Report

on the first traverse of the peak Skalnaya Stena from west to east with an exit to the ridge along the counterfort of the southern wall from the Dvoynoy pass, category 5A (approximately) in the account of the Volga Region mountaineering championship. August 1-2, 1968, Fan Mountains, Pamir-Alay.

I. Characteristics of the Area

Between the Gissar and Zeravshan ridges of the Pamir-Alay rises a cluster of short but high ridges - the Fan Mountains. The main ridge of the Fan range stretches from west to east in a continuous arc, convex to the south. It is intersected by two indistinctly expressed meridional ridges:

• the western one - with the Laudan pass (in the north) and the Dukdan pass (in the south);
• the eastern one - from the Pasrud River (in the north) to Lake Iskanderkul. At the intersections of these ridges are the highest peaks of the range - Chimtarga (5487 m) - the main peak of the area, located in the western node, and Big Ganiza (5415 m) - in the eastern node. The main ridges of the Fan range are composed of metamorphosed limestones, lying in thick strata. The weathered rocks of the peaks are very brittle. Rockfalls are a constant phenomenon in the Fan Mountains. The forms of rock weathering often have a superficial, pockmarked character. Such rock sections are very convenient to pass in rubber boots.