Description of the First Ascent Route

To the summit of Peak Айлама (Ailama) via the Western spur of the South wall, climbed on July 20-25, 1966, by a team from the Kuibyshev Regional Council of the "Trud" Sports Society. Ailama is located in the Main Caucasus Range. To the west of the summit, beyond the Unamusso pass ("Бессовестный" or "Shameless"), lies Peak Нуам-Куам (Nuam-Kuam), with a ridge connecting it to the summit of Восточная Шхара (Eastern Shkhara) via peaks 4250 m and 4100 m. Beyond the so-called "saw" of Ailama, the ridge turns south towards the summit of Цурунгал (Tsurungal), and then eastwards through peaks Черная Незнакомка (Black Stranger, пик Алеши Джапаридзе or Aliocha Djaparidze Peak) and Белая Незнакомка (White Stranger) to the Шерри–Вцек (Sherri-Vtsek) pass. The Ailama ridge stretches for a considerable distance. The western ridge has a steepness of up to 55° in its lower half and is characterized by a system of snow and ice undulations with steepness ranging from 25° to 75° in its upper part. The eastern ridge of the summit is primarily rocky and is known as the "Pила Айламы" (Ailama Saw), indicating its highly serrated nature. Along the entire length of the massif's ridge, steep walls with significant relative heights drop to the north and south; those to the north are mostly snow and ice, while those to the south are more rocky. Due to the remoteness of this mountain region from permanent alpine camps, until 1965, only a few sports groups, always consisting of high-class climbers, ascended Ailama. Most of these groups followed the ridge of the massif, undertaking extensive traverses of the crest.

69. Ai­lama via South­east Ridge (com­bi­na­tion route, E. Abal­a­kov, cat.5B, fig. 5, 15, 16). From Tsurun­galskaya saddle of the Main Caucasus Range (point 65, 63):

• 250–300 m up­wards over rocks of medium dif­fi­cul­ty be­low the first rock tur­ret of Ai­lama South­east Ridge;
• 200–220 m up­wards over rocks of me­dium-above dif­fi­cul­ty and dif­fi­cult rocks, cor­n­ers, couloirs to the tur­ret's shoulder;
• 50–60 m along a nar­row ledge on the left from the shoulder;
• 120 m up­wards over snow­cov­ered, de­stroyed rocks of me­dium dif­fi­cul­ty of the couloir to the snow col be­hind the I tur­ret.

Climbing Passport

1. Snow and ice class.
2. Central Caucasus, Dykh-Su valley.
3. Peak Aylama via the center of the North face.
4. Proposed category: 5B, first ascent.
5. Elevation gain: 1475 m, route length — 2333 m. Average steepness of main sections — 53°. Including 6th category sections up to 95° — 27 m.
6. Pitons driven: rock — 5 bolt hangers — 3

74. Aylama via the II bastion of the South Face (a combined route, Sh. Margiani, 5B cat., fig. 5, 15, 16). From the platform at the top of the Left Rib (point 72):

• 150 m up a steep snow-ice slope to the bergschrund;
• after crossing the bergschrund, ascend 40 m up a steep snow-ice slope to the rocks on the right side of the III bastion;
• from here, 40 m across simple rocks. Up to the wall. 30 m up difficult rocks of the wall with a crack onto a ledge. Then directly up 8–10 m across rocks of medium difficulty, then 12 m up the wall to a small platform, from where there is a 40 m ascent up rocks of medium difficulty to a platform under a large boulder. From the platform on the Left Rib, it takes 3–4 hours.

