Peak Legostaeva (4392 m)

Ascent via the southern ridge — beyond category difficulty (Fig. 7)

The peak, named after one of the first Kazakhstani alpinists Legostaev, is located in the upper reaches of the left tributary of the Ozernaia River, in the cirque of the Cherny Glacier. A small spur extends south from the summit, on the western slope of which there is a hanging glacier of the same name. Fig. 7 It is convenient to organize the initial bivouac at Ozerny Pass. Descend into the Almaty River valley and, bypassing a series of rocky ridges, reach

Manshuk Mametova Peak 2A cat. via 3rd slope from Mametova Glacier

Route description. From the Alpengrad site, take the trail to Manshuk-Mametova Glacier. Move along it towards the saddle between Manshuk-Mametova and Antikainen peaks under the ice wall. Organize rope teams after crossing the even part of the glacier. At the beginning of the ascent, the route goes along a snow-ice slope with a steepness of up to 35° (rope protection is set up). Then, traverse left towards the foot of the ice-snow forehead. To overcome the forehead, it is necessary to set up rope protection, sometimes piton belay. Further, navigating through crevices, reach the saddle. When moving in the upper part of the glacier, use piton belay. From the saddle, ascend via a couloir along small scree, then along snow or ice. When moving in the couloir, stick to the left side. In case of ice exposure in its upper part, set up rope protection. The couloir leads to moderate-difficulty rocks. From there, continue to a steep snow patch, the passage of which requires thorough belay and great caution (the massif of the peak drops off towards Manshuk-Mametova Glacier with a 300-meter wall). When ascending with large groups, from the exit from the couloir to the summit, it is necessary to set up rope protection (2 ropes). A cairn with a note is located in the northern part of the summit. Descend via the ascent route. The ascent takes 9-10 hours.

Recommendations:

• 1. Number of participants: 12-14 people.

2. Initial bivouac: Alpengrad.
3. Departure from bivouac at 5:00 AM.
4. Equipment for a group of 4 people:

• main rope 2 × 30 m
• rock pitons: 4-5 pcs.
• ice screws: 4-6 pcs.

Description of M. Mametova's route to the summit via the ridge

The approach to the start of the route is via the Mametova glacier, then through the eponymous pass to the Byrdjiga glacier, which is crossed to the left of the icefall. The ascent to the eastern ridge of the summit is made up a snowy slope with a steepness of 40–45°, then over snow lying on an icy base. In the lower section, the group can move simultaneously, but higher up, crampons must be worn and hook belays used. Further, the slope becomes gentler and leads to the first crevasse, which is bypassed on the left. From the first crevasse, there is about 100 m of ascent continuing up the snowy slope (up to 40°). As the ridge is approached, the steepness increases. It is recommended to overcome this section 5–7 m to the left of the snowy crest. Belay via ice axe. The final meters are traversed over a thin layer of snow, in places over pure ice (crampons, hook belay). On the rocky ridge is a control cairn. The path to the first gendarme is not difficult: when traversing the snowy ridge, keep to the left side (snow cornices hang down on the right). The first gendarme consists of solid rocky formations. To ascend it, one must:

• initially go straight up,
• then bypass to the left via ledges,
• then again exit to the left side. Belay via rock outcrops. From the gendarme, the route leads to easy rocks on the ridge, to the second gendarme, which is overcome head-on. In this place, one should be wary of rockfall (be careful!). The movement continues over a snowy slope turning into a sharp snowy crest, up to 15 m long. Belay via ice axe. On the right side, snow cornices overhang. Passing easy rocks, one ascends to the third gendarme, which is taken head-on with hook belay. Here is the second control cairn. Descending from the gendarme leads to a snowy saddle and onto the northern ridge. The exit to the summit is completed over uncomplicated rocks.

