11.3.5

Report

On the ascent (traverse) of Kashkar Peak (Koshkar, Kochkarbashi) 6435 m

via the northern ridge (ascent)–eastern ridge (descent) 4B–5A category of difficulty.

(First ascent)

China, Tian Shan, in the southern spur of Pobeda (Tomur) Peak, Kokshaal-Tau ridge, dividing the Temirsu (to the west) and Chonteren (to the east) glaciers.

On the traverse, the following points (peaks, gendarmes) were passed:

• 5550 m
• 5620 m
• 5650 m
• 6050 m

The length of the traverse is about 14 km. The height difference on the ascent is 1835 m, on the descent — 2435 m. Dates: July 8–23, 2004.

Team:

• Yuri Strubtsov
• Vladimir Leonenko
• David Lekhtman
• Alexey Kirienko
• Ilya Mikhalev

Team leader and coach: Anatoly Dzhuliy

Moscow, 2004

Reference information on the route

The Kashkar Peak (6435 m) is located in the southern ridge of the Kokshaal-Tau ridge, which starts near Pobeda (Tomur) Peak and stretches south for 40–50 km. Kashkar Peak rises 20–25 km south of Pobeda Peak as a separate knot, making it an attractive object for ascent, especially for a first ascent.

The first and only attempt to climb the peak was made by the French in 1990 or 1991, but it was unsuccessful. We are not aware of the planned route or the reasons for the failure. Presumably, it was due to the weather and complexity exceeding a certain average level.

In 2002, we considered the option of ascending the peak from the side of the Plateau pass, 5600 m. However, a lack of time and harsh weather conditions prevented us from heading towards the peak.

Route selection

We were unaware of the western side of the peak's terrain (there are significant walls). Based on the information we had from our own materials from the 2002 expedition, we considered two options for reaching the peak — a long (over 8 km) northern ridge as the primary option, and a route via the "board" (fig. 1, 7) — a shorter route that leads to the northern ridge near the 6050 m mark. We chose the longer ridge because one of the expedition's goals was to explore the area and find one or two несложful passes to the Temirsu glacier, which we were unable to reach in 2002.

Descent. The descent route was chosen to include a known section from 2002 — the Plateau pass. Notably, out of the nearly 2500-meter descent (2435 m height difference to the glacier), only the section from 5600 m to 5100 m (the saddle of the Boz'ia korovka pass) was known. The rest was only seen, and not entirely.

Traverse. The route traversed is a lengthy high-altitude traverse. The northern ridge of the peak has several independently rising peaks of heights 5550 m, 5620 m, 5650 m, and another "bump" at 6050 m, from which the route via the "board" branches off to the east. Each of these peaks has spurs extending to the west. We passed through a peak (gendarm) per day.

The total length of the traverse is 13–14 km (from the foot of the glacier under the pass ascent to the exit onto the flat glacier on the descent), with most of it being above 5000 m.

Ascent (traverse) of Kashkar Peak (Koshkar, Kochkarbashi) via the northern ridge–eastern ridge 4B–5A category of difficulty (first ascent).

ASCENT PASSPORT.

1. Class: high-altitude (traverse)

2. Central Tian Shan, southern spur of the Kokshaal-Tau ridge, China, 20 km south of Pobeda (Tomur) Peak.

3. Kashkar Peak, 6435 m, via the northern ridge (first ascent).

4. Category of difficulty: 4B–5A (approximately)

5. Height difference: on ascent 4600–6435 m — 1835 m, on descent 6435–4000 m — 2435 m. Length — 14 km (fixed ropes — 2000 m on ascent, 700 m on descent), passed nodal peaks (gendarmes) — 5550 m (July 12), 5620 m (July 13), 5650 m (July 14), 6050 m (July 16). Length of sections with 5th category of difficulty — 300 m on ascent, 700 m on descent, 4th category of difficulty — about 7 km. Average slope of the route on ascent — 25°, on descent — 40°.

6. Number of pitons driven:

   rock pitons: about 15 chocks: 0 ice/snow pitons: more than 100/more than 100

7. Team's travel hours: from the foot of the pass to the flat glacier on descent — 48 (ascent) + 20 (descent) and days: 6 (ascent) + 4 (sit-outs) + 2 (peak-descent). Additionally, 3 days — approach from the base camp to the pass, traversed 2 icefalls, descended from 4000 m to the base camp, traversed an icefall (half a day). Total time for the base camp–base camp trip — 16 days.

