Traverse of Issyktent-Chokhu — White Peak — Akgul peaks, 4A cat. difficulty. The peaks of Issyktent-Chokhu, White Peak, and Akgul are located in a ridge branching off to the southeast from the main ridge of Trans-Ili Alatau, known as Issyk-Ten-Chokhu, which separates the Bogatyri and Korzhenevsky glaciers. This ridge borders the Korzhenevsky glacier from the southeast. From the Talgar alpine camp, one reaches the cirque of this glacier via the Suroviy pass and sets up the first bivouac under the peak of GUVVO. The peak of Issyktent-Chokhu is situated between the peaks of Vsevobuch and White Peak. Crossing the glacier, one moves towards the peak (caution: crevasses are present!). The ascent to the ridge is closer to the peak of Vsevobuch and then to the saddle between Vsevobuch and Issyktent-Chokhu peaks. Crampons and alternating belay are required. Crevasses are present. The journey from the bivouac to the ridge takes 2.5–3 hours. Turn right. Ascent to the ridge, crowned with gendarmes. This is the 1st landmark. Further, the route follows rocks of medium difficulty, heavily destroyed (!). It is more convenient to go on the left. Then comes a chain of gendarmes with small drops and a general descent to the "window". Belay is alternating everywhere. Beyond the "window":

• 1st gendarme (40 m), complex rocks
• if the snow condition allows, it is better to bypass the "window" on the left

Р­Я rock outcrops (150 m). At the very beginning, there is a complex cairn. This is the summit. Then you need to turn west and approach the rocks that give rise to the western ridge. Descend 100 m down the southern counterfort. Here, on a rocky site, there is a convenient overnight stay. From the foot of the ridge to the overnight stay, it takes 8 hours of walking. From the overnight stay, cross the southern slope of the western ridge, staying on the right side on the ridge, descend to the 1st gendarme. It is bypassed on the right by snow. Then there are the rocks of the western ridge. The rocks are strong.

• The second gendarme is taken along the knife ridge.
• The 3rd gendarme - Tower - is taken head-on along the line of rocks and snow (or ice). Crampons may

Karakaursyn (4404 m) — Zhanatau (4242 m) — Leningradets (4015 m)

Traverse with ascent via the North wall of Karakaursyn peak, route 4A cat. difficulty (fig. 3, 3a, 3b). The named peaks are located in the Konstitutsia spur of the Trans-Ili Alatau ridge. The spur separates the Dmitriev and Konstitutsia glaciers, located in the upper reaches of the Left Talgar valley. The approach to the route begins from the base camp on the moraine of the Toguзак glacier.

• Cross the moraine.
• Reach the saddle on the dividing ridge between the Konstitutsia and Toguзак glaciers.
• Cross the saddle and descend into the middle part of the Konstitutsia glacier.

Fig. 3a

Fig. 36 There are no sites on this section. After a few meters of ascent from the place where the backpacks are pulled out, it is necessary to use the ladders again. Special attention should be paid to hammering in pitons: the rocks are brittle! Further, along steep slabs to the exfoliated rock in front of a large snowy shelf. To reach the shelf, move to the right into a steep ice gully. Climb 2 meters up along it and exit onto the shelf. Moving along the shelf to the left, continue moving up along sheer complex rocks, and then, traversing to the right, approach a steep (70°) narrow ice gully. Cross the gully at the point where a large rock protrudes in the middle, and move to the right narrow rocky islet separating the gully from the snowy slope. From this islet, ascend up the steep (60°) icy slope. For about six meters, the ascent involves chopping steps. The belay is piton. Move left from the piton - upwards in the direction of the beginning of the snow ridge's ascent. On the ridge, the belay is through an ice axe. To the left of the ridge, on the rocks, there is a good bivouac site. From the initial bivouac to here, it takes 12-13 hours of walking.

Here, an overnight stay is possible: there is water available in mid-summer. The ascent to the ridge begins after circumventing the rocks along the edge of the snow on the right side, in the lower part of the gendarme — via broken rocks. Proceed in the direction of the saddle between the gendarme and the second part of the ridge ascent. After reaching the saddle, move slightly to the left. Belay is via pitons; piton placement is necessary for belaying and for artificial anchors. Further along the ridge:

• monolithic rock sections are circumvented on the left
• via loose rocks — ascent to the summit of Жанатау. Descent from the summit towards the summit of Ленинградец is initially via rocks, then via a steep snowy section leading to a snow platform in front of the monolithic rock Зуб, rising before the second pass. Descend to the foot