79. Ailama via North Face (the route is combined, V. Ivanova, 5B cat. diff., fig. 5, 17, 19). To the right of the Nuam-Kuam glacier (pic. 78) descend under the North Face of Ailama peak and, having passed under it (closed crevices, landslides, avalanches), approach the first right rocky counterfort of the North-East ridge of Ailama. From here, from the plateau upwards along the steep ice-and-snow slope to the first rocky outcrop of the counterfort. From the outcrop traverse upwards — to the right along the ice-and-snow slope with the intersection of ice gullies and two rocky outcrops to approach under the middle of the Lower (I) narrow rocky belt of the North Face of Ailama (stones, avalanches, landslides). Along steep rocks of above average difficulty 20–30 m up to the I rocky belt. From it 200–300 m up to under the II wide rocky belt to the right of a small snow patch. Along a difficult wall with two small shelves 50–60 m up to a wide shelf. On the shelf a sitting bivouac is possible. From the shelf 50–60 m up along steep rocks of above average difficulty (“live” stones) to the II rocky belt. From it 150–200 m up along a steep ice-and-snow slope to under the III rocky belt. Along difficult rocks of the wall 50–60 m up to a small site. On the site — a bivouac. From the initial bivouac — 12–14 hours. From the site along icy rocks of above average difficulty 30–40 m up to the III belt. Further 300–350 m up along a steep ice-and-snow slope with rocky outcrops to under the IV rocky belt. Along difficult rocks of the wall 10–12 m up to shelves. Along them 25–30 m up-to-the-right and through a difficult 5–6-meter wall exit to a wide shelf. Further:

• Along the shelf 30 m up-to-the-left
• Up 15 m along rocks of medium difficulty

73. Aylama via the III Bastion of the South Face (combined route, Sh. Margiani, 5B cat. dif., fig. 5, 15, 16). From the ledge at the top of the Left Edge (point 72):

• 150 m up a steep snow-ice slope.
• Having overcome or bypassed the bergschrund via difficult rocks on the left, ascend 80–100 m up a steep snow-ice couloir along the rocks on the right side of the III Bastion.
• Then turn left and up:
  • 40 m via difficult rocks of the wall,
  • then 40 m via moderately difficult rocks.

46. Be­лая Ne­zna­kom­ka via East­ern ridge (the route is com­bined, V. Saba­niz­dze, cat­egory III, fig. 5, 8). From the pla­teau (point 37) along a steep ice-and-snow slope, with out­crops of bro­ken rocks of me­dium dif­fi­culty, 150–200 m as­cent (pitons) to the Lower Shoul­der of the East­ern ridge. On the right there are ice falls. Fur­ther 200–250 m along the sim­ple ice-and-snow East­ern ridge (cor­nices) to the Snow Sen­tinel. From it a short des­cent to a sad­dle. Fur­ther along a gen­tle, then along a steep 50–60-me­ter ice-and-snow II as­cent and along frozen 20–40-me­ter rocks of me­dium dif­fi­culty (cor­nices, pitons) to the East­ern sen­tinel. From the sen­tinel along the snow East­ern ridge (cor­nices) to the sad­dle and along a steep 50–60-me­ter ice-and-snow (pitons) III as­cent, then along sim­ple

40. Belaya Neznakomka via the Southern ridge of the Uzlovoĭ gendarme of the Main Caucasian Ridge (MCR) (a combined route, Yu. Pulenets, 3B category of difficulty, fig. 5, 8). From the plateau, to the right of the MCR col between Belaya Neznakomka and Zeskho (point 37), having passed the bergschrund, ascend 40 m via a narrow ice-snow gully (rocks, belay) onto the Southern ridge of the Uzlovoĭ gendarme of the MCR (a cairn on the left on the shoulder). Here, turn right and ascend 60–80 m along slab-like steep simple broken rocks, 15–20 m along steep rocks of medium difficulty on the wall side (“live” rocks, pitons), 80 m along simple broken rocks of the Southern ridge. Then, along steep rocks of medium difficulty (piton belay):

• a 20-meter corner (piton belay)
• a 40-meter wide destroyed rocky ridge Ascend to the Uzlovoĭ gendarme of the MCR (a cairn). From the plateau, 4–5 hours.

Fig. 13 Fig. 14

3. Ascent to the Herzog peak via the North-Eastern ridge — for the difficulty category (Fig. 13 and 14)

From Dombayskaya Polyana to Turiy Lake — bivouac. From Dombayskaya Polyana 3.5–4 hours. From the bivouac up the moraine, then along the Alibek glacier (the glacier is exposed, belay!) to the rocky gate between the rocks of the northern edge of Herzog and the rocks under the eastern slope of Jalovchat. Up the steep snow-ice slope:

Report

On the ascent of Peak Shchurovsky via the West face (through the "Gendarme" "Surkov")

Central Council of the DSO "Avangard"

Kiev — 1967

Data on team members