8. Overnights: all lying down — on cornices, on snow, comfortable. By altitude — 1st — 5400 m, 2nd — 5450 m, 3rd — 5600 m, 4th-5th — 5650 m, 6th-9th — 6000 m, 10th — 6350 m, 11th — 5750 m, 12th — 4000 m.

9. Leader: Dzhuliy A. V. — Master of Sports in Tourism Participants:

   • Leonenko V. — Master of Sports in Tourism
   • Lekhtman D. — Master of Sports in Tourism
   • Mikhalev I. — 1st category
   • Kirienko A. — 1st category
   • Strubtsov Yu. — Master of Sports in Tourism

10. Coach: Dzhuliy Anatoly Vladimirovich

11. Northern ridge — July 11–21, 2004 Entry into the route: July 11 Peak: July 21, 13:00–13:20 Descent to the Boz'ia korovka glacier: July 22, 22:00–22:30

12. Vestrak tourist club, Moscow

Preparation for the ascent

The team's preparation was carried out during training sessions in Moscow. Before the ascent, to acclimatize and prepare for the subsequent sections of the mountain route with a 6B category of difficulty, we completed a first ascent of the Kichikteren pass (2A, 4700 m) and attempted a first ascent of peak 5115 m up to a height of 5000 m (the weather worsened, and we did not reach the summit).

The route was first viewed in 2002 during our first expedition to the Chinese Tian Shan. Within this expedition, the ascent was considered a major acclimatization stage for the subsequent passage of the southern rib of Voennyye Topografy Peak. Unfortunately, weather conditions disrupted our plans, and this ascent became the main outcome of our expedition.

The weather at the beginning of the ascent was surprisingly good for this mountainous region. However, it then seemed to take revenge on us. It felt as if the Himalayan monsoon had drifted here: a steady easterly wind close to hurricane force, and continuous wet snowfall — all this lasted for seven and a half days, during which we were unable to move for four days due to the inability to see even the edge of the ridge 3–5 meters ahead. This resulted in a strict rationing of fuel and a switch to single meals for 8 days.

On travel days, we worked 7–12 hours, with mostly snow-ice terrain, moving either in crampons or snowshoes. The rock equipment was not particularly useful as we could work through outcrops on short rocky sections of the ridge, and ice sections were found almost everywhere. The most challenging sections included several short sections of 4th-5th category of difficulty on the ascent to the first peak at 5550 m (R2, R3), a section R6 when passing 5620 m (3 ropes), a 20–30-meter snow-ice wall when reaching 5650 m (R9), 6 ropes (3 snow-ice, 3 along the rocky ridge, R13, R14) on the section 6000–6300 m before reaching the summit, and 10 ropes on the descent (R17, R19, R24). Insurance was mainly provided using ice screws and ice axes, with rock outcrops also used. For work on the traverse, three main 50-meter ropes and one auxiliary 8 mm rope were used for lowering.

Ascent schedule

July 8–10 — approach from the base camp to the pass in the upper reaches of the Morenny glacier (the first right tributary of the Chonteren glacier). The Morenny glacier flows into the Chonteren glacier with a significant icefall, which took half a day to traverse. At the exit to the pass cirque, there is another relatively simple icefall.

• July 11 — ascent to the Promezhutochny pass (in a lateral spur), traverse of the ridge to the Morenny pass (a 2B pass to the Temirsu glacier), teams, ascent to peak 5550 m up to a height of 5400 m (10 simple rope lengths of fixed ropes).
• July 12 — passage of peak 5550 m, 5.5 rope lengths up to the summit, 2.5 rope lengths descent through a cornice onto the continuation of the ridge. Teams on the ridge with cornices.
• July 13 — passage of peak 5620 m (key section of the route). Three simple rope lengths under the rocks, followed by a traverse on ice at 45–55° for about 100 m to a bend with a cornice, then left-upwards on snowy rocks of medium difficulty and ice for 80 m to the top of peak 5620 m. Descent — in teams along the ridge with cornices.
• July 14 — 1 complex rope length through an overhang — a 20–30-meter snow-ice wall, then teams along the ridge with cornices to peak 5650 m, followed by a traverse along a narrow ridge with cornices, a steep ice ascent (1 rope length), then a narrow rocky ridge (1 rope length), a short ascent, and a 25-meter rappel onto the next saddle. Biwak here. Snowfall in the afternoon, visibility sometimes down to 100 m or less. From this moment on, we could see a maximum of 100 m of the ridge ahead and behind us until July 20.
• July 15 — Snow, wind, visibility "0". We sit out.
• July 16 — Snow, wind, visibility no more than 100 m. A fairly wide snow-ice ridge with cornices and rock outcrops. Teams, sometimes fixed ropes. We walked for 9 hours. Sometimes the summit comes into view.