The summit of Kara-Tas is located in the lateral ridge of the Novy spur, Zailiyskiy Alatau range. This ridge starts from the Jambul peak and runs in a north-eastern direction. To the north of the summit lies the Yuzhny TBU glacier, and to the south - a branch of the Shaklskiy glacier. The route begins from the moraine of the Yuzhny TBU glacier, heading in the direction and reaching the ridge at the saddle between the second and third gendarmes via a wide scree couloir or rock outcrops. A gendarme resembling a finger visible from the glacier can serve as a landmark; it remains on the right during ascent. The first cairn is built on the saddle. From the saddle, move towards the finger (third gendarme), which is bypassed on the right. The fourth gendarme is bypassed on the right along snowy rocks, for a distance of three rope lengths. The rocks are heavily damaged. Alternate belay is necessary. The next gendarmes (5, 6, and 7) are bypassed on the right without reaching the saddles. The rock "saw" is bypassed to the left, without reaching the saddles, followed by an ascent to the ridge along an internal angle (alternate belay). The large 8th gendarme, resembling a bastion, is ascended immediately to the left along moderately difficult rocks. The second cairn is built on the ridge after the eighth gendarme. Then, proceed along the ridge of the Eastern shoulder. Initially, there are rocks, followed by a small snowy plateau. Belay is necessary when reaching the plateau. The plateau transitions into a snowy ridge with a series of gendarmes that are bypassed. Simultaneous movement is permissible here. The ridge leads to a wide rocky ascent, 70–80 m high. Ascent to the rise:

• via scree couloirs and rocks, exiting onto a lateral ridge;
• then along it to the rise. Belay is alternate.

MAP — DIAGRAM OF THE CLIMBING AREA

Brief description of the approach to the route

The approach to the start of the first ascent route from the Talgar alp camp is along the trail along the Sr. Talgar River to the Shumikhinsky overnight stay, located at the foot of v. Karaulchita (2 h 30 min); then cross to the left (orographic) bank of the river and along the trail approach the "Tekegrad" overnight stay (1 h 15 min). From the "Tekegrad" bivouac, the path goes along the moraine of the South TEU glacier in the SW direction. 400–500 m before the glacier tongue, turn in the southern direction, cross the lateral moraine of the glacier towards the 70-meter tower, which ends the NE buttress of v. Karatash. The approach from "Tekegrad" to the start of the route takes 25–30 min.

Brief explanation for the route table

At the foot of the ice slope, it is necessary to rope up and move vertically upwards to the beginning of the characteristic internal corner, using stones frozen in the ice, sometimes with step cutting. Climbing the inner corner (section R1–R2) is quite difficult:

• rocks are fragile;
• in some places 2–3 m wall;

Ascent Passport

I. Ascent class - combined 2. Ascent region - Tian-Shan, Trans-Ili Alatau ridge, Middle Talgar gorge 3. Peaks RAPATAK, 4050 m., north-eastern counterfort 4. Presumed difficulty category - 3A. 5. Route characteristics:

• height difference - 750 m.
• length of sections with 5th difficulty category - none
• average steepness - 30

6. Pitons driven:

1. Ascent via the couloir and the southeastern ridge.
2. Ascent via the northwestern ridge.
3. Ascent via the northern wall. Ascent to the summit of Karaulchitaus via the couloir and the southeastern ridge, category 1B difficulty route (fig. 32). The Karaulchitaus summit is located in a lateral spur of the Trans-Ili Alatau range, branching off from the Aktau summit to the northwest and bearing the same name. The Karaulchitaus summit is the extreme northwestern point of this spur. The path to the summit from the "Talgar" mountaineering camp goes along the trail through the gorge. Rounding the foot of Karaulchitaus from the west, move to the tongue of the Shokalsky glacier, then turn left and ascend the moraines of the Salanov glacier. After 4-5 hours of walking from the camp, a horizontal sandy area, convenient for a bivouac, is reached. The ascent to the summit from the bivouac on the Sandy area begins along the talus, then goes through the couloir leading to the saddle between the Karaulchitaus and Chekist summits. The ascent through the couloir, depending on the time of season, is either on ice covered with snow or on talus, sometimes icy, sometimes snow-covered. Steepness is 30-35°. From the saddle, turn left and move along the ridge with drops of no more than 30° steepness. After 30-40 minutes of movement along the ridge, the summit is reached. Descent is via the ascent route. The total ascent time from the overnight stay on the Sandy area is 5-6 hours.

Recommendations for Climbers