Route Description

The Seven Spires of Tuyuk-Su are located in the Malo-Almatinsky spur and stretch from northeast to southwest. Each Spire has its unique shape:

• The first and second resemble the back of a two-humped camel
• The seventh resembles a fang in its outlines Almost all of them have ridges of rocks descending to the south. The traverse of Tuyuk-Su Spires begins with an approach to the Tuyuk-Su glaciers and Tuyuk-Su Spires under the eponymous pass. The initial bivouac is on the black moraine opposite the Igla Tuyuk-Su pass. The ascent to the pass should start early on a snow-ice slope with an increasing steepness up to 55°. Insurance is provided through an ice axe, and when there are outcrops, ice screws are used. Crevices are overcome using snow bridges with careful insurance. Due to possible rockfalls, one should proceed along the middle. The traverse begins with the seventh Spire on heavily destroyed rocks of medium difficulty. Descent is made along the ascent path, and then towards the sixth Spire, which is a 30-meter pyramid with a smooth red wall. The ascent up it is complicated:
• There are few footholds;

Тraverse of the entire massif from Iiyintau to Peak Gorin, route 5B cat. diff. (fig. 43, 43a). If the approach starts from the Talgar alpine camp, go up the Middle Talgar gorge, turn in the direction of the Kopr glacier (see road sign). Approach to the Kopr glacier via ancient moraines:

• terminal,
• then lateral, right. The trail is clearly visible. Go to Rakhimov's bivouac at the tongue of the glacier. Here are well-prepared places for a tent. From the camp to Rakhimov's bivouac - 4 hours walk. From the bivouac in the eastern direction, along the left part of the glacier along the ridge of the Sportivnaya peak, to the bergschrund. The bergschrund is bypassed on the left or crossed via a snow bridge. Turn right, go along the bergschrund to the first destroyed rocks. Here is the so-called Kel's tur. The height is gained gradually. From here, diagonally ascent along the ice-snow slope (steepness up to 50°). Go to a not very high, heavily destroyed ridge. At the top, beyond the end of the ridge, there is a section of ice 15-20 m. Go on crampons with hook belay (cautiously!). Behind it is a section of heavily destroyed rocks, which turn into a rocky ridge, interspersed with snowy sections. Behind this ridge, turn left onto a snowfield and exit onto the ridge of the Kopr peak. From the ice section, there is a second option for passing this segment - exit left from the rocks up the snowfield to the ridge of the Kopr peak. Here, turn right. After 50-60 m:
• Priyut Pyati (Five Shelter) at the rocks

Climbing Area Map

Profile, view from the southwest. Profile, view from the south. Profile, view from the southwest. TABLE OF MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ASCENT ROUTE Note: Pitons used to create artificial holds are indicated by a fraction. From the Talgar alp camp, follow the trail up the Sredny Talgar River to the Severny Talgar glacier, then up the Severny Talgar glacier. Overnight at the moraine at the foot of the IyinTau slope.

2. Climbing area — Tian-Shan, Trans-Ili Alatau ridge
3. Peak — Galtvagar-po-otene-Idintaou. Traverse of Nintau Tapgars, ascent via W. wall of Nintau
4. Presumed difficulty category — 5B
5. Route characteristics:

• height difference 1500 m.
• length of sections with 5th diff. cat. — 435 m.
• average steepness — 53°.

6. Pitons used:

• for creating artificial belays (i.t.o.) — 3 rock pitons

INETAU (4038 m)

Ascent from the Constitution Glacier, route 1B cat. complexity (fig. 4). The INETAU peak is located in the northern spur extending from the 10 Years of Kazakh SSR peak and separating the Toguzak Glacier from the Constitution Glacier. It is a pronounced eminence on the ridge. From the Toguzak Glacier side, it appears as a sharp needle on a snowy base, while from the Constitution Glacier side, the summit tower rises amidst a jumble of rocky debris from the destroyed ridge. From the initial bivouac, conveniently set up on the right moraine of the Toguzak Glacier, cross the terminal moraines of the glacier towards the talus at the start of the ridge. Ascend the talus to the ridge. Cross the ridge to reach the right lateral moraine of the Constitution Glacier. Follow the moraine ridge to an isolated rock near the ridge, and from there, via a gully, exit onto the ridge to a gendarme composed of red rocks. The first control cairn is located on it. Bypass the next gendarme to the left on snow (ice is possible!). Subsequent gendarmes are bypassed on both sides. After them, cross a small couloir between the main ridge and a group of rocks to the right. Continue along the ridge of moderately difficult rocks upwards to a distinct gendarme. The second cairn is located here. Descend from it onto a snowy-icy saddle before a table-like gendarme and bypass it to the right. Then, ascend medium rocks and talus to a tower with a snowy belt. The ascent to it involves the following sections:

• medium rocks
• inclined slabs

and the inner corner, and again along the middle rocks to a sloping platform, in the upper corner of which there is a cairn with a note. Descent to the snowy ridge, leaving three pre-summit gendarmes on the right side. Bypassing them along steep snowslopes, in three steps, leading to the base of the summit tower. Along easy rocks and large stones, exit to a small saddle between the pre-summit gendarme and the summit tower. From here, ascent to the summit tower, 50–60 m high, and exit (with careful belay) to a rocky platform with "live" stones under an overhanging wall with an inner corner. Exit to the tower through a cleft from the platform under the inner corner straight up. The rocks are difficult. Belay through a ledge. A few meters from the platform, there is a wide horizontal crack:

• Hammer in a piton for belay and foothold.
• Above, there is a small inclined shelf, along which one can enter the cleft.
• Further, on friction, exit to the summit ridge and along it, after a few meters, to the summit. Descent along the scree to the Konstituciya Glacier. From the initial bivouac, the entire ascent takes 7–8 hours.