July 17–19 — Snow, hurricane-force wind, no visibility. Sometimes the sun shines through as a yellow spot. We sit out. An avalanche occurred — on the ridge. One tent was swept away and buried (three people). Excavation of a 2-meter layer of avalanche snow took 5 hours. We found almost everything. Losses — 1 avalanche shovel, a pair of ski poles. Not fatal.

July 20 — Snow, wind, visibility up to 200 m (sometimes). Approach to the summit dome at 6350 m. First, we trudged through deep snow in snowshoes, then exited under the rocky triangle of the summit, fixed 3 ropes on a snow-ice slope to the ridge, and another 3 along a gentle rocky ridge of medium difficulty. Everyone is quite exhausted, the pace on the fixed ropes is sluggish, these 6 ropes took 6–8 hours. Biwak under the dome.

July 21 — A sharp drop in temperature at night, stars appeared. Strong wind, frost, sun in the morning. Cloud cover — below us. Ascent along the simple dome of the summit (deep snow), then along an even more gentle slope to the summit. Reached the summit (there are two summits of the same height) — 13:00–13:20. Descent along the southern and southeastern ridges to the Plateau pass down to a height of 5750 m (reconnaissance, search for a passage, etc.). A section of a narrow snow-ice ridge with cornices requiring alternating insurance — 200 m. A rocky drop at the end of the ridge — a 55-meter rappel. Biwak on a gentle ridge at 5750 m.

July 22 — Good weather, strong wind. Descent to the glacier. First, a snow slope of 30–40°, boards, highly avalanche-prone, dislodged one board (we were prepared, so no consequences), along the line of water flow, a drop along the slope — 400–500 m in height. Then a ridge with cornices to the saddle of the Boz'ia korovka pass (this section from 5750 m to 5100 m was traversed under my guidance in 2002, so it was known). Downwards, a 700-meter wall with ice drops of 200–300 m. Here, we need to find a passage. Reconnaissance takes 2 hours. Rappel along a rantklyuft at 50–70° on ice screws, 2 ropes with an exit left onto a large flat rocky shelf (safe here), another two similar ropes along the rantklyuft under hanging seracs (almost hanging re-clips), and again left onto a wide rocky shelf. Then a passage is found left along the rocky wall, on the shelves — a layer of ice, we continue the descent left, another 3 rappels down to a fairly wide couloir with a slope of 30–50°. After snowfalls, the ice and rocks are covered with loose debris from avalanches, allowing us to descend the remaining 400 m in teams. By 20:00, we descend onto the upper plateau of the glacier. Then teams, a 300-meter icefall (passage along the left rantklyuft, and in the lower part — along the "ram's foreheads" of the left bank, no fixed ropes used). By dark, we exited onto the flat glacier, 4000 m.

July 23 — Heavy rain with snow. We are below the cloud cover. Descent to the base. The icefall in the middle reaches of the Boz'ia korovka glacier takes half a day, passage mainly along the right rantklyuft (rockfall hazard!). At 20:00, we descended to the base camp.

Route sections:

• Snow slope 30–40°, 400–500 m
• Ridge with cornices, 5750–5100 m
• Ice wall 700 m with drops of 200–300 m
• 55-meter rappel
• Rappel along rantklyuft at 50–70°, 4 ropes
• Passage along the rocky wall with 3 rappels
• Couloir 30–50°, 400 m
• 300-meter icefall
• Icefall of the Boz'ia korovka glacier

Description of the route by sections

1st day, July 11

Section R0. Ascent to the pass. Snow-ice slope with a slope of 20–45°, teams, length 400 m.

Section R1. Snow-ice ridge with cornices, sometimes narrow, sections with a slope of no more than 35°, simultaneous insurance. To the saddle under peak 5550 m (5000 m) — about 1.5 km.

1st day, July 11; 2nd day, July 12

Section R2. Snow-ice slope of the ridge with rock outcrops. Slope up to 40°, loose snow, insurance unreliable, so fixed ropes are used, 15.5 rope lengths (approximately 700 m to the summit), anchored on ice axes and ice screws (roughly half and half).

