Georgian Alpine Club named after A. Japaridze Tadj. G.U. eastern edge ridge of the southern sub-peak (First ascent report) Team captain G. Kartvelishvili Team coach T. Berishvili Tbilisi – 1979

863

I. Ascent class - high-altitude technical. 2. Ascent area, ridge - South-West Pamir, spurs of the Shakhdara ridge, Zughvand gorge. 3. Peak, its height, ascent route - Taj. GU peak, 6183 m, the edge of the Eastern wall. 4. Difficulty category - 6. 5. Route characteristics: - Height difference - 1000 m. - Length of sections with 5 diff. cat. - 630 m. - Length of sections with 6 diff. cat. - 505 m. - Average steepness - 82°.

Geological and Geographical Characteristics of the Area

Peak Chyurlenisa is located in the Shakhdarin Range (South-West Pamir) near peaks Engel'sa and Daneliaitis. With its eastern ridge, it ends a lateral spur of the Shakhdarin Range, which is located in a latitudinal direction and is surrounded by glaciers:

• Kishty-Dzherob (from the south)
• Kasper (from the north) For Peak Chyurlenisa, as well as for most of the peaks in South-West Pamir, a horizontal arrangement of rock layers is typical. A characteristic feature of the glaciation in this area is the short length of the glaciers, their extremely steep drop in the upper part, and very gentle slope in the middle and lower parts, with a small number of crevasses. The glaciers of the peaks in the area feed the Kishty-Dzherob Glacier. Its valley is 77 km long, and its surface is littered with moraine up to the highest reaches. Peak Chyurlenisa is located almost at the top of a peculiar horseshoe that encompasses the Kishty-Dzherob Glacier. The eastern side of the horseshoe is a ridge consisting of peaks:
• "5491"
• "Moskovskoy Pravdy"
• "Pamyati Zhertv Tetnulda"

Description of the traverse of peaks Engels, 40 let LKSMU and the ridge of Moskovskaya Pravda with ascent to peak Engels via the south wall

COMPLETED BY THE TEAM FROM MOSCOW from July 17 to August 2, 1971

Group Composition

The team has extensive experience in joint ascents in both the Pamir and the Caucasus. All members of the main composition, except E. Smirnov, had experience with ascents of 6th category of difficulty. When forming the team in Moscow, several complications arose regarding the release and financing of participants. The Moscow Committee covered the participants' championship expenses for food; other expenses were borne by the participants. It was clear in Moscow that there should be no more than 6 people on the route due to the high steepness and complexity of the South wall of peak Engels. A few days before departure, it became known that one of the strongest team members, O. Abalakov, was not released from work; V. Bezlyudny was also unable to participate. The remaining participants traveled to the area of peak Engels. During the final departure, D.A. Filippov fell ill and had to be left at the observation group's camp. Thus, the group embarked on the route with 5 members.

ASCENT REPORT

1. Ascent classification — high-altitude technical climb.
2. Ascent area — South-West Pamir, Shakhdarin Range, Kinty-Dzherab valley.
3. Peak — Engels Peak 6510 m via the South Face.
4. Anticipated difficulty category — 6.
5. Route description: elevation gain — 1300 m, length of sections with 5–6 difficulty grade — 912 m; average steepness of the rock section — 75°, average steepness of sections with 5–6 difficulty grade — 85°.
6. Pitons used: for belaying, for creating intermediate anchors. rock pitons 137, 70; ice screws 0, 0; bolt pitons 0, 14.
7. Total climbing hours — 3 h 30 min.

100

ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE U.S.S.R.

Peak Engel'sa

via the South-Eastern WALL (South-Western PAMIR)

1. Kavunenko 15.0
2. Zaits P.V.
3. Levin B.V.
4. Filippov D.A

Report

on the traverse of peaks Engel'sa — Marx — Shakdarinsky Ridge — Pamir (first ascent).

1. Geographical Location and Sporting Characteristics of Peaks Engel'sa and Marx

a) Geography of the Area. Both peaks are located in the Shakdarinsky Ridge, stretching in a latitudinal direction, and are its highest peaks.

