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Description of the Traverse

3 peaks of "Wings of Tajikistan" 2B cat. sl. A group from the "Varzob" tourist camp crosses to the right bank of the "Varzob" river and moves upstream until the first stream (after Siama) flows into the "Varzob" river. The stream originates under the saddle between "Varzobskaya Pila" and the "Wings of Tajikistan" peak. The path goes up the stream:

• initially along the scree (on the right side of the path),
• then along the snow,
• the ascent to the saddle is again along the scree. Overnight stay is organized at convenient platforms. From the bivouac, the movement is westward along the ridge. Small gendarmes are bypassed on the left. The snowy ridge leads to the base of the eastern peak.
• The first gendarme is bypassed on the left
• The second is taken "head-on"

Description of the Traverse of "Nauka" Peak (36 kg)

Cat. difficulty: 3A "Nauka" Peak (3800 m) is located in the upper reaches of the Sangalyt River tributaries. From the base camp, located on the medial moraine of the Avicenna Glacier, the group ascends to the glacier plateau and approaches the "Pyati" Pass. The "Pyati" Pass is situated in the ridge between the peaks:

• "Kruglaya"
• "Kharkov" The ascent to the pass follows a steep snowy slope, 70–80 m long. By the end of summer, the slope may be intersected by a bergschrund. The descent from the pass goes down a gentle, fine scree slope, followed by an exit onto the northern glacier descending from the "Piramid" peaks. Crossing the glacier, the group arrives under the col between "Nauka" Peak and its southern ridge. On the col, a gendarme resembling a sharp finger is clearly visible. The ascent to the col is done on crampons up a snow-ice slope with a 45° incline. The exit onto the col is rocky, to the left of the gendarme. The further ascent to the summit from the col follows difficult rock climbing. The group traverses the following sections:

1. Khodzha Lokan (Mechta) via the west ridge, 4A cat. diff. route, fig. 2.

From the base camp, cross to the Kadam-Tash stream via Cheryotyrekh Pass. Then ascend the scree to the glacier located beneath the eastern wall of the summit. Cross the glacier plateau to Mechta Pass, where there are overnight stay areas. Descend from the pass down the glacier for 15–20 minutes. Before reaching the glacier's bend, ascend in the direction of:

• the bergschrund;
• two rock "islands";
• the ridge leading to the snowy saddle on the summit's west ridge. The ascent up the ice slope is done with alternating belays via ice screws. Higher up, belays are set using rock pitons hammered into the rocks of the "islands" and the ridge leading to the saddle. The ascent from the glacier to the saddle is 400 m. Above the saddle, the gendarme's wall is crowned with three peaks, between which two chimneys descend down the entire wall. Pass under the wall on the right via wide horizontal ledges and reach a couloir. Cross the couloir and ascend to the summit ridge via its right side. Follow the ridge (over rocks and snow) to the summit. The ascent from Mechta Pass to the summit takes 8–10 hours. The descent is from the summit via the ascent route. From the saddle, the descent is organized with rope retrieval down to the glacier. Then follow the glacier through the passes:

Description

Ascent from the north to p. Khosilot 2B cat. sl. and descent along route 1B cat. sl. I. Climbing Area. p. Khosilot (4650 m) is located in the Yaghnob Wall area.

• To the north, from the summit to the Ledovyy col between the Eastern peak of the Yaghnob Wall and Khosilot, lies a glacier.
• To the northeast, a steep ice-rock ridge descends into the Yaghnob river valley.
• To the west, a rocky ridge stretches, ending in 200-meter sheer cliffs.
• The southern slopes of the peak are more eroded and drop down with sheer walls and wide ledges to a nameless col.

descent on a rope with leaving a loop. Further descent along the couloir and osnam bypassing the gendarme Amna-Krun to the pass between the peaks Moskva and Sakharnaya Golova. From the pass, descent to the Akhbasoy glacier. The travel time from the saddle between the peaks and the gendarme to the Akhbasoy glacier is about 4–6 hours.

