Ascent Passport

1. Technical class.
2. Pamir-Alay, Laylyak valley.
3. Peak AkSu S., via the North face.
4. 6A
5. Elevation gain 1400 meters, length 1685 meters, length of sections with 5th cat. diff. – 850 meters, length of sections with 6th cat. diff. – 470 meters, average route slope – 60°, average slope of the main part of the route – 74°.
6. Pitons driven: | | rock pitons | chocks | ice pitons | bolts | |:---|:---|:---|:---|:---| | | 52 | 254 | 9 | 19 | | § | 21 | 9 | | 9 | § – previously driven
7. Climbing hours 39, days 4.
8. Bivouacs: 1st and 2nd – sitting on ledges, 3rd – in a tent on a scree site.
9. Leader Kuznetsov Petr Valentinovich Master of Sports Krasnoyarsk

Team members

• Aleksandrov Vladimir Nikolaevich Candidate Master of Sports Krasnoyarsk
• Zakharov Nikolai Nikolaevich Master of Sports International Class Krasnoyarsk
• Savinich Alexander Sergeevich Candidate Master of Sports Krasnoyarsk
• Stepanov Yuri Vasilyevich Candidate Master of Sports Krasnoyarsk
• Surovegin Sergei Ilyich Candidate Master of Sports Krasnoyarsk

10. Coaches: Balezin Valery Viktorovich Master of Sports International Class Krasnoyarsk Zakharov Nikolai Nikolaevich Master of Sports International Class Krasnoyarsk, pr. Metallurgov 55–298
11. Approach to the route August 19, 1997. Summit August 22, 1997. Return August 23, 1997.
12. Krasnoyarsk Regional Committee for Physical Culture and Sports Krasnoyarsk, ul. Krasnoy Armii 3.

General photo of the summit. Taken on August 14, 1997. Routes:

• Troshchinenko, 82
• Vedernikov, 86
• Papov, 86
• Moshnikov, 84
• Kavunenko, 84
• Chaplinksy, 88

Mt. Ak-Su 5217 m August 22, 1997. Photo of the left wall.

Mt. Ak-Su 5217 m August 22, 1997. Bivouac #3 4800 m August 21, 1997. Bivouac #2 4480 m August 20, 1997. Bivouac #1 4185 m August 19, 1997. 60° 74° Scale 1:5000. 3817 m.

Ascent Area

Photopanorama of the ascent area. 4642 m AkSu S. 5217 m AkSu B. 5365 m Admiralteets 5090 m

Route Description by Sections

Total climbing hours for the day – 12 hours. Bivouac #1 August 19, 1997 4185 m.

• R0: 50 m, 40°, 3. Chocks: 4.
• R1: 80 m, 60°, 5. Chocks: 10.
• R2: 45 m, 80°, 5. Chocks: 9, Rock pitons: 2, Bolts: 2.
• R3: 45 m, 80°, 5. Chocks: 5.
• R4: 30 m, 60°, 4. Chocks: 4, Rock pitons: 10.
• R5: 40 m, 90°, 6. Chocks: 10.
• R6: 40 m, 90°, 6. Chocks: 11, Rock pitons: 3, Bolts: 2.
• R7: 50 m, 80°, 6. Chocks: 8, Rock pitons: 2, Bolts: 1.
• R8: 30 m, 70°, 3. Chocks: 4.
• R9: 20 m, 90°, 6. Chocks: 3, Bolts: 4.
• R10: 40 m, 75°, 6. Chocks: 6, Bolts: 2.
• R11: 30 m, 80°, 6 A3e. Chocks: 10, Rock pitons: 4.
• R12: 20 m, 30°, 2. Chocks: 4.
• R13: 30 m, 70°, 5. Chocks: 4.
• R14: 40 m, 70°, 6. Chocks: 7, Rock pitons: 1.

Total climbing hours for August 20, 1997 – 10 hours. Bivouac #2 August 20, 1997 4480 m.