• Height of peak Marx — 6726 m.
• Height of peak Engel'sa — 6510 m. The Shakdarinsky Ridge is a watershed between the Pyanj River basin (to the south) and the Shakdara River basin (to the north). Lateral ridges extending from the arrays of peaks Marx and Engel'sa divide the northern slopes into three valleys: Khatsak, Shaboy, and Nispar (from west to east). Thus, both peaks are accessible from the north only from the Shaboy valley. Here, both peaks drop with huge walls to the foot of the Marx Glacier. The peak arrays rest on granite foundations, resulting in exceptionally extensive sections of sheer walls and a blocky rock structure. Individual monolithic blocks in the array of peak Engel'sa reach 500 m. The slopes of the ridge are covered with powerful glaciation, and numerous ice falls are present, especially in the area between peaks Marx and Engel'sa. However, the relief of the Marx Glacier does not contain significant difficulties. The slopes of peaks Marx and Engel'sa from the north represent routes of the highest category of difficulty, but ascent by these paths is possible only after thorough reconnaissance.

Report

on the traverse of Peaks Engels — Marx — Shakhdarin Range — Pamir (first ascent).

1. Geographical Location and Sporting Characteristics of Peaks Engels and Marx

A. Geography of the Area

Both peaks are located in the Shakhdarin Range, which stretches in a latitudinal direction, and are its highest peaks. The height of Peak Marx is 6726 m, and Peak Engels is 6510 m. The Shakhdarin Range is a watershed between the Pyanj River basin (to the south) and the Shakhdara River basin (to the north). Lateral ridges extending from the massifs of Peaks Marx and Engels dissect the northern slopes into three valleys: Khatsak, Shabo, and Nispas (from west to east). Thus, both peaks are accessible from the north only from the Shabo valley. Here, both peaks drop with huge walls to the foot of the Marx Glacier. The massifs of the peaks rest on granite foundations, resulting in exceptionally extensive sections of completely sheer walls and a blocky rock structure. Individual monolithic blocks in the Peak Engels massif reach 500 meters. The slopes of the range are covered with powerful glaciation and numerous ice drops, especially in the area between Peaks Marx and Engels. However, the relief of the Marx Glacier does not contain significant difficulties. The northern slopes of Peaks Marx and Engels represent routes of the highest category of difficulty, but ascending these paths is possible only after careful reconnaissance. The lateral ridges bounding the Shabo valley to the east and west are much lower (5200–5400 m) and do not have significant glaciation. Routes on individual peaks are not higher than category 4B. Ascending the walls (mainly from the east) is impossible due to the exceptional crumbliness of the rocks.

B. History of Alpinist Exploration

1. Ascent class: High-altitude. 2. Ascent area: Pamir, Shakhdarin Range.
2. Peak, its height, ascent route, route character: p. Engels, 6510 m, via N ridge from Shabo Glacier (Bulanov's route) combined.
3. Complexity category 5B, second ascent.
4. Route characteristics: Height difference — 1810 m. Length of sections with 5–6 cat. diff.: 565 m. Average steepness of the route: 45°.
5. Pitons hammered for belay (including for I.T.O.): Rock — 211/6. Ice — 79/2. Bolt — 0/25. Chocks — 41/2.
6. Number of travel hours — 53 h.
7. Number of nights and their characteristics — 6: Lying — 5, sitting — 1.
8. Surname, name, patronymic of the team leader, participants and their qualification:
   1. Dzhokhadze P.Sh. — Candidate Master of Sports
   2. Sarkisov L.A. — Master of Sports

Ascent Passport

1. Ascent class: high-altitude technical
2. Ascent area: Peter I Range, Pamir
3. Peak, its height, and ascent route: Peak E.A. Abalakova 6460 m via the right ridge of the North face
4. Expected difficulty category: 6B
5. Route characteristics: total height difference 2260 m, average route slope 59°, including technical sections 63°, route length 2820 m and sections by category of difficulty (m) | 1 | 250 | | - | ---- |