- Osh — Glavnaya via the North Slope of the East Buttress of the South Ridge The route is combined, category 3A (fig. 5, 49, 57, 58). Length — 1500 m, height difference — 600 m, time — 4.5–5 hours. The approach from the Kyrgyz-Ata alpine camp (group of 4–6 people) to the initial bivouac on the light moraine in the upper cirque of the Kurgan valley — see route 10. From the initial bivouac:
- Ascend the broad slope of the northern spur, composed of small and medium talus, to the right of the base of the East Buttress, bypassing the lower rocky outcrop on the left and the upper one on the right.
- Above it, make a 60-meter traverse left along simple, broken rocks on the left side to bypass the 1st sentinel of the saddle.
- Behind the sentinel, reach the crest of the saddle below the 2nd large sentinel.
- Ascend steep, broken rocks of medium difficulty along the 80-meter crest (pitons for protection) to the 2nd sentinel.
- Cairn.
- From the sentinel, make a 30–40-meter descent along the crest to a connecting ridge.
- Continue along easy and simple, with short walls of medium difficulty, broken rocks on the right side of the East Buttress — a 300–350-meter traverse (protection) to a snow-ice gully descending from the East Buttress.
- Ascend a locally steep, up to 55°, snow-ice, medium difficulty, 80–100-meter gully (“living anchors”, piton protection) to the saddle of the East Buttress.
- From the initial bivouac — 3–3.5 hours.
On the saddle:
- Turn right.
- Along simple and easy, heavily broken, gentle rocks, in the upper part — talus, of the 400–500-meter East Buttress, or along its right side — reach the talus shoulder of the South Ridge.
- Here, turn right.
- Along easy, gentle, locally snow-covered, heavily broken rocks and talus of the 250–300-meter South Ridge — ascend to the summit of Osh Glavnaya.
From the saddle to the point of entry onto the East Buttress — 2–3 hours.
South Ridge, North Ridge