Recommendations

I. It's better to start the ascent up the snow-ice slope to the gendarme not later than 7:00–7:30 am, when the snow is not too soft. When ascending from the saddle to the summit, have:

• one pair of crampons
• non-frozen sneakers

Ascent Passport

1. Pamir-Alay, Zeravshan ridge, Rog valley — 5.3.3.
2. Peak MSU, 5430 m, via E edge of N wall and NE ridge (via shoulder 4831)
3. Category 4B, first ascent
4. Route type — snow and ice
5. Route height difference 1250 m (by GPS) Route length 2350 m. Length of sections 5 — 10 m, 6 — 0 m. Average slope: main part of the route — 52°, entire route — 37°.
6. Pitons left on the route: total 2; including bolted 0. Used on the route: rock pitons 3, chocks 2, ice screws 68. Used pitons: bolted stationary 0, including ITO 0, bolted removable 0, including ITO 0.
7. Team's travel hours: 44 h, 5 days.

The Matcha mountain node is the junction of three huge ridges: Altai, Turkestan, and Zeravshan. All of them are part of the Pamir-Alay system. In the southwest direction from Matcha Pass is located Peak Igla. This summit closes the main flow of the Zeravshan Glacier and is like the center of the entire node. Peak Igla is a rocky ridge. It is not a separate pointed peak, as one might assume judging by the name, but several pointed peaks united in a single massif.

• North Peak (4430 m) — named after Peak Lyubov Yakovlevna Pakharkova — Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering.
• Middle Peak (4510 m) — Central Igla.
• Southwest Peak (4530 m) — Main Igla. Traversing the Igla massif from Matcha Pass is rated 5A category of difficulty (approximately by Yu. MALYKHIN — team leader, A. DAVYDOV, L. EGOROV, N. ORLOV). August 5, 1969. From the assault camp located on Matcha Pass (3870 m):
• Ascend via the glacier, bypassing the spur from the left side (when looking up) to the bergschrund.
• From the bergschrund — up the snowy slope to the snowy ridge and along it to the rocky wall.

From the overnight stay 3–4 ropes along the snowy slope of the gully, separated from the main slope by a section of rocky ridge. One rope on a 35° snowy slope along the gully, then exit to rocks (belay via ice axe). On the ridge, movement along the ledge on the left with piton belay at the beginning of the path! (after one rope of difficult rocks — exit back to snow). 40 m along the snowy ridge — exit to difficult rocks: chimneys 40–50° (in the upper part of the chimney — yellow rocks). The chimney is traversed with thorough piton belay. After the chimney, one rope of easy rocks with a 20-meter slab, then broken, snow-covered rocks and a gully with flowstone ice and loose stones. Belay is difficult to organize. Above the gully:

• 2–3 ropes of the path upwards along the snowy (in the upper part — icy) ridge;
• exit to the junction of the northeastern counterfort and the eastern edge. Exit to the eastern edge:
• 20 m of steps with chopping;
• belay via ice and rocky outcrops;
• from the overnight stay — 4–6 hours. Through the breaches and destructions of the eastern edge (cornice), one rope to the entrance to the gully formed by the rocks of the southeastern counterfort and the eastern edge.

(20­–30) pitches. Further, through three ropes of difficult path along the wide snowy ridge (on the right - eaves) - exit to a small gendarme formed by the junction of the southwest counterforce with the Eastern ridge of peak "Shetor". After going around the gendarme (on the right) - exit to a sharp rocky-snow ridge. The ridges are heavily destroyed. When moving - alternate insurance through ledges. Two ropes of the ridge path lead under a steep snowy ascent, resting through 40­–50 m into the pre-summit spur of t. k. "Shotor". From peak Druzei - 1­–1.5 hours. The outer route along the wall (a difficult place) is passed first along the inner corner (8-10 m) under an overhanging stone, and then to the right under a couloir (difficult insurance). The exit to the couloir is done with the help of hanging ladders, further - along a longitudinal,

From the Polish bivouacs on the ridge, the route goes along the main edge of the Kara-Bel spur across the plateau. Crossing the lateral ridges leading to the Snezhny and Balkon peaks, we reach a saddle on the main ridge (the saddle - good weather). From the saddle, on the right side of the main edge, we ascend a steep snow-ice slope to the summit (on the last 200 m the steepness is up to 50°). From the Polish bivouacs - 3 hours. Descent follows the ascent route.