Ascent Passport

I. Technical Class 2. Pamir-Alai, Turkestan Range, Ak-su gorge. 3. Peak S.Iskander (5000 m) via the northwest edge. 4. Second ascent, combined 5B category of difficulty. 5. Height difference — 1000 m, length — 1330 m.

Height difference of the wall section — 750 m. Length of the wall section — 830 m. Average steepness of the wall section — 65°. Length of sections with 5th category of difficulty — 255 m, 6th category of difficulty — 320 m.

6. Pitons driven:

7. Number of climbing hours — 24.
8. Number of nights — 3 (2 bivouacs on ledges).
9. Participants:

Koroteev V.K. — Candidate Master of Sports, Elagin V.I. — Master of Sports.

10. Team coach: Tinin Yu.P. — Candidate Master of Sports.
11. Date of departure on the route: July 7, 1986, date of reaching the summit: July 9, 1986.
12. Organization: Moscow Sports Committee for Physical Culture and Sports.

Fig. 1. General view of the summit (photo 1). Taken at 14:00 from the summit of peak 4432 (Dalniy), distance — 7 km, lens Yupiter-37A (f = 135 mm).

Fig. 4. UIAA scheme, lower sections

Fig. 5. UIAA scheme, upper sections

Route description by sections

R0–R1. Simple and moderately difficult rocky ridge. All gendarmes are bypassed on the left (by the ascent route) along a snowy-icy slope (in the upper part — icy) with a steepness of 40–45° or via rocks.

R1–R2. System of walls and ledges of moderate difficulty. Rocks are heavily damaged, many loose stones.

R2–R3. Narrow cleft-chimney in a steep smooth slab.

R3–R4. Implicitly expressed wide internal corner, consisting of a system of walls and ledges.

R4–R5. Difficult internal corner with smooth walls.

R5–R6. Very difficult smooth wall with a limited number of holds. Climbed up and to the right. Uses ITC and ladders.

R6–R7. Smooth wall to the right of a rocky cornice, weakly dissected. Climbed using microrelief.

R7–R8. Steep internal corner, monolithic rocks. Channel-shaped pitons and medium-sized nuts are suitable.

R8–R9. Wall connecting two ledges, on which a site for a tent can be cleared if necessary.

R9–R10. Very difficult monolithic smooth wall with weakly expressed microrelief. Climbed via free climbing.

R10–R11. Traverse to the right and upwards along a cleft in a smooth wall using ITC and ladders.

R11–R12. Difficult monolithic wall, climbed via free climbing. Followed by a very complex exit into a wide internal corner-chimney.

R12–R13. Large internal corner-chimney with an overhang in the upper part. ITC and ladders are used to overcome the cornice.

R13–R14. Internal corner with sections of ice and snow, leading to a pinnacle with a good two-tiered platform where 2 tents can be set up.

Note: sections R10–R14 can be climbed via a 120–140-meter cleft in a monolithic bastion (80°), 5–6 category of difficulty. This ascent variant goes to the left of the path chosen by the group.

R14–R15. Traverse to the left 5 m along a snowy ledge. Then follows a wall with a cleft, climbed via free climbing. Rocks are partially covered with ice.

R15–R16. Steep difficult monolithic wall with a limited number of holds. Climbed using ITC and ladders.

R16–R17. Plumb smooth icy wall with a very small number of holds. Climbed to the left of the cornice using ITC, ladders, and a bolt piton.

R17–R18. Steep internal corner with smooth walls filled with ice. Extremely difficult climbing. Channel-shaped pitons and small nuts are suitable. Section is climbed using ITC and ladders.

R18–R19. Very difficult, partially icy wall. Climbed via free climbing.

R19–R20. Steep wall with small ledges, covered by a cornice from above.

R20–R21. From under the cornice, the path leads to the left through a small overhang and leads into a very difficult internal corner formed by a wall and a right, steeper wall about 1 m high. Until noon, this corner is covered with ice, and after 16:00, water flows through it. Section is overcome using ITC and ladders. Further, the internal corner abuts a cornice.

R21–R22. The cornice is climbed via its right part, and the path leads into an internal corner, which is overcome via free climbing. Here, after 16:00, water flows.

R22–R23. Steep wall leads to a snowy ledge. Third night's bivouac.

R23–R24. Very steep smooth wall with a small number of holds and cracks for pitons. Extremely difficult climbing.

R24–R25. Icy internal corner with smooth walls filled with ice. Overcome using ice axe, ITC, and ladders.

R25–R26. Steep smooth slab lying to the right of a cornice.

R26–R27. Ice-filled chimney, climbed using ITC and ladders.

R27–R28. Extremely difficult smooth and almost plumb wall to the right of a cornice. Uses ITC.

R28–R29. Wall with a cleft, climbed via free climbing.

R29–R30. System of snowy and icy walls and ledges of moderate difficulty, leading to the summit, which appears as a huge inclined slab.