Section R3. Cornice across the ridge, descent to the right-down along the western ridge of peak 5550 m and then south through the cornice, rappel, total 2.5 rope lengths (120 m).

2nd day, July 12, 3rd day, July 13

Section R4. Fairly wide snow ridge with cornices under peak 5620 m. Teams, simultaneous insurance.

Section R5. Steep (up to 45°) snow-ice ridge with cornices. Under the rocks of peak 5620 m — 3 rope lengths (140 m) of fixed ropes, anchored on ice screws.

Section R6. 90 m traverse to the right on ice at 45–60°, about 10 intermediate points on ice screws.

Section R7. Rocky-snow wall 80 m left-upwards to peak 5620 m.

Section R8. Snow-ice ridge with cornices, 300 m, teams, simultaneous insurance.

4th day, July 14

Section R9. Snow-ice wall up to 70°, 25–30 m (fixed ropes on an ice screw and ice axe).

Section R10. Narrow rocky-snow ridge with cornices through peak 5650 m. Teams, simultaneous insurance. About 2 km.

Section R11. Technically complex ice-rock ridge. Fixed ropes. 30 m ice ascent, then a 50 m traverse of a narrow and sharp rocky ridge, ascent (ice) 15–20 m up, and a 30–35 m rappel at 45–50° to the next saddle.

5th day (sit-out).

6th day, July 16

Section R12. Fairly wide (up to 5–6 m wide) snow-rock ridge, approximately 2 km long. Mainly teams with simultaneous insurance, sometimes fixed ropes. Up to a height of approximately 6100–6200 m.

7th-9th day, July 17–19 — sit-out at a height of 6000 m, on section R12. Avalanche on the ridge, swept away one tent, buried three people. Freed up in 15 minutes, general excavation and search for belongings continued for 5 hours.

10th day, July 20

Section R13. Snow-ice slope with a slope up to 50° left above the rocky triangle. Fixed ropes on ice axes and ice screws. 150 m.

Section R14. Narrow gentle rocky ridge, walls up to 1.5–2 m, ice and snow sections, anchored on outcrops and ice screws. Total 130 m, 3 rope lengths, under the summit dome.

11th day, July 21

Section R15. Summit dome with a slope up to 30°, teams, heavy trudging, sometimes without backpacks:

• 200 m — to the bend
• 250–300 m — to the sharp peak, slope up to 10°, deep snow.

Then between the sharp peak and the dome, a snow ridge with a slight depression, 100–150 m.

Section R16. Wide snow ridge with rock outcrops to the saddle at 6200 m, then a slope 10–15° to the drops, eastern ridge of South Kashkar with a slope up to 40°. Total to the narrow ridge — about 1.5 km.

Section R17. Narrow and sharp snow-ice ridge with cornices, about 200 m long. Alternating insurance.

Section R18. Steep snow ridge (up to 50°). Simultaneous insurance (200–300 m).

Section R19. Rocky drop 55 m, up to 90°. Rappel.

12th day, July 22.

Section R20. Snow-ice avalanche-prone slope 30–40°, 500–600 m (400 m in height), then a narrow ridge to the Boz'ia korovka pass. Descent along the line of water flow. Dislodged one board.

Section R21. Snow-ice slope from the pass, undercut by a bergschrund; 40–45°, 80 m (two rope lengths).

Section R23. Snow plateau, 200 m, teams.

Section R24. Narrow ice couloir (rantklyuft) along the boundary of rocks and ice drops, 200 m, then a rocky-snow slope along the rocky wall 150 m, total 7 rope lengths, exit into the couloir.

Section R25. Wide ice-rock couloir with a slope of 30–50°, 600–700 m, filled with debris from avalanches. Teams, simultaneous insurance.

Section R26. Closed glacier, then an icefall, height difference 300 m, teams. Route completed.

On the challenging sections of the route, the following led:

• R2 — Kirienko, Strubtsov;
• R3 — Kirienko, Strubtsov (last);
• R5 — Strubtsov;
• R6 — Strubtsov;
• R7 — Dzhuliy;
• R9 — Kirienko;
• R11 — Kirienko, Strubtsov, Dzhuliy;
• R12 — Kirienko, Strubtsov, Dzhuliy;
• R13 — Kirienko, Strubtsov;
• R14 — Dzhuliy, Kirienko;
• R17 — Strubtsov, Dzhuliy;
• R19 — Dzhuliy, Strubtsov (last);
• R21 — Kirienko, Dzhuliy, Strubtsov (last);
• R24 — Dzhuliy (reconnaissance, search for descent), Strubtsov, Leonenko (last in turn).

