CLIMBING CLASS

CLIMBING AREA PEAK, ROUTE ESTIMATED DIFFICULTY CATEGORY ROUTE CHARACTERISTICS

• NUMBER OF PITOONS DRIVEN
• NUMBER OF CLIMBING HOURS
• NUMBER OF NIGHTS ON THE ROUTE
• CLIMB LEADERS PARTICIPANTS

Ascent Passport

ASCENT CLASS	— rock climbing
ASCENT AREA	— Western Caucasus, North-West spur of the Sofiyskiy ridge between the Pshish and Sofia river valleys
PEAK, ROUTE	— Bolgaro-Sovetskoy druzhby (BSD) via the Northern slope and South-Western counterfort
ASSUMED DIFFICULTY CATEGORY	— 2B
ROUTE CHARACTERISTICS	— rock climbing, absolute height difference ~ 300 m
NUMBER OF PLACED PROTECTION	— II
NUMBER OF CLIMBING HOURS	— 4 h (from the start of the route to the summit)
NUMBER OF NIGHTS	— no overnight stays required on the route

Characteristics of the Region

The peak "Layub" is located in the Western Caucasus where the Gagrinsky Range adjoins the Main Range. The area is relatively undeveloped in terms of alpinism. There are two classified routes in the region: – to peak "Smidovich" (3445 m) — category 3A difficulty – to peak "Layub" (2998 m) — category 2B difficulty The following peaks are of interest: – "Tsyndyshka" (3134 m) – peak "Kardyvach" (3041 m) – "Tskhvoa" (3241 m) – "Agepsta" (3263 m)

2.1.25

Description

Traversing the "Laub" massif from east to west, category 2B difficulty. Height — 2900 m. (Photo № 2) From the base camp at "Kardyvach" lake, the path to the saddle of the Main ridge of "Laub" peak goes along the trail to the snow cone protruding from the couloir. We cross the snow cone from right to left and ascend to the steep grassy slopes covered with dense snow. Having reached the oval ridge, we continue moving straight north along it, in the direction of the visible couloir, which leads to the saddle — the beginning of the traverse. The path along the snowy oval ridge is straightforward and takes 1 hour 30 minutes to reach the couloir. Couloir:

• Completely covered with snow, with ice patches in some areas;
• Pressing to the left side, we use an ice axe for belay;
• On the way, there are small protruding rock outcrops, which are passed directly — the rocks are straightforward;

Passport

Ascent

1. Ascent class — technical.
2. Ascent area, ridge — Caucasus, Krasnodar Krai up to Marukh pass.
3. Peak, its height, ascent route — Layub, 2998 m via the eastern ridge.
4. Proposed difficulty category — 4–6.
5. Route characteristics: length of sections: R0–R1 — 450 m; R2–R3 — 230 m; R4–R5 — 640 m; R5–R6 — 320 m. elevation gain 1000 m; average steepness — 50°.
6. Pitons driven — for belay — for exceptional circumstances.

The route in question is laid out on the northeastern side of the main peak of Layub Vostochny. The route can be conditionally divided into four parts:

• the lower part — a snowy slope, a snow-ice cone, rocks, below the "sheep's foreheads";
• the overhanging Northeast wall;
• the ridge of the counterfort;
• the rocky-snowy ridge of the summit. The route is generally complicated by solid rocky formations, heavily snowed, and sheer sections covered with accreted ice. The greatest difficulty is presented by a three-hundred-meter wall, with an overall steepness of more than 90°. The passage is facilitated by the presence of two giant internal corners crossing the wall in a zigzag from left to right, then from right to left (sections R4–R5, R5–R6, R6–R7) in the direction of the counterfort ridge. The most challenging part is the upper section of the wall (sections R9–R18), composed of ice-covered slabs with a steepness of 80°–90° and in places overhanging up to 120° and corniced. Further, the route passes along the complex steep rocks of the counterfort, transitioning into the rocky-snowy ridge of the summit.

Ascent Passport

I. Ascent class - rock. 2. Ascent area - Western Caucasus. 3. Peak, its height, ascent route - Larb, 2998 m, via the northeast wall. 4. Proposed difficulty category - 5B. 5. Route characteristics: height difference - 1000 m, length of sections with 5-6 cat. diff. - 395 m, average steepness - 65° 6. Number of pitons driven for belaying and creating artificial holds: rock - 135; ice - none; bolt - none. 7. Number of climbing hours - 25 hours.

108427.2

FIRST ASCENT ROUTE DIAGRAM (according to UNAF) to the summit of Kelbashi via the North ridge ~16 km

I+ The summit of Kelbashi (3243 m, photo I) is situated in the Sofiyskiy ridge between the Stolichny and Karadjasch passes. It is present on all topographic maps. The name is local. The first ascent was made by a group led by S.A. Chuеnko in January 1982 as part of the traverse "60 let KChAO–Peshtera–Septemvri–Kelbashi". This route is categorized as 3A. From the Karadjasch pass to the summit of Batak via the south ridge, there is a categorized route 2A. The present first ascent was made within the framework of the Stavropol krai sports committee alpinada "Arkhyz-88" by members of the rescue team of this event. The north-eastern slopes and part of the north ridge up to the junction with the spur running down to the summit of Septemvri (see the orographic diagram) are covered with ice. Only the summit area is free of it. From the "Syrzavod" base camp, the path initially follows the Kashka-Ecshek stream, then in the direction of the saddle between the summits of 60 let KChAO and Peshtera. Approximate time — 3 hours.

Ascent Route

Climbing type — rock. Climbing area — Caucasus, Krasnodar Krai. Peak, its height, ascent route — Lajub via N-E wall, 2998 m. Proposed difficulty category — 5B (KTPV, 2.1 clause 6). Route characteristics:

• Elevation gain — 900 m
• Length of sections:
  • R4 category: 620 m
  • R5 category: 440 m
  • R6 category: 110 m
• Average steepness of the route — 50–52°
• Wall section steepness — 72–75°

ASCENT PASS

1. ASCENT CLASS — rock
2. ASCENT REGION — Western Caucasus, Arkhyz, Soffiy Range between the upper reaches of the Sofia and Ak-Airy rivers
3. PEAK, ROUTE — peak "MELIORATOR" (proposed by the first ascenders), 3055 m via the North couloir and East ridge
4. PROPOSED DIFFICULTY CATEGORY — 2A
5. ROUTE CHARACTERISTICS — combined, via a snow-ice couloir and a rocky ridge, height difference 460 m, average slope — 45°, ridge — 25°
6. HOOKS DRIVEN IN — 3 ice screws, 2 rock pitons
7. TRAVEL TIME — about 8 hours
8. NUMBER OF NIGHTS — not required on the route
9. ASCENT LEADER — Zaporizhchenko E.V. — Candidate Master of Sports, instructor