ASCENT PASS

1. Ascent class — rock climbing
2. Ascent area — Caucasus, from Gurdzivtseck pass to Mamison pass
3. Khitsan-khokh peak, height 3500 m, via the spur of the North-West ridge
4. Proposed difficulty category — 4B
5. Route characteristics: Height difference 300 m. Route length 745 m, including sections of 3rd diff. cat. — 155 m, sections of 4th diff. cat. — 300 m,

Ascent Passport

1. Caucasus. Saudor ridge. Section number in the Classification is 2.7.
2. Tsakhfedor peak (4068 m) from the South. Peak coordinates: 42°50′18.38″ N; 43°45′51.50″ E.
3. Proposed 2A category of difficulty, first ascent.
4. Route character — rocky.
5. Route elevation gain — 200 m. Total route length — 300 m. Length of sections 3–4 category of difficulty — 50 m. Steepness of key sections — up to 65°. Average steepness of the route — 35°.
6. Pitons left on the route — none.
7. Trekking hours — 5; days — 1.

141. Peak TsDSA via the Southeast Ridge South Face

(combined route, cat. 4B difficulty) From the Uilpatinsky overnight camps, ascend the glacier, bypassing the Southeast face of Peak TsDSA, to reach the start of the route. Climb a 150–200 m snowy slope to reach the rocks of the southern buttress. The ascent is via moderately difficult rocks, leaving the "Suchi" to the right. After 120–150 m, enter a snow-ice couloir that leads to a 20-meter wall (the first critical section), which is climbed without a backpack. Two pitons are hammered into this wall. After the wall, move 30–50 m left and up across scree slopes under the "Bastion" to find a platform with a cairn, where a note from the first group to take this route in 1963 was found. From the cairn, move right across easy rocks to reach a broad snow-ice couloir. Cross it and exit onto the ridge on the right side. Follow the ridge for 30 m across easy rocks to reach a snow-ice saddle (with a cornices on the saddle). After crossing the saddle, bypass the "Bastion" on the right across heavily broken rocks. Then ascend 100–120 m up snow-covered rocks to reach a saddle between the "Bastion" and the First sentinel. Bypass the sentinel on the left and follow the ridge to the second sentinel (the second critical section). The 50-meter sentinel wall has a steepness of 80–90° with few holds. There is a small platform at the top for belaying (five pitons are hammered in at this section). Continue up the heavily broken ridge with numerous sentinels, which are climbed head-on:

• On the ridge, there is a second control cairn with a note from a 1952 group led by Master of Sports Kolomensky V.
• The "Zub" sentinel is climbed head-on via a crack with a plug - a [moderately difficult] section. Five pitons were hammered in during the ascent and descent of the "Zub" sentinel (descent on a rope while seated).

156. Tsey (4140 m) via the Northeast slope (snow-ice route, category 1B difficulty level, fig. 33). From the Tsey district's KSP (group of 4–20 people), head down to the highway and follow it down the Tsey gorge. Before the last turn towards the village of Verkhny Tsey, turn left off the highway. Then:

• Follow the path along the stream in the hollow
• Then along the ridge of the grassy moraine past the cemetery
• Ascend to the grassy areas — the initial bivouac site for ascending Sadon and Spartak-Tsey peaks. From the areas, ascend along the path on the grassy, then scree ridge of the counterfort. Continue moving up along the scree, then along simple, broken (with protection) rocks of the counterfort to the Eastern ridge of Sadon peak. Here, turn left and follow the simple, gentle, heavily broken rocks of the Eastern ridge to reach the summit of Sadon. From Tsey district's KSP, 4–6 hours. Descend from Sadon peak along the snowy slope on the right side of the Tsey ridge to the saddle connecting Sadon with Spartak-Tsey peak, then left to a small snowy plateau. Cross the plateau down to the right and along the right side of the snowy slope, exit to a wide rock shelf on the left side of the ridge connecting Sadon and Nameless peaks, located on the North ridge — a spur of Sadon. Follow the shelf under Nameless peak to reach a large scree. Here, turn left and descend along the scree to a small, unnamed cirque glacier. From here, move left and down. Bypassing the base of the Western ridge of Burevestnik-Tsey peak under the rock walls, ascend behind it along the scree left and up to the areas near Turye Lake. Route:
• Descend along the snowy slope on the right side of the Tsey ridge to the saddle between Sadon and Spartak-Tsey
• Move left to a small snowy plateau

Fig. 40 205. Chanchakhi (4461 m) via the South Ridge (a combined route, M. Zvezdin, category 4A). The path from the CSP of the Tsey region (a group of 4-8 people) to the Tsey-Tbilisi pass with the initial bivouac on the upper plateau of the Northern branch of the Tsey glacier under the pass is described in the routes:

• 83
• 124 From the pass, descend first along simple rocks, then along a snowy slope, and through the bergschrund, exit to the upper snowy plateau of the Tbiliza glacier. Along the glacier, having passed a little to the left and down, turn left and, overcoming the bergschrund, exit to the right side of the wide ice-and-snow southwestern slope of the South Ridge of Chanchakhi peak. Along the steep slope, adhering to small right rocky islands, 400-500 m up to the South ice-and-snow ridge (possible rockfall, avalanches - piton belay). Here, turn left and along the ice-and-snow ridge (cornices) approach under the rocky ascent of the summit tower. Along a narrow rocky, above medium difficulty, vertical corner-chimney ("live" stones - piton belay) the ascent is 25-30 m to the wall. Further:
• first along steep 50-60-meter rocks of medium difficulty,
• then along simple rocks of the South Ridge - ascend to the summit of Chanchakhi.