Description of Mayakovsky Route, Cat. Difficulty, via the Ridge

To the north of Peak Ordzhonikidze in the Maly-Almaty spur system, the beautiful and soaring Peak Mayakovsky rises. The ascent begins from the Mynzhilki weather station. After crossing the terminal and lateral moraines of the Tuyuk-Su glacier in the direction of the northwest lateral ridge of Peak Ordzhonikidze, and 50 m before reaching the ridge, turn left. Ascend via a steep scree to the terminal part of the Western Ordzhonikidze glacier, then follow it to the ice fall. Bypass it on the right and ascend via scree at the foot of the western lateral ridge of Peak Mayakovsky, continuing to the last ridge of rocks descending from the summit. From here, ascend to the western ridge of the summit via broken, easy rocks or, further to the right, via a couloir filled with medium and fine scree. The path from the Mynzhilki weather station to the foot of the couloir takes:

• 3–4 hours Having ascended to the ridge, turn right and approach the main northern ridge of the summit. Move along its eastern side for 15–18 m. Traverse along a terrace, which is interrupted by an outer corner and leads to a narrow, almost vertical couloir, turning into a chimney with a cork in its upper part. This section of the route requires careful piton belay. From the exit of the chimney, traverse left and, after 5–6 m, ascend along the wall to a platform in front of a smooth 5-meter wall with a narrow crack. Overcome the second wall via this crack, and then exit to an inclined platform with loose rocks (be cautious!). Above the platform stands a gendarme; it is bypassed on the left via an inclined ledge. Then ascend via a sheer inner corner to the rocky tower of the pre-summit. The rocks are heavily broken.

Description of Mayakovsky Route, 3B via the South Ridge

The ascent begins with a climb to the Ordzhonikidze pass (an initial bivouac can be organized here). From there, descend towards the so-called "частокол" (palisade) and, rounding a large gendarme to the right, reach the "частокол" connecting the peaks of Ordzhonikidze and Mayakovsky. Then, ascend via scree to a narrow saddle, from which a wall with good holds leads to a slab (running belay, 1 piton). Overcoming a ridge via severely damaged rocks, approach the foot of a chimney (running belay, 2 pitons). Behind the chimney lies a ledge; an ascent via a crack leads to an inclined ledge and a second chimney (running belay, 3-4 pitons), which brings you to a ridge composed of monolithic rocks (belay via protrusions). The rocks are of medium difficulty, with challenging sections in places. Ascend along the ridge to the summit. Descent is via the ascent route. The ascent takes 8-9 hours. The first ascent was made on August 18, 1945, by a group of instructors from the mountain training school, consisting of:

• N. Divari,
• N. Petrovich,
• P. Semenov, under the leadership of K. Strekalov.

Recommendations

1. The number of participants should not exceed 6 people.

Peak Mayakovsky via the Eastern Ridge, cat. 3B, "Telnyashka", I. Cherepov 1952

Having ascended the road above Mynzhilki, pass the "Black Stone" memorial, after which ascend the moraine ridge of the Tuyuk-Su glacier, along which move to the cirque of Peak Mayakovsky. At the entrance to the cirque there are:

• Campsites,
• "Kresty" campsite (a white cross is drawn on the rock nearby). Then move up along the moraine and the Ordzhonikidze West glacier until you reach its gentle part. You will be faced with "Telnyashka" — a rocky wall cut by

Mayakovskogo 4A c.t. via the Eastern Wall buttress (Aleksashina)

Route description. Descending from the initial bivouac on the Ordzhonikidze Pass to the Ordzhonikidze East Glacier, traverse along the wall of Mayakovskogo peak. Approximately from its midpoint, a ridge extends southwards, behind which the Eastern Wall with grey-black streaks rises. There's a noticeable saddle in the ridge from where the route begins. The saddle is prominent on the bright red rocks of the ridge. To the right of it, the rocks are reddish, and to the left, they are black, with a stepped structure. This is the first control point. The route proceeds as follows:

• From the saddle, ascend directly up the black, then grey rocks towards a wall with a cleft (70–80 m).
• Reach a large ledge (piton belay, 4 pitons).
• Near the wall, there's a large boulder — here, for belaying while moving in the chimney; there are cracks for piton belay.
• From here, turn left onto a small ledge behind a rock outcrop.
• Move slightly downwards, then along a wide ledge to the junction point of the routes on the southeast and east walls of Mayakovskogo peak (piton belay).
• The entire group can assemble here. The final part of the route is described in the previous section. The ascent takes 13–14 hours. Descent is from the southern side to the Ordzhonikidze Pass. This route was first laid by a group of climbers from the "Kok Bastau" alpine camp under the leadership of L. Aleksashin in 1956.

