Kichkidar via the Western Ridge, combined, 2A

Route Description:

The path from the "Ullutau" alpine base lies along the trail of the "Kullumkol" gorge, exiting to the "Nizhnie-Kichkidars" overnight camps on the Western Yunom-Su glacier, and then on to the "Nizhnee-Kichkidars" overnight camps. The journey takes 4-5 hours. From the "Verkhnee-Kichkidars" overnight camps, the path initially lies in the direction of the "Donkina" pass, with an ascent to the right part of the glacier and then towards the steep Western ridge. Approaching it, the glacier is heavily crevassed (travel strictly roped), we approach the right side of the ridge from the "Kichkidar" summit and ascend via ice and snow, bypassing the rocky wall at the base of the Western ridge and its first gendarme on the right. On the saddle, turn slightly right and then proceed along snowy slabs and, in places, steep rocks, heading towards the 2nd small gendarme; this is a control cairn. From it, upwards, bypassing the high gendarmes and walls on the left (belaying is mandatory), interspersed with snowy sections of the Western ridge, we reach the summit. The journey takes 4-5 hours. The descent from the summit follows the path of 2A cat. diff. to the "Zaitsev" To the "Verkhne-Kichkidarskie" overnight camps!

63. Kichkidar via Western slope of the Southern ridge (route is combined, 2A cat., fig. 5, 7). The path from the “Jailyk” alp camp (group of 4–12 people) to the upper plateau of the Zapadny Yunum glacier with the initial bivouac at the “Verkhne-Kichkidarskie nochovki” is described in route 73. Across the glacier plateau (closed crevasses) approach the snowy-ice Western slope on the left side of the saddle of the massif, which connects the Kichkidar peak on the left and the Yunumkara peak on the right. From the glacier, having crossed the snow bridge over the bergschrund, ascend 180–200 m up the steep snowy-ice Western slope to the snowy-ice saddle (possible cornices) to the left of the two rocky towers of the Zaitsev. On the saddle, turn left and along the wide snowy-ice ridge (cornices) of the saddle, approach the ascent to the Kichkidar tower summit. Along the steep easy rocks of the ascent, bypassing the gendarme on the left, with a 10-meter wall (belay) on the Southern ridge, ascend to the summit of Kichkidar. From the “Verkhne-Kichkidarskie nochovki” 3–3.5 hours.

Fig. 7

64. Kichkidar via the West Ridge (combined route, category 2A difficulty, Fig. 5, 7). The path from the Djailyk alpine camp (group of 4-12 people) to the upper plateau of the Zapadny Yunum glacier with a starting bivouac at "Verkhne-Kichkidarskie nochyovki" is described in route 73. Across the glacier plateau (closed crevasses), approach the right side of the steep West Ridge of Kichkidar peak. From the glacier, turn right and ascend the ice-snow slope, bypassing the rock walls at the base of the West Ridge and its I gendarme on the right. After passing the gendarme, turn left and ascend a 120-160-meter ice-snow couloir to the col of the West Ridge above the I gendarme. On the col, turn right, then across snowy expanses, destroyed and sometimes steep rocks alternating with snowy sections of the West Ridge, bypassing low gendarmes and walls on the left (with protection), ascend to the summit of Kichkidar. From "Verkhne-Kichkidarskie nochyovki" 3-3.5 hours.

Fig. 7

Kichkidar-Yunom, combined, 3B

Route description:

The exit is from the Djailyk tourist camp, moving along the right (orographically) bank of the Kulumkol River past the cow shed and further along the moraines to the middle Kichkidar overnight stays near the Yunom glacier. Travel time is 2.5–3 hours. From the middle Kichkidar overnight stays:

• Up the glacier along the ridge, leaving it on the left;
• Exit via easy rocks to the saddle;
• Further up the snow-ice slope in the direction of the left gendarme of the "hare". The bergschrund under the "hare" is usually bypassed on the left. The time taken to move from the middle Kichkidar overnight stays to the left gendarme of the "hare" is 2–2.5 hours. From the left "hare", easy rocks on the pre-summit ridge lead to the summit of Kichkidar. The time taken for this section is approximately 0.5 hours. From the summit of Kichkidar, bypassing the "hares" on the right (belay!!!), move in the direction of the Yunomkara summit, keeping to the right side of the ridge (there may be cornices on the left) until the first gendarme of the three on the ridge, before the wall on the Yunomkara summit. Options for overcoming the gendarmes:

