Fig. 57

1. Ascent to the peak Perednyaya Chotcha (3637 m) via the counterfort of the northern wall — category 4B difficulty (fig. 57)

From Dombay plain by car to the Severny shelter. From the Severny shelter:

• via a log across the Khokel river
• further along the trail on the left side of the Chotcha gorge to the snowy couloir under the northern wall of the Chotcha peak Ascent:
• up the middle of the couloir to its middle part
• then via the "ram's foreheads" and uncomplicated rocks

Fig. 58

3. Ascent to the Perednyaya Chotcha peak via the northwestern ridge — category 4B difficulty (Fig. 58)

From the Northern refuge along a log over the Khokel river and along the trail alongside the Chotcha river to the foot of the northwestern ridge — bivouac. From the Northern refuge 1–2 hours. From the bivouac along the slope and grassy ledges left-upwards under the first overhanging spur on the ridge. Bypass the spur from the left (protection through the spurs!), then right-upwards onto the ridge to a loose couloir (rockfall danger!) and along it under the 100-meter wall of the first ascent. Along the wall of the ascent:

• right — upwards 35–40 m,
• then left — upwards,
• exit onto grassy ledges (protection through the spurs, partially bolted!). Further:

ASCENT PASSPORT

1. Ascent class — rock climbing
2. Ascent area — Western Caucasus (from Marukh pass to Nakhar pass)
3. Peak, its height, ascent route — Semyonov-Bashi peak 3602 m via the central bastion of the southern wall
4. Expected difficulty category — 3A
5. Height difference — 1100 m
6. Pitons driven (rock anchors for belaying) — 4
7. Number of travel hours — 5
8. Participants — Abarbarchuk Georgy Samuilovich, CMS, 2nd sports category. Boyko Viktor Viktorovich, CMS, 3rd sports category.
9. Date of team's departure on the route and return — July 8, 1981

Brief Description of the Approach

From the "Alibek" mountaineering camp in the direction of the "73" pass, follow the trail through the stream under the waterfall and then along the stream from the slopes of v. Semenov-Bashi up the trail to a steep grassy slope. Having passed it, exit to the left ridge of the upper moraine. Follow the trail on the moraine for about 500 m and then traverse left along a steep grassy-scree slope to the ridge of large and medium scree in a small hanging valley, going from the saddle between v. Semenov-Bashi and v. Maly Semenov-Bashi. Possible bivouac site, water available.

Brief Description of the Route

From the bivouac, follow the medium and large scree (at the beginning and middle of the season, along a snowy slope) 500 m in the direction of the saddle between v. Semenov-Bashi and v. Maly Semenov-Bashi and, 150 m before it, turn right onto a ledge. Along the 0.5–2 m wide ledge (1–2) 400 m to a snow-scree couloir, leading left of the "Lopata" gendarme. Up the couloir 100 m and, bypassing the gendarme on the left, 50 m along the ridge to a 35-meter wall with a vaguely defined internal angle, steepness 50–60°. Up the wall straight with piton belay (possible rockfall) to a sharp ridge. Then traverse 5 m to the right into an internal angle of slab-like structure, steepness 40°, and up it 35 m (pitons), exit to the ridge. Further along a gentle ridge 60 m — exit under the black wall. From here, traverse along a ledge to the right 40 m to a wide scree southern slope of the summit and along it 300 m to the right-up to a notch. Then 100–120 m along the ridge (route 1B cat. dif.) to the summit. Descent via route 1B cat. dif. Control tour is installed on the ledge when bypassing the "Lopata" gendarme. Here is also a convenient place for a forced bivouac.

Table of Main Characteristics of the Ascent Route

PASSPORT

Ascent to v. Hokel via the Eastern ridge

1. Ascent class — rock climbing
2. Ascent area — Western Caucasus, Main Caucasian Range
3. Peak, route — v. Hokel, 3645 m, ascent via the Eastern ridge from the saddle between v. Hokel and the Nameless peak on the left.
4. Proposed difficulty category — 4B
5. Route characteristics: elevation gain — 700 m length of sections: II cat. diff. — 400 m

Dalar Peak — 3979 m

Ascent from the south — Cat. 4A difficulty (Description as you move towards the summit) The path from the camp to Dalar Pass — see the description of the Cat. 3B route. From Dalar Pass, along the snowy slope to the left, bypassing the southern counterfort of Maly Dalar and the counterforts of Bolshoy Dalar, to the snowy isthmus between the wall of the II counterfort (on the right) and the "sheep's foreheads" (on the left). Ascend up the snow and, at the end of the isthmus, turn right onto smoothed rocks and exit onto the shoulder of the II counterfort. This is a bivouac site. First control point. From Dalar Pass — 2 hours 30 minutes. From the bivouac, to the right of the characteristic wall "camel", exit onto the ledges to a 10-meter wall. Go straight through the wall (with pitons!) onto the scree and ascend up and to the right onto a snowy slope with a slope of up to 30°. Traverse it, avoiding rocky outcrops, and, to the right of a large boulder, exit onto broken rocks and continue ascending to the saddle of the main eastern ridge of the summit tower. From the bivouac — 2 hours.

Gvandra East Peak

Ascent from the col between Srednyaya and East peaks, cat. II. For the approach to the col, see the description of the traverse of Srednyaya and Main Gvandra. From the col, ascend the snowfield to a snowy gendarme and descend from it to a lowering in the ridge. Bypass the first rocky "finger" on the right via an inside corner, 5 m — piton! Descend into a gap to the 2nd "finger" along the snowy ridge. Bypass the next "finger" on the left along the snow. Careful belaying — the snow layer is very thin on the slabs and on the rolled-in ice! The third "finger" is a monolithic rocky block of reddish color — pass it on the left along a chip — pitons! Belay! The rest of the group members can go left of the chip using a fixed rope. From the "finger" top, descend along the snow to the col to the last gendarme-"finger". Bypass it on the left along a ledge with an overhanging slab — belay! Piton! — and reach the rocky ridge, which leads to the eastern peak. From the col to the summit — 3–3.5 hours.

1. Western Caucasus, Uzunkol gorge, 2.3
2. Peak name: Dalar, North-Eastern edge
3. Category 5B complexity
4. Route type: combined
5. Elevation gain: 1000 m Route length: 1422 Section lengths:

• Category V complexity: 830
• Category VI complexity: 10 Average steepness:

Ascent Passport

1. Technical class
2. Caucasus, Uzunkol gorge
3. Dalar via the center of the bastion (Ivaschenko route 1982)
4. Proposed category: 6A
5. Height difference: 939 m, of which 520 m is wall climbing; total route length is 1310 m, of which 550 m is wall climbing Section lengths:

• Category 5 – 250 m
• Category 6 – 210 m

6. Average steepness of the wall section — 71°

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.