Ascent Log

I. Ascent classification: technical 2. Ascent area: Fann Mountains 3. Peak: Skalnaya Wall (4800 m), route via the Eastern ridge 4. Difficulty category: 4B 5. Route characteristics:

Elevation gain — about 1400 m. Average slope — about 30°. Section lengths: 2nd difficulty category ≈ 1100 m, 3rd difficulty category ≈ 800 m, 4th difficulty category ≈ 550 m.

6. Pitons hammered for safety:

rock — 33 (out of which for creating artificial footholds — 0), chocks — 4

7. Number of climbing hours: 2 h 30 min
8. Number of bivouacs and their characteristics:

There were no bivouacs on the route.

9. Surname, name, patronymic of the leader, participants and their qualification: a) Kalinin Sergey Borisovich — leader, 2nd sports category; b) Berendeev Nikolay Nikolayevich — participant, 1st sports category; c) Ibragimov Farit Lukmanovich — participant, 1st sports category; d) Valeeva Dilya Rashitovna — participant, 2nd sports category; e) Ivanov Ivan Ilyich — participant, 2nd sports category.
10. Team coach: Master of Sports Ivanchin Ivan Andreyevich. II. Date of departure on the route — August 1, 1980.

Date of return — August 1, 1980.

Scheme

Description of the route passage

R0–R1. Exit to the ridge via a wide scree couloir. Simple diagonal ledges left-up 200 m. Entrance to a cleft with a cork. To the right of the cork — a 2 m wall (pitons), exit to scree ledges that lead to the Eastern ridge.

R1–R2. Further simultaneous movement along a wide almost horizontal ridge. When overcoming gendarmes, protection via ledges. The ridge ends with two large sharp gendarmes of bizarre shape.

R2–R3.

• The first gendarme is overcome on the left via a chimney (≈ 40 m)
• Further via a cleft to the top of the gendarme (≈ 40 m)
• Descent 10 m to the base of the next gendarme

Piton protection.

R3–R4. The second gendarme is overcome head-on (≈ 30 m) followed by a rappel descent (≈ 15 m) to a saddle under the base of a steep ridge.

R4–R5. The beginning of a steep ridge is traversed via slabs (≈ 60 m) right-up. Landmark — a sharp reddish ledge. Here is a control cairn. Further movement is left of the ridge via a wide chimney-cleft (≈ 60 m). Here the ridge connects with the North-Eastern counterfort. Further along another cleft-chimney (80 m, 45°) left of the ridge — exit to a scree ledge. Then about 200 m via scree ledges — exit to a junction point of the Eastern ridge and the Northern counterfort (route 5A difficulty category). Control cairn.

R5–R6. Further path coincides with route 5A difficulty category. Movement along a destroyed almost horizontal ridge, bypassing large gendarmes, to the summit. Descent from the summit — via the Southern ridge along route 4A difficulty category.

Conclusions

1. The traversed route is technically complex rock route requiring high technical and physical preparation for passage. The route is safe in terms of rockfall hazard.

2. The group successfully coped with the task, widely using all techniques of mountaineering required to overcome routes of 4B difficulty category. The ascent was completed without violating the rules adopted in Soviet mountaineering, within the timeframe set by the tactical plan.

3. The first ascenders propose, considering that the junction point of the Eastern ridge and the Northern counterfort is a fairly pronounced rise in the "Skalnaya Wall" ridge, and also that the section of the ridge from the junction point to the summit is long, technically simple, and not very emotional, to classify the presented route and route 5A difficulty category via the Northern wall up to the junction point of the ridge and counterfort, naming this point the Eastern summit or Eastern shoulder of "Skalnaya Wall". This will make both routes more logical, preserving their technical complexity and, accordingly, difficulty category.

Start of the route (section R0–R1)