Report

ON ASCENT TO KRUMKOL PEAK VIA THE NORTHERN EDGE (TIMOFEEV ROUTE) 6A CAT. DIFFICULTY BY THE TEAM OF MILITARY UNIT 01355 FROM JULY 21 TO JULY 22, 2020

I. Ascent Report

PASSPORT

1. Technical class
2. Caucasus, Mijirgi gorge
3. Peak Krumkol 4676 m via the left part of the North face
4. Difficulty category — 5B, 2nd ascent
5. Elevation gain — 1576 m, length — 1935 m Length of sections with 5–6 difficulty category — 875 m, including 175 m of 6th category. Average steepness of the wall section — 55°
6. Pitons hammered in: | Rock | Bolted | Nuts | Ice | | :--: | :----: | :--: | :--: |

LYALVER, 4350 m, via NE ridge (from N. Tsanner Pass), Cat. 2B diff. Initial bivouac — on the edge of the rocky side of the Lower Tsanner icefall (point 3). From N. Tsanner Pass, move along the snowy NE ridge, to the right of the ridge line, to a rocky outcrop. Leaving the outcrop on the right, ascend 200 m up a snowy-icy slope with a slope angle of up to 45°, reaching the rocks. Ascend the rocks 300–350 m to a snowy ridge and continue up the ridge to the summit. From the pass, 3–4 hours. Descent via the ascent route — 2 hours.

141. Lyalver — Tetnuld (the route is combined, by I. Shintlmeister, category 4B difficulty level, fig. 20, 22). From the village of Zhabishi, ascend via the trail on the left bank of the Tsanner River and, bypassing the first step of the icefall, descend onto the glacier. Along the left side of the glacier, approach the second step, which is traversed on its left side. The third step is also passed on the left via the snowy-icy slopes of the spur, and beyond it, exit onto the upper plateau of the Tsanner Glacier. On the moraine, in the center of the upper plateau, closer to the slopes of Tikhtengen on the Tsanner площадках (Tsanner sites), set up the initial bivouac. From the village of Zhabishi, it takes 10–14 hours. From the bivouac site, turn right

68. Traverse of the Eastern and Western Mizhirgi peaks with ascent to the Eastern Mizhirgi via the North-Eastern counterfort - 5B cat. diff. (A. Timofeev, V. Zhirnov, V. Ivanov, L. Kadykov, A. Pepin, and G. Chunovkin - July 29 - August 4, 1960; Fig. 23, 24). The route from the Bezengi alpine camp to the medial moraine of the Mizhirgi glacier above the first stage of the icefall is described in route 18. The moraine is used as a bivouac. From the bivouac (with crampons!) traverse the glacier to the foot of the North-Eastern counterfort of the Eastern Mizhirgi peak and ascend a 250 m ice-and-snow slope to the left side of the counterfort. Ascend 80 m up and to the right along moderately difficult snow-covered slabs, then ascend a small snow slope to the foot of the counterfort wall. Ascend 80 m up and to the right along the wall ("live" rocks!) with piton belay, then 70 m straight up the counterfort (artificial aids!) to a ledge (control cairn on the ledge). From the ledge, ascend 60 m up a snow slope on the right side of the counterfort, then 25 m up and left along a chimney to the counterfort. From here, ascend 25 m along a rocky, then 20-25 m along a snowy counterfort to the foot of the first gendarme wall. Ascend 35 m straight up the wall to a ledge, then traverse 15-20 m along an internal corner. From the corner, traverse 20-25 m along the wall to the right to a ledge below a crevice, then ascend 20 m up the crevice to a smooth wall. Ascend 30 m up and to the right along the wall to an external corner, then 30 m up the corner, followed by a traverse to the right with a descent behind the gendarme to a snowy col on the ridge (piton belay!). Ascend along the snowy ridge to the foot of the second gendarme. From here, ascend a snowy slope on the right side of the ridge, then descend to the right without reaching the gendarme, to a wide snowy ridge-slope. The ridge-slope is used as a bivouac. The total time from the initial bivouac is 12-14 hours.

90. Missestau via the West Couloir and the South Ridge — Cat. 3A (A. Germogenov, M. Afanasiev and N. Nikolaev — July 1931; Figs. 25, 31). From the Bezengi alpine camp, follow the trail along the left moraine of the Bezengi gorge up to the Misseskozh hut, then continue along the trail on the moraine. 30 minutes later, from the large stone with the inscription "VCSPS – 1935", turn left and climb up the grassy slopes and scree to a wide scree couloir. Ascend the couloir on its right side (beware of falling stones from the left walls!). Bypass the "ram's foreheads" in the upper part of the couloir on the left and ascend via the scree to the right lowering of the West Ridge of Missestau. At this point, the ridge drops steeply on the south side to the icefall of the hanging glacier flowing from the North Ridge of Dykhtau. On the south side of the ridge are the "Russian Bivouac" sites. Water is available 25–30 m higher up the ridge. From the Bezengi alpine camp — 5–6 hours. From the "Russian Bivouac":

• 20–30 m up the ridge, then 120–150 m along the horizontal ledge on its right side — exit onto the glacier.
• Cross the glacier (in crampons), bypassing crevices on the right — exit to a wide snow couloir descending from the col of the South Ridge of Missestau.
• On the right side of the couloir (beware of rockfall and avalanches!) — 250–300 m ascent.
• From under the "ram's foreheads" — traverse to the left side of the couloir and ascend it to a rocky angle.
• From the angle, via a steep, sharply narrowing ice-and-snow couloir (loose rocks, rockfall, piton belay!) — ascent to the col of the South Ridge of Missestau, left of the rocky tower of the South Gendarme.
• From the col, traverse left and via easy rocks on the ridge — exit below the pre-summit tower, which is bypassed on the right along a wide snowy rock ledge. It is also possible to ascend the tower directly along the ridge.