Mayakovsky 4A cat. via South-Eastern wall (Savukhin's route)

Route description. The approach to the South-Eastern wall of peak Mayakovsky is through Ordzhonikidze or Antikainen passes. Special attention should be paid to the descent from Antikainen pass down a steep snowy slope. When moving, strictly stick to the middle of the slope (rockfall). Go around the massif of Antikainen peak and Отечественной Войны peak, reach the South-Eastern wall of peak Mayakovsky. Initial bivouac is on the moraine of the Eastern Ordzhonikidze glacier. To study the rockfall regime, spend two days under the south-eastern wall. Start the ascent very early. The ascent to the wall is via easy rocks, alternating with talus. Then there is a section of slabs with a steepness of 25–30° (first control point), which lead directly to the foot of the south-eastern wall of the peak. At the first stage, move along a vaguely expressed crevice, the walls of which are monolithic, with a steepness of 75–80°. The first climber has to ascend to the full length of the rope, extremely cautiously, deviating slightly to the right. Only after 30 m, on a small ledge, above which there is a 3–4-meter wall, is there a crack (piton belay). Only one person can be taken to the platform.

Ascent to the summit Metallurg via the North-West ridge, route 4Б cat. diff. (Fig. 49). The summit Metallurg is located in the main ridge of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, to the North-East of the Talgar massif. The approach path to the summit from the alpinist camp "Talgar" starts along the trail past the training rocks of the Eastern ridge and goes to the terminal moraine of the Ozerny glacier. Cross the terminal moraine and exit to the right (orographically) lateral moraine of the glacier, then:

• go along the lateral moraine,
• continue moving along the glacier. In 5-6 hours, the foot of the couloir is reached, leading to the saddle of the North-West ridge of the summit Metallurg. Here, on the moraine of the Ozerny glacier, it is possible to make the first overnight stay. There is water. The ascent to the saddle, taking an hour and a half, begins the route. On the saddle is the 1st control point. From the saddle, a small descent and going around the first gendarme along the firn slope with a steepness of up to 45°, after which the ascent begins along the first rocky wall. Height Fig. 49

2. Traverse of Sulakhat summit from north to south — 2A cat. diff. (see Fig. 7)

From the northern summit, left and down into the pass. Then along the ridge (insurance through ledges!) to the control cairn. From the cairn, descend to the right along the crevice to a shelf and along it (piton insurance!) to the next ridge saddle. Then along the ridge to a 30-meter wall. Descend along it to the ridge. From the ridge, descend to the right to a shelf and then along the ridge to the base of the South summit. Ascent to the South summit along the ridge. Descent from the South summit to the right along a gully (insurance!) to a shelf and along it to exit to a narrow snow patch in a couloir. Then along the couloir (insurance!) to a large snowfield and down it. Then exit left along grassy slopes and scree to a trail and along it to the bivouac. The route from bivouac to traverse and back to bivouac takes 8–9 hours.

Recommendations for climbers

1. Number of participants in a group — no more than 8 people.
2. Initial bivouac — lower Sulakhatskaya nochevka.
3. Departure time from bivouac — no later than 5:00.
4. Special equipment for a group of 4 people: a) main rope — 2×30 m; b) expendable cordelette — 2–3 m; c) rock pitons — 4; d) ice pitons — 3 (in the second half of summer); e) rock hammers — 2; f) carabiners — 8; g) crampons 4 pairs (in the second half of summer).
5. Possible bivouac locations on the North, Central summits and under the South summit.