Ascent Passport
I. Ascent category — first ascent within the framework of the Asia Championship. 2. Ascent area — Pamiro-Alai ridge, Alai range. 3. Peak, its height, ascent route — Mashalyan 4240 m via the right part of the South Face. 4. Proposed difficulty category — 6B. 5. Route characteristics: total height difference 1340 m, wall section height difference 920 m, length of sections with 5–6 difficulty category 965 m, average steepness 67°. 6. Pitons driven: for belaying: rock 83, ice —, bolt —, protection elements 58; for creating intermediate belay points: rock 38, ice —, bolt —, protection elements 71, "skyhooks" 14, "friends" 16, crooked-leg ladders, crooked legs 9. 7. Total climbing hours 35 hours. 8. Number of overnight stays and their characteristics — four: first — comfortable, lying down; second — uncomfortable, sitting in a tent; third — semi-reclined, somewhat uncomfortable; fourth — after the summit on descent, comfortable, lying down. 9. Surname, name, patronymic of the team leader, participants, and their qualification: Osminin Vladimir Alekseevich — team leader, Candidate Master of Sports
- Volkov Valery Timofeevich — Candidate Master of Sports
- Varov Viktor Ivanovich — Candidate Master of Sports
- Stolbov Vladimir Ivanovich — Candidate Master of Sports
- Team coach: Bocharov Vladimir Nikolaevich — Master of Sports of the USSR.
- Dates of departure and return: 25–29 August.
- Organization: Alpinist Training and Sports Base "Dugoba", 1985 year.
Whose route is on the right? There is a route on the South Face with 5A difficulty category by Kolotiy.
Route Profile
| Date | Section | Average steepness, ° | Length, m | Terrain characteristics | Difficulty category | Terrain condition | Weather conditions | Pitons driven | Intermediate belay points/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.08.1985 | — | — | 80 | Slabs | — | Loose slabs | Overcast | — | Pre-processing |
| Overnight stay comfortable, lying down. | |||||||||
| 26.08 | R0–R1 | 60 | 140 | Slab | 5 | Loose slabs | Overcast | 10 | 8 |
| — | R1–R2 | 70 | 100 | Edge | 6 | Monolith | Wet snow | 10 | 12 skyhooks |
| — | R2–R3 | 55 | 60 | Wall | 5 | Monolith type "ram's foreheads" | — | 2 | 8 |
| Departure time 8:30. Arrival at bivouac 19:00. Total climbing hours for the day — 10 hours 30 minutes. | |||||||||
| Overnight stay uncomfortable, sitting in a tent. | |||||||||
| 27.08 | R3–R4 | 80 | 70 | Wall | 6 | Monolith | Icy rocks | 7 | 6 skyhooks, crooked-leg ladders |
| — | R4–R5 | 40 | 20 | Inclined scree ledge | 4 | "Live" stones | — | — | 2 |
| — | R5–R6 | 75 | 70 | Wall | 6 | Monolith type "ram's foreheads" | Wet rocks | 4 | 8 friends |
| Departure time 8:30. Arrival at bivouac 20:15. Total climbing hours for the day — 11 hours 45 minutes. | |||||||||
| Overnight stay somewhat uncomfortable, semi-reclined. | |||||||||
| 28.08 | R6–R7 | 70 | 85 | Wall | 5 | Monolith | Overcast | 2 | 3 skyhooks |
| — | R7–R8 | 100 | 20 | Cornice | 6 | — | — | 4 | 6 friends, crooked-leg ladders |
| — | R8–R9 | 80 | 40 | Chimney | 6 | Monolith, micro-holds | — | 6 | 6 skyhooks |
| — | R9–R10 | 105 | 25 | Chimney with a "plug" | 6 | Fragmented rock structure | Clear | 5 | 5 friends |
| — | R10–R11 | 90 | 20 | Vertical chimney | 6 | Monolith type "ram's foreheads" | — | 2 | 8 |
 | |||||||||
| — | R11–R12 | 70 | 30 | Chimney turning into a wall | 5 | Monolith | Clear | 4 | 6 friends, skyhooks |
| — | R12–R13 | 65 | 70 | Wall | 5 | — | — | 6 | 6 |
| — | R13–R14 | 70 | 60 | Wall | 5 | Monolith type "ram's foreheads" | — | 9 | 6 |
| — | R14–R15 | 60 | 85 | Inclined slab | 5 | Monolith | — | 3 | 8 |
| — | R15–R16 | 55 | 90 | Edge | 5 | — | — | 3 | 6 |
| — | R16–R17 | 25 | 100 | Inclined slab | 3 | — | — | 4 | 4 |
| — | R17–R18 | 20 | 75 | Smooth slabs | 4 | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Departure time 7:20. Reached the summit at 20:00. Total climbing hours — 12 hours 30 minutes. | |||||||||
| Overnight stay on descent after the summit. | |||||||||
| Team captain Osminin V.A. | |||||||||
 |
Brief Explanation of the Table
Sections
R0–R1. Section of loose slabs. Friction climbing. Piton belay, protection elements. R1–R2. Edge with limited belay points. Very difficult climbing. R2–R3. Monolith type "ram's foreheads" leading to the wall. R3–R4. Wall, monolith, very difficult climbing. R4–R5. Inclined scree ledge, "live" stones. R5–R6. Wall with slab structure, steepness up to 80° in the middle, partially destroyed. R6–R7. Monolith type "ram's foreheads" turning into a wall after 15 m, limited belay points. R7–R8. Overhanging section, steepness up to 100°. R8–R9. Cornice, very difficult climbing. Limited belay points. R9–R10. Overhanging section in a chimney with a "plug" on the right side. R10–R11. Vertical chimney. Very difficult climbing, smooth rocks. R11–R12. Chimney turning into a wall, very difficult climbing. R12–R13. Buttress, difficult friction climbing. R13–R14. Wall, turning into a "gutter" at the top. Very difficult climbing. R14–R15. Monolithic convex forehead without cracks, bypassing the overhanging "feather". R15–R16. Buttress, friction climbing. R16–R17. Inclined slabs. R17–R18. Smooth slabs.
