Report on the First Ascent

Peak Sever (2830 m?) North-West ridge, route 3A cat. diff. (proposed), first ascent. Eastern Sayan, Tunkinskie Goltsy ridge, Barun-Khandagai valley, 6.1 Team Leader: Klepikov A.A. Team Members:

• Ometov A.A.
• Putko K.V. 2013

Climbing Report

1. Eastern Sayan, Tunkinskie Goltsy ridge, Barun-Khandagai valley, 6.1.
2. Peak Sever (2830 m?), NW ridge.

R46, 2830 m, 19:20, July 30, 2012

Report on the First Ascent

R34 Peak Sever (2830 m) via the North face of the Northwest shoulder. Route category 4B (proposed), first ascent. Eastern Sayan, Tunkinskie Goltsy ridge, Barun-Khandagai valley, 6.1. Team leader: Klepitov A. A. Participants:

• Ilyinsky V. A.
• Scherbany A. N. R20–R10 R5–R1, 10:00

Report on the First Ascent

On peak Sever 2826 m. Via the center of the North face. Tentatively 5B category of difficulty. Ulan-Ude, 2015

Climbing Passport

1. Eastern Sayan, Tunkin Goltsy ridge, Barun-Khandagai river gorge. Section number according to the classification table 6.1.2.
2. Sever 2826 m (peak coordinates: 51°55′24.54″ N 102°10′90″ E). Via the center of the North face.
3. Category of difficulty: proposed 5B. First ascent.
4. Route character — rock climbing.
5. Route elevation gain: 400 m. Route length: 600 m. Length of sections:
   • V category of difficulty — 200 m

Ascent Report

As part of the Siberian Federal District Alpine Championship. High-Altitude Technical Class 2024

Peak Sever (2826 m) via the center of the S wall, route 5Б cat. diff., Tunkinskie Goltsy ridge, Barun-Khandagai river valley, 6.1.2 Team Leader: Klepikov A.A. Participants:

• Panova A.M.
• Ivanovskiy A.V. Ascent completed on August 3, 2024.

I. Ascent Passport

| | 1. General Information | |

Irkutsk Regional Public Organization "Club of Active Leisure and Alpinism Gory Baikala"

Report on the First Ascent

To v. Sibir' 2870 m via the Eastern ridge. Approximately 2A category of difficulty.

Climbing Passport

1. Eastern Sayan, Tunkinskie goltsy, Baruun-Khandagai river gorge. Section number according to the classification table 6.1.2.
2. Sibir' 2870 m (summit coordinates: 51°54′48.53″N, 102°10′13.40″E) via the Eastern ridge.
3. Category of difficulty: proposed 2A first ascent.
4. Nature of the route — rocky.
5. Route elevation gain: 324 m. Route length: 460 m.

Primorskaya Federation of Alpinism and Mountaineering

Report on the First Ascent

To the peak Sibir 2870 m via the Center of the North Face. Approximately 5A category of difficulty.

I. Ascent Passport

Route Description

via the south-eastern ridge of Mt. SOAN (2952 m) in winter. Ascent date: May 5–6. From the base camp (1800 m), located at the fork of the Zuun-Khandagai River on the forest border, the group needs to move up to the southern wall of Mt. SOAN to set up an assault camp. See the diagram. The path goes up along the left stream (orographically) past large high-altitude lakes. The lakes are separated by powerful ascents consisting of: – large stones, – boulders, – rocks. Movement is hampered by depressions between boulders filled with snow. The path across the lakes goes directly across the ice and packed snow. The ascents are steep, and one has to gradually gain altitude, reversing along the slope. The ascent to the first lake, which resembles a flattened animal skin, provides a 350 m elevation gain. The ascent from the first lake to the second rises by 250 m, and the seemingly small peak behind the lake is recommended to be bypassed on the left side in the direction of travel. From the second lake, there is a 100 m ascent consisting of rock fragments and a rocky slope.

2

Route via the South-East Ridge (approximately 3A category of difficulty) The summit of SOAN (Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences) is located in the main ridge of the Tunka Alps — East Sayan. The Tunka Alps are stretched by a single ridge with spurs from west to east between the rivers Irkut and Kitoy. The summit itself is slightly protruding to the south along a spur sandwiched between the Zun-Khandagai and Talta rivers. To reach the base camp of the route via the South-East ridge, one needs to follow the Zun-Khandagai river valley. From November to mid-May, the rivers of the Sayan are frozen, and the valleys have shallow loose snow. By May, some open snowfields become firn, but the snow generally retains its looseness until it melts. Ice fields and aufeis can be found along the river valleys and persist until mid-July. Numerous high-altitude lakes are completely ice-free by the second half of July. There is no glaciation in the summit area. The most favorable time for climbing:

• June
• July
• Early August

TRANSPORTATION

From Irkutsk, take a scheduled bus or a car to the Arshan resort — 218 km. From the Arshan resort to the Zun-Khandagai river valley (west along the mountain ridge) by car or on foot — 12 km. Up the Zun-Khandagai river valley on foot to the fork of the Left and Right Zun-Khandagai — 9 km. At the fork, it is convenient to set up a base camp, as it is located at the forest boundary. The river valley is narrow, with slopes heavily overgrown with forest and bushes. A faint trail runs along the valley, and it is recommended to inquire about its location with climbers from Irkutsk.

Brief Geographical Overview of the SOAN Peak Area

The SOAN peak (Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences) is located in the eastern part of the Tunkinskie Goltsy ridge in the Eastern Sayan Mountains. The ridge is clearly stretched from west to east for 150 km and approaches the southwestern tip of Lake Baikal. Streams and rivers flowing from the ridge flow into:

• to the south (in the Tunka valley) — into the Irkut River,
• to the north (in the Kitoi valley) — into the Kitoi River. Kitoi and Irkut are left tributaries of the Angara River. The Tunka valley has many mineral springs, one of which is Arshan, which has gained all-Union fame. The wildlife in the area is rich and diverse. The Tunkinskie Goltsy ridge is located on the territory of the Buryat ASSR. The SOAN peak is located in the upper reaches of the Zun-Khandagai River gorge.

Climatological Information