Ascent from the Salanov Glacier, route 2B cat. diff. (fig. 27).

The peak Salanov is located in the Aktau spur of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge in the upper reaches of the Salanov Glacier.

Dmitry Salanov was one of the first climbers in Kazakhstan and died during the Great Patriotic War.

From the bivouac site on the Shokalsky Glacier moraine, the ascent begins along the tongue of the Salanov Glacier and further along the glacier on the left side to the saddle between the peaks Chekist and Salanov Peak. The saddle is visible from the glacier.

The ascent to the saddle should be done via a wide couloir, initially not clearly defined. The bottom of the couloir is covered with snow in the first half of summer and later filled with a gentle scree.

Ascent:

• from the overnight stay at Zelyonaya Polyana - up to 2.5 hours.
• from the overnight stay on the Shokalsky Glacier moraine - about 2 hours.

There is a cairn on the saddle.

The ascent from the saddle is through a "window" to the right of the direction of travel. Belaying is required. Further along the snowfield, bypassing a series of small rock outcrops on the left. Belaying via ice axe. The subsequent path along the ridge is blocked by 4 gendarmes:

• 1st gendarme is bypassed on the left.
• The snowfield leads to the 2nd gendarme, which is taken head-on with careful piton belaying.
• This gendarme is a massive grey slab with longitudinal cracks.

The 3rd gendarme is monolithic, reddish in color, and is bypassed on the left along strongly destroyed rocks. Here, particularly careful belaying is required, as the slope drops several hundred meters to the east.

The 4th gendarme, before the ridge junction of Aktau, Chekist, and Salanov Peak, is overcome on the right with careful piton belaying.

From the ridge junction, one should proceed along the ridge branching off to the west. The ridge leads to the summit. The summit is rocky-snowy. There is a cairn 1 meter below the summit.

The descent is to the south, following the upper part of the ridge. Snow cornices are bypassed on the left and right, respectively, from the south and north sides. Variable belaying is required everywhere.

• From the summit to the gendarme - 1 hour of walking. Here is the 3rd cairn.
• The path to the 2nd gendarme on the descent is also not complicated.
• On the 2nd gendarme, there is the 4th, final, control cairn.

From this gendarme, there is an immediate descent down the southern slope along a large scree, followed by a small plateau. After crossing the plateau to its end, to its northwestern extremity, descend via one of the couloirs to the Shokalsky Glacier moraine and back to the original bivouac site. The entire route requires 7-8 hours.

Recommendations for Climbers

1. Number of participants - no more than 6 people.
2. Initial bivouac on the Shokalsky Glacier moraine.
3. Departure from the bivouac at 5 am.
4. Special equipment for a group of 4 people: a) 2 x 30 m main ropes; b) 10 rock pitons; c) 4 ice pitons; d) 4 carabiners; e) 2 hammers.

Salanov Peak - Chekist Peak, traverse from west to east or vice versa, route 3B cat. diff.

The description of the traverse route Salanov Peak - Chekist Peak can be found in the relevant sections of the ascent route descriptions for these peaks.