APPENDIX №2 Description of the first ascent route to Peak Vasiliev D. (G. Yazovskikh, 1967) Pamir. Upper reaches of the Fedchenko Glacier. Description of the first ascent to Peak D. E. Vasiliev (6100 m). 4A category of difficulty via a combined route from the south. The first ascent was made by a group from the expedition of the Chelyabinsk Regional Council of the "Trud" Sports Society on August 19, 1967. Leader: G. Yazovskikh. The description was compiled by:

• G. Yazovskikh
• B. K. Potapkin
• K. P. Veselov Chelyabinsk Regional Alpine Federation. 1967.

Contents

1. Introduction.

Description and General Ascent Plan

Day 1

From the base camp located on the lake shore, next to the lateral moraine of the Abdukagor glacier (altitude 4000 m), the route passes along the left-bank moraine of the glacier to the point where the Kaskadny and Obvalov glaciers flow into it. Here, the moraine descends and has a convenient exit onto the ice. We crossed the merged Kaskadny and Obvalov glaciers and again reached the left-bank moraine of the Abdukagor glacier, where it sharply turns southeast (1 hour). A trail along the moraine leads to a flat area with water (1 hour). Slightly above the area, we descended from the moraine onto the glacier and began to move towards the middle part of the icefall formed by the left (orographically) branch of the Abdukagor glacier (30 minutes). The path goes:

• initially to the right,
• and higher - to the left (in the direction of travel) of its middle part (1 hour). The icefall is traversed in crampons. Above the icefall, there are three not very steep rises of the glacier, alternating with more gentle sections, which lead to the pass plateau. The glacier is heavily crevassed and covered with snow. Elevation gain from the icefall to the Abdukagor pass:
• 500–600 m

Early in the morning, with 250 kg of cargo on the sleds. Having descended along the gentle snowy slope from the pass to the Fedchenko Glacier, we turned south, crossed the glacier, and approached the slopes of Pik Peredovoy. Here, the next intermediate camp was organized. The transition with sleds from the cave to the bivouac under Pik Peredovoy takes 10-12 hours.

3rd day

The group departed from the intermediate camp under Pik Peredovoy at 17:00 in the direction of the "rusty" counterforce. A long ridge branching off from the summit 6525 m in the western direction divides the cirque of Pik Revolyutsii into two parts: northern and southern. The northern part of the cirque is a series of gradually rising plateaus with sections of relatively steep ascent between them. In the upper part, there is a heavily broken icefall, which can be bypassed under the slopes of the western ridge of the 6300 m summit, and then a passage along huge snowfields is possible to the ridge of the 6525 m summit. The group rejected this path and chose a more logical and shorter route: into the southern part of the cirque, which is located somewhat lower and more gentle. Having bypassed numerous crevices, we approached the foot of the "rusty" counterforce. There is a convenient platform and water (3 hours).

4th day

From the bivouac, the group departed at 8:00 am. The ascent goes along a wide snow-ice couloir, the first from the "rusty" counterforce. The neighboring couloirs are narrow, steep, and covered with flow ice in the upper part. The path through the couloir:

between the rocks. The movement is alternating, with protection using rock ledges. In this place, the first rope team натянула перила for the rapid passage of the second rope team (I–I,5 ropes). The couloir is prone to rockfall. The rocks are heavily destroyed. Further:

• we come out onto steep and hard snow
• in the upper part, the couloir becomes steeper (25–30°)
• there are sections of not very firm ice The movement is alternating. We come out into a lowering of the ridge onto a snowy plateau. The ridge in this place practically merges with one of the plateaus in the southern part of the glacier. (2–2.5 hours) From the snowy plateau, the ascent directly up the ridge rocks is impossible due to the presence of a bergschrund at the start of the ascent, and the rocks are steep and icy with few handholds. Therefore, the group moved along the ridge across the snowy plateau and ascended a steep snowy slope (30–35°). The ascent is in three stages with alternating protection; the snow is loose and crumbly, and a deep trench remains behind the leader. The ascent goes in the direction of an ice mulda on the ridge (4–5 ropes, 1 hour). The further path goes directly along the ridge. The ridge in this place represents endless ascents of varying steepness with small gentle sections between them. In some places, snow lies in a thin layer on the ice. Protection is alternating; some sections are traversed on front points. One of the ascents ends with a steep ice wall (3–4 m), where piton protection and step chopping are required. Sometimes, under a shallow layer of snow, ice crevasses are encountered.

