Ascent Passport

Ascent Category — Rock Climbing

ASCENT AREA — CENTRAL CAUCASUS, PRIELBRUSIE, MONGOLIAN PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC PEAK NORTH-EAST via the South Ridge. Estimated category: 3B. Route characteristics: height difference — 530 m, average steepness — 45°, section lengths: I — 70 m, II — 150 m, III — 440 m, IV — 60 m. Pitons hammered on the route: for belay, for creating intermediate belay points: rock — 17, ice — , bolted — . Travel time — 8 hours. Number of overnight stays and their characteristics: none. Names and patronyms of the leader and participants: OSIPOV OLEG FYODOROVICH — CMS, leader; SALAZKO MIKHAIL NIKOLAEVICH — 1st category, participant; LAVROV NIKOLAI VLADIMIROVICH — 2nd category, observer; SNEZHKO YURIY VASIL'EVICH — 3rd category, observer. Team coach: Head of the training department at Adyl-su tourist center, senior instructor, Master of Sports of the USSR KUSSEL-MOROZ N.A. The ascent was made on August 14, 1978.

128

Description

Ascent to Peak MNR-Northeast

Via the South Ridge (Category 3B difficulty)

From the bivouac on the green shoulder above the Kurmy Glacier, head towards the VTsPS pass until the first clearly visible couloir descending from Peak MNR-Northeast. Ascend 80 m along the scree of the couloir, sticking to the left (in the direction of travel) side, to a rock plug and:

• Traverse 40 m to the left along rock ledges and then medium-difficulty rocks to a ledge on the South Ridge;
• From the ledge, ascend 20 m up medium-difficulty rocks to under a 12-meter wall. The wall is climbed using difficult climbing with the application of an artificial point of support (piton-carabiner) in its middle part. Then:
• Ascend 30 m along difficult rocks, sticking to the left side of the ridge, to approach a 6-meter chimney;

ROUTE SCHEME IN UIAA SYMBOLS

Fig. 40.

277. Mazeri East via East Ridge (a combined route, I. Solodueva, cat. 5A, fig. 32, 40). From Okhotnichye Ploshchadki (point 258), cross Ushbinsky Glacier to the right (closed crevasses) and ascend its southeastern branch to Mazeri Pass, located between the wall of South Ushba and the first pinnacle of Mazeri East Ridge. From the glacier, bypassing the bergschrund on the right, ascend a steep snow-firn slope (falling rocks from Ushba walls) and steep moderate rocks to Mazeri Pass. For the ascent path to Mazeri Pass from Gulsky Glacier, see point 256. From the pass, ascend easy rocks of the East Ridge to the first pinnacle (cairn). Bypass the second pinnacle on the left via crumbling ledges, then reach a notch. From the notch, ascend steep easy and moderate rocks of the East Ridge with a 3-4-meter difficult wall to the third pinnacle, from where a 25-30 m rappel descends to a col beneath the fourth pinnacle. Overcome the fourth pinnacle, and then the fifth ("Tower") directly via easy and moderate snow-covered rocks of the East Ridge with a 30-40 m rappel to a col area (cornice). Continue along the East Ridge:

• a small snow-covered seventh pinnacle (cornices);
• descend from the ridge to the left and traverse via crumbling rocks of moderate and above-moderate difficulty,
• crossing snowy-ice gullies,
• ascend a steep snowy slope to a snowy notch of the East Ridge of the seventh pinnacle with "Mazeri Gates". From the notch:

279. Mazeri Zapadnaya via North Ridge (combined route, V. Staritskiy, cat. 4A, Fig. 32, 40). From Okhotnichye Ploshchadki (point 258) cross Ushbinsky Glacier to the right and approach the left side of the base of the North Ridge of Mazeri Zapadnaya peak via its southern branch. From the glacier, ascend a snow-ice slope with a bergschrund in the middle part, then traverse simple rocks on the left side to reach the North Ridge. From there, ascend rocks of medium difficulty, partially severely damaged, along the North Ridge. Continue along the snow-ice ridge - slope to a rocky outcrop. Ascend steep rocks of medium difficulty with two challenging wall sections to a small snow slope. Traverse the slope to the right and ascend to a platform via simple and medium-difficulty rocks along the ridge. Bivouac. From Okhotnichye Ploshchadki, 6-8 hours. From the platform, ascend 100-120 m along the ice-snow ridge, then 120-150 m along rocks of medium difficulty, and further along steep, snow-covered rocks (100-120 m) with difficulty above medium and 3-5-meter wall sections along the North Ridge to reach the platform of the Big Gendarme. The Gendarme can be bypassed:

• to the right, traversing a couloir (chimney). From here, ascend 80-100 m along simple, damaged, and snow-covered rocks on the left side of the West Ridge to reach the summit of Mazeri Zapadnaya. From the bivouac, 6-8 hours. Fig. 40.

Report on the first ascent by the team of the multipurpose mountaineering club "FRILINE" from Essentuki to the summit of Lkha (Western) 2625 m

via the SW couloir of the slope. Presumably Category 1B difficulty. Team leader: Donskov Andrey Mikhailovich Coach: Motienko Nikolai Ilyich Essentuki 2017 Addresses: 357500, Stavropol Krai, Pyatigorsk, Sovetskaya St., 137, Motienko N. I. phone: +7-928-361-90-66, nik-motienko@mail.ru 357500, Stavropol Krai, Pyatigorsk, Mira St., 19, apt. 22, Donskov A. M. phone: +7-962-017-82-09, donskov91@mail.ru Coach: Motienko N. I.

319. Leyrag via the Western Ridge (combined route, Suprunov's category, beyond category, fig. 32, 43).

To the right of the Leyrag glacier (m. 316) upwards along the northern slopes of the Nameless Peak to the lowering in the Western ridge of Leyrag peak — Alpinist pass. Here, turn right and, crossing the bergschrund, ascend the steep snow-ice slope or, from the left, via the talus and easy rocks to the Alpinist pass. Bivouac. From Nakra settlement 5–7 hours. At the pass, turn left and move onto the rocks of the Western ridge of Leyrag peak. Via simple 200-meter rocks of the Western ridge, overcoming three small gendarmeries head-on (protection), reach a small plateau with a pond.

318. Leyrag via the North Face (combined route, L. Kensitsky, category 3B difficulty, fig. 32, 43). From the moraine (point 316) follow the Leyrag Glacier to the foot of the central part of Leyrag's North Face. From the glacier, cross the bergschrund and ascend an osypnoy (scree) couloir, then ascend easy snow-covered rocks of a ridge below the wall of the Lower Rock Belt. Climb a 15–20-meter wall of moderate difficulty (pitons) up to a slanting snowy terrace. Traverse the terrace (loose stones) rightwards to a rocky ridge. From it, climb up and right along the edge of ice and rocks.