Ascent Passport

I. Ascent category — traverse 2. Ascent area — Pamir-Alay, Alay Range 3. Ascent route — traverse of Alay Range from

• peak 5529 m to peak Tamdykul with passage of
• peak 5529 m (peak "30 Years of Victory"), ascent via eastern wall, first ascent,
• peak 5300 m (peak "Pyramida"), first ascent,
• peak 5308 m, first ascent,
• peak 5380 m (peak "Zaщitnikov Leningrada"), first ascent,
• peak 5200 m, first ascent,

Ascent Log

1. Ascent category — technically challenging
2. Ascent region — Pamir-Alay
3. Ascent route to peak Tamdykul (5450 m above sea level) — Eastern peak via the eastern ridge.
4. Ascent characteristics: — elevation gain — 2250 m; — average steepness — 44°; — length of complex ice section — 45°, 1050 m; — length of complex rock section — 80°, 100 m;
5. Pitons used:

PASSPORT

1. High-altitude technical class
2. Pamir-Alay, Archabashi gorge
3. Tamdykul peak, 5539 m, via the left part of the NW wall
4. Proposed 6B category of difficulty, first ascent
5. Route elevation gain — 1490 m, wall elevation gain — 1180 m. Route length — 2180 m, wall length — 1580 m. Length of sections with 5–6B category of difficulty — 1270 m. Average steepness of the main part of the route — 71° (4150–5330 m), of which 6B category of difficulty — 79° (4900–5330 m).
6. Number of pitons used: rock: 116, wedges: 98, channels: 10, chocks: 69, ice screws: 3.

The representative of the Leningrad team, before our departure on the route, remarked that the passage of the declared path does not solve the main problem of the wall — passage through the center via the hanging glacier. In our opinion, this "problem" does not exist, as during our stay in the base camp and passage of the qualifying route, the problematic route was regularly "hit" by ice and snow avalanches of varying power, but always sufficient for the "problem" to remain a problem. One of the main characteristics of the object of ascent is the length of possible ascent routes from the Tamykul gorge. 3 km would be the minimum length of the path if it were possible to lay it through hanging glaciers from the foot of the mountain straight up to the summit. In this regard, when ascending Tamykul, athletes pass through a number of climatic zones. At the same time:

• at the bottom, during the hours when the wall is lit by the sun, the heat is suffocating;
• at the top, only down-filled equipment, windproof clothing, and continuous movement help to combat the piercing cold wind. Such is the multifaceted nature of the mountain, making the ascent to its summit difficult but interesting.

2. Climbing Conditions in the Area

2.1. Exploration of the Area

The Tamdykul peak area is one of the least explored by climbers. This is evident from the fact that this highest peak in the Alay Range is not even mentioned in domestic mountaineering publications, nor is the adjacent massif of peak 5529 to the east. This is partly explained by the fact that:

• from the north, it takes several days of travel to see the alluring walls of these peaks;
• from the south, where the mountain can be reached in 2 days with a load and in 1 day without, these peaks do not appear as attractive to climbers, who see them from a helicopter on their way to more appealing giants of the Academy of Sciences Range.