On the other sections, mainly Kirienko, Strubtsov, Dzhuliy, occasionally Mikhalev, Lekhtman.

About 80% of the traverse required crampons (almost everywhere under the snow — ice), 20% — in snowshoes (local sections on the ascent and about half on the descent).

Tactical actions of the team

The technical complexity of the northern ridge turned out to be somewhat more challenging than expected from the available photographs. The ascent plan was as follows — from the base camp:

• 2 days to approach the pass;
• then 3 days along the ridge to the summit;
• 2 days — descent down the wall;
• 1 day — to the base camp at 3400 m on the Chonteren glacier.

That is, a total of 8 days. Plus two days of reserve for unforeseen circumstances and weather. That is, a total of ten days' worth of supplies and 6 liters of fuel, calculated at 600 grams per day. However, we lost a day on the approach due to severe food poisoning of one of the participants, Ilya Mikhalev, and we only reached the pass by the end of the third day. But seven and a half days of bad weather was excessive. With some experience in high-altitude traverses, we used every gap in the weather to advance a little further, but the weather still disrupted our entire planned tactics.

By the start of the second sit-out, and effectively the fifth day of bad weather, we had 2 liters of fuel left, enough for 3 full days. At this point, it was clear that the summit was close, but visibility was still zero. We needed three days just for the descent, of which only 500 m of the known path (traversed in 2002) was from 5600 m to 5100 m. But we still needed to ascend.

Therefore, we had to switch to strict fuel rationing — 200 grams per day, just enough for one relatively full meal. Consequently, we switched to single meals with limited water intake. Additional water was obtained in flasks by filling them with snow and melting it in sleeping bags. Unfortunately, these measures did not improve the overall well-being of the participants, and fat reserves were visibly depleting. Significant restrictions on nutrition began with the first sit-out on July 15. Food supplies barely decreased with single meals, and I was confident that we could last another 10 days if needed. On travel days, apart from single meals for breakfast, we drank tea in the evening, increasing fuel consumption to about 300 grams. I had serious hopes that the bad weather would not last another 10 days. It's worth noting that in such situations, the autonomy of the expedition is fully felt — we couldn't contact anyone by radio to request fuel and supplies. We had no intermediate drops or camps on the traverse. All we could do was call by satellite phone and report how "well" we were doing. That's why I didn't even take out the phone during those days. We only reported reaching the summit after passing it and would provide details from the base camp a couple of days later.

As a result of the measures taken, the pace of movement after the three-day sit-out did not increase significantly, especially considering the 2 or more meters of snow that had fallen during those 7 days. Despite our mental toughness and inner drive (we were heading for the summit and wanted it badly), our external drive was less noticeable: we moved like sleepy flies. The final 6 rope lengths on the ascent took 6–8 hours, and it became clear that we wouldn't make it to the dome that day. We had to spend another night. But the next morning, the dome seemed much shorter, and we briskly gathered our gear, completing the ascent in two hours, and reached the summit in another two hours.

Reflecting on it, it was already the 11th day, and we were supposed to be back at the base camp four days ago under the worst-case scenario. The thought of descending 2435 meters down a largely unknown route was daunting. We were already starting to feel like we were turning into "iron."

The descent involved:

• constant reconnaissance;
• searching for a passage, and so on.

From 5100 m to 4300 m, it was a significant wall. We managed to descend in two days, despite spending a total of 4 hours on reconnaissance and not using any of the previously planned descent options. The descent wasn't easier than the ascent; it was just shorter, and going down is generally faster than going up. We made it with the fuel and supplies we had.

On July 23, in the pocket of the Boz'ia korovka glacier, sheltered under a huge overhanging rock from the heavy rain, we finally had our first meal in 10 days.

The weather completely disrupted our tactical plan, and we achieved a first ascent — with all the surprises the mountains had to offer.

And then there was the avalanche. On the ridge. The second time I've been in an avalanche in a tent. The sensations are peculiar... We were buried deeply, initially thinking we wouldn't be able to free ourselves, but our legs were clearly free... The tent was dragged 2–3 meters, and the back part wasn't crushed. Somehow, I managed to wriggle out into the free part of the tent.

I was practically dressed, wearing:

• membrane pants;
• inner boots (the sleeping bag was already wet, so I slept in them);
• membrane gloves, which I was holding.

