Ascent Passport

1. Ascent class — rock
2. Ascent area — Western Caucasus (from Marukh pass to Makhar pass)
3. Peak, its height, ascent route — p. Yubileynyy (3567 m) via the Western wall
4. Estimated difficulty category — 5A
5. Route characteristics: elevation gain — 475 m length of sections with 5–6 difficulty category — 245 m average steepness — 67°
6. Pitons hammered:

South-east, 1B cat.

From Dombai clearing or h/c "Alibek" along the trail and grassy slopes and talus exit under Khrustalny pass, traverse steep spurs of the eastern ridge of Semenov-Bashi peak. Place for a bivouac — 3–4 hours. From the bivouac:

• Along a gentle slope in the direction of Khrustalny pass and, 100–150 m before the pass, left up a branched couloir.
• Up the couloir to the eastern ridge. Rockfall hazard!
• Then left along the ridge to the summit. Gendarmes are bypassed mainly on the right, downhill.
• At the beginning of summer — snow cornices on the north.

Fig. 22

1. Ascent to the summit of Zub Sofruju — category 2B (Fig. 22)

From Dombayskaya Polyana, cross the bridge over the Alibek River and follow the trail to the stream descending from the large Belalakaysky couloir. Cross the stream to the snowfield and ascend 300 m up. Then, move left into the Sofrujinsky couloir (prone to rockfall!) and ascend it to a large overhanging rock. Continue straight up the steep section to the trail and follow it to Medvezhya Polyana (Bear Glade). From Medvezhya Polyana, initially follow alpine meadows (trail), then snow, and after 300–350 m, move left of the eastern slopes of Belalakaya to reach the Sofrujinsky bivouac. The journey from Dombayskaya Polyana takes 5–6 hours. From the bivouac (in rope teams!), descend to the Sofrujinsky Glacier, traverse between the upper and lower icefalls, and reach the base of the summit massif. Ascend the steep (50–55°) snow slope (partially rocky), reach the ridge, and follow it to a snow saddle. Continue along the snowy ridge to a wall. In the second half of summer, ice is present on this section — crampons and ice axes are required. The ridge is sharp (belay required!).

• Ascend the 18–20-meter wall (2 pitons!)
• Continue along the broken ridge to a steep ascent

Fig. 38

1. Ascent to the summit of Yuzhny Ptysh (3500 m) 2–6 cat. diff. (Fig. 38)

From Dombayskaya polyana through Dombayskoye gorge (trail) to the right of Chuchkhurskiye waterfalls to Ptyshskaya bivouac. Further:

• across scree
• then left of moraine (trail)
• left — upwards to the upper cirque of Kruzevnoye glacier
• across the glacier to the right — upwards to Ptyshsky pass (belay on the glacier!) From Dombayskaya polyana 7–8 hours. Bivouac site. From Ptyshsky pass across ledges to the right — downwards (belay!) onto a snowfield and from it to the buttress of the eastern ridge of Glavny Ptysh (Fig. 38, lower). Further to the right across a ledge (belay!) and through a bergschrund onto the glacier in the direction of Atsgarsky pass. From the glacier across an inclined slab ascent to the left — upwards under a snowfield, then to the left — upwards across a loose inclined couloir (rockfall hazard!) and to the right of the "finger" exit across ledges into the "window". From the "window":

1. Ascent to Semenov-bashi peak (3608 m) from the southwest — 1b category of difficulty (Fig. 10)

From the “Alibek” alpine camp along the trail through the stream under the waterfall to the bivouac site. From Dombay plain 2.5–3 hours. From the bivouac:

• along the stream up the trail to a steep grassy slope;
• after passing the slope, exit to the left ridge of the upper moraine;
• further along the talus — to a wide couloir divided by a ridge into two parts. Up the ridge and through heavily destroyed rocks — exit under the ridge of the forepeak (in the couloir, it is possible to ascend to the left of the ridge, but the path is more rockfall-prone!). 50–60 m below the ridge — traverse to the right and through a gentle wall (15 m) along the shelves — exit to the forepeak. From the forepeak — descent into the gap (insurance, piton!) and along the destroyed rocks of the ridge (50–60 m) — exit to the summit. From the bivouac to the summit: 5–6 hours. The entire path is rockfall-prone! Descent along the ascent route to Dombay — 6–7 hours.

