Report
On the ascent of Fisht North peak via the center of the West wall through "Mirrors" and a cornice, route category 6A (approximately), first ascent by a combined team from Krasnodar Krai and Rostov Oblast.
For the period from March 10, 2024, to March 13, 2024.
I. Ascent Report
| 1. General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Full name, sports rank of the team leader | Sokolov Alexander Alexandrovich, CMS |
| 1.2 | Full names, sports ranks of the participants | Kuchkin Ivan Sergeyevich, CMS Koblyakov Ivan Vyacheslavovich, CMS |
| 1.3 | Full name of the coach | Prilepa Evgeny Vladimirovich, MS |
| 1.4 | Organization | RPO "Alpinism Federation of Krasnodar Krai" RPO "Alpinism and Rock Climbing Federation of Rostov Oblast" |
| 2. Characteristics of the Ascent Object | ||
| 2.1 | Area | 2.1. Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais up to Marukh Pass |
| 2.2 | Valley | — |
| 2.3 | Classification table section number 2013 | 2.1 |
| 2.4 | Name and height of the peak | Fisht North — 2160 m |
| 2.5 | Geographical coordinates of the peak (latitude/longitude), GPS coordinates | 43.966535 39.897803 |
| 3. Route Characteristics | ||
| 3.1 | Route name | via the center of the 3 wall through "mirrors" and a cornice |
| 3.2 | Proposed category of difficulty | 6А |
| 3.3 | Degree of route exploration | — |
| 3.4 | Terrain characteristics | Rock |
| 3.5 | Elevation gain of the route (altimeter or GPS data) | 475 m |
| 3.6 | Route length (in meters) | 593 m |
| 3.7 | Technical elements of the route (total length of sections with varying difficulty, indicating terrain type: ice-snow, rock) | 2 cat. rock — 180 m. 4 cat. rock — 16 re — 16 m. Rock 5, A1 — 227 m. Rock 6, A2 — 138 m. Rock 6, A3 — 32 m. |
| 3.8 | Average slope of the route, (°) | 70 |
| 3.9 | Average slope of the main part of the route, (°) | 86 |
| 3.10 | Descent from the summit | via the ascent route |
| 3.11 | Additional route characteristics | water is absent in the summer |
| 4. Characteristics of Team Actions | ||
| 4.1 | Time in motion (team's marching hours, in hours and days) | 33 h, 4 days plus processing time total 51 h, 7 days |
| :--: | :--: | :--: |
| 4.2 | Overnights | on a platform |
| 4.3 | Route processing time | 18 h, 3 days |
| 4.4 | Entry onto the route | 13:00, March 10, 2024 |
| 4.5 | Reaching the summit | 14:00, March 13, 2024 |
| 4.6 | Return to the base camp | 20:00, March 13, 2024 |
| 5. Weather Conditions from March 10, 2024, to March 13, 2024, at 1770 m | ||
| 5.1 | Temperature, °C | Tavg –1.8, Tmin –7.8, Tmax +9.4 |
| 5.2 | Wind speed, m/s | 4–7/9, March 13, 2024, gusts >20 m/s by sensation |
| 5.3 | Precipitation | March 10–11, 2024, snow, wet snow 8.2 mm. |
| 5.4 | Visibility, m | Mainly good from 50 to 1000 |
| 6. Responsible for the Report | ||
| 6.1 | Full name, e-mail | Sokolov A.A. sokalevi4@gmail.com Tel. +7 938 438–32–20 |
II. Ascent Description
1. Characteristics of the Ascent Object
The area around Fisht North peak is frequently visited by tourists and travelers attracted by the local landmark, Psekhsky waterfall (also known as Vodopadisty), with cascade heights of 165 and 160 meters.
Fisht North peak closes the northwest ridge of Fisht Main peak. To the left, Fisht North is bounded by the Vodopadisty stream, on which the Psekhsky waterfall is located, separating the peak from the slopes of Psekha-Su mountain. To the right, Fisht North is bounded by a large couloir-slope, distinguishing the peak in the Main Fisht ridge.
