ASCENT PASS

1. Category of technical ascents.
2. Dombay area, North-West Caucasus.
3. Alibekskiy peak, ~3450 m, from the Belalakayskiy glacier along the edge or along the ridge from Kap peak.
4. Cat. diff. – 1A.
5. The nature of the route is combined, the height difference from the glacier is 500 m, in the second half of summer there are ice sections in the upper part of the route.
6. Insurance – without the use of hooks.
7. Number of travel hours from the bivouac on the moraine: ascent 4–5 hours, descent – 2 hours.
8. Group is training: | Participant | Rank |

32. Western summit of Elbrus via the Western shoulder (route category 2B, fig. 8–10). From the village of Terskol, ascend first along the road, then along the trail on the right side of the Azausue valley and, after 4 hours, reach the initial bivouac at the Old Panoramic Viewpoint (Stary Krogzor) located on the southernmost (southeastern) spur of the Elbrus massif. From the Panoramic Viewpoint (departure at 2–3 am) turn left and via the moraine, and then along the Maly Azau glacier, reach the snowy plateau. Across the plateau (covered crevices!), then along a small, gently sloping snowy slope, reach the rocky ridge to the right (north) of the Khotiu-Tau pass and the Nameless avalanche glacier descending into the Ullukam valley. From the Old Panoramic Viewpoint, 4–4.5 hours. Here, turn right and along the simple rocks of the ridge, reach the rocky ridge descending into the Ullukam valley, along the right bank of the avalanche glacier. Traverse this ridge and along simple, in places moderately difficult, destroyed, snow-covered (cornices!) rocks of the ridge, ascending in the direction of the Western shoulder, reach the snowy ridge. Along the sharp (cornices!), then wide snowy ridge, ascend to the Western shoulder of the Elbrus massif. On a small snowy saddle to the right of the shoulder — bivouac. From the Khotiu-Tau pass, 3–5 hours. From the saddle, ascend northeast along the snowy fields with gradually increasing steepness, traverse left to avoid the Western summit of Elbrus and reach below the northwestern rocky ridge of the Western summit. From here, along the simple rocks of the ridge or along the snow beside the rocks — a steep ascent to the Western summit of the Elbrus massif. From the shoulder, 5–6 hours.

82. Va­khushti via East Ridge (combined route, cat. 2A, fig. 5, 18).

From the starting bivouac on the upper plateau of Koruldashi Glacier (point 72) ascend a simple destroyed rocky slope to reach the first pinnacle of Vakhushti's East Ridge and traverse it on the left (belay) 20 m along the snow-rock boundary. Then ascend simple rocks of the East Ridge. Pinnacles:

• traverse the second sharp pinnacle on the right along the ledges;
• traverse the third pinnacle on the right along the ledges. Further, ascend the heavily destroyed, partly snowed simple rocky East Ridge, traverse a 3-meter wall on the left to reach the «saw».

86. Inguri via the Southwest Edge (a combined route, V. Sycheva, category 4B difficulty, fig. 5, 18). On the right side of the broken Middle Plateau of the Inguri glacier (m. 89) (closed crevasses, avalanches on the right, icefall collapses) approach the Southwest slopes of the Inguri summit. 120–150 m from the Western ridge of Inguri, turn right and ascend 350–400 m up the broken ice-and-snow slope. Having passed to the right of the base of the Southwest Edge, behind the gendarme turn left and ascend 120–150 m to a scree area on the Southwest Edge. From the Upper Inguri Plateau 4–5 hours. Here, turn right and ascend 120–150 m up simple, heavily destroyed rocks of the Southwest Edge. 40 m up to the left of the corner, ascend a wall of above-average difficulty to a wide ledge. From the ledge, 40 m up steep rocks of average difficulty to an ice-and-snow slope. Then 100–120 m up and to the right along a steep ice-and-snow slope with rock outcrops to the shoulder. From the shoulder, 40–50 m up a wall of above-average difficulty on the left side of the Southwest Edge (key location) to the Southwest Edge. By the wide, snow-covered Southwest Edge, reach a plateau (cairn). From the glacier 6–8 hours. From the plateau, 200–220 m up rocks of average difficulty of the wide South Edge to a 20-meter ascent, which is overcome by a wall of above-average difficulty. Then 100 m along simple and average difficulty snow-covered monolithic rocks of the Southwest Edge to a 15-meter wall, pass it head-on through a cleft. From the wall, 60–80 m up and to the right along a snow-covered inclined ledge, bypass the pre-summit ascent and ascend steep rocks of average difficulty on the left side of a narrow 40–50-meter couloir to the Southwest ridge. Along the simple 60–80-meter ice-and-snow (cornices) Southwest ridge, ascend to the summit of Inguri. From the initial bivouac on the Upper Inguri Plateau 12–14 hours.

