118. Shkhara West via the South Ridge (combined route, L. Rollestone, category 5A, fig. 20, 21, 22). From Shkhara South (no. 117) descend along the snowy (with cornices) North Ridge to the col. Cross the snowy (with cornices) rocks of medium difficulty on the col, passing the gendarmes head-on, to reach a ledge. Bivouac. 7–9 hours from the initial bivouac on the East Counterfort. From the ledge, cross a sharp snowy ridge (cornice) and approach the ascent point of Shkhara West's South Ridge. From here, follow a rock shelf up and to the right, then ascend via a snow-and-ice gully to reach the South Ridge. Continue along the snowy rocks of medium and above-medium difficulty on the South Ridge to reach the base of a wall. Overcome the 25–30-meter difficult wall head-on. Continue along rocks of medium and above-medium difficulty, with some sections on the sharp snowy South Ridge, to reach a ledge below the II wall. Bivouac. 7–9 hours from the col bivouac. Overcome the 35–40-meter difficult II wall head-on, or possibly bypass it to the right via ledges. Continue along steep snowy rocks of above-medium difficulty (with cornices) to reach the base of the III wall. Make a difficult 40–50-meter ascent up the III wall to the ridge and exit onto the South shoulder. From the shoulder, follow the long snow-and-ice, partially sharp South Ridge (with cornices) to reach the summit of Shkhara West. 9–11 hours from the bivouac. 5–6 hours from the initial bivouac.

2.5A. 2294 2nd ascent!

Ascent Record of the 1971 USSR Alpine Championship

1. Ascent category — Technical, complex.
2. Ascent region — Central Caucasus (Shkhara region).
3. Ascent route with peak names and elevations — West Shkhara via Southeast wall (5058 m).
4. Ascent characteristics: Elevation gain — 1960 m. Average slope — 75°.

I. Category of ascent — category of technical ascents. 2. Region of ascent — Central Caucasus. 3. Peak and route — Western Shkhara (5058 m) via the center of the southwest face. 4. Estimated category of difficulty — 6th cat. diff. 5. Characteristics of the route: a) height difference — 1540 m; b) length of sections — 6th cat. diff. — 695 m; — 5th cat. diff. — 520 m; c) average steepness — 75°; e) steepness of the lower half — 60–65°; d) steepness of the rocky bastion — 90°.

184. Shkhara South via the Eastern spur of the South Ridge (a combined route by A. Gvalia, category IIIA, Figs. 18, 21). The path from the "Ailama" alpine camp (a group of 4-12 people) to the "Inguri bivouac" is described in route 175. From the "Inguri bivouac", descend down a grassy slope to the Inguri River. Cross the river by fording and ascend traversing to the right grassy slopes to the right-bank moraine of the Shkhara Glacier. Up the moraine, then descend to the right side of the Shkhara Glacier. Up along the glacier plateau, alongside the steep southern slopes of the Shkhara massif; behind the icefall and the broken part of the Shkhara Glacier, turn left and across the plateau (crevasses) reach the talus under the Eastern edge of the Shkhara South summit. Up a snowy slope, left of the moraine, to reach the South branch of the Shkhara Glacier, descending from the South Ridge of Shkhara South between its Eastern edge and Eastern spur. Up the glacier - left to the areas on the Eastern spur of the South Ridge. Bivouac on the areas. From the "Ailama" alpine camp: 8-10 hours. From the areas, ascend via talus and easy rocks of the wide Eastern spur of the South Ridge of Shkhara South.

• Bypass the first pillar on the left via a snowy talus,
• overcome the second pillar head-on. Further, along the easy rocky Eastern spur, to the third pillar; bypass it on the right via a ledge and ascend a snowy slope to the Eastern spur. Along the snowy spur, having passed the fourth pillar head-on and bypassed the fifth pillar on the left via the slope, reach the South Ridge of Shkhara South. Here, turn right and ascend along the easy, long, gently sloping, snowy, rocky South Ridge. Then:
• 120-150 m up along the gently sloping, snowy South Ridge
• 60-80 m along a steep, snowy ascent (avalanches, piton belay) to the pre-summit rocks

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

Shkhara South via the East Ridge

(combined route by A. Naumov, category 5A, fig. 18, 21). The path from the "Ailama" alpine camp (group of 4-6 people) to the left-bank (orographic) moraine of the Shkhara glacier is described in route 184. From the moraine:

• descend to the right side of the glacier;
• traverse the flat part of the glacier to bypass the icefall and crevasses on the lower part of the glacier on the right;
• approach the base of the East Ridge of Shkhara South peak. From the glacier:
• ascend the scree slope, and higher up, the snow slope, bypassing the base of the East Ridge on the left, to the inner corner - the beginning of the rock ledge that rises to the right towards the takeoff of the East Ridge of Shkhara South peak;
• follow this ledge up and to the right onto the East Ridge, below the sheer wall. At the platform below the wall - a bivouac. From the "Ailama" alpine camp, 12-14 hours. From the platform, ascend a difficult 70-80-meter wall to a ledge, and from it, traverse the slabs to a snow-covered saddle on the East Ridge. From here, follow simple, smooth rocks ("loose rocks") on the wide, snow-covered East Ridge to approach the narrow crest of the East Ridge.

ASCENT DOCUMENT

1. Ascent category – combined
2. Ascent area:
   • from Kitlod pass
   • to Gezevcek pass
   • Main Caucasian Range, from the South
3. Galaktion Tobidze Peak Height 4000 m Ascent route via the Southern ridge
4. Suggested category of difficulty — 3B

80 2.5 4000 2A snow-ice 1B ridge (361) 1660, 43°, 12 hours, 8 people August 16, 1982 1B Shabalov, V. Oleinik, S. Chinchayev (Kiev) Galaction Tobidze 37 36 35

MOSCOW ALPINISM AND ROCK CLIMBING FEDERATION

Report

On the ascent of the CSKA team named after Demchenko

To V. 3984 m. Working name — Pik Sokolovoy (Sokolova) Central Caucasus, Koshtan-krest ridge (43°02′42.23″ N. 43°15′46.61″ E) via the Western ridge First ascent presumably 3A category of difficulty Zaryaev V.V. — Galimzyanov T.R.

Dedicated to Ekaterina Sokolova (1984–2014)

St. Petersburg Climbing Championship 2012

Report

Team UTZ FASIL St. Petersburg on ascending Ak-Kaya peak, B. Vasiliev's route variant (1979) on SW wall, cat. 5B

Contents

Climb Passport – p. 3 Photo with route threads to the summit – p. 4 Photo of the general view of the summit with the route thread – p. 5 Brief overview of the area and climb object – p. 7 Climbing area map – p. 8