Several routes have been classified on the peak to date:
- Along the NW edge of the 3 wall, V. Afanasyev, 2006
- Through the center of the 3 wall, A. Andryushchenko, 2002
- Through the center of the 3 wall via the "bastion", A. Spiridonov, 2009
- Along the S edge, D. Shaulsky, 2015
Fisht North peak is composed of sedimentary limestone rocks, partially metamorphosed, and the terrain is reminiscent of Crimean walls. The ascent route and approaches are located within the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve.
2. Route Characteristics
The route is rock climbing. Due to winter weather conditions, only 15 meters of the wall section were climbed using free climbing between R13 and R14 before reaching the ridge. The rest of the climbing was done using artificial technical means (ITOs). Up to R8, the terrain was scarce, often requiring the use of skyhooks. After R8 and up to R14, the terrain became more diverse, with the use of fifi hooks and rock anchors.
The ledges near the anchor points R8 and R12 proved challenging due to their slant, presence of snow, and underlying ice with frozen grass tufts and earth between the rocks. Movement was facilitated by the use of fifi hooks hammered into the frozen ground.
After the R9 section, large, "humming, through" overhangs were encountered, requiring cautious movement.
At least one piton was left at each anchor station. The distance between stations was approximately 30 meters.
During snowy, rainy weather, and during the thaw period, "waterfalls" or small dust avalanches occur along the route, complicating movement.
On the wall section, overnight stays are possible on a platform or in hammocks. In winter, water supply can be obtained from ice lenses and snow on the ledges.
Communication on the wall was via VHF with the base camp, and there was mobile network coverage by "Megafon".
Descent was via the ascent route, with 60-meter rappels. Descent loops were left.
3. Characteristics of Team Actions
From December 13, 2023, to December 16, 2023, a reconnaissance trip was conducted to familiarize the team with the ascent location, outline the route, study the micro-relief, and texture of the rock, etc., including 3 days (totaling 18 hours) spent processing 4 ropes along the route, each 30 meters long (totaling 120 meters). The weather was extremely poor: rain, wet snow, snow, combined with cold snaps, short daylight hours, and the absence of a platform made it impossible to process more. The time limit was also a constraint.
The ascent was planned for March.
- March 9, 2024. Arrived at the base camp.
- March 10, 2024. Departed from the base camp at 11:30 towards the route. Began ascent at 13:00 along the processed part of the route. By 18:00, two participants set up a platform at the R4 section, and by 19:30, the team leader processed another 2 ropes, 30 meters each, up to R6 and descended to the other participants for the night (R4) in the dark.
- March 11, 2024. Cold night, with some snowfall. Change of team leader. Work began around 8:00 AM. As this was a critical section of the route, they progressed about 50 meters to the start of the wall, after the "big" cornice. Change of team leader after R7. The third participant transferred the platform with bivouac gear from R4 to R6. By 19:15, everyone gathered at the platform (R6) for the night.
- March 12, 2024. Cold night, surface temperature dropped to –18 °C. Change of team leader. Progressed another 100 meters to the R11 section. The terrain became less steep and more diverse, with active use of fifi hooks and anchors. By 18:30, everyone gathered at the platform on R6 for the night.
- March 13, 2024. The night was not as cold as the previous two. However, the wind strengthened during the day, with gusty squalls hindering progress. Work began around 7:00 AM. Change of team leader. The terrain remained more diverse up to the ridge, with active use of fifi hooks and anchors. At 13:00, they reached the pre-summit ridge. At 14:00, the entire team reached the summit of Fisht North.
At 14:20, they began descending via the ascent route. By 18:50, the entire team descended to the start of the route. By 20:00, they returned to the base camp.
4. Weather Conditions Characteristics
Meteorological data was provided by the weather station FGBU SCGMS "ChAM Biosfera", located near the ascent object at an elevation of 1770 meters above sea level.
The relatively short length of the route is compensated by its complexity. Considering the previous experience of the participants on routes such as Tsey-Loam via the left part of the SE wall by K. Dorro and the SE wall by A. Zhigalov, Dalar via the N wall of the bastion by M. Warburton and through the center of the NE wall of the bastion by S. Pugachev, Zamin-Karor 1st East via the "Black Triangle" from the north by L. Lapshin, we believe that the route corresponds to category 6A.