REPORT

on the first ascent to the Sadonkhok summit, via the North ridge, Category 1B complexity, by the team of North Ossetian Search and Rescue Squad of the EMERCOM of Russia September 20, 2022

I. ASCENT PASSPORT

1. Climbing type: rock climbing.
2. Climbing area: Caucasus, Midagrabindon gorge.
3. Peak, route: p. D. Gogaev (3836 m) East ridge.
4. Estimated category of difficulty: 3A rock, semi-independent.
5. Route characteristics: height difference — 1200 m, route length — 1500 m, section lengths:

• 2nd category of difficulty — 350 m
• 3rd category of difficulty — 110 m
• 4th category of difficulty — 95 m, average steepness of the route — 45°, steepness of key sections — 65°

6. Pitons driven: 5 rock pitons.

Zilga-Khokh Main via Eastern Ridge, 2B–3A category of difficulty

The summit is located in the eastern part of the Central Caucasus. The beautiful double-peaked Zilga-Khokh massif rises at the junction of the Main Watershed Ridge and the ridge of submeridional orientation, which is a continuation of the chain of Sivaraut peaks (southwestern spur of the Midagrabin horseshoe). Zilga-Khokh is directly adjacent to the peaks:

• Vatsis-Pars (3400 m) to the north,
• Kalasan (3780 m) to the east. The massif has the appearance of a paired cone with two peaks - the Main peak (3853 m) and the western peak (3820 m) - a nodal peak, reminiscent of Kamchatka volcanoes in shape. From the saddle, a small cirque glacier descends to the north with a beautiful icefall in the middle reaches. A cirque glacier, partially littered with rock debris, is located east of the massif. The streams flowing from these glaciers give rise to the Terek River, from the upper reaches of which it is most convenient to ascend to the peaks of Zilga-Khokh. The Terek River flows for about 30 km to the east, separating the Watershed and Lateral ridges of the Caucasus. The gorge is called Trussov. The gorge is notable for its abundance of narzan springs of different fountaining and mineral composition. There is even a narzan lake. This testifies to the extinct, once active, volcanic activity in the area.

Description of the ascent route to the summit Severnaia Kaidzhany via the North Ridge, category 2A. Day 1. From the village Ordzhonikidze to the village Verkhnii Lars via the Military Georgian Road (32 km) - about an hour's drive. Within the village, a small left tributary - Belaya Rechka - flows into the Terek River. You need to move west along the gorge of this stream. The trail steeply winds its way up the left bank, gaining height. After 1.5-2 hours of walking, you exit the forest zone and after another hour, you reach a wide trough in the upper reaches of the gorge, where you can set up a bivouac. You can also organize a bivouac an hour's walk further up the gorge, having climbed the high hills of the ancient terminal moraine of the glacier. Day 2. Early start. Move in the direction of the canyon, compressed by "ram's foreheads". It takes about an hour to walk to the canyon across the scree slopes. The canyon can be traversed along the left side (simple climbing on "ram's foreheads" in a rope team) or along the right side, traversing the scree slopes of the East Ridge of S. Kaidzhany. After about 200 meters, you enter a more gentle part of a wide trough-like couloir, which the canyon leads to. Having walked 150 m along the bottom of the "trough" and across simple, ruined rocks, you reach the shoulder of the North Ridge of the summit. A snowy 100-meter ridge leads to a 40-50-meter rocky ascent with a steepness of about 60°. The rocks are extremely ruined (shales), and the protection is hook-based (pitons with long blades). The ascent leads to a 100-meter sharp shale ridge, steeply rising (45°) towards the summit of Severnaia Kaidzhany. The ridge is partially covered with snow, and the rocks are very fragile.

Ascent Log

1. Climbing category: rock climbing
2. Climbing area: Caucasus, (2.8), Ardon River gorge
3. Peak, route: Kariu-Khokh (3438 m) from the south via the NW ridge
4. Estimated category of difficulty: 3A, first ascent
5. Height difference: 1200 m. Total route length: 2300 m. Average slope of the route: 33°.
6. Pitons hammered: rock — 6 pcs., chocks — 8 pcs.
7. Number of travel hours/days: 10/1

105. Kariu via Northwest Ridge

Rocky route by V. Ivanova, 3A, fig. 2, 88, 139, 140. Length: 2000–2500 m. Time: 8–10 hours. Approach:

• From Vladikavkaz (group of 2–6 people), take a bus via TKM to Zintsar village. From Vladikavkaz – 2 hours.
• At the village, turn left, cross the Ardon River by bridge, and drive along a dirt road to Urs village, above which the ancient Tsamatskaya fortress is situated.
• From the village, turn left and ascend via a trail, to the right of the fortress, to a grassy pasture plateau (1–1.5 hours from Urs).

