Arfen Cherburun — 3

Route scheme "Oba-Na!" cat. VI, m. Aya, "Arfen" peak (235.2 m) Streltsov S., Zakutin A. 13–18.07.2001.

Tactical tips for wall passage.

I. Basing in the mouth of the Kazán-Dere tract allows:

• to carry out landing from small vessels and evacuation in sea roughness up to 3 points from all directions except "South-West", "West";
• to fully recover strength, since here, unlike "Lost World", there is no such abundance of noisy neighbors;
• to save money on renting a yawl;
• to halve the sea approaches to the start of the route, compared to basing in the "Lost World".

II. Delivery of climbers and cargo from the base to the route

by own pneumatic floating means seems to us more effective than renting a yawl, for the following reasons:

• in conditions of changing wave situation, the autonomy of pneumatics (constant readiness, accessibility for use directly from the wall, etc.) is higher;
• guarantees of landing from pneumatics, as well as evacuation with its help, taking into account the reluctance of boat drivers to approach the rocks, are also preferable;
• use of pneumatics is commercially justified.

When using pneumatics, do not forget to lift it onto the wall above the splash of the storm wave, and also take care of reliable waterproofing of the cargo and spare parts.

III. Weather conditions

• Considering that a storm can cut off climbers from the base camp almost instantly (1–2 hours), it is necessary to have a resource of water, food, medicines, and equipment for two days on the wall.

• The southern exposure of the wall predetermines its intense heating by the sun. In July, the route is lit starting from 12:00. Due to overheating, effective work is possible from 4:00 to 13:00.

• An attempt to work throughout the entire daylight hours was unproductive: water consumption reached 3–4 liters per person per day and was accompanied by a violation of the water-salt balance (swelling of the legs, etc.), and the pace of movement slowed down sharply. In this regard, we recommend from our experience:

• from the first day, take water-salt tablets, potassium orotate, vitamins, and other preparations to normalize metabolism;
• to postpone the ascent to September.

IV — About the route

1. Conditions for landing on the "Oba-Na!" route are excellent: 20 cm below the sea surface, there is a comfortable ledge for 2 people.
2. The "wardrobe" — the ground part of the pier — is very convenient and safe.
3. The diagonal laying of the route thread reduces the risk of being hit by stones (you can work without a helmet), but complicates the transportation of cargo.
4. To avoid wetting the rope at stations R0–R1, it should be issued from the container.
5. On the segment R0–R1, the inner surface of the cracks is covered with calcite crystals. Hook slippage was observed with material cutting of the walls under static (!) load. Here, hooks with non-flat blades, such as channels, wedges with a groove, are preferable. When using universal hooks, it is necessary to have hooks with a "right" ear bend. Attention: a fall on the segment R0–R1 threatens drowning!
6. From point R6 ("Oba-Na" hotel), a system of inclined shelves of II — III cat. diff. departs to the western edge, suitable for emergency evacuation.
7. Remember that a carelessly thrown stone can sink a yawl or yacht following the foot of the cliff.
8. The total time spent over 6 calendar days, including crossings, landing, changing clothes, belay work, etc., was 65–70 hours.
9. During repeated passage, the number of relief attachment points can be reduced to 70–80 units.
10. From the summit, a note from the Kiev bundle "Slyusar L., Budal Yu." dated September 25, 2000 was taken about the passage of the "Rodeo" route — 6A on the southern wall.
11. We consider it possible to estimate the complexity of the "Oba-Na!" route — 6A cat. diff.

AREA SCHEME: M 1:10 000

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