Description of Ascending to Ptitsa Peak (traversing South and North peaks) Cat. III

Day I

Early morning departure from the alpine camp. Trek via moraine, then glacier to the 3rd step of the Kundryum-Mizhirgi icefall (see route description for Koshtan-tau via North ridge, Cat. IV). Lunch and rest at the campsite on the 3rd step. Descent to the glacier and then to the upper cirque of Kundryum-Mizhirgi glacier, below Ptitsa, at 5–6 PM. The icefall leading to the upper cirque ("4th step") is traversed either near the West ridge of Kundryum-Mizhirgi peak or through a labyrinth of crevasses in the middle section. Overnight on snow below Ptitsa. Total duration on Day I: 8–12 hours.

Day II

From the campsite, ascend a snowy slope and navigate through a minor bergschrund towards a poorly defined couloir on the right side of Ptitsa massif, gradually turning into a narrow cleft. Moderate rock climbing difficulty (5 ropes). The cleft leads to a rock wall, bypassed upwards-rightwards on ice (2 ropes). Continue ascending a snow-ice slope via rock outcrops towards the saddle between Ptitsa and the ice dome on Koshtan-tau's North ridge (5 ropes). Before reaching the saddle (1.5 ropes away), veer into a narrow snowy couloir ascending leftwards. After 30 meters, the couloir becomes a steep crevice with flow ice – the route's first critical section.

Between July 30 and August 7, 1966, the LOS DSO "Trud" team (team of the A. N. Krylov CRI) consisting of:

1. PUGACHEV A. D. — Master of Sports, leader
2. PUSHKARSKY V. I. — 1st sports category, participant
3. ANTONOVSKY D. I. —
4. MANOILOV Yu. S. — completed the traverse of p. Pushkin — East Mijirgi. On p. Pushkin, the group ascended for the first time via the left counterfort of the southern wall. Peak Pushkin (5100 m) is a small gendarme in the Northern spur of the Main Caucasian Range between the peaks Zapadnaya Mijirgi (4922 m) and Dykh-Tau (5198 m). Its southern side is a ruined rocky massif intersected by deep snow-and-ice couloirs. The presence of counterforts and sheer sections allows for interesting and logical ascent routes to any part of the Dykh-Tau — Mijirgi ridge, including Peak Pushkin. The difficulty of the proposed routes from the south to p. Pushkin, according to the participants of this traverse, lies within 4B–5B category. It should be noted that there are existing classified routes of 5A category to Dykh-Tau and Zapadnaya Mijirgi from the south. The proximity to these most popular peaks and, perhaps, the difficulty of the descent may explain the lack of ascent routes to p. Pushkin until recently. Although the southern wall of p. Pushkin has been featured several times as an ascent object in the USSR alpine climbing championships (e.g., in 1962, the LOS DSO "Trud" team submitted one of the ascent options to p. Pushkin from the south), the first route to this peak was only completed in July 1966 by Gorevsky's team (LOS DSO "Trud"). The ascent to p. Pushkin from the south via the left counterfort, made during this traverse, is the second such route. Below is a description of the ascent route to p. Pushkin.

Tactical plan and organization of the ascent

Salynan-B. via SW ridge, cat. 2B

The path from the Bezengi camp goes along the right (orographically) lateral moraine of the Bezengi Glacier to the meadow and the Barankosh Lake (2.5–3 hours). From the lake, we first go up steep grassy slopes and then scree until we reach a wide ridge running from Kel-Bashi towards the slopes of Salynan. The path begins to the right of the stream and rocky outcrop and continues towards a large light-gray scree. Black shale fine scree and a snowfield should remain on the left. Having reached approximately the middle of the large scree, we traverse left towards the SW ridge along the fine black scree (2.5–3 hours). The bivouac is set up on the horizontal part of this ridge, closer to the slopes of Salynan. Water can be found on the other side of Kel within 10 minutes - on a snowfield. From the bivouac, descend to a snowy plateau and head towards the western ridge, to the rightmost (en route) and widest snow couloir in the ridge, adjacent to a sharply rising edge leading to the summit of Salynan. The path through the snow couloir (early in the morning or late in the summer - with crampons) should be kept slightly closer to its left side, towards two rocky outcrops in the middle part of the couloir, and then to the left branch, reaching a wide col at the base of the western ridge of Salynan peak (12–15 pitches, 45–50%).

Fig. 25

1. Ascent to Sofrudju peak (3785 m) — cat. d. 1B (fig. 25)

From Dombayskaya polyana cross the bridge over the Alibek river and follow the trail to the stream descending from the large Belalakay couloir. Cross the stream to the snowfield and ascend it for 300–350 m. Then turn left into the Sofrudju couloir (danger of rockfall!) and ascend it to a large overhanging rock. Continue straight up the steep section to the trail and follow it to Medvezhya (Med­ve­zh­'ya) polyana. From Medvezhya polyana ascend 300–350 m up the eastern slope of Belalakay through the snow — exit to the Sofrudju bivouac. From Dombayskaya polyana — 5–6 hours.