Team Championship of CS DSO "TRUD" 1969 in Alpinism
Class of High-Altitude Technical Ascents
REPORT
ON THE ASCENT OF THE NORTH-WESTERN COUNTERFORCE OF PIK ALBATROS — ROUTE 5A cat. diff. (Tien Shan, Terskey Ala-Too ridge, height 4740 m)
Team of MGS DSO "Trud"
July 18-20, 1969 Moscow, 1969
I. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REGION AND SPORTS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASCENT OBJECT.
Pik Albatros (eastern peak — 4800 m, western — 4740 m) is located in the axial part of the Terskey-Ala-Too ridge and closes the Kок-bor gorge (55 km south of Przhevalsk). The peak is located in the upper reaches of the right tributary of the Kокbor River, which is a right tributary of the Karakol River.
Pik Albatros, like all surrounding peaks, is composed of granites, which are enriched with feldspar in many places. The slopes of Albatros drop steeply to the north with even ice walls and protruding steep rocks in the upper part (see photo I). The beginning of the NW ridge is a rocky-ice ridge with two large gendarmes (see photo I R1). Behind the second gendarme, there is a 230-meter wall with an ice belt in the upper part (photo I R2). Then there is a gentle ridge, followed by a second wall 80 m high (photo I R3).
Further, there is a long, steep snow-ice ridge with numerous gendarmes of varying sizes (R4).
3. GROUP COMPOSITION AND SPORTS TRAINING OF THE TEAM
The team made the ascent with the following composition:
- EFREMOV N. — 2nd sports category
- NOVOBRANZEV I. — 2nd sports category
The participants prepared for the upcoming season in their sections. In winter, they trained on skis and in the gym three times a week, and participated in ski competitions once a week. In spring, they trained in Tsaritsyno. Team members regularly participated in alpinist competitions, as well as in competitions in other sports.
Good sports training allowed them to make the ascent at a good pace, despite the challenging condition of the route. Both participants equally shared the workload on the difficult and challenging sections of the route.
4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ROUTE.
Several days before the ascent, there was a heavy snowfall. Warm weather did not allow the snow to settle. The snow did not support the climbers' weight: on the glacier, it was knee-deep, and on the ridge, it sometimes reached the waist and above.
Overcoming snowy sections proved to be a very labor-intensive task and took a lot of time.
On July 18, the group left the base camp at the confluence of the On-tor and Kok-bor rivers and reached the moraine on the Kok-bor glacier in 5 hours, where a tent was set up.
On July 19, at 3:00, the group started on the route, crossing the Kok-bor glacier in a southwest direction, and reached the saddle between the peaks "Krugozor" and "Albatros" in 1 hour 30 minutes (see photo I).
Section R1
We ascend the saddle via a snowy slope (45°–250 m). The snowy ridge has two gendarmes. We pass the first gendarme "head-on" via rocks of medium difficulty (average steepness 60°–90 m). The rocks are heavily fragmented, iced, and snow-covered. Behind the gendarme, there is a large drop. Belaying is done through ledges. We descend 50 m via climbing onto a narrow snowy ridge.
We move up through loose snow. Initially, 130 m at 45–50°, depth 40–70 cm, then a steep snow-ice pitch 150 m, 60–65°. We cut steps (ice is wet, crampons do not hold well). Belaying is done through two ice screws and one rock screw driven into the protruding rock from the snow. The pitch gradually becomes less steep. On the snowy slope (fragile crust, steepness 45–50°, 50 m), we ascend under a cornice (thickness 1.5 m, overhanging by 0.5 m), and after cutting through it, we reach rocks of difficulty (50°–60 m), which lead under the wall of the second gendarme.
We ascend the wall (average steepness 75°–20 m) onto the gendarme. Here, a control cairn is built. We descend down via rappelling and climbing 1.5 rope lengths onto a snowy saddle. We approach the base of the first wall.
Section R2
We pass the wall "head-on". Belaying is done through 5 rock screws. Steepness 80–90°. Cracks in the wall are iced over. Handholds are snow-covered and iced. The wall is weakly fragmented by an iced crack going up to the right.
After 80 m, the wall starts to become less steep and transitions into a snow-covered, destroyed ridge with a steepness of 50–60°.
We overcome it with thorough belaying through outcrops and two rock screws.
Further, there is a small snowy saddle, which approaches a three-meter vertical wall. The handhold is very small (half-finger) and smoothed down. We pass the wall "head-on" without backpacks, with belaying through an outcrop and a rock screw. Then we pull up the backpacks.
Then, there is a gentle rocky ridge (60 m, 30°), ending in a 10-meter drop. After the drop, we move right onto a 50-meter inclined shelf to a narrow chimney cutting through a rocky outcrop on the ridge. Via the chimney (40 m, 70°), we reach the top of this outcrop.
Further, there is a 60-meter rocky ridge (20°), leading under the second wall.
Section R3 (Second wall)
We ascend the second wall via a narrow chimney (30 m, 85°, 5 rock screws). The wall is passed on the right via a crack turning into a meter-high chimney in the upper part. The lower part of the wall with a 3-meter overhang is passed by wedging legs and holding onto the crack edges with hands.
Above the crack, there is a 30-meter internal angle (15 m, 90°; 15 m, 75°), with two rock screws driven in. From the base to the top of the internal angle, backpacks were pulled up.
The rocks gradually become less steep (30 m, 65°). We reach the top of the wall.
Section R4 (Snow-ice ridge with several gendarmes)
Via rocks of medium difficulty, we approach the gendarme "Chetirekhzubets" and bypass it on the right.
Further, we move along a snowy ice groove (60°–70 m, 2 ice screws), wearing crampons, and reach a snowy ridge.
Via embedded slabs (120 m, 60°, 2 rock screws), we ascend and reach a steep (80 cm, 65°, 2 ice screws) snow-ice slope, which gradually becomes horizontal.
Section R4. The summit of Albatros is accessed via a complex corniced ridge (80 m). We reach the summit via this ridge.
From the western summit of Albatros to the eastern summit, there is a ridge representing a rocky "saw" consisting of numerous gendarmes with cornices hanging on both sides.
Towards Pik "Dzhigit" (fig. I), the western ridge extends. We descend via rocks of medium difficulty on the western ridge, which leads to a wide snow-ice saddle between the peaks Dzhigit and Albatros.
On this day, we worked for 16 hours.
July 20. Descent from the saddle to the north onto the Dzhigit glacier. Initially, via a 65–70° snow-ice slope, which ends in a bergschrund filled with snow after 150 m. Further, the glacier becomes less steep. The descent from the saddle took 7 hours. (3 ice screws were left behind). Further, along the Dzhigit glacier and to the camp — 3 hours.
CONCLUSIONS
The group worked for two days. Total climbing time: 26 hours. Total number of pitons used on the route:
- rock screws — 25
- ice screws — 5
- total pitons — 30
The group evaluates the route as 5A cat. diff.