Recommendations for Climbers

1. Number of participants: 6–8 people. Not recommended for mass ascents.

Traverse of Issyktent-Chokhu — White Peak — Akgul peaks, 4A cat. difficulty. The peaks of Issyktent-Chokhu, White Peak, and Akgul are located in a ridge branching off to the southeast from the main ridge of Trans-Ili Alatau, known as Issyk-Ten-Chokhu, which separates the Bogatyri and Korzhenevsky glaciers. This ridge borders the Korzhenevsky glacier from the southeast. From the Talgar alpine camp, one reaches the cirque of this glacier via the Suroviy pass and sets up the first bivouac under the peak of GUVVO. The peak of Issyktent-Chokhu is situated between the peaks of Vsevobuch and White Peak. Crossing the glacier, one moves towards the peak (caution: crevasses are present!). The ascent to the ridge is closer to the peak of Vsevobuch and then to the saddle between Vsevobuch and Issyktent-Chokhu peaks. Crampons and alternating belay are required. Crevasses are present. The journey from the bivouac to the ridge takes 2.5–3 hours. Turn right. Ascent to the ridge, crowned with gendarmes. This is the 1st landmark. Further, the route follows rocks of medium difficulty, heavily destroyed (!). It is more convenient to go on the left. Then comes a chain of gendarmes with small drops and a general descent to the "window". Belay is alternating everywhere. Beyond the "window":

• 1st gendarme (40 m), complex rocks
• if the snow condition allows, it is better to bypass the "window" on the left

Р­Я rock outcrops (150 m). At the very beginning, there is a complex cairn. This is the summit. Then you need to turn west and approach the rocks that give rise to the western ridge. Descend 100 m down the southern counterfort. Here, on a rocky site, there is a convenient overnight stay. From the foot of the ridge to the overnight stay, it takes 8 hours of walking. From the overnight stay, cross the southern slope of the western ridge, staying on the right side on the ridge, descend to the 1st gendarme. It is bypassed on the right by snow. Then there are the rocks of the western ridge. The rocks are strong.

• The second gendarme is taken along the knife ridge.
• The 3rd gendarme - Tower - is taken head-on along the line of rocks and snow (or ice). Crampons may

Kairaktas (4020 m)

Ascent via the Eastern Ridge — cat. diff. 2A

The Kairaktas peak is located somewhat north of the Ozerny pass. The approach starts from the bivouac on the pass and continues along the moraine heaps made up of medium-sized fragments. The path leads to the eastern ridge of the peak and takes about an hour. The ascent goes along the heavily destroyed ridge with steep drops and a large depth of fall. The first and second gendarmes are bypassed, the third and fourth, with heights of 8–10 m, are overcome head-on. After the section with gendarmes, the route runs along the eastern ridge to the south-eastern ridge, which are connected by a small dip. Reaching the south-eastern ridge, one must successively bypass four gendarmes of slab-like structure, having the form of needles, on the right and left. The movement continues along heavily destroyed rocks and in places along snow. This section is recommended to be traversed in rope teams with alternate belays. After approximately 2 hours, there is an exit to the summit, which is crowned with a pico-shaped stone. This prompted the first ascenders to name the peak Kairaktas, which translates as — a peak with a protruding stone. To reach it, one needs to hack through a snow cornice. Descent is via the ascent route. The first group to reach the summit was on October 15, 1954, a group of instructors from the "Kok Bastau" alpine camp consisting of: A. Vorobyov, P. Mamyinov, R. Khonin under the guidance of A. Kolegov.

Recommendations for Climbers

1. Number of participants: 4–6 people.

Jailyk via the East Ridge (I. Yukhin's route, cat. 4A)

The path from the Adylsu alpine camp (group of 4–8 people) through the Tyutyusu gorge to the initial bivouac at the upper part of the left-bank moraine of the Tyutyusu glacier is described in routes 184 and 188. From the initial bivouac on the moraine:

• Turn left and exit onto the snowy West counterfort descending from the East Ridge of Jailyk peak into the Tyutyusu gorge.
• Ascend the snowy, gently sloping ridge of the counterfort with several steep rises.
• Then move to the snow-ice slope (avalanches!) and continue ascending to the East Ridge of Jailyk peak. On the East Ridge:
• Turn right here.
• Move along simple and moderately difficult rocks, partly along a narrow snowy ridge (snowcornices!), and reach the base of the rocky ascent of the East gendarme.
• Overcome the gendarme directly via steep, crumbling, moderately difficult rocks of the ridge.