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.

ASCENT ON AILAMA VIA THE SOUTH FACE

Report

of the combined team of climbers from the A. Japaridze Georgian Alpine Club, Tbilisi, 1965
THE AILAMA MASSIF FROM THE SOUTH.

Introduction

The Ailama massif stretches in a latitudinal direction. To the west, Ailama is adjacent to the peaks of Nuamkuam and the Bezengi Wall, separated from Ailama by a low, heavily dissected ridge with numerous gendarmes and deep gaps. The Main Caucasian Range runs south from Ailama to the peak of Tsurungal and further to the Ardon River gorge, where the Digor chain continues.

Description of the Ascent Route to the Summit of AYILAMA via the South Face

The summit of AYILAMA (4537 m) is located in the MAIN CAUCASUS RANGE between the peaks of NUAM-KUAM (4283 m) to the west and TSURUNGAL (4342 m) to the east. The lower, base part of the summit is composed of heavily weathered schist rocks. The upper part rises as inaccessible vertical bastions made of light gray granite. The grandiose South Face of AYILAMA towers directly above the "AYILAMA" alpine camp. The path from the "AYILAMA" alpine camp goes along a trail on the right (orographic) bank of the Koruldashi River, then the trail crosses to the left (orographic) bank and proceeds along an old moraine overgrown with forest. This moraine leads to a small glacier, covered with snow and rocks, under the South Face of AYILAMA. To the left lies the icefall of the Koruldashi Glacier. In the lower part of the face, three counterforts are clearly visible, separated by couloirs.

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.

Ascent Passport

I. Ascent category: technical (wall). 2. Ascent area: Main Caucasus Range from the south, area of Semi pass – Tsanner pass. 3. Ascent route: Tikhtengen, South summit 4611 m via the South-East wall. 4. Ascent characteristics: height difference to the summit 1000 m, wall height difference 900 m, average slope of the entire route 65°, average slope of the wall proper 70°, length of complex sections 560 m (including very complex ones 370 m) 5. Pitons driven: rock — 116, ice — 4, ladder usage — 11 times 6. Number of walking hours: processing 140 m — 3 hours. 1st day — 13 hours, 2nd day — 11 hours, 3rd day — 12 hours, descent — 14 hours 7. Number of bivouacs and their characteristics:

Ascent Log

(Third Ascent)

1. Ascent class — rock climbing.
2. Ascent area, ridge — Caucasus, Main Caucasian Range from Ktlod Pass to Gezhevtsek Pass.
3. Ascent route — Tsurungal via the southeast wall (4222 m) – Central Nезнакомка (4100 m) – Bolshaya Nезнакомка (4200 m).
4. Difficulty category — 5B.
5. Route characteristics: elevation gain — 1980 m, length of 5th-6th difficulty sections — 720 m, average steepness (excluding the ridge part) — 65–70°.

ASCENT TO PIK ALESHI DZAPARIDZE “Chornaya Neznakomka” via the southern wall. 79 Pik Aleshi Dzaparidze, 4100 m high, is located in the Main Caucasian Range, between the peaks Tsurungal and Belaya Neznakomka. To the north of the summit lies the cirque of the Ailaminskiy glacier, its slopes covered with ice with occasional outcrops of rocks. To the south, the summit drops almost vertically in a rock wall. From the ridge between the peaks Chornaya and Belaya Neznakomka, a series of almost parallel steep rock buttresses descends. Below them, closer to Belaya Neznakomka, lies the Zes-Lo glacier, from which a long, 100–120 m wide, snow-ice couloir ascends almost parallel to the ridge to Pik A. Dzaparidze, with a slope of 25–30° and a series of deep gullies. A nearly vertical rock rib leading directly to the summit divides this couloir into two branches:

• The left couloir, as you ascend, sharply increases its steepness and ends in a narrow rock couloir with formed ice, leading to the central rib. This couloir is very dangerous due to constant rockfall.
• The right couloir, bypassing the central rib to the right, is located between it and the adjacent ridge buttress and ends under the rocks of the main ridge. Its steepness increases from bottom to top from 45–50° to 75–80°. The couloir is entirely icy, with deep (up to 5 m) gullies. During the day, the couloir is prone to rockfall. The group consisted of three instructors and one participant from the “Ailamf” alpine camp, members of the Kuibyshev Regional Council of the “Trud” sports society. The ascent was made during a reconnaissance trip to the Zes-Lo area to explore the region. The path from the “Ailamf” alpine camp goes down the road through the villages Kurundashi and Tsanya to the trail leading to the Zes-Lo gorge to the village of the same name and further to the river flowing from the glacier,

ASCENT REPORT

1. Ascent class — rock.
2. Ascent area — Main Caucasian Range south from Kittlod pass to Gezevtsék pass.
3. Peak, its height, ascent route — Chyornaya Neznakomka, 4100 m, via the right South counterfort of the Eastern ridge.
4. Expected difficulty category — 4B.
5. Route characteristics: height difference — 1400 m, length of sections with 5th–6th difficulty category — 310 m, average steepness — 70°.
6. Pitons hammered in:

Report on the First Ascent of the Route to the Summit of Kush-Kaya via the NW Wall

5B category of difficulty

Team Leader — Andrey Martynov (1st sports category).

Coaches — N.V. Kurilskaya (Candidate Master of Sports), V.A. Shadrin (Master of Sports).

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Information about the Area
3. Route Characteristics
4. Itinerary
5. Technical Description of the Route

REPORT

on the ascent to Mt. "Dzhailyk" (4533 m) via the Southwest Counterfort of the Western Ridge by the Dzhailyk Alpine Camp team (first ascent) Team leader — Ivanov Alexander Vasilyevich Team coach — Popov Viktor Pavlovich 1983 Alpine Camp "Dzhailyk" 360 000 Nalchik, P.O. Box 47 Team leader — Ivanov Alexander Vasilyevich 141 400 Moscow Region, Khimki, Aptechnaya St., 6, apt. 17 Team coach — Popov Viktor Pavlovich