The path from the bivouac site in the Tsey district to the Tsey-Tbilisi pass. In 1934 on the upper plateau of the Northern branch of the Tsey glacier. At the saddle of the Tsey-Tbilisi pass, turn left. Over the destroyed, unreliable rocks of medium difficulty of the jagged ridge, bypassing the difficulties of the gendarmes on the right, along the snow-covered slabs (piton belay) to a platform under the sheer wall of the Western ridge of the Chanchakhi peak. From the platform:

• traverse along simple and medium-difficulty rocks to bypass the wall on the right to a snow-covered rock couloir;
• along rocks above medium difficulty of the steep couloir (possible rockfall — piton belay) 40 m up to the Western ridge;
• along the ridge, ascent under the wall;
• under the wall, move along medium-difficulty rocks to the right couloir and along steep, with few holds, местами разрушенным rocks above medium difficulty of the couloir, ascend 35–40 m to the Western ridge;
• along the ridge, ascend under the main ascent;
• from the ascent, move to the next right couloir and along it (“live” stones — piton belay) to the Western ridge;
• along steep, snow-covered (“live” stones — piton belay), medium-difficulty rocks of the Western ridge with numerous short walls, ascent 450–500 m to the summit of Chanchakhi.

V. CHANCHAKHI VIA THE WEST RIDGE, 4B cat.

EAST RIDGE WEST RIDGE TSEI-CHANCHAKHI PASS UPPER CIRQUE OF THE NORTHERN BRANCH OF THE TSEI GLACIER TSEI-TBILISSKI PASS

The path from the sports camp of the Tsey district to the col of the Tsey-Chanchakhi pass is an initial bivouac on the plateau of the Northern branch of the Tsey Glacier. Along the snowy col, then along the steep 100–120-meter ice-snow ridge (cornices) to approach the rocky walls of the summit ice of the Eastern ridge of Chanchakhi. From the ridge, traverse 60–80 m to the right to steep slabs of medium difficulty to an internal corner. From here, ascent (pitons belay) along the rocks above medium difficulty of the 20-meter internal corner, and above, along a 60–80-meter wall. Then traverse 60–80 m to the right along simple rocks («live» stones). Along snowy rocks of medium difficulty, ascend to the shoulder area of the Eastern ridge. From the shoulder area, go up along a simple snowy ridge. Then, traverse to the right with a slight ascent along simple and medium difficulty snowy rocks («live» stones — belay) to exit onto a buttress. Along rocks above medium difficulty of the buttress (pitons belay), reach simple destroyed rocks (snowy), and ascend to the summit of Chanchakhi. From the initial bivouac on the plateau II–13 hours. Bivouac on the summit. Descent along the ascent route or along the Southern ridge. Route duration is 3–4 days.

V. CHANCHAKHI VIA EASTERN RIDGE, 4B cat.

EASTERN RIDGE WESTERN RIDGE TSEY - CHANCHAKHI PASS TSEY PASS TBILISSKI ↓

133. Bokos East — West (combined route by A. Durnov, category III complexity, fig. 29). The path from the Tsey region checkpoint or from the Dzinaga settlement (group of 4–8 people) to the East Bokos summit is described in routes 129, 130. From the Eastern summit, descend along the simple Western ridge, then along the snowy ridge to reach the snowy col. From the col, along the simple snow-covered rocky ridge, ascend to the Central Bokos summit. From the Central summit, along the long, destroyed, and snow-covered simple rocky ridge, overcoming gendarmes head-on, approach the overhanging walls of the Central gendarme. From under the gendarme, descend 40–50 m to the left along a narrow, heavily destroyed (many "live" stones, piton belay) couloir, then along ledges, bypass the gendarme on the left and ascend the heavily destroyed steep rocks behind it onto the ridge. Further along the simple rocks (with several simple, passable gendarmes head-on) of the wide, long destroyed ridge, then along the snowy slope, reach the West Bokos summit. Descent along the Northern or Western ridges (see routes 131 and 132). The duration of the route (without approaches) is 10–12 hours. Naumov A. F. Karaugom, Digoria, Tsey (Central Kavkaz), M., "Fizkultura i sport", 1976. BURS — KARAUTUMSKY

• South
• Central
• North