Passport

Climbing category — high-altitude and technical.
Climbing region — Fann Mountains.
Summit Chapdara — 5297 m via the eastern face.
Difficulty category — 6
Elevation gain: from the base of the face to the summit — 1300 m, face height — 860 m, average steepness of the face — 85°, length of sections with 6th cat. diff. — 640 m.
Pitons hammered: rock — 219, ice — 8.
Number of climbing hours — 47 hours.
Number of nights on the route — 3 nights.
Team members: Merlis V.P. — team leader, CMS Vinokurov A.F. — CMS Japaridze Yu.O. — CMS Vorobiev L.F. — CMS Okhrimenko S.V. — CMS
Team coach — Dauter B.V.
Date of departure for the route — August 16, 1978. Date of return to base camp — August 20, 1978.

Photo No. 5. Technical photograph. July 25, 1987, 9:00 AM. "Agat-18" camera. Distance to object — 100 m. Shooting point — 5. Shooting height — 3950 m.

Photo No. 4. Technical photograph. July 19, 1987, 2:30 PM. "Industar-23" lens. Focal length — 105. Distance to object — 400 m. Shooting point No. 1. Shooting height — 3000 m. GROUP'S ROUTE

Cherevko's route on the NE face.
Monogarov's routes

Table

Route to Chapdara summit via the eastern face

DATE	DESIGNATION	AVERAGE STEEPNESS, °	LENGTH, m	TERRAIN CHARACTER	DIFFICULTY	CONDITION	WEATHER CONDITIONS	ROCK PINS	PROGRESSION OF ROCK SECTIONS	TIME OF DEPARTURE AND BIVOUAC, NUMBER OF CLIMBING HOURS, BIVOUAC CONDITIONS
August 16	R0–R1	70	120	Face	5	Monolith	good	18	Free climbing	12:00–18:00 processing, overnight stay below the face, 4 hours of climbing
	R1–R2	75	60	–//–	5	–//–	–//–	12	–//–
August 19	R2–R3	75	80	Face	6	Monolith	good	15	Free climbing	7:00 departure
	R3–R4	85	70	Face	6	Monolith	–//–	12	5 and free climbing	19:00 stop, overnight stay half-lying without water, 12 hours of climbing
	R4–R5	87	60	Face	6	–//–	–//–	20	4
August 19	R5–R6	90	70	Face	6	Monolith	good	13	6 and free climbing	Departure 7:00
	R6–R7	86	200	Face	6	–//–	Good	35	12 and free climbing	21:00 stop, overnight stay half-lying, 14 hours of climbing
	R7–R8	85	80	Face	6	–//–	–//–	20	4
August 19	R8–R9	85	80	Face	6	Monolith	good	18	3 free climbing	7:30 departure
	R9–R10	80	60	Inner corner	6	Monolith	–//–	12	1	20:00 stop, overnight stay lying down, 12 hours 30 minutes of climbing
	R10–R11	85	80	Face	6	Monolith	–//–	19	4
	R11–R12	75	80	Buttress	5	–//–	–//–	15	1
August 20	R12–R13	15	300	Ridge	1	Snow	Good			Departure 7:00
	R13–R14	70	80	Face	4	Monolith	–//–	8	Free climbing	Summit 12:00
	R14–R15	20	300	Ridge	2	Broken rocks	–//–	2	–//–	5 hours of climbing
	R15–R16	50	200	Slope	4	Ice	–//–	8		Crampons

1060 m of the face. Total: rock pins — 219, ice pins — 8, bolt pins — 40. Total 47 hours. Climbing leader: V.P. Merlis. Signatures: L. Vinokurov, V. Merlis.

View of Chapdara peak from the north. The upper part of the route, sections R12–R16, are visible.

Kustovsky's route on the northern face.
Cherevko's route on the NE face. The eastern face is located behind the ridge.
"Polytechnic" route on the eastern face from the north.

Brief Description of the Route

Due to the lack of accurate information about the route taken by Monogarov's team, a search for the starting point of the route was undertaken. During the ascent to the face, a backpack with some equipment (ladders, pitons) was discovered. Upon careful examination of the face, a blue canister was spotted at a distance of 200–250 m from the base of the face. Therefore, it was decided to ascend to this canister. As it later turned out, the canister was empty, and our note was left inside.

The face has a concave shape, with ledges and shelves alternating vertically. There are no distinct landmarks along the route. Following the exact path of the first ascenders is quite challenging, as opinions on the route likely varied. Apart from reaching the canister, we managed to follow the first ascenders' path twice more, on sections R6–R7 and R11–R12 (where 7-8 bolt pitons were found on each section). As we ascended, we found two hammocks, rope ends, and bolt piton eyes.

The overall steepness of the face creates sections with maximum difficulty for free climbing. However, careful selection of the micro-route allows for passage without using bolt pitons. The available ledges enable good organization of partner belays:

creating reliable belay stations;
ensuring a comfortable position for the belayer;
controlling the dynamics of movement.

Throughout the entire face, there were no rockfalls, which was quite unexpected, unlike other routes in the Fann Mountains. The face is warm.

Additional difficulties include the lack of water on the first half of the face.

All team members were in good physical condition and had completed 3-4 challenging climbs during this season. Okhrimenko had climbed:

peak Bodhona via the western face, 6B category;
peak Zintson via the northern face, 6 category.

Japaridze had climbed:

peak Bodhona, 6 category;
peak Chapdara — 6 category (Solonnikov's route);
peak Chimtarga via the western face, 5B category.

Vorobiev had climbed:

peak Zintson — 6 category;
peak Chapdara via the northern ridge — 5B category;
peak Bodhona — 5B category.

Vinokurov and Merlis had climbed:

peaks Bodhona, Chapdara, and Zindon via routes of 6 category.

The team's experience enabled them to complete the climb successfully and at a good pace. According to the team's consensus, the route via the eastern face can be classified only as category 6.

Simultaneously with our climb, Karzanov's team was ascending via Cherevko's route (northeast face), which they rated as a 5B category route of increased complexity.

Monogarov's canister, viewed from top left. Section R3–R4.

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Contents

Passport

Table

Brief Description of the Route

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