Khmelnitskogo Peak (4150 m)
Traversing from Southwest to Northeast — Category 2A difficulty
The summit of Khmelnitskogo Peak is located in the middle part of the ridge that divides the valleys of Sredniy and Leviy Aksay. This ridge stretches 8 km northward from the main watershed ridge of Trans-Ili Alatau. The ridge has multi-meter walls on its western and eastern sides and a steep slope to the north.
The approach begins from the initial bivouac in the upper reaches of the eastern branch of the Leviy Aksay glacier. One needs to cross a stream, an ancient lateral moraine, and reach the western slope of the peak.
The first stage of the route involves ascending through scree, followed by a section of severely fragmented rocks. Further on lies a couloir with a slope of up to 45°. After traversing this, one reaches broken rocks. The next section consists of slabs with a steepness of up to 65°, which are ascended directly with piton belays (2–3 pitons).
The rock wall, 8–10 m high, behind the slabs is bypassed on the left. This is followed by a section of easy rocks, and then a second rock wall is encountered, which is bypassed on the right. Subsequently, there's a steep snowy couloir (up to 50°), which is filled with snow and potentially avalanche-prone early in the season, thus requiring extreme caution. The first ascenders traversed it by sticking to the left side.
Beyond this section, one reaches the ridge, which extends northward for 350–400 m and features several minor elevations. Initially, there's a descent to a connecting ridge with cornices hanging towards the east. Then, a small gendarme is bypassed on the left.
From the connecting ridge, an ascent is made along the sharp ridge to a rock platform. The descent leads to the base of the second and third gendarmes, which are bypassed on the left via a snowy slope. Further on, one reaches the elevated part of the ridge, from which the entire path to the main summit is visible.
The next sharp depression in the ridge is best traversed via a wind-swept gully. From the depression to the next elevation, the terrain consists of moderately difficult rocks. Beyond these lies a high gendarme, which is ascended directly via an 8-meter wall with piton belay (2 pitons). The path then continues over broken rocks until the summit.
The summit features cornices on its northern and eastern sides. To the north, a sharp rock tower stands slightly below the summit. One descends via a wind-swept gully to the base of the rock tower, traverses it on the left across slabs that may be icy, in the direction of a couloir with a slope of up to 60°. Movement across these slabs demands maximum attention and thorough belaying. Then, one reaches a saddle, from which a steep couloir leads westward, filled with snow early in the season (avalanche risk!).
By following the rock outcrops on the right side of the couloir, one descends 200–250 m down to the scree and further onto the moraine. This is how the first ascenders descended. According to their recommendation, the traverse, which takes 8–9 hours (with 5.5 hours for the ascent), is best attempted in July–August.
The first ascent was made on May 29, 1954, by a group of Almaty climbers consisting of Ya. Markushin, Yu. Pilyagin, and R. Smagip, under the leadership of O. Shkuratov.
Recommendations for Climbers
- Number of participants: 6–8 people.
- Initial bivouac in the upper reaches of the eastern branch of the Aksay glacier.
- Departure from the bivouac at 4:00 AM.
- Equipment for a group of 4: a) main rope — 2×30 m; b) rock pitons — 3–4; c) hammers — 2.