Peak 2900–3000–3010 "Severnye Zubki"

Route "Traverse of peaks 2900, 3000, 3010 'Severnye Zubki' from southeast to northwest from Orlenok Pass"

Cat. difficulty 2B (combined)

Leader: V. Babkin

Western Caucasus, Kara-Jash ridge

Section in KMGV - 2.1

Report

On the first ascent of the mountaineering route "Traverse of peaks 2900, 3000, 3010 'Severnye Zubki' from southeast to northwest from Orlenok Pass" 2B cat. difficulty (combined) at the year-round alpine event Championship and primacy of NP "Club of Northern Travels 'Sauk-Pai'" 2011 (class "First Ascents").

Region: Karachay-Cherkess Republic Mountain country: Western Caucasus Gorge: Orlenok ravine Ridge: Kara-Jash Peaks: 2900, 3000, 3010 ("Severnye Zubki") Route: traverse of peaks 2900–3000–3010 ("Severnye Zubki") from southeast to northwest from Orlenok Pass

Prepared by:

V. Babkin
Zhuravlev S. V. May 2011

Passport

Section number according to KMGV - 2010 - 2.1

Western Caucasus, mountain region - Arkhyz, Kara-Jash ridge.

Name of the peak: 2900, 3000, 3010 ("Severnye Zubki")

Height:

2900
3000
3010

Route: Traverse of peaks 2900–3000–3010 ("Severnye Zubki") from southeast to northwest from Orlenok Pass

Category of difficulty: 2B cat. difficulty
Character of the route - combined.
Height difference of the route: 810 m
Length of the route: 4200 m
Length of sections of the highest cat. difficulty:

cat. difficulty 1 – 4 sections – 3500 m, cat. difficulty 2 – 4 sections – 200 m, cat. difficulty 3 – 4 sections – 215 m, cat. difficulty 4 – 0 sections – 0 m, cat. difficulty 5 – 0 sections – 0 m, 6 – 0 m.

Average steepness: main part of the route — 55°, entire route — 45°.
Pitons used:

Total used on the route:

rock pitons — 4
chocks — 12
stationary bolt pitons — 0
ITO — 0
removable bolt pitons — 0

Left on the route:

total — 0
including bolt pitons — 0

Exit to the route — 5:00, May 3, 2011 Exit to the summit — 12:00, May 3, 2011 Return to BL — 16:00, May 3, 2011
Team's walking hours: — 11 hours
Leader: Vyacheslav Babkin (Candidate for Master of Sports, instructor-methodologist 3rd category, Yekaterinburg).

Participants:

O. Kolesnikova (2nd sports category, Syktyvkar)
E. Ermakov (3rd sports category, Voronezh)
A. Bonchuk (2nd sports category, Syktyvkar)
I. Shcheglov (2nd sports category, Moscow).

Coach: Zhuravlev Sergey Vasilyevich, title — Candidate for Master of Sports, instructor-methodologist 1st category.

Description of the peak

Peaks — 2900, 3000, 3010 ("Severnye Zubki") — a series of peripheral peaks of the northwest spur of the mountain massif (on old maps — ridge) Kara-Jash. Located on the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Caucasian Federal District of the Russian Federation, between the Psyish and Sofia rivers, northwest of Orlenok Pass.

The nodal peak of the northwest spur — mountain 3010. Not visible from Taullu glade, but clearly expressed from the Psyish river valley, from the place where the Belaya river flows into Psyish. The mountain does not have an official name. Unofficial name — "Severnye Zubki". The peaks of the northwest spur of the Kara-Jash ridge — 2900, 3000, 3010 were named by geologists working in the Psyish river valley.

Description of the route

The route "Traverse of peaks 2900, 3000, 3010 'Severnye Zubki' from southeast to northwest from Orlenok Pass" — a characteristic combined training route 2B cat. difficulty, with a full set of natural obstacles corresponding to routes of this level. Passing this route has not only aesthetic but also practical sports and training value, as it allows to work out insurance and self-insurance techniques on snow and rock terrain within the ascent.

Equipment

For the ascent as part of a training and sports group of 6 people (5 participants + instructor), the following special equipment is required on the route:

Personal:

Standard issue
Crampons
Ice axe

Group:

Main rope 10 mm — 3×50 m
Rock hammer — 2 pcs.
Rock pitons — 8 pcs.
Ice axe — 1 pc.
Chock elements — 12 pcs.
Ice screws — 0 pcs.
Quickdraws — 10 pcs.
Slings — 10 pcs.

Approach

The ascent is made from a bivouac in the upper cirque of Orlenok ravine. The approach to the bivouac in the upper cirque is not complicated in terms of orientation: from Taullu glade, the location of the base camp, cross the Sofia river by a bridge and ascend along Orlenok ravine — first along a logging road, then along a trail.

The upper cirque is formed by:

eastern slopes of the northern spur (ridge with a series of unexpressed peaks up to Orlenok Pass);
western slopes of the Kara-Jash ridge (from Orlenok rock to Orlenok Pass).

The cirque is clearly expressed, snowy in winter and spring off-season, and has two beautiful lakes among small birch and pine groves in summer. The height of the upper cirque of Orlenok ravine is 2200 m above sea level. The ascent from Taullu glade to the upper cirque takes 1.5–2 hours. The cirque has convenient places for tents, with water (streams) and dry areas, freed from snow at the end of April — beginning of May.

Technical part

The route begins with an ascent to Orlenok Pass along snow slopes. On Orlenok Pass, it is necessary to organize teams. Then along the southeast ridge — first along a snowy, then along a not very steep rocky slope — approach the base of the first rocky tower.

The ascent to the first rocky tower ("Eastern Zubok" — 2900) is carried out along a simple inclined slab. Then — descend along a simple rocky ridge, bypass the gendarme on the right and approach the base of the second rocky tower ("Central Zubok" — 3000).

The key to the route — the ascent to the second rocky tower ("Central Zubok" — 3000):

First, traverse along an oblique rocky shelf;
then ascend along an inclined smoothed rocky wall.

The summit of the second rocky tower is clearly expressed, and a control cairn was erected on the summit by the participants of the first ascent.

Further:

rappel to the saddle;
bypass the gendarme on the right along the way;
ascent to the third tower ("Main Zubok" — 3010), marked by a nodal peak of the northwest spur of the mountain massif (on old maps — ridge) Kara-Jash on the map of the Department of Geodesy and Cartography of the Russian Federation.

Ascent to the third tower ("Main Zubok" — 3010):

Along the wall;
along the inner corner.

The route is visible from the second rocky tower and after descending from the 2nd rocky tower (from the saddle) — unambiguously, and does not cause problems in orientation. Overcome "head-on". The summit of the tower is peak-shaped, with a small area. Rockfall danger — subjective. In the off-season, there may be formed ice on the rocks. There was no cairn or note on the summits. It can be assumed that this ascent was not only the first ascent of the route but also the first ascent of these peaks. Cairns were erected by the participants of the first ascent.

Descent from the summit

Descent from the summit along the northern rocky slope of the tower (two rappels of 40 m), then along the northeastern slope (sports descents along a steep snowy slope) to the upper cirque of Orlenok ravine until joining the beginning of the ascent. Then along a familiar path — return to the bivouac.