Ча­сов processed this section of the path (7 ropes). The detour was made with thorough piton protection and using sport rappel (1 rope, an ice axe with a loop was left). Further, handrails were hung (2 ropes) traversing the wall to the snow-ice mulda. After a short horizontal section of the ridge, the first drop was followed by:

• another drop, one rope,
• then a mulda. Further, again, there was a horizontal section with a cornice and a very steep slope. Having ascended the wall to the mulda, the "two" cut steps along the ridge below the line of cornice break-off for three to four ropes and returned back to the remaining group at 18:00. The remaining "three" were busy with:

the couloir between the rocky outcrops in the direction of the right lowering in the ridge. At first the snow is loose, then the slope becomes steeper, and the snow becomes hard. Movement along the ridge is via small snow hollows, and then through a narrow col we emerge onto a gently rising scree. Then again a snowy ascent and the path goes along a gently sloping ridge with alternating small snowy ascents and depressions. The snow is loose and friable, and in some places there are patches of flow ice. The summit itself is a large snow dome with a steep wall on the approach side (3–4 ropes). The ascent to the summit is in the middle part of the wall, as there is ice near the rocks, and movement along the rocks is very dangerous due to their instability. The movement is varied (from the snow plateau to the summit — 3 hours). The group reached the summit

ON THE FIRST ASCENT OF THE SOUTH COUNTERFORCE OF THE WESTERN RIDGE OF PIK A. GRIN BY A GROUP OF CLIMBERS FROM THE KUYBYSHEV REGIONAL COUNCIL OF THE “TRUD” SPORTS SOCIETY July 28–31, 1976

I. Introduction

Pik A. Grin (6525 m) is located in the upper reaches of the Fedchenko Glacier. Widespread mountaineering exploration of this area began in 1957 when participants of the “Burevestnik” Sports Society expedition, led by E. Tamm, made the first ascents of:

• Pik 26 Komissarov (6834 m), led by E. Tamm,
• Pik Parizhskoy Kommuny (6300 m), led by V. Benkin. The first ascent of Pik A. Grin was made under the leadership of V. Serebryakov in 1960 via the western ridge. Subsequently, this area was repeatedly visited by mountaineering expeditions. The most significant sporting achievements were made by expeditions led by L. Myshlyaev — the ascent of the north face of Pik Revolyutsii in 1961, and the traverse from Pik Parizhskoy Kommuny to Pik Grin, led by V. Ryazanov in 1964. In 1976, an expedition from the Kuybyshev Regional Council of the “Trud” Sports Society ascended to the upper cirque of the Fedchenko Glacier, with the following objectives:

1. First ascent of the western wall of Pik A. Grin, counting towards the USSR Alpine Championship.
2. Ascent of Pik 26 Komissarov via the western ridge, counting towards the “Trud” Sports Society Central Council Alpine Championship.

Geographic Overview

The peak of A. Grin (6525 m) is located in the Yazgulemsky ridge of the Central Pamir in the upper reaches of the Fedchenko Glacier, northeast of Peak Revolyutsii. Fairly gentle ridges descend from the peak:

• to Peak Revolyutsii
• to Peak Omar Khayyam To the northwest, towards the Fedchenko Glacier, a nearly sheer wall drops 1200 m, while to the southeast, towards the Grum-Grжимайло Glacier, very steep icy slopes descend. The area is characterized by a harsh climate, large temperature fluctuations, significant snowfall, and unstable weather. The upper reaches of the Fedchenko Glacier are difficult to access. Shuttle services typically begin from the tongue of the Abdukagor Glacier and take about two weeks. Prior to reaching the Abdukagor Pass (5070 m), all cargo was carried in backpacks. After the pass, sleds were used, which were prepared in advance in Togliatti.

I. Climbing category

• altitude-technical.

2. Climbing region 3. Climbing route with indication of the summit and its height. 4. Climbing characteristics — height difference — 1200 m, average steepness — 63°, length of the most difficult sections — 1010 m. 5. Number of pitons driven

• rock pitons — 117 Ice pitons — 12, bolt pitons — none.

6. Number of walking hours — 45.5 hours (plus 9 hours of processing).

For the USSR Championship in alpinism in the class of high-altitude and technical ascents. Peak 26 Baku Commissars via the south wall. Sports team of Tomsk Regional Committee for Physical Culture and Sports. Team captain and coach (G. Andreev), Tomsk, 1969.

Report

On the ascent of Peak 26 Baku Commissars via the south wall.

1. Geographical Location and Sports Characteristics of Peak 26 Baku Commissars

Peak 26 Baku Commissars, with a height of 6834 m, is centrally located in the Yazglem Ridge, which borders the Fedchenko Glacier to the south. The ridge, which descends steeply to the glacier, is at least 10–15 km long, with an average height of 6400–6800 m. The slopes are heavily covered with ice and snow. To the east, the Peak Revolyutsii (6974 m) rises, merging with Peak 26 Baku Commissars through a slight depression. In the upper reaches, the Fedchenko Glacier has a nearly imperceptible slope over a distance of 10–12 km, from its beginning to the confluence with the Vitkovsky Glacier, opposite the Abdukagor II pass, and is covered with a thick layer of snow. Along the left bank of the glacier lies the Akademiya Nauk Ridge, which is relatively low in this area. The opposite side is significantly more imposing, with many peaks above 6000 m, the highest being Peak Fikкера at 6719 m. From Peak 26 Baku Commissars, a sharply defined ridge descends northward, along which a pioneering ascent was made in 1957 by a group led by E. Tamm. Since then, several ascents have been made to the summit from the north, and in 1964, an ascent was made from the west during a traverse by a team from the Chelyabinsk Regional Sports Council of the peaks: Peak Paris Commune — Peak Revolyutsii.