snow-covered scree to the left of the western ridge of Komsomol towards the saddle between the peaks Fizzkulturnik and Komsomol. When ascending, stay on the left side. On the saddle, there is a control cairn.

After the saddle, the 1st small gendarme is bypassed on the right along easy rocks, after which we approach the base of a rock wall 6–7 m high, blocking the ridge. The rocks are steep, in some places overhanging (on the lower part, there are ice walls 60–70° on the right and left). The wall is overcome on the right side by complex climbing with piton belay to the left and upwards, belaying through ice screws. A 40 m rope is required to bypass the wall on the ice.

Having passed the wall, we move along несложным скалам, перемежающимся со снегом, approach the 2nd gendarme, which is bypassed on the right along a ledge and slabs. At the beginning of the ledge, the 3rd ice couloir is traversed with step cutting and thorough belaying.

The gendarme is separated by a small saddle from an 80–90 m rock wall, representing the key section of the route. The wall can be overcome along a very wide chimney, rather a couloir, 30 m long, moving along a ledge to the left from the saddle. The couloir wall is steep, very broken, and crumbly; careful climbing with thorough piton belay is required (3–4 pitons). The wall leads to the ridge, where just over a rope of medium-difficulty rocks remains to a pronounced saddle with the 2nd control cairn.

The second path to overcome the key section passes on the right, along a pronounced inner corner, which is a continuation of the snow-ice couloir descending to the base of the rock wall.

1 rope of medium rocks, very broken, gradually becoming more complex, then 4–5 m of complex rocks with a small number of holds. After a small site, there remains a rope of medium-difficulty rocks to the saddle with a control cairn.

After the 2nd control cairn:

• 2–2.5 ropes of rocks on a gentle ridge, where you can move simultaneously;
• 4–5 ropes along medium-difficulty rocks.

On the ridge, there are:

• small (2–3 m) walls;
• sharp "knives";
• snow cornices hanging to the left.

On this section, there is a control cairn, which is completely unnecessary since there can be no other route.

After the ridge, there is a 30–40 m snow-firn ascent with a slope of 30°, leading to the summit of Komsomola.

Descent from Komsomola along the known route 2A cat. diff. to Komsomolsky pass:

The route along the NW ridge is technically interesting, saturated with various ways of overcoming obstacles. To pass it, a good knowledge of rock and ice techniques is required. The route deserves 3B cat. diff.

Passed by a group consisting of: Reznik V.P. (leader), Korsunsky G.V., Antipov Z.Z., Skrinnij L.I., who made the ascent on December 7, 1961.

And on December 5, 1961, the route was repeated by: Savel V.I. (leader), Nasonov V.K., Sugrava O.V., Shisher S.V.

Group leader V. Reznik (V. Reznik)

Savin (V. Savin)