Base camp “Bezengi” till the night stop on the Southern ridge of Utug spire - see description 18. From the night stop descend to the glacier above the third stage of the icefall and cross it to the right towards the Northern buttress of peak Tikhonov. Through the bergschrund, ascend a steep 100-meter snowy slope to the saddle of the Northern buttress of peak Tikhonov, left of the rocky spire Medved (Bear). On the saddle - a bivouac, from “Bezengi” base camp - 10–12 hours. From the bivouac:

• Bypass the rocks of the buttress on snow to the left.
• 300-meter ascent on the snowy Northern buttress of peak Tikhonov, not reaching 60–70 m to the black rocks.
• To the right, exit to a steep ice-snow slope below the Western wall of peak Tikhonov.
• Along it, 250–300-meter traverse (pitons! rockfall!) with a descent from it along the snowy ridge to the Krumkol collapse plateau. From the bivouac on the Northern buttress of peak Tikhonov - 4–5 hours. In the collapse:
• Bypass the spire by a 30-meter traverse to the left or right along simple icy rocks (protection!).

Kyundyum-Mizhyrgi (4500 m) via W and N ridge

From the bivouac on the SW spur of Panoramny peak (3900) cross the glacier tributary, enter the cirque of Kyundyum-Mizhyrgi pass and approach the beginning of the ascent to the pass. From here, 120–150 m along the snow shelf to the right under the walls of Skalniy peak, 150 m up a gentle snow gully, then 80 m up an ice-rock gully (with protection on ledges on the left) to a snow shoulder on the 3rd spur from the main ridge. From the shoulder, down and then 80 m up a snowy-icy gully on the left to the saddle on the N ridge of the summit. 3–4 hours from the bivouac. Kyundyum-Mizhyrgi From the saddle, 40 m along a steep, sharp snow ridge, 150–170 m along a flattening snow slope, and another 120–150 m along a snow ridge with rock outcrops (beware of cornices) to the summit. 1–1.5 hours from the saddle. Descent via the ascent route takes 2.5–3 hours. Hazardous places: closed crevasses on the glacier; rockfall hazard and natty ice on the shelf; possible cornices on the N ridge. Special equipment: 4–5 rock pitons; 2–3 ice screws; crampons for all participants.

Route Description to the Summit

Kundryum-Mijirgi via the Col

Kundryum-Mijirgi (via Pik Skal'nyi) 3A cat. diff.

Day I

From the Bezengi alpine camp to overnight stays on the third stage of the Kundryum-Mijirgi glacier.

Day 2

From overnight stays on the third stage to the Kundryum-Mijirgi col and to the summit of Pik Skal'nyi (see route description to Pik Skal'nyi 2B cat. diff.). Descent from the summit of Pik Skal'nyi directly north along the ridge is possible in two ways:

• — First — 20 m rappel on a double rope thrown over a ledge 2–3 m below the summit, then along a narrow shelf 5 m to the right and down 30 m through a rocky couloir to the saddle behind the summit.

Route description for Peak 4500 "Kundyum-Mijirgi" via the southeast ridge, category 3B difficulty.

Day I

Ascent to the third step of the "Kundyum-Mijirgi" icefall. (Refer to the route descriptions for Peak 4500 via the western ridge, category 3B difficulty, and via the northern ridge, category 3A difficulty.)

Day II

From the campsite on the third step, ascend to the plateau located above the fourth step of the icefall. The fourth step is bypassed either on the left along the rocks or through a labyrinth of crevasses in the middle part. Traverse the plateau, staying on its left side, towards the saddle between the "Ptitsa" peak and Peak 4500. Ascend to the saddle via a snowy couloir (with rock outcrops in the upper part), staying on the right side. The rocky gendarme (1) in the ridge between "Ptitsa" and Peak 4500 remains on the right. The ascent from the campsite on the third step to the saddle takes 2–4 hours. From the saddle, proceed along the ridge (moderately difficult rocks) for 6 rope lengths to a rectangular gendarme (rock) 4 m high. The rock is a key point on the route. For a team of 4, the following order is recommended for passing the rock. The first climber from the first rope team approaches the inner corner of the rock along a sharp snowy ridge and drives in the first piton for self-belaying and setting up a belay.

Lalver – Gestola, traverse, 3B cat. diff. The red dotted line is the ascent route. The blue dotted line indicates the 4A route. The black dotted line indicates a possible emergency descent option, the route is unclassified. Green labels — overnight stops.

• 4 — Chyornye Osypi bivouac.

1. Ascent to Gestola peak via Lalver

Gestola peak (4850 m) is located in the Main Caucasian Range, in the Bezingi Wall. Ascent to Gestola via Lalver is classified as 3B cat. diff.

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

The Western ridge - category 4B difficulty (G. Pro­kudaev, I. Kor­zun and V. Na­u­menko — July 1936). The path from the Bezengi alpine camp to the initial bivouac under the Sella pass see in the description 42. From the bivouac site across the glacier (in crampons!) in the direction of the snowy couloir descending from the saddle between the Pik Pushkina and the Unnamed 4880 m. Bergschrund bypass along the avalanche chute and behind it 80–100 m up the icy-snowy couloir (rockfall!). At a large rocky "tooth" to the right — exit to the rocks of the Southern counterfort of the Unnamed 4880 m and up to the right along the moderately difficult rocks to the ridge of the counterfort. Further movement along:

• moderately difficult rocks,
• simple rocky sections,
• snowy slopes,
• ledges,
• small 2–4-meter walls (insurance!),

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.

For «Russkie nochevki» (Russian bivouac) see description 90. From «Russkie nochevki» 20–30 m up the Zapadny (West) ridge, then 120–150 m along the horizontal ledge on its right side — exit to the glacier. Across the glacier (crampons!), bypassing crevasses on the right — exit to a wide snow couloir descending from the saddle of the Yuzhny (South) ridge of Missestau summit. On the right side of the couloir (stonefall! avalanches!) 100–120 m up, then traverse across the main couloir and along the first, steeper and narrower, couloir branching left 220–250 m up (piton belay!). At the end of the couloir along the wall 70–80 m up-left (difficult climbing! piton belay!) — ascent to the Zapadny (West) ridge.

Missees-Tau via North Ridge, Cat. 4B

From the base to the bivouac sites at the turn of the glacier under the base of the SE ridge of Brnoe Peak – 2.5–3 hours. Rounding this ridge from the left, ascend the grassy slope, then along the stream bed into the moraine-filled cirque of the glacier flowing from the South cirque of Brnoe Peak. Here, near the moraine lake, there are bivouac sites. Up the glacier tongue. The icefall is bypassed on the right along the boundary with the rocks (provided there is snow), or via rock-and-scree ledges. For training purposes and safety, it is recommended to traverse the icefall through the center, roped and with piton belays. The initial bivouac is in the South cirque, from the sites at the turn – 3–4 hours. An alternative initial bivouac is possible on the last snow col in the Brnoe–Missees-Tau ridge, the ascent to it from the cirque takes ~1 hour. In its lower part, the broad North ridge of Missees-Tau is covered with a glacier, which has several rises and ends in drops on the west and rock walls on the east. The second rise leads to a rock "island", from which a snowy ridge goes left, ending in rocks on the eastern wall (routes Cat. 5A and 5B also lead here). Move 30–40 m left of the right edge of the ridge, reaching the col of this ridge. At the left end of the ridge, on the boundary with the rocks, there is a bivouac site. A safe place to spend the night during a thunderstorm, protected from the wind, is in the bergschrund under the col. From the plateau – 3–4 hours.