So, within a minute, I was outside. There was a clamor, and the first excavations began. David was buried quite deeply (he was preparing tea in the vestibule), but he had enough air to breathe, saying only that his hands were numb. We freed him in about 15 minutes... While we dug, we pretty much walked all over him...

The avalanche reminded me of 1993 when, under the saddle of Khan-Tengri, an landslide crushed a tent, and four people died... This one was similar... We weren't even under a saddle — on the ridge...

So, everything was under a 2-meter layer of snow, and most importantly — the stoves. Finding them was a challenge, as they are small, and the tent had been dragged aside. The excavation took several hours — with one remaining shovel, snowshoes, and hands... The first thing we found after half an hour was a stove and a kettle. The discovery brought immediate relief (to me, at least).

Then:

• backpacks;
• tents (the second one was only buried up to the roof).

We had one broken tent pole, which we fixed... After three hours, we set up the tent in a new location, and the last backpack was excavated after 5 hours. There were no further avalanche recurrences.

Ascent details

Approach. From the base camp, we ascended along a weakly expressed trail on the right-bank pocket of the Chonteren glacier to the first right tributary of the glacier. Immediately after it, we began our ascent along the conglomerate upwards onto the moraine ridge, behind which lies a grassy pocket. We followed the ridge to the second right tributary of the river with the glacier. It was cozy. It rained all the time. We bivouacked on the moraine near the stream. In the morning, we crossed and continued along the moraine pocket, then descended onto the body of the Boz'ia korovka glacier, crossed it, and descended again into the right rantklyuft. Two years ago, we walked along the glacier; this time, we decided to explore the passage here. We made it, but it took longer, and it was dangerous in some places, so it's better to walk along the glacier. By evening, we reached a grassy pocket, our 2002 campsite. We spent the night.

July 11, 2004. We left the bivouac at 9:40, it was cold. We entered the cirque. A steep ice slope between the drops leads to the saddle on the Temirsu glacier, requiring 5–7 rope lengths. To the right, a simple snow slope without a bergschrund leads to the ridge of a lateral spur, dividing the upper reaches of the glacier. However, this would require an additional 1.5 km along the ridge. After some deliberation, we chose the simpler variant and ascended to the saddle in an hour, which we noted in our records as the Promezhutochny pass.

Another 1.5 hours of traversing the ridge with cornices (teams), and we reached the saddle of the pass to the Temirsu glacier — a good, simple pass at about 2B category of difficulty. We named it Morenny. Here, in a depression under a cozy rock, we had lunch.

Further, another 100 m — and the ridge began to rise. The snow texture changed; under it was ice, and it was loose. The ice axe did not hold, so simultaneous insurance was ineffective. We used alternating insurance or fixed ropes, but some sections were easier to traverse without backpacks. As a result, a chain of fixed ropes began to form.

By evening, we had traversed 10 rope lengths, and under peak 5550 m, we set up for the night, with lights out around midnight. 8 travel hours.

July 12, 2004. We slept in late due to a late start, leaving at 11:30. We traversed 50 m in teams, then continued with fixed ropes for 250 m to peak 5550 m, descended 2.5 rope lengths through a cornice onto the continuation of the ridge, then continued in teams. We bivouacked on a cornice not far from peak 5620 m — a rocky gendarm and likely the key section of the route. We worked for a total of 7 hours.

July 13, 2004. In teams, we approached closer to peak 5620 m, then fixed 3 rope lengths (150 m) on a steep section of the ridge under the rocks. We traversed right-upwards on ice along the rocks at 45–60° for 2 complex rope lengths beyond the bend. Beyond the bend, we ascended left-upwards on snowy rocks of medium difficulty and ice for 80 m to peak 5620 m. We had lunch under a rock on the peak. Then we continued in teams, made a small descent, traversed the ridge, and bivouacked under a snow-ice wall. Snowfall began in the afternoon, reducing visibility. We worked for about 8 hours.

July 14, 2004. We left at 10:45. We fixed ropes through the wall. Ice screw, ice axe. The sun briefly appeared in the morning and then hid. Snow, wind, visibility 20–100 m. By 1 pm, we reached 5650 m. We had a snack with zero visibility. Sometimes it cleared up, and we could see a piece of the ridge 20–100 m ahead. We continued. We encountered an ice wall — more of a slope. Fixed ropes 30 m. This section of the ridge was not visible from below. To peak 5650 m, it turned