31. Marjani­shvili via Western ridge (combined route, category of difficulty 2B, fig. 5, 6). At the pass (m. 37) turn right and go along the snowy slope, then along easy rocks to approach the Big Gendarme of the Western ridge of Marjani­shvili. Steep easy rocks («loose» stones, pitons) provide 30–40 m ascent to the gendarme (cairn). From the gendarme a 35–40 m sport rappel descent follows to the saddle of the Western ridge. Further 80–100 m along easy, broken rocks of the Western ridge lead below a 15–18 m rock-step; overcome it along the slabs on the right side of the Western ridge. Further, along easy rocks, a 5–6 m snowy ascent, and talus of the Western ridge lead to the summit of Marjani­shvili.

Fig. 18.

228. Ti­kh­ten­gen South via the West Ridge (combined route by N. Popov, category 4B, difficulty level, fig. 18, 26). The path from the Bezengi alpine camp (group of 4–8 people) to the Kel pass is described in route 215. From the Kel pass, descend along the rocky western slope of the South Ridge onto the Oro­toka­ra glacier and, turning right, ascend on the right side of the glacier to the col of the Verkhniy Tsanner pass. From the glacier, cross the snow bridge over the bergschrund and make a straightforward ascent along the snowy slope to the col of the pass. From the pass, there is a steep descent along the icy-snowy slope with a large bergschrund in the lower part onto the upper plateau of the Tsanner glacier. Across the plateau (closed crevasses), staying close to the slopes of the Tikhtengen massif, approach the col of the Semi pass and ascend along the straightforward icy-snowy slope to it. From the Verkhniy Tsanner pass — 1.5–2 hours. From the Semi pass, there is a straightforward descent onto the upper plateau of the Kitlod glacier and along it (closed crevasses) — to the third, counting from the Semi pass, icy-snowy couloir of the West Ridge of the Tikhtengen peak. On the plateau under the couloir is the initial bivouac. From the Bezengi alpine camp — 8–12 hours. From the initial bivouac, ascend along the steep icy-snowy couloir — 200–

23. Sha­ri­tau via North Ridge (combined route, category 1B difficulty, fig. 5). From the East saddle of Shari­vcek Pass (point 18) descend 100–120 m down to the right along a gentle glacier (closed crevasses), then traverse 500–700 m to the right along a snowy slope below the steep East branch of Fyt­nargi­n glacier cirque. Further, ascend 250–300 m up a wide snowy gully — a couloir of the glacier between the cirque on the left and the slope of Sha­ri­tau North Ridge on the right, and ascend 15–30 m via easy ruined rocks to the saddle of Sha­ri­tau North Ridge — a false Shari­vcek Pass. 30–40 min from the pass. Here, turn right and follow a gentle ice-and-snow North Ridge to reach the Lower

116. Shkhara South via the Eastern slope of the Southern ridge (a combined route, G. Klimova, cat. 3B, fig. 20, 21). From the initial bivouac on the platform of the Eastern counterfort of Shkhara South’s Southern ridge (point 117), traverse right towards the Southern branch of the Shkhara glacier — between glacial drop-offs — and approach the rocks of the Eastern slope of Shkhara South’s Southern ridge. 200–250 m ascent up the heavily deteriorated rocks of medium difficulty with numerous talus shelves and short walls of above-medium difficulty, mainly bypassed (“live” stones, protection). Then 60–80 m up-left. Further, 500–600 m ascent