1. Area: Central Caucasus, Bezengi gorge, section 2.5 of the classification table.
2. Peak name: Ak-Kaya, 3367 m, route: via the Bastion of the left part of the South wall.
3. Proposed - 6A category of difficulty, 2nd ascent.
4. Route character: rock.
5. Route height difference: 520 m. Route length: 730 m. Length of sections: V category of difficulty – 445 m, VI category of difficulty – 130 m. Average steepness:
   • main part of the route – 78°,
   • entire route – 70°.

XXX USSR Climbing Championship

• Rock climbing category — Central Caucasus, Skalisty Ridge

Ascent Passport

1. Peak, its height — Ak-Kaya Massif
2. Ascent route — Central peak of the South face via the buttress
3. Proposed category of difficulty — 5B
4. Route characteristics:
   • Height difference: 440 m
   • Section length: 180 m, 230 m
   • Average steepness: 72°

Archimedes Peak via the northern ice gully, Category III, Winter Climbing.

From the Ukyu-kosh hut, follow the terminal moraine trail to the KSP "dovecote" shelter - 3/4 to 1 hour. The ice gully is a hanging glacier tongue descending from the 3rd ridge plateau, bounded on both sides by rocky buttresses. Over a 200m stretch, the glacier's slope is 40-45°, with the lower 40m being nearly vertical and, in places, overhanging. From the "dovecote", cross the glacial stream and ascend the icy slope with rocks and snow debris to the glacier's terminus. When ascending the tongue, stick to the safer middle section and only shift towards the left buttress rocks when reaching the gentler upper part. From the route's start - 5-8 hours. Further ascent along the ridge to the 3rd and highest peaks, and descent - as per description 1. Hazardous sections: the entire lower part of the route is prone to rockfall from both sides. It's advisable to start the route as early as possible; avoid starting after a warm night or in low visibility. Special equipment:

• Ice screws - 8-15 pcs.
• Ice hammers (ice fifis)
• Crampons - for all participants

JANGI (E), Eastern Counterfort - 5B cat.

The route to East Jangi-tau via the Eastern Counterfort is combined: its lower part is a rocky counterfort, the upper part is a snow-ice slope. The total length of the route is over 1600 m, the length of the rocky counterfort is 1000-1100 m. The average steepness of the rocky counterfort is 65-70°, with overhanging sections encountered on the route. The maximum steepness of the ice slope in the upper part of the route is 45-50°.

6. Description of the route by sections.

The initial bivouac is on a snow plateau under the base of the Eastern counterfort. The exit to the base of the counterfort is 120 m along a snowy slope at 40°. 40 m up the moderately difficult rocks to the base of the chimney (sect. a). The right wall of the chimney is a huge detached rock, the upper part is covered by an overhanging rock. The wall above the chimney is a continuation of its left side. The exit to the overhanging rock is 40 m either directly up the chimney (difficult climbing) or bypassing it on the right. Then there is a 15 m wall with two vertical slots. Ascent via the right slot, then in the upper part of the wall to the left slot and exit to the top of the wall. 40 m up the internal angle with an exit to the right onto inclined slabs (sect. b). Up the slabs to the base of a wide slot 5 m and up the slot to under a small cornice. Through the cornice, exit onto an inclined ledge and along it 40 m to the left to the junction of two walls (the ridge of the junction sect. b is visible in the photo).

Duma-Tau 4557

Passport

of the ascent made in the championship of the Caucasian Territorial Administration of alp camps. I. Class of ascent: technical. 2. Area of ascent: Central Caucasus, Bezengi. 4. Expected category of difficulty: 5A 5. Characteristics of the route: total height difference of the route — 1850 m, route length — 2750 m. length of sections with 5–6 difficulty grade — 1440 m, average steepness of the wall section — 50°. 6. Number of pitons driven:

1. Kapkasheva peak

Komisan pass ↓ route 4A 4–5 Pikh XXVII Congress to ZSShS-SB glacier

103. Traverse of the Koshtan-Krest ridge from the peak of Kankashev to Gerty-Bashi with ascent to the peak Kankashev via the Eastern ridge — 5A cat. diff. (A. Naumov, E. Varfolomeev, I. Kudinov, E. Sokolovsky, V. Shutin, V. Shutov — July 16–21, 1961; fig. 34, 35). The path from the alp camp "Bezengi" to the Eastern summit of peak Kankashev see in description 102. From the Eastern summit:

• descend 60 m down simple monolithic rocks to the snowy ridge in the failure. From the failure:
• ascend simple destroyed rocks of the ridge to the Western summit of peak Kankashev. From the Western summit:
• descend to the west first over simple rocks,
• then by sports descents over slabs and steep rocks of medium difficulty to a simple snowy ridge. Further:

Ascent of Koshtan-Tau via the Southeast Ridge with descent along the North Ridge

Accomplished by the MGS DSO "Trud" team under the leadership of MS USSR A. Naumov. Tikhonov Peak Koshtan-Tau from the south (from the Spartak Pass)

Brief geographical description and sporting characteristics of the ascent object

The Koshtan-Tau massif, with a height of 5151 m, is located in the northern spur of the central part of the Main Caucasian Range, and together with the peaks:

• Dykh-Tau,
• Mizhirgi,
• Krumkol,

80

Description of the Ascent Route to Koshtan-Tau Peak (5144 m) via the Central Counterfort of the North Face (First Ascent)

The ascent to Koshtan-Tau (5144 m) from the north via the central counterfort was accomplished between July 11 and 16, 1969, by a group from the LОС DSO TRUD, consisting of:

1. Nosov A.P., CMS - leader
2. Dreitser V.D., CMS - participant
3. Shymelis V.P., CMS - participant
4. Kosobokov L.I., 1st sports category - participant
5. Kuritsyn I.F., 1st sports category - participant Koshtan-Tau (5144 m) is located in the northern spur of the central part of the Main Caucasian Range and is one of the highest peaks in the Caucasus. From the north, several routes have been ascended and classified to the summit: 4B-5B category of difficulty. The path chosen by the group via the central counterfort of Koshtan-Tau's north face had long attracted the attention of Leningrad climbers, but in 1964, it was ascended by Czechoslovakian climbers, although they left no information about their ascent.