V. Takhtarvumchorr, route — via the left part of the north wall of Otkol “OLENEVODY”

Proklov V.G.

Khibiny mountain range. Otkol Cirque. Classification table section: # 8.6

Ascent Passport

Kola Peninsula. Khibiny mountain range. Otkol Cirque. Classification table section: # 8.6
Name of the summit — Takhtarvumchorr 1143 m, name of the route — via the left part of the north wall of Otkol “OLENEVODY”.
Proposed category: 3B, variant.
Route type: rock.
Route elevation gain: 350 m (by altimeter)

Route length: 455 m. Section lengths:
- 3rd category difficulty — 110 m.
- 4th category difficulty — 30 m.
- 5th category difficulty — 30 m. Average steepness of the main part of the route — 65°
Number of pitons left on the route: total — 2; including bolted pitons — 0.

Total number of artificial points of support (AID) used: 5 points.
Team's climbing time: 9 hours.
Team: leader — Proklov V.G. — 1st sports category.

Participants:
- Murin E.G. — 2nd sports category.
- Shpilevoy D.A. — 2nd sports category.
- Nosenko M.A. — 2nd sports category.
Coach: Ishutin M.V. — Master of Sports
Approach to the route: 9:05, August 22, 2007.

Reached the summit: 18:20, August 22, 2007.

Return to base camp: 20:30, August 22, 2007.
Organization — Arkhangelsk Federation of Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, “Vertical Limit” Club, Arkhangelsk.

Route Description

From the camps near Maly Vudyavr lake, ascend to the Otkol Cirque and further towards the massive Takhtarvumchorr peak. Bypassing the Otkol massif, ascend the scree slope to the base of the north wall of Otkol (1.5 hours). The route coincides with the initial sections of the routes “To Otkol via the center of the north wall, 5A” and “Via the left part of the center of the north wall of Otkol, 4B”.

R0–R1: Ascend a series of “ram’s foreheads” to the base of an internal corner. 60 m. 45° 2nd category difficulty.

R1–R2: From the internal corner, leftwards, ascend smoothed rocks and an internal corner towards a large inclined ledge. 50 m. 55° 3rd category difficulty.

R2–R3: Continue upwards on broken rocks 25 m. 55° 3rd category difficulty. Leftwards along a large inclined ledge, reach a convenient platform on a rock outcrop. 25 m. 45° 2nd category difficulty. Control point #1.

R3–R4: Key section of the route, ascend a cleft 10 m. 80° 5th category difficulty. Continue upwards on a series of inclined ledges, leftwards under a huge cornice. 25 m. 70° 3+ category difficulty.

R4–R5: Bypass the cornice on the right, a dangerous exit onto an inclined slab. 5 m. 70° 4th category difficulty. On the inclined slab, approach the wall. 20 m, 40° 2nd category difficulty. Control point #2.

R5–R6: On the wall, rightwards, ascend towards a rock spall, from here transition into an internal corner.

20 m, 75° 4th category difficulty.
Key section of the route, ascend the internal corner with a crack to reach the shoulder of a cornice.
20 m, 75–80° 5+ category difficulty.
Last 3 m. AID, A2.

R6–R7: On a wide cleft, rightwards towards a wet internal corner 10 m, 45° 3rd category difficulty. On the wet internal corner 5 m, 75° 4th category difficulty, exit onto the ridge slope. Continue on broken rocks to a convenient ledge. 25 m, 45–50° 2nd category difficulty.

R7–R8: On broken rocks, exit onto the ridge of the route “To Otkol via the east wall 3A”. 50 m, 45° 2nd category difficulty.

R8–R9: On the ridge, towards an internal corner 75 m. 45° 2nd category difficulty.

R9–R10: On the internal corner 25 m. 40° 2nd category difficulty, exit onto the summit. Control point.

Descent from the summit:

Need to traverse a connecting ridge from Otkol to the Takhtarvumchorr ridge,
then descend the south slope of the eastern spur of the Takhtarvumchorr ridge into the cirque under the Geografov pass (Ganeshena cirque),
then to Maly Vudyavr lake.

Emergency exit from the route: Via the ascent route.

Technical documentation:

Technical photograph with the route marked and divided into sections, photo #1.
Photograph of the overall view of the summit with known routes marked, photo #2.
Map-scheme of the ascent area, fig. #1.
Route scheme in UIAA symbols, fig. 2.

Brief description of the route ascent

On August 22, 2007, our team decided to climb an unclassified route on Otkol 4B. While searching for the “Zub” ledge, we passed it and realized it was off to the side. We decided to climb “our own” route, via the left part of the north wall of Otkol, Takhtarvumchorr peak. We named the route “OLENEVODY”; there is plenty of water there, and we assessed it as 3B. In our opinion, the “OLENEVODY” route is technically more challenging than the classified 3B routes in this area. Overall, the route is interesting and logical, with good rock for protection.

On August 23, 2008, we repeated the “OLENEVODY” route. Still, there was no desire to deviate from the route. To assess the time and effort required, Viktor Dubinin, a confident 2nd sports category in mountaineering and Candidate Master of Sports in rock climbing, worked on the route. We couldn't climb the route “cleanly” as he wanted. We descended to the tent by Ganeshena cirque lake in the evening.

First ascent: http://proklovv.narod.ru/photoalbum_pervoprohod.html↗

A year later, the route was climbed again: http://proklovv1.narod.ru/photoalbum3.html↗

Safety assessment recommendations

Section R3–R4 can be climbed via a vertical cleft in counter-pressure or leftwards using AID. On section R4–R5, after the cornice — a dangerous exit onto an inclined slab. Limited protection, the last section is wet. On section R6–R7, when exiting the wet corner, it's better to use AID, as it's slippery.

Overall, the route is safe. Loose rocks are present on sections:

R1–R3
R7–R8. The route is not recommended as a first 3B.

Recommendations for subsequent groups on gear usage

Small and medium-sized stoppers, hexes, and friends work well.
There are places for larger gear.
Thin and medium-sized pitons are used for AID.

Route scheme legend (fig. 2):

R1: 50 m, 55°, 3rd category difficulty
R2: 25 m, 55°, 3rd category difficulty; 25 m, 45°, 2nd category difficulty
R3: 10 m, 80°, 5th category difficulty; 25 m, 70°, 3+ category difficulty
R4: 5 m, 70°, 4th category difficulty; 20 m, 40°, 2nd category difficulty
R5: 20 m, 75°, 4th category difficulty; 20 m, 75–80°, 5+ category difficulty
R6: 10 m, 45°, 3rd category difficulty; 5 m, 75°, 4+ category difficulty; 25 m, 50°, 2nd category difficulty
R7: 50 m, 50°, 2nd category difficulty
R8: 75 m, 45°, 2nd category difficulty
R9: 25 m, 40°, 2nd category difficulty