Fig. 46

REPORT on the first ascent via the North-North-West ridge Group of instructors from TALGAR alpine camp

Ascent Passport

I. Ascent Class — Rock (Combined) 2. Ascent Region — Tian-Shan, Trans-Ili Alatau ridge 3. Peak, its height, and ascent route — p. Sportivnaya, 4000 m, North-North-West edge 4. Proposed difficulty category — 3B 5. Route characteristics — height difference — 600 m, average steepness ≥ 50°?; length of sections: I difficulty cat. — 150 m, II difficulty cat. — 405 m, III difficulty cat. — 655 m, IV difficulty cat. — 180 m, V difficulty cat. — none, VI difficulty cat. — none 6. Pitons hammered: for belay, for creating intermediate belay anchors

Minutes of the Uzelskaya Classification Commission Meeting

July 29, 1978 Talgar Alpine Camp The Uzelskaya Classification Commission, appointed by the authorized Sports Committee of the USSR for the Tian-Shan region, Comrade R.P. Stroganov (order No. 6 dated July 28, 1978), consisting of:

1. V.N. Zapeka — senior instructor, Master of Sports — Chairman of the Commission
2. A.V. Kelberg — senior instructor, Master of Sports — member of the commission
3. E.L. Vardanov — senior instructor, Candidate for Master of Sports — member
4. V.A. Ganyalin — senior instructor, Candidate for Master of Sports — member
5. V.I. Shabrukov — instructor, 1st sports category — member

Ascent Passport

1: Class of ascent — combined 2: Region of ascent — Tian-Shan, Trans-Ili Alatau ridge 3. Peak Sportivnaya, height 4000 m, western ridge 4. Presumed category of difficulty — 3B 5. Characteristics of the route:

• height difference — 700 m.
• length of sections with 5th cat. diff. — 20 m.
• average steepness — 40°

6. Pitons driven:

Category 3A route. Protocol №3 from 15.10.1962.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TRAVERSE ROUTE OF SYPUCHAYA PEAK VIA THE NORTH-EAST RIDGE

From the bivouac located on the North TEU glacier moraine, ascend the moraines towards the talus descending from the Round Tower of Sypuchaya peak. After 30 minutes, the talus is reached, and the ascent continues along its right side where the talus is coarser. Another 30 minutes of ascent leads to a col between a tooth-shaped gendarme and a red gendarme. The path then bypasses the Tooth gendarme on the left, heading towards the second gendarme, which has a reddish hue. After 25 minutes, the col before the gendarme is reached. Here, it is necessary to rope up. The reddish gendarme is tackled head-on. The path to the gendarme goes through a cleft with careful piton protection, to a platform that is 15 m above the col. During the ascent, 2-3 pitons need to be placed. The rocks are monolithic. Further ascent is along moderately difficult rocks with careful piton protection. The time taken to ascend the gendarme is up to one and a half hours. Along the ascent path, on a small platform, a cairn is built. The ascent goes along the right side of the gendarme; the rocks are slab-like with good handholds. The gendarme is up to 80 m high. Descent: first along an inclined slab, then along the talus. After descending, there is an exit to a "window," bypassing the third gendarme on the left. The gendarmes are bypassed along ledges without losing height. The ledges lead to a trough-like couloir ending with a "plug." Ascend this couloir to the ridge. The ascent time is 1.5 hours. The ridge consists of broken rocks, and it is possible to move simultaneously.

Ascent Passport

I. Ascent class — rock climbing 2. Ascent area — Tian-Shan, Trans-Ili Alatau ridge, Sredniy Talgar gorge. 3. Peak TAGANAI, 3800 m, West wall. 4. Estimated cat. difficulty — 2B 5. Route characteristics:

• Height difference — 430 m.
• Length of sections with 5th category of difficulty — none
• Average steepness — 60°.

6. Pitons hammered in:

Ascent Passport

1. Ascent class — rock climbing
2. Ascent area — Tian-Shan, Trans-Ili Alatau ridge, Middle Talgar gorge.
3. Peak TAGANAI, 3800 m, southeast ridge.
4. Presumed complexity category — 2B
5. Route characteristics: elevation gain — 470 m, length of 5th category difficulty sections — none, average steepness — 35°.
6. Pitons driven: for belaying: rock — 5, ice — none, bolt — none, for creating artificial holds — none.
7. Number of climbing hours — 6 hours

TALGAR — main peak (5017 m)

8

Ascent to the Main peak of Talgar via the West wall, route 4B cat. difficulty (Fig. 41, 41a). From the Talgar mountaineering camp along the trail upstream along the Middle Talgar gorge to the Edelweiss glade. Turn towards the South Talgar glacier. It takes two hours to reach the glacier tongue. From here, along the right lateral moraine of the glacier, overcoming numerous crevices, there is an exit to a gently sloping (20°) glacier slope covered with small stones. Having ascended along this section of the glacier, exit to the left lateral moraine. Here is a possible overnight stay location. From here, the route begins. The path goes along an ice couloir, expanding in the upper part, with a steepness of 35–40°, and a length of about 450 m. The couloir leads to the ridge of the western counterfort of the South Talgar peak. On the left side, the couloir is bounded by ice-covered rocks, and on the right, it turns into ice walls. The ascent should be started from the left part of the couloir, along the ice slope, sticking to the rocks. Walk in crampons; in the upper part, step cutting is necessary. It takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach the ridge. Here is an overnight stay location. On the next day, the path begins with two ice ascents with a steepness of up to 50° and a length of about 500 m. In the upper part of the ascents, there is a small icefall. Walk the entire time in crampons. Crevices are not wide and are easily crossed. In some places, there is burned ice, requiring piton belay and step cutting. After 2–3 hours, there is an exit to an ice ascent, and then, after 15–20 minutes of walking along a descending snow-ice plateau, heading east, approach the base of the West wall of the Main Talgar peak.

Fur­ther mo­ve­ment along a small cou­loir and rocks with an exit to the counter­force. After two hun­dred me­ters, there is an exit to the Main summit of Tal­gar. The des­cent from the summit to the south-east along a snowy ridge to a wide cou­loir, along which the route is com­pleted:

• des­cent to the Kor­zhenevs­ko­go gla­cier
• fur­ther through the Su­rovy saddle to the area of the al­pi­nist camp «Tal­gar» If there is a crust on the gla­cier, the whole des­cent takes up to nine hours.

Rec­om­men­da­ti­ons for clim­bers

1. Num­ber of par­ti­ci­pants - no more than 4 peo­ple.
2. Ini­tial bi­vouac on the mo­raine of the South Tal­gar gla­cier.