Attention: there is no water above Urs village! Route:

• Across the pasture plateau, approach the right side of a narrow couloir-gully running along the South wall of the Northwest ridge of Kariu peak, 200 m to the right of a white vein.

65. Severnaia via the Eastern ridge

The route is a combined one by A. Meshcheryakov, category 3A, fig. 88, 89, 101, 102. Length 700–800 m, duration 7–9 hours. From Vladikavkaz (group of 2–8 people), take a bus for 1.5–2 hours to the village of Kharisdzhin. From the village, walk 1.5–2 km upstream along the gorge road to the right tributary of Fiagdon - the Tsadzhiau River. Cross the river and turn right, ascending via a serpentine trail on the left bank until the gorge turns left to the south. Here, cross the Tsadzhiau River and follow the trail of an old overgrown road on the right bank to approach a mountain lake. The base camp is located on the lake's shore. The journey from the road takes 2.5–3 hours, and from the village of Kharisdzhin - 3–4 hours. From the lake, follow the wide, even bottom of the gorge to reach the terminal moraine of the Tsadzhiau Glacier. From here, there are two options to ascend to the Eastern shoulder of the Eastern ridge of Severnaia peak. First option:

• Turn right on the moraine and ascend via scree and easy, crumbling rocks on the right slope to the Southeast buttress of the Eastern ridge.
• Turn right here and ascend via easy, crumbling rocks and scree on the Southeast buttress to the Eastern shoulder of the Eastern ridge. Second option:
• Proceed along the right moraine upstream through the gorge for several hundred meters, approaching an overhanging rock on the right. A base camp is possible under this rock. The journey from the lake takes 1.5–2 hours.
• From the rock, ascend upstream through the gorge and, bypassing the base of the Southeast buttress of the Eastern ridge, turn right.

Route Description

Ascent to Peak 25-letiya Severnoy Osetii (Syrkhu-Barzond) (4051 m) via the northern ridge, category 3A. The summit is located in the northwestern spur of a lateral ridge branching off from Tsarint-khokh and represents an independent massif of the spur. The northern ridge of the summit was climbed in 1949 by a group of North Ossetian alpinists. To the west, a steep ridge extends, still unclimbed and estimated to be category 3-4. To the north, into the Kurtatinsky gorge, towards the village of Khidikus, descends a ridge that was climbed for the second time by groups of the North Ossetian DOSAAF "Spartak" on May 29-30, 1964 (a group of 1st category and 2 groups led by 1st category). The height difference from the Kurtatinsky gorge to the summit is 2500 m. The route length is approximately 7 km. The main technical work takes place at an altitude of 3300-4051 m above sea level. The path from the village of Khidikus goes along a wide ridge. Initially, it's a steep grassy slope with many trails. Further, the path goes along slopes overgrown with subalpine mixed forests. Higher up, at an altitude of 2300-2500 m, grassy slopes reappear, overgrown with rhododendrons. Overnight stops are possible here (lack of water in summer). The journey from the village of Khidikus to the overnight stop takes 4.5-5 hours.

Ascent Passport

1. Rock class.
2. Caucasus, Lateral Ridge, Tsatadon River gorge.
3. Peak 3664 m (Tsat); from Southeast via South Ridge.
4. Proposed — Category 1B difficulty, first ascent.
5. Elevation gain: 400 m, approximately 2 km long. Average slope along the route is about 30°.
6. Pitons driven:

   rock	chocks	ice screws	bolted pitons
   2	4	0	0

Report

On the first ascent of the national team of Karachay-Cherkessia to the summit of Klych-Kara-Kaya 3578 m via the eastern edge. Category 2B difficulty. Presumably Category 2B difficulty. Ascent on September 11, 2022.

Semenov M. A. — MS team leader Maksimov K. M. experience of 2nd sports category Alpclub — "Gornoe Bezumie" 2023

2. Caucasus

2.2 From Marukh pass to Nakhar pass

Participants of the ascent