Russian Alpine Championship

High-altitude technical class

Team from Voronezh Regional Public Organization "Alpinism Federation"

Ascent to Shkhara (Main) (5068 m) — via the ridge (H. Tomashek route), category 5B

2008

Ascent Passport

1. Central Caucasus, Bezengi region, section number according to the classification table 2.5.
2. Ascent to Shkhara (Main) (5068 m) via the ridge (H. Tomashek route).
3. Category 5B.
4. Route type: combined.

Ascent Record

1. Category — snow and ice climb
2. Main Caucasus Range, Bezengi valley
3. Shkhara Main via the ice board on the North face
4. Proposed — 5B category difficulty, first ascent
5. Height difference — 1800 m, length — 2790 m, length of sections with IV–VI category difficulty — 888 m, including about 130 m of VI category difficulty. Average steepness of main sections — 44°
6. Equipment used on the route: ice screws — 197, rock pitons — 4
7. Climbing hours for ascent — 24, days — 1.5
8. All overnight stays on snow platforms

Report

Championship of the Caucasian Territorial National Management of Alpine Camps on the ascent to the summit Glavnaya Shkhara (5200 m) via the North wall (first ascent) by the team of alpine camp “Bezengi” team captain Kraynov I.P. team coach Kudinov I.B. August 1–5, 1983 Alpine camp “Bezengi”:

ASCENT PASS

1. Class — snow and ice climb.
2. Main Caucasus Range, Bezengi gorge.
3. Shkhara Main via the North face.
4. Complexity category — 5B.
5. Height difference — 1900 m, length — 2400 m, length of sections with 5–6 category complexity — 1590 m, of which 6 category complexity — 200 m.
6. Average steepness of the route — 54°, average steepness of main sections — 63°.
7. Pitons used on the route:
   • ice screws: 217
   • rock pitons: 19

171. Shkhara main via the North-East Counterfort of the Northern Edge

(combined route by P. Baudysh, 5B cat. dif., fig. 18, 20). The path from the "Bezengi" alpine camp (group of 4-5 people) to the Jangy hut is described in route 161. Further:

• cross the Eastern branch of the Bezengi glacier upwards to the right,
• then ascend the left snowy slope to a small South-East cirque of the Eastern branch,
• approach the left side of the North-East counterfort of the Northern edge of Shkhara Main peak via the ice-snow slope of the glacier. From the hut: 4-5 hours. On the glacier, turn right. After passing the bergschrund, ascend 80 m upwards on the steep ice-snow slope on the left side of the North-East counterfort (to the right of the counterfort is an icefall- and rockfall-prone couloir). Here, turn right and ascend 80 m upwards to the right on snow-covered rocks of medium and above-medium difficulty onto the North-East counterfort. On the snow-covered rocks of the North-East counterfort of medium and above-medium difficulty, approach the base of the first wall. Ascend directly upwards on the difficult rocks in the center of the wall, then traverse left, and beyond the edge, ascend directly upwards through a rock overhang (ladders, pitons) onto the first wall. From the wall, exit onto a platform below a rock ascent via the rocks and the ice-snow slope of the North-East counterfort (exit point of N. Romanenko's group onto the North-East counterfort. The group ascended from the glacier via a 100-120-meter ice slope). Further:
• ascend 40-meter rocks on the left side of the North-East counterfort, to the left of the first ascenders' path,
• traverse right on ledges through an ice-snow couloir onto an ice-snow slope,

Fig. 20

MOUNTAINEERING

1. Technical class.
2. Caucasus, Bezengi gorge.
3. Main Shkhara, center of the NE wall.
4. Proposed - 5B cat. sl. first ascent.
5. Elevation gain: 1145 m, length: 1640 m. Length of sections with 5-6 cat. sl.: 790 m. Average steepness of the main part of the route: 57°, including 6 cat. sl.: 62° (4360 m–4550 m).
6. Pitons driven: rock 36/2, chocks 49/3, ice screws: 60/6
7. Team's travel hours - 26 and days - 3.

Ascent Certificate

1. Ascent class — technical.
2. Ascent area — Central Caucasus, Bezengi gorge.
3. Peak Shkhara Gl., 5068 m, via the N wall of the 3rd ridge (“the bottle”), first ascent.
4. Proposed category of difficulty — 6.
5. Height difference — 1500 m.
   • wall — 1450 m
   • length — 3880 m
   • including wall length — 3130 m
     • of which 5–6 cat. diff. — 920 m

All-Union Council

Alplager "Bezengi"

The ascent is dedicated to the bright memory of Igor Alexandrovich DUDCHENKO

Caucasus

Western Shkhara (5057 m) via the center of the North face

1. BLANKOVSKY A.K., Master of Sports — "Zenit" — team leader
2. LEVIN A.S., Master of Sports — "Trud" — participant
3. KRAINOV I.P., CMS — "Spartak"
4. MELENTYEV V.I., CMS — "Zenit" 1980

Ascent Log

Region: Central Caucasus, Bezingi region, No. in table 2.5 Peak name: West Shkhara Route name: via N wall of E ridge (Razumov's route) with traverse to East Janggi Difficulty category: 6B Route characteristics: combined Route elevation gain: 1457 m Wall section length: 1730 m Total route length: 4800 m Length of sections with 5th cat. diff.: 285 m, 6th cat. diff.: 480 m