7.14.17

Mt. Teke (3870 m)

(via the left, eastern edge — cat. 3A) (from the "Nefertiti" campsite — 2866 m)

From the "Nefertiti" campsite, cross the stream to the other side and begin ascending via a wide couloir between the massive rocky edges of the massif. A prominent gendarme in the upper part of the edge, resembling the walls of the "Bastille" fortress, serves as a landmark. This edge remains to the right of our couloir.

The ascent up the snowy (and later, debris-covered) couloir takes about 2.5 hours. Past a rocky outcrop in the middle of the couloir, with 15-meter walls and forming a shoulder at the top, ascend 200–250 m up the slope to reach the ridge at the level of the gendarme — a tower of very regular shape. This marks the beginning of the route. All gendarmes and rocky walls encountered along the ridge can generally be bypassed on the left.

• Movement along the left part of the ridge is via rocky ledges, with intermittent belaying; the difficulty of the sections is cat. II–III, up to 200–220 m.
• In the final third of the route, there is a 40-m ascent onto a gendarme via cat. III rocks.
• This is followed by a descent onto a 2–3 m wide, 30-m long saddle with a depth of up to 10–12 m. Snow cornices overhang. Belaying is thorough.
• From this point begins a fairly steep snowy ascent with individual rocky outcrops, stretching up to 100 m, with an initial slope of 45° increasing to 75°. Belaying is via ice axe, and later via pitons. The entire rocky cliff of the pre-summit triangle remains to the left.
• Then follows a long, approximately 200-m ascent onto the snow-covered summit ridge (watershed).
• The summit cairn is located in the northern part of the ridge (to the right of the route), about 400–450 m away.
• The ridge leading to the summit is heavily fragmented. Move along the left side, with simultaneous belaying.
• The South-Western slope features a calm scree.
• The cairn, where the note is kept, is next to a trig point installed by geodesists.
• Descent is to the left (orographically) of the left ridge, cat. 2B, down a snowy couloir to the camp, taking 30–40 minutes.

The entire route from campsite to campsite takes 9–10 hours.

The first ascent was made on May 5, 1980, by a duo of climbers from the USSR Sports Committee:

1. Mukanova K.B.
2. Prokopiev V.V.

Recommendations for climbers:

1. Number of participants — 6 people
2. Initial bivouac — "Nefertiti" campsite — 2866 m
3. Departure from the bivouac no later than 6:00 AM
4. Equipment for the group: main rope 3×30/40 m, rock hammers — 2 pcs. Pitons: rock (various) — 8–10 pcs., ice 2–3 pcs.

Appendix №2

Characteristics of Sections