61. Yunomkara via the South-Eastern Ridge (combined route, category IIb, fig. 5, 7). Yunomkara via the South-Eastern Ridge, category IIb (M. Misher et al., August 12, 1914; S. Golubev, P. Panyutin, N. Steingoglu, August 25, 1914). From the Bashil tourist center, follow the trail on the right bank of the Bashil River to the Maly Chegem River, which is a left (orographic) tributary of Bashil. Here, turn right and ascend via steep easy rocks, then 'ram's brows' on the right bank of Maly Chegem to the right-bank moraine of the Chegem glacier. Continue along the moraine, and, bypassing the icefall on the right, reach the upper plateau of the Chegem glacier and move to its left side. On the left side of the glacier (closed crevasses), approach the saddle of the Freshfield Pass, located between the peaks of Orubashi on the left and Yunomkara on the right. Here, turn left and, crossing the snow bridge over the bergschrund, ascend the steep ice-and-snow slope, then easy and simple, destroyed and snow-covered rocks to the Freshfield Pass. The path from the "Jailyk" alpine camp (group of 4-12 people) to the initial bivouac at "Sredne-Kichkidarske overnight stays" is described in route 73. From "Sredne-Kichkidarske overnight stays":

• On the left side of the Yunom glacier (closed crevasses), approach the saddle of the Freshfield Pass, located between the peaks of Yunomkara on the left and Orubashi on the right.
• Here, turn left and ascend the ice-and-snow slope (avalanches), then snow-covered, heavily destroyed easy and simple rocks of the wide slope to the Freshfield Pass.

Passport

1. Climbing category — technical;
2. Main Caucasian Range and its spurs from Chipperazau Pass to Ortokara peak, Adyrsu-Dzhailyk spur;
3. Yunom peak, 4365 m, via the West Face;
4. Category 4A, first ascent;
5. Height difference: 500 m; Distance: 960 m; Distance of category 4-5 sections: 135 m; Average steepness of the main sections: 58°;
6. Pitons driven:

Ynom-Kichkidar, combined, 3A

Route Description

From the Ullu-Tau alpine camp, the path goes through the Djailyk alpine camp, then crosses the Kullum-Kom river via a bridge and follows a trail along the right bank up to the terminal moraine of the Yuzhny Ynom-Su glacier. The ascent to the moraine takes 1.5 hours. Follow the trail on the moraine to ascend to the glacier and reach its right (orographically) side, along which you should proceed to the so-called srednekichkidar bivouac. It takes 2 hours from the camp to the bivouac. From the bivouac, move along the right side of the Yuzhny Ynom-Su glacier to a counterfort descending from the Freshfield Pass. The pass resembles "Gates" - two rows of rocky outcrops. It takes 3 hours from the bivouac to the pass. Then, descend from the pass about 20 meters down the snowfield to the east, and then traverse left to a couloir descending from the southeast ridge of the Ynom-Kara-Tau peak. Climb out of the couloir onto the ridge on its left side. The path to the summit continues along rocky steps resembling adjacent slabs. These steps lead to a gully. Cross the gully to the right and ascend the rocks on its right side (in the direction of travel) to a saddle. The path goes along simple rocks (slabs) to the summit. The summit is a sharp ridge, about 2 meters high, with a crevice in its middle part. The ascent from the Freshfield Pass takes 2 hours. From the summit, the path follows the ridge to the end of the massif, where a descent is made down a wall (40 m rope) to a snowy saddle. Then, a large gendarme is bypassed on the left along a snowy-icy slope, and a straightforward ridge is reached. The following gendarmes ("hares") are also bypassed on the left, leading to the ridge of the "Kichkidar" peak. The summit is covered with smooth rocky slabs. Return to the "hares" gendarmes and descend to the bivouac along the Zapadny Ynom-Su glacier, keeping to the left side.