Report on the First Ascent of the Traverse v. 3150 (Kel) — v. 3200 — v. 3243 (Kelbashi) via the E Wall and E Ridge

Approximate difficulty: 3B category. Completed by the "Ushba" Climbing Club team on August 8, 2010, under the leadership of Dmitry Anatolyevich Lyublinsky.

Address: Russia, Saratov, Khimicheskaya St., 7, apt. 154, phone: (8452) 911 633, +7 927 109 21 10

Climbing Report

1. Type of ascent: Combined
2. Region: Caucasus: Sofiya Valley
3. Peak, route: v. 3150 (Kel) — v. 3200 — v. 3243 (Kelbashi) via the E Wall and E Ridge
4. Anticipated difficulty: 3B, category: first ascent
5. Route characteristics:

Elevation gain — approximately 270 m, route length — approximately 1615 m, section lengths: 2nd category — 870 m, 3rd category — 200 m, 4th category — 135 m, 5th category — 30 m, average steepness of the main part — 45°

6. Pitons used: 0, chocks: 12, "friends": 8
7. Climbing hours / days: 10 / 1
8. Number of bivouacs: 1 — on a campsite
9. Leader: Lyublinsky D.A. — 1st class

Team members:

• Gavrilov V. — 3rd class
• Bulatov A. — 3rd class
• Lukyanov I. — 3rd class

Coaches:

• Shvyrev Andrey Glebovich — Candidate Master of Sports
• Orlov Sergey Tikhonovich — Candidate Master of Sports

9. Departure time: August 8, 2010, 5:00 AM Moscow time. Return time: August 8, 2010, 3:00 PM Moscow time

10. Organized by: "Ushba" Climbing Club

Approach to the Route

From the base camp, located above the former glacial farm, follow the left tributary of the Sofiya River, Ak-Ayry River (bridges available), into the upper cirque below the Irkiz Pass (Ozerny). Beyond the pass lies a group of lakes — the location for the assault camp. Approximately 3-4 hours from the base camp.

Route Description

From the base camp near the lake, ascend to the weakly defined ledges at the foot of the mountain, and move right and upwards. The rocks here are crumbly, making belays challenging. The climbing is varied, with many holds, but all need to be tested.

The path to the "Otcol" gendarme follows a simple inclined ledge, with a control cairn at the gendarme. From the cairn, move left and upwards towards a vertical crack in the rock face. This is the key section of the route. For belays, use hexes and quick draws, as there are no places to hammer in pitons.

Exit the crack onto a smooth, downward-sloping ledge with virtually no holds, requiring friction climbing.

Continue up the rock ledges of the wall to a rocky tower, with a narrow, damp, and crumbly crack on its left side. Climb up the left wall of this crack. The leader's belay is only from below, as it's impossible to hammer in a piton or place a hex due to the deteriorated terrain.

After exiting the crack, a straightforward path leads to the summit (15-20 m).

Descent:

• Initially, move slightly right,
• then follow simple ledges to the saddle above the glacier,
• further, move upwards towards the start of the ridge leading to v. 3200 along неслож­ным osyp­nym pol­kam, придерживаясь левой стороны по ходу движения. Belay off the terrain.

From v. 3200, backtrack about five meters to the start of the ridge leading to v. Kelbashi.

Descend along an inclined slab to the start of the "knife-edge" ridge, approximately 20 m long (second key section):

• holding onto the upper edge of the "knife" with hands, pass on the right side in the direction of travel,
• footholds are small,
• belay off the terrain.

After the "knife-edge," follow ledges and slabs to large talus fields before ascending to v. Kelbashi (to the right, a snowy slope with a cornice is visible).

The ascent to v. Kelbashi follows a simple talus ridge.

Descent follows the 1B route on Kelbashi to the Kara-Jash Pass.

Recommendations

The route is logical, objectively safe, and can be traversed at any time of the year. The approach is convenient with overnight stays at the lakes below v. Kel.

Only attempt the route in good weather. The ridge section is exposed to lightning.

Recommended for:

• training groups
• sports teams

Plan the ascent for 5:00-6:00 AM.

In case of an emergency, a descent from v. 3200 to the Stolitchnny Pass is possible.

The section of the route to v. 3150 (Kel) is partially destroyed, and in some places, belaying off protrusions is problematic due to the risk of breaking them off; there are few holds on the walls.

The team will need:

• a skilled rock climber to handle the most challenging sections.

The route features cracks suitable for placing chocks such as:

• "friends"
• "hexes"

On the first key section, anchor pitons can be used. For other types of chocks, finding a suitable crack is less likely. On the ridge, use belays off protrusions. During spring-winter ascents, crampons will be necessary for all team members, significantly speeding up the group's progress on the snowy sections. On ridge sections, beware of cornices and snowdrifts; stay on the left side in the direction of travel. For a team of 4-6 people, three 50 m ropes will be needed. The route can be completed entirely in climbing boots, without special rock climbing shoes.

The route can be recommended as a first triple for third-class climbers.

Table of Main Characteristics of Route Sections