Report
- on the championship of alpine training and sports bases and KSP of the All-Union Council of the VDFSO of trade unions in mountaineering 1988
- on the peak Ak-Su Ser. (5217 m)
- on the center of the north wall, variant of Popov's route
- 2nd ascent
- team of ASB "Domбай"
- team coach - Grishchenko Valentin Anatolyevich
- team leader - Chaplynsky Igor Orestovich
Addresses
- DUSB "Domбай" - 357191, Stavropol region, post office Domбай.
- Grishchenko V.A. - 252006, Kiev, ul. Gorkogo, d. 693, kv. 6.
- Chaplynsky I.O. - 252091, Kiev, ul. Verbitskogo, d. 10, kv. 82.
The heights marked in the report were determined by the report on Popov's route, as well as visually.
Tactical actions of the team
On September 9, 1988, the team started working on the route, by 15:00 they approached under a large cornice (sect. R6-R7). A light drizzle began. They stretched a platform under the overhang to the right of the vertical gap. At 18:00, a real waterfall poured down on us from the rocks. Within half an hour, everyone got soaked to the bone, so they descended down to the moraine, leaving the ropes.
On July 10, a light drizzle continued, so they did not start the route.
On July 11, at 6:00, they began moving along the ropes, under the cornice they were at 9:00. The rocks were wet, water was flowing from the overhangs, making it harder for the first to work. At 16:00, they set up a bivouac (sect. R12-R13) on a vertical wall to the right of the vertical gap. They stretched a platform, and from 18:00, it rained.
On July 12, they started working at 8:00, the terrain is very complex, wet rocks alternate with flowstone, they had to climb in crampons. At all points, they hammered in a drill hook. At 17:00, they reached a small shelf 1 m wide (sect. R18-R19). This is one of the few safe places on the route. They spent the night sitting on the shelf. In the future, they would not use the platform, so they left it.
On July 13, they processed the route on sections R19-R25. The whole day, snow grains were falling.
On July 14, they passed 120 m along the ropes and returned back because they kept getting caught in an avalanche of snow dust.
On July 15, the weather did not improve, they managed to process 40 m of the wall and secure themselves at the beginning of the ice gully.
On July 16, first along the ropes, and then along the ice gully (sect. R26-R32), they approached under a vertical wall (4710 m). In the ice, they chopped out platforms for a sitting overnight stay.
On July 17, they overcame one of the most difficult sections of the route - a cascade of cornices. They had to use skyhooks and various hook designs a lot. The overnight stay was hanging in a hollow under an overhang.
On July 18, they passed a little and set up a bivouac on the ridge. It was the first good overnight stay. In the morning, it was very cold, strong wind, so they started moving only at 10:00.
On July 19, at 16:00, they were on the summit and immediately began descending.
On July 20, at 20:00, they descended to the base camp.
Deviations from the tactical plan were associated with bad weather, as they had to wait for two days for the weather to improve. Since the route is well exposed to ice and stones (sect. R0-R28), work can be done until 15:00.
They maintained communication with the help of "Vitalka" with observers on the moraine under Ak-Su.
| Total: 76 h | 225/76 | 193/60 | 124/5 | 18/18 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 6 h R47-R48 | 25 | 23 | - | - |  5217 m | IV | 100 | 5 |
| R46-R47 | 12 | 10 | - | - |  | IV | 200 | 60 |
| R45-R46 | 8 | 5 | - | - |  | IV | 100 | 70 |
| 6 h R44-R45 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 1/1 |  | V | 80 | 70 |
| R43-R44 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1/1 | V | 40 | 75 | |
| R42-R43 | 8 | 5 | 5 | - | V | 60 | 70 | |
| 12 h R41-R42 | 68/32 | 31/27 | 10 | 3/3 | VI A4 | 10 | 95 | |
| R40-R41 | 15/15 | 5/5 | - | 1/1 | VI A3 | 35 | 90 | |
| R39-R40 | 10/6 | 5/5 | - | 1/1 | VI A3 | 25 | 95 | |
| R38-R39 | 6/1 | 4/4 | - | - | VI A4 | 20 | 85 | |
| R37-R38 | 2/2 | 3/3 | - | - | VI A4 | 5 | 95 | |
| R36-R37 | 6/4 | 4/4 | - | - | V A3 | 40 | 75 | |
| R35-R36 | 7/1 | 4/4 | - | - | V A4 | 40 | 70 | |
| R34-R35 | 8/2 | 6/2 | 4 | - | VI A3 | 40 | 80 | |
