Ascent Passport

I. Technical Class

Pamir-Alay, Kok-Su gorge
Peak Ya. Anvelt, 5049 m via the central bastion of the SE wall
Proposed - 6th cat. diff., first ascent
Height difference - 1150 m

Route length 1260 m Length of sections with 5-6 cat. diff. 1060 m Length of sections with 6 cat. diff. 401 m Average steepness of the route 78° Average steepness of main sections: 5-6 cat. diff. (3900-4150 m) 82°, (4300-4500 m) 87°, (4600-4700 m) 87°

Pitons driven:
- rock: 115, 35
- bolt: 4, 0
- chocks: 74, 28
- ice: 8, 0
Team's working hours: 62 h, 5 days
Overnights:
- I — six people in a tent, lying down
- 2-3 — semi-reclining, in a tent
- 4 — sitting, six people in a tent
Leader: Stalmakhov Alexander Vasilyevich, CMS Kulagin Alexander Alekseevich, CMS Zhmaev Veniamin Vasilyevich, CMS Gadeev Raul Gareevich, CMS Pavlov Boris Valeryevich, CMS Belyaev Sergey Anatolyevich, CMS

Coach: Bocharov Vladimir Nikolaevich, Master of Sports of the USSR

II. Route entry: July 20, 1987

Summit: July 24, 1987

Return: July 25, 1987

(0) — overnight stays Team's Route Starlychanov's Route via the RIGHT BASTION of the SE wall 1981, 5B cat. diff.

UIAA Scheme

Piton Legend (p. 3): 1 — bolt pitons 2 — ice pitons 3 — chock stones 4 — rock pitons

Description of sections according to the scheme (R0-R41):

R0: V, 20 m, 85°
R1: IV+, 20 m, 70°
R2: IV, 10 m, 70°
R3: VIA2, 10 m, 95°
R4: VIA3, 15 m, 95°
R5: V+, 10 m, 85°
R6: V+, 20 m, 85°
R7: VIA2, 10 m, 95°
R8: IV+, 30 m, 70°
R9: V, 10 m, 85°
R10: IV, 60 m, 60°
R11: V+, 10 m, 85°
R12: IV, 10 m, 60°
R13: IV, 40 m, 60°
R14: IV+, 40 m, 70°
R15: V, 20 m, 70°
R16: VIA2, 10 m, 95°
R17: VIA2, 100 m, 85°
R18: IV, 40 m, 60°
R19: VIA3, 10 m, 95°
R20: VIA2, 40 m, 85°
R21: VIA2, 10 m, 95°
R22: VIA2, 40 m, 90°
R23: V, 10 m, 75°
R24: VIA3, 10 m, 90°
R25: VIA2, 20 m, 80°
R26: VIA3, 20 m, 90°
R27: V, 40 m, 80°
R28: VIA3, 40 m, 90°
R29: V, 20 m, 80°
R30: VI, 20 m, 90°
R31: IVA2, 5 m, 95°
R32: VI, 10 m, 90°
R33: VIA4, 20 m, 100°
R34: VI, 10 m, 90°
R35: V, 40 m, 85°
R36: VIA3, 20 m, 95°
R37: V, 30 m, 80°
R38: V, 20 m, 75°
R39: IV, 10 m, 65°
R40: V, 50 m, 75°
R41: V, 100 m, 70°

Route Description by Sections

July 20, 1987

Sect. R0-R1: Wall. Large-block rocks. Monolith. Good holds. Sect. R1-R2: Inner corner. Monolith. Reliable belay. Easy to climb. Sect. R2-R3: Wall of the same structure. Sect. R3-R4: Cornice. Zhmaev passes, hanging 2 loops. Then an inner corner, another loop. Sect. R4-R5: Overhanging chimney, smooth walls at the top: "Zayltsug". Zhmaev on ladders from the chimney to a ledge. Sect. R5-R6: Then a wall. Traverse right to left. Second rope runs out. Sect. R6-R7: Inner corner 20 m, ends with an overhanging wall, which is passed on ladders. Sect. R7-R8: Then exit to a simple wall. Sect. R8-R9: On the wall, uncomfortable belay. Sect. R9-R10: Steep wall and exit to the "ogurtsa" ridge. First control point. Sect. R10-R11: Along the ridge, one and a half ropes under a 10-meter wall, then to a ridge, left of it, slightly lower, a ledge, where we organize the first overnight stay.

July 21, 1987

Sect. R13-R14: In the morning, along the right edge of the couloir, partly on rocks, partly on ice. Sect. R14-R15: Crossing the "X" intersection on steep ice. First in crampons. Must be crossed in the morning. Rocks fall from the left couloir in the afternoon. Wet avalanches come from the right. Sect. R15-R16: Traverse under the base of a large chimney with a plug in the lower third. The entire chimney is filled with ice. The sun is already high, and water pours down the chimney. Sect. R16-R17: Entrance to the chimney through an overhanging wall. Gadeev passes it, hanging 4 loops. The wall is still dry. The stream goes away from us to the right. Sect. R17-R18: Gadeev is replaced by Pavlov. On ice under the plug, belay:

through an ice screw,
through the plug,
then straight along the stream, where it is possible to use opposition, but the rope ends right in the stream. Everyone gets soaked to the skin while passing this chimney. Sect. R18-R19: Pavlov is wet to his underwear but passes another not-so-steep rope along a snow-ice slope under a cornice, under which we organize the 2nd overnight stay. Four people dig a platform in the ice. A pair processes the route further. Sect. R19-R20: Immediately above the platform, an overhanging wall 10 m. Gadeev passes it with ladders. Particularly difficult is the transition through the cornice at its upper part. The wall is made of fragile material. We drive a bolt piton for belay. When leaving the overnight stay, we hang a can with a note on it - 2nd cat. diff.