Review Protocol
Ascent to peak Mashalyan via a route of 6th category difficulty (approximately), first ascent, made within the framework of the Central Asian camps championship.
Present: coach and supervisor, head of the educational part of the alpinist training base "Dugoba" Comrade Bocharov V.N. Head of the Combined Sports Patrol (KSP) of the Pamiro-Alai region Comrade Khlopeckiy S.K. The group of climbers in full: team leader Osminin V.A., participants: Volkov V.T., Varov V.I., Stolbov V.I. Observation and radio communication group: Nadmiev L.L., Kuzmin S.A.
Osminin V.A. — Preparation for the ascent was multi-stage:
- in winter 1985 at the alpinist training base "Dugoba";
- in May 1985 in the Sayram region (Chimkent);
- directly at the alpinist training base "Dugoba" — ascent as part of a group to peak Kalkush with 5A category difficulty;
- peak Sagu via "feathers" with 5B category difficulty.
Group work schedule:
- 24.08 — observation.
- 25.08 — observation and approach to the start of the route with processing of two ropes.
- 26.08 — departure on the route at 8:30. Varov–Volkov worked at the front. Overnight stay at 19:30; pre-processing was conducted by Osminin–Stolbov.
- 27.08 — started work at 8:30. Covered 7 ropes. Osminin–Stolbov worked first until 16:00. Overnight stay at 20:15.
- 28.08 — departure on the route at 7:20. Varov–Volkov processed 7 ropes until the slope eased on the summit ridge by 18:00. Reached the summit at 20:00. Descent into the Mashalyan gorge was made to the right via 6 rappels. A note on the summit was from Mikhailov's group dated July 2, 1981, a combined team of the Armed Forces.
Radio communication "Kaktus" was constant with the observation group. The group is cohesive, well-prepared, participants have experience with ascents of 6th category difficulty; key sections were covered by Volkov–Varov. The ascent, terrain, and difficulty are comparable to peak Nakhar in the Caucasus with 6th category difficulty. The center and left part of peak Mashalyan leave the possibility to make a number of strong routes approximately of 6th category difficulty.
Volkov V.T. — Lack of water on the route complicated the ascent; 10 liters were taken. Ice formation from fallen fog complicated work on 25–26 August. Teams worked autonomously, food was distributed among the teams.
Pre-processing implied:
- availability of equipment;
- availability of rope.
There were 6 ropes for four participants. This helped during the passage of sections with 6th category difficulty on 27–28 August. The wall is very strong and has potential. Can be compared to Ak-Kaya (very rocky class of the USSR championship 1979). The team leader fulfilled his duties.
Stolbov V.I. — I'm new to the team, and our cohesion on peak Sagu defined our collective. The team is strong. There was confidence in the passage. The terrain is very diverse, with a limited number of footholds. The reliability of the passage is at a very high level. The number of ropes on the route was justified by very sharp rocks. The route is very strong.
Varov V.I. — On the wall, the terrain is very peculiar: smooth, slippery rocks, — in many places, belay points and self-belay are quite problematic. The wall section accounts for 25 ropes.
Used as intermediate belay points: skyhooks, "plombs", friends, crooked legs, crooked-leg ladders from the team's personal equipment.
In points of fixed rope attachment, it was often necessary to use protection elements. The group is cohesive, prepared for ascents of 6th category difficulty. The team leader managed the leadership well. Can compare the route to peak Zindan with 6th category difficulty in terms of rock character, length, and difficulty.
Kuzmin S.A. — The group followed a tactical plan. Visibility in the morning hours was difficult due to fog. Communication was constant, additional communication at the group's request — at 10:00.
Bocharov V.N. — Unfortunately, not the entire declared composition arrived at the alpinist camp, so Stolbov was included in the team. The training ascent to peak Sagu showed that he fit into the team.
Participants were:
- well-prepared technically;
- well-prepared physically.
They correctly chose the route on Mashalyan's wall and tactically well-executed the work plan. I evaluate the ascent as good. Knowing the walls of peaks Mashalyan and Konstruktorov, I believe that the team can claim a route of 6th category difficulty.
Khlopeczky S.K. — I agree with the supervisor's opinion.
Protocol was recorded. Copy of the protocol from the review book is correct. Head of the educational part of Alpinist Training and Sports Base "Dugoba" Bocharov V.N.