5.36.

30a Kidzal, 3A cat. diff., Southwest Ridge, A. Petrov, 1979 38.

Ascent Record

1. Ascent type: Rock climbing
2. Ascent area: Fann Mountains
3. Kidzal, 4291 m, via Southwest Ridge
4. Proposed category of difficulty: 3A
5. Route description: Elevation gain 500 m, sections of 5th category difficulty 35 m, average steepness?
6. Pitons driven: rock, for belay: 5.
7. Duration: 7 hours from the bivouac under Anzak Pass.
8. Number of overnight stays: 1 under the route.
9. Petrov Andrey Evgenevich, 1st sports category, instructor, leader Averyanov German Petrovich, Candidate for Master of Sports, instructor Dudakov Sergey Nikolaevich, 1st sports category, instructor Maltsev Igor Viktorovich, 1st sports category, doctor
10. Group coach: Master of Sports of the USSR Fedorov Alexander Sergeevich
11. Group departure: August 19, 1979 Return: August 21, 1979

Kidzal peak. Photo from Beliy Bars peak. (Photo taken from a cairn). From August 8 to September 7, 1979, the sports club MK #86 conducted a training camp under a collective voucher at the branch of the "Varzob" tourist center, FANN.

From August 19 to 21, a group of climbers on the training camp, consisting of:

1. Petrov Andrey Evgenevich — 1st sports category, instructor, leader
2. Averyanov German Petrovich — Candidate for Master of Sports, instructor
3. Dudakov Sergey Nikolaevich — 1st sports category, instructor
4. Maltsev Igor Viktorovich — 1st sports category, doctor

made a first ascent of Kidzal peak (4291 m) via the Southwest Ridge, approximately 3A category of difficulty; and a first ascent of Beliy Bars peak via the North Edge, approximately 5A category of difficulty. The ascents were made from a bivouac under Anzak Pass.

These routes were first noticed in 1975 during the ascent of the Petrov-Maltsev group via the Northeast Ridge to Dutandon peak on the opposite side of the Arg gorge (classified as 3B category of difficulty). In 1977, we sketched and photographed both peaks, but did not have time to make the ascents.

The grove near Ankantad meadow is a great place for a base camp in one of the most beautiful corners of the Fann Mountains — the Arg gorge. The approach here is twice as short as to Tepa meadow. However, there are not many routes on the surrounding mountains:

• Beliy Bars via the South Ridge — 4A category of difficulty
• Traverse of three peaks of Dutandon — 5A category of difficulty
• Arg — 4B and 1B

We added another route to Dutandon via the Northeast Ridge, classified as 3B category of difficulty. One of the few drawbacks of the area as a whole is that there is only one 3A route (Block), which makes it difficult to conduct training and sports work for 2nd and 3rd category climbers. Therefore, planning to ascend the North Edge of the beautiful Beliy Bars peak, we decided to climb Kidzal as well — to establish a 3A route and to inspect and photograph the North Edge of Beliy Bars.

August 19, 1979. Departure from the base camp at Tepa meadow at 8:00. We walked along the left bank of the Arg river on a good tourist trail to Ankantad (Anzak) meadow by 9:10. The valley in the direction of Beliy Bars is divided by a bushy hillock. We ascended via the left (eastern lateral gorge of the Arg river valley) overgrown gully on a small path until the trail turned right into the opening gorge leading to Omsk Pass. The forest ends, and we walked along the dry riverbed of Beliy Bars. The gorge narrows, becomes steeper, and then expands into alpine meadows at the fork. According to shepherds, water flows along the riverbed in the evening. The weather is excellent, hot. We ascended via the right branch of the gorge, on grassy slopes, bypassing Kidzal on the right, and reached under Anzak Pass. On the scree near a large boulder, there is a good spot for a tent. About a hundred meters away, a stream runs from under a snowfield. To the right, a large snowfield descends from under Beliy Bars peak. We ascended along the unclimbed Western Ridge of Beliy Bars, which appears to be 4A category of difficulty.

At 13:30, we departed to photograph the North Edge and ascend Kidzal. We thought there was a South Ridge from the pass to Kidzal, but it turned out to be a destroyed slope ending in monolithic 100-meter climbs requiring non-stop climbing. However, there is a Southwest Ridge, which we had previously identified as leading to the pass. We chose this ridge for our ascent.

R0–R1. Small steep scree, typical for the Fann Mountains. Pleasant for descent, but not for ascent. The ridge is technically challenging from the very bottom, so we ascended via the scree towards a characteristic gray tower on the ridge with a diagonal light stripe. This is roughly the middle of the ridge. From the pass, a couloir is visible, leading here to the ridge from the scree. Its upper part forms a small depression-notch in the generally steep ridge. 400 m, 30°. R1–R2. We ascended via the couloir on destroyed rocks (loose stones!) to the ridge. Climbing is not difficult, but requires caution. 60°/50°. R2–R3. Along the ridge, first on simple destroyed rocks, and then on monolithic rocks of medium difficulty, we ascended towards the gray tower with a stripe. 80°/45°. Belay on protrusions. R3–R4. To the left of the tower, there are two slits-chimneys in the wall. Via the right chimney, difficult climbing, and when bypassing the lower part of the plug-protrusion, very difficult friction climbing, and then on jamming — 30 m to a ledge. Piton belay. 30 m / 80°, 5 pitons. Then 20 m to the left, bypassing the tower-jendarme on the ridge. R4–R5. To the left of the tower, 7 m of difficult climbing on the wall, and then on simple rocks, bypassing the jendarme, we reached the ridge. 30 m / 60°. R5–R6. Along the wide destroyed ridge, 100 m to a jendarme-finger on the ridge. 100 m, 20°. R6–R7. The ridge turns north. Along the sharp, almost horizontal ridge, 80 m to the summit, rising above the ridge by 5 m as a triangular protrusion. From the summit, it is possible to descend via a gentle scree ridge to the north towards Biob Pass. There is no cairn on the summit. We built a cairn 5 m before the summit and left a note about the first ascent. Descent was via the ascent route. We photographed Beliy Bars. On the chimney, we made a sport descent with rope retrieval. At 20:00, we were back at the tent, had dinner, and went to sleep. The route to Kidzal peak corresponds to 3A category of difficulty. After us, two more groups ascended this route:

• September 3 — a group of three led by Khabibulin
• September 4 — a pair, S.M. Krivko and V.G. Tugalev

Table of main characteristics of the ascent route

August 19, 1979. The route is purely rock climbing.

Total duration: 7 hours, rock pitons — 5. Elevation gain: 500 m.