July 22, 1987

Sect. R20-R21: After the cornice, there is no flattening. A sheer wall 40 m. We have to hang ladders and loops. Gadeev approaches the cornice. Swaps with Pavlov. Pavlov tries to pass the overhanging wall but is too exhausted from today's hard work. After two attempts, the pair descends down for an overnight stay. Sect. R21-R22: In the morning, the trio Belyaev-Zhmaev-Stalmakhov goes out to process the route. Belyaev passes the cornice and the overhanging wall at the limit of his capabilities. Uses ladders, loops, "zayltsug". But further, the 40-meter wall seems to hang over our heads. Again, ladders, "zayltsug". Sect. R23-R24: A small flattening, but again leads under a cornice. Sect. R24-R25: The cornice is bypassed on the right on ladders. Further, a sheer wall, also on ladders. Sect. R25-R26: The wall becomes less steep but is still very difficult to climb. Again, ladders are used. Along the wall, under an inner corner. The belay point is hanging. Sect. R26-R27: A sheer inner corner. Ends with a cornice. Passed at the limit of capabilities on ladders. Sect. R27-R28: After the cornice - a cleft 40 m. Very steep but can be climbed free. Sect. R28-R29: The cleft leads under a wall 40 m. The wall is sheer. Passed on artificial holds. The station under the wall is hanging. No ledges. In the middle of the wall - a cornice. After the cornice, Belyaev has to work on a ladder with a "heavenly" piton. Sect. R29-R30: The wall becomes less steep. A station on a ledge, can stand. 20 m of more free climbing without ladders and loops with reliable belay points. Sect. R30-R31: But the wall leads to a sheer inner corner, which is closed by a cornice and an overhanging wall. Again on ladders, but behind this wall, there is already a flattening.

We descend for an overnight stay.

July 23, 1987

We go out along the processed route. We don't pull up our backpacks. Some on their backs, some on a harness - we drag them along. It's a bit heavy on such steepness, but the speed of movement is significantly higher than if we were to pull them up on every rope, with rare exceptions. Movement along the fixed ropes is extremely cautious to avoid rockfall. We reach the end of the processed ropes. Pavlov goes ahead. Sect. R31-R32: Wall 40 m, then cross a snow-ice couloir along a wall of medium difficulty and "ram's foreheads", again under a 10-meter sheer wall. Sect. R32-R33: After the 10-meter sheer wall, a steep inner corner goes to the right, gradually becomes less steep and leads under a giant cornice, from which a waterfall flows, or rather, an overhanging wall. We can't find a bypass. On the right side of the wall, along a crack on ladders, showing virtuoso "zayltsug" technique, Pavlov passes this extremely difficult section. Again, he gets completely wet. At this ascent, he earns the nickname "diver". On this section, we have to pull up the backpacks. These 20 hanging meters need to be passed as quickly as possible - the waterfall doesn't allow us to rest while hanging on the rope. While Belyaev and Stalmakhov were pulling up the backpacks, standing in the stream that flows from the cornice as a waterfall, Pavlov and Gadeev had already moved on to the ice ledge under the next cornice. Sect. R34-R35: On the ledge, we cut out a narrow platform. Overnight stay is sitting. Maybe under the overhanging wall, the overnight stay would be a bit better, but the waterfall splashes and wets the entire ledge under the cornice, and the wall is also oozing water. We were just happy that this terrible overhanging wall was behind us. But there's still time, and we continue processing. The trio Gadeev-Pavlov-Stalmakhov goes out to process the further route. The trio tries to organize a decent bivouac. Sect. R35-R36: The cornice above the ledge is bypassed on the right. Upwards, a steep inner corner leads, which brings us under another cornice. Station, hanging on belay. Sect. R36-R37: The cornice is bypassed on the left. Wall, again ladders. Then a narrow couloir filled with ice, after it - an overhanging wall. Gadeev passes it. Descent for an overnight stay. Overnight stay is only sitting. But it's already felt - the summit is near. We hope to ascend tomorrow.

July 24, 1987

We ascend early. In a line, we reach the end of the processed ropes. Kulagin goes ahead. Sect. R37-R38: Ridge 30 m. Further, an inner corner, not representing great difficulties, leads under an overhanging wall. Sect. R38-R39: The relief of the wall allows us to pass it with free climbing. After it, along medium-difficulty rocks like "ram's foreheads", we cross a snowy couloir under a wall. We believe this is the wall of the summit tower. Sect. R39-R40: Kulagin passes a 100-meter cleft in the wall fairly quickly and confidently. Sect. R40-R41: Then he goes to the right into an inner corner and exits 10 m from the control point. Summit.

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