| R33-R34 | 6/2 | 4/4 | - | 1/1 | VI A4 | 25 | 75 | |
| 12 h R32-R33 | 13/2 | 18/11 | 50/5 | 6/6 | VI A3 | 40 | 70 | |
| R31-R32 | 5/2 | 5/1 | 10 | 1/1 | VI A3 | 25 | 80 | |
| R30-R31 | 4/4 | 5 | - | 2/2 | VI A4 | 30 | 85 | |
| R29-R30 | 3/2 | 5/1 | 4 | - | VI A4 | 30 | 85 | |
| R28-R29 | 5/2 | 5/1 | 10 | 1/1 | VI A4 | 35 | 85 | |
| R27-R28 | - | 2/2 | 3 | 1/1 | VI | 80 | 80 | |
| 4 h R26-R27 | - | 4/4 | 5 | 2/2 | VI A4 | 20 | 95 | |
| 8 h R25-R26 | - | 3/2 | 5/1 | - | VI A4 | 40 | 80 | |
| R24-R25 | - | 2 | 7/1 | - | VI A1 | 30 | 85 | |
| R23-R24 | 3 | 18/2 | 1/1 | VI A3 | 10 | 100 | ||
| R22-R23 | 4/1 | 5/1 | - | - | V A1 | 30 | 80 | |
| R21-R22 | 11/2 | 1 | 2 | - | VI | 40 | 70 | |
| R20-R21 | 6 | 5 | 5 | - | V | 40 | 60 | |
| 8 h R19-R20 | - | - | 10 | 1/1 | V | 80 | 70 | |
| R18-R19 | 41/10 | 36/5 | 27 | 1/1 | V | 25 | 60 | |
| R17-R18 | 7 | 8 | 55 | - | V | 40 | 65 | |
| R16-R17 | 7/5 | 5/3 | 6 | - | VI A2 | 35 | 70 | |
| R15-R16 | 5/2 | 2/1 | 3 | 1/1 | VI A1 | 30 | 75 | |
| R14-R15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | VI A2 | 35 | 85 | |
| R13-R14 | 14/3 | 8 | 5 | - | V+ | 75 | 80 | |
| R12-R13 | 9/4 | 10/4 | - | 1/1 | VI A1 | 55 | 85 | |
| R11-R12 | 2/2 | - | - | VI A4 | 5 | 95 | ||
| R10-R11 | 8/2 | 2 | - | - | V A1 | 35 | 85 | |
| R9-R10 | 6/1 | 3 | - | - | V A1 | 35 | 85 | |
| R8-R9 | 5/5 | 1/1 | - | 1/1 | VI A4 | 6 | 100 | |
| R7-R8 | 4 | 6/1 | - | - | VI A1 | 20 | 85 | |
| 10 h R6-R7 | 41/11 | 34/1 | 3 | 1/1 | VI A3 | 30 | 85 | |
| R5-R6 | 5/2 | 3/1 | - | - | VI A2 | 30 | 85 | |
| R4-R5 | 7/2 | 3 | - | - | VI A1 | 35 | 85 | |
| R3-R4 | 8 | 8 | - | - | V | 35 | 65 | |
| R2-R3 | 4 | 8 | - | - | V | 35 | 70 | |
| R1-R2 | 5 | 10 | - | - | V | 40 | 60 | |
| R0-R1 | 2 | - | 3 | - |    | IV | 80 | 50 |
| MI:2000 | ||||||||
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Scheme of the route in VIAA symbols
Description of the route by sections
R0-R1: overcoming the bergschrund on its left side.
R1-R2: movement along the right side of the gully along the rocks upwards, there are live stones.
R2-R3: exit to the right side of the gully.
R3-R4: cross the gully from right to left, hook belay on rock islands.
R4-R5: move towards the vertical crack, to the right is a red cornice.
R5-R6: vertical slabs, water is flowing.
R6-R8: movement along the crack towards the cornice.
R8-R9: the cornice is passed head-on, belay through drill hooks.
R9-R12: movement along the crack, many live stones.
R12-R14: chimney-gully, walls are smoothed, there are sections up to 15 m with flowstone, the first climbs in crampons with the help of an ice axe and ice hammer.
R14-R15: steep wall with a crack filled with ice.
R15-R19: chimney filled with flowstone, there are thawed live stones.
R19-R20: chimney with ice, ice screws fit well, stick to the right side.
R20-R22: slabs, small cracks, everything is filled with ice 2-5 cm thick.
R22-R23: crack with a limited number of holds filled with ice.
R23-R24: cornice formed by a spall, can use friends, nuts.
R24-R26: slabs, few holds, ice in the cracks.
R26-R27: the cornice is passed from left to right, under the cornice is an ice mushroom.
R27-R28: ice gully passes through the middle, where the ice is thicker.
R28-R33: ice walls, many thawed rocks, stick to the right side.
R33-R36: inner corner, to the right is a vertical wall, under it you can chop out platforms for sitting overnight; move along the slab from right to left; in the middle of the slab, a drill is hammered.
R37-R42: a system of cornices is overcome with the help of IT0, to the right is an inner corner filled with ice. We believe that climbing it will be more difficult.
R42-R43: under the cornice, a complex traverse from left to right 5 m, then an inner corner with ice 10-20 cm, many rock outcrops, frozen stones.
R43-R44: very steep ridge with rock islands.
R44-R45: traverse to the right into the inner corner, ice and rocks, live stones.
R45-R48: from the shelf on the ridge, a logical traverse from right to left, stick to the left side of the ridge. In many places, there are good overnight stays.
Photo #1. Camera "Zenit E". Passing along the ropes on section R13-R14, July 12, 1988.
Photo #2. Camera "Zenit E". Passing the ropes on section R24-R26, July 16, 1988.