• R15: 40 m, 80°, 6. Chocks: 9, Rock pitons: 5, Bolts: 1, Ice screws: 3.
• R16: 100 m, 60°, 5. Chocks: 11, Rock pitons: 3.
• R17: 40 m, 70°, 5. Chocks: 10.
• R18: 45 m, 80°, 6. Chocks: 12, Rock pitons: 3, Bolts: 1.
• R19: 45 m, 70°, 5. Chocks: 6, Rock pitons: 2.
• R20: 45 m, 70°, 5. Chocks: 6, Rock pitons: 2.
• R21: 60 m, 70°, 5. Chocks: 12, Rock pitons: 3, Bolts: 1.
• R22: 60 m, 80°, 6. Chocks: 14, Rock pitons: 2, Bolts: 1.
• R23: 45 m, 70°, 5. Chocks: 6.
• R24: 45 m, 60°, 5. Chocks: 5.

Total climbing hours for August 21, 1997 – 9 hours. Bivouac #3 August 21, 1997 4800 m.

• R25: 40 m, 45°, 4. Chocks: 5.
• R26: 40 m, 30°, 4. Chocks: 4.
• R27: 40 m, 50°, 5. Chocks: 7.
• R28: 50 m, 80°, 6. Chocks: 10.
• R29: 50 m, 45°, 4. Chocks: 6.
• R30: 40 m, 45°, 5. Chocks: 7.
• R31: 40 m, 45°, 4. Chocks: 4.
• R32: 40 m, 45°, 4. Chocks: 4.
• R33: 50 m, 45°, 5. Chocks: 7.
• R34: 40 m, 45°, 5. Chocks: 5.
• R35: 40 m, 45°, 5. Chocks: 5.
• R36: 60 m, 45°, 5. Chocks: 6.
• R37: (no data)

Total: 39 climbing hours over 4 days. Mt. Ak-Su 5217 m Climbing hours for August 22, 1997: 8 hours.

• R38: 45 m, 45°, 4. Chocks: 3.
• R39: 15 m, 80°, 6. Chocks: 5.
• R40: 90 m, 20°, 3. Chocks: 5.
• R41: 5217 m (summit).

Route description by sections. Sections R1–R2. Inner corner. Many loose rocks. Sections R2–R4. First "integral". Climbing through a crack, sometimes on the right wall. Sections R5–R7. Chimney, partially iced. At the end, a cornice is passed in two ways: either left through a crack about 8 meters, then up a vertical crack; or straight up the inner corner. Sections R7–R10. Series of walls, ledges, inner corners. The path goes logically left-right-up following the natural relief. Sections R10–R12. Initially, natural climbing through flakes, then artificial climbing leading to a large ledge. The ledge is stony, so it's better to make a belay station on the left under the cover of a wall. Sections R14–R15. Wall covered with slippery moss, the crack is very inconvenient for belaying. Sections R15–R16. Crack filled with ice. Sections R16–R18. Slabs, very broken, many loose rocks. At the end of the section, a ledge under a cornice on the right is used for bivouac. Sections R18–R19. Climbing through a crack to bypass the cornice, many unreliable rock blocks. Sections R19–R21. "Ram's foreheads," walls covered with ice. Belaying can be organized using ice screws. Sections R21–R23. Excellent free climbing. Sections R23–R24. Crack filled with ice. Sections R24–R25. Traverse along the edges of ledges with snow and ice, then up a wall to the edge of a scree ledge where the third bivouac was set up. Sections R28–R29. Broken steep wall. Initially, an inner corner, then a crack; the cracks are not very reliable for belaying. Sections R29–R41. The path along the pre-summit ridge follows a logical route: inner corners, walls, chimneys. All are climbed with free climbing, yet the sufficient difficulty and abundance of loose rocks, as well as the onset of bad weather, kept the team on edge until the summit.

Photo of sections R4–R6.

Photo of sections R22–R23.

Photo of sections R28–R29.