Recommendations for Climbers

Dalar via Northwest ridge, peak Shokoladny, combined, cat. 4B

Route description:

From the bivouac, traverse the plateau to reach the foot of peak Shokoladny. Ascend the snow and scree slopes, transitioning to broken rocks in the upper section, to reach the peak (category 2A difficulty). The ascent from the bivouac takes approximately 1.5 hours. From the peak's summit, descend steep rocks to the left and downwards, circumventing the first drop of the ridge via chimneys and internal corners. From the second drop of the ridge, perform a rappel to a narrow saddle adjacent to the "Palets" gendarme. Bypass the gendarme on the left, then rappel leftwards to a ledge and follow it to regain the ridge. Subsequently, descend 25 meters down steep rocks and perform another rappel down an overhanging wall. The broken rocks lead to a saddle between peak Shokoladny and Dalar. Bivouac sites are available on the left, beneath the overhangs. The descent from the peak's summit takes around 2 hours. From the saddle, traverse rightwards along ledges that cut through Dalar's western wall, eventually leading to the main ridge beneath the summit tower. The ledges vary in width and have a general inclination to the right. From R8, a narrow cleft ascends upwards, culminating in a ledge beneath a couloir with a waterfall. Ascend via the couloir-chimney and a series of ledges (R10), overcoming a gendarme on the ridge "head-on," to reach a snowy and icy ascent leading to the junction of the north-eastern and north-western walls of the summit tower. From R13 (end of the ascent), a series of ledges traverse along the wall to R16 (avoid the edge of the ledges due to loose rocks!). From the upper ledge, ascend a narrow crevice to a vertical wall (R17–R19), then again via a crevice to reach a gap in the summit ridge (R21).

Description of the First Ascent of Peak "4020" (Peak A. Zyuzin)

1. Historical Background

Alexander Semenovich Zyuzin (1903–1970), an outstanding Soviet mountaineer, Honored Master of Sports, and one of the founders of mountaineering in Ukraine. He was a mountaineering instructor since 1934, organizer of the first student mountaineering expedition to Elbrus in 1936, founder of the "Stal" alpine camp in the Adyrsu gorge on the Central Caucasus, and head of the training department of the All-Union School of Mountaineering Instructors, Ukrainian School of Instructors, and others. Since 1937, he was the creator and first chairman of the Dnepropetrovsk regional section (federation) of mountaineering, a member of the presidiums of the All-Union and Ukrainian sections (federations) of mountaineering. In 1937, he was awarded the title of Master of Sports in mountaineering, and in 1947, he was awarded the honorary title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering. A.M. Zyuzin, a scientist-geodesist, is credited with the first research and mapping of many mountainous regions of the Central Caucasus, including Adyrsu, Tyutyusu, Sugan, and Tepli. In these regions, he made numerous first ascents and first passages between 1937 and 1947. In particular, in the Adyrsu-Tyutyusu region, he first conquered the peaks of Orubashi, Kenchat, Kayarta, and others, and passed new routes on Adyrsu-bashi and others. In the Sullukol gorge region, A.M. Zyuzin made the first ascents and gave names to Peak Stal (3855 m) and Termen-bashi (3950 m). To commemorate the centenary of A.M. Zyuzin's birth, the SOAB "Ullutau" together with the mountaineering expedition of the Dnepropetrovsk regional mountaineering federation decided to organize the first ascent to the peak "4020 m" in the Sullukol gorge, located between the peaks Stal and Termen, discovered by A.M. Zyuzin, and propose to name this peak "Peak Zyuzin".

2. Geographical Characteristics

203. Orlyu via the North Ridge (Category 1B route). The path from the Adylsu alpine camp along the Tyutyusu gorge to the stream flowing with waterfalls from the left lateral gorge, which is highly elevated above the Tyutyusu valley, is described in route 184. Crossing the Zapadnyy Kayarta stream, turn left and ascend a steep rocky slope on the right bank of the stream into its valley, above two waterfalls. Then:

• along the moraines and scree along the Zapadnyy Kayarta stream,
• across a simple, gently sloping (with crevasses in the upper part!) Zapadnyy Kayarta glacier, reach the saddle in the ridge between the Orlyu peak on the right and the Glavnaya Kayarta peak on the left — the Shternberg pass. To the pass:
• from the glacier, ascend a steep ice-snow slope (beware of rockfall from the peaks' slopes!),
• then ascend simple, fragmented rocks to the Shternberg pass. On the pass, turn right and:

109. Sullukol via the East Ridge of the East shoulder (combined route, G.­Kobidze, cat.4B, fig. 5, 12). The path from the Djailyk alpine camp (group of 4–6 people) or from Tyrnyauz to the initial bivouac at the sites near the Severny Sullukol glacier waterfall is described in route 106. Leave the bivouac for the Severny Sullukol glacier (departure at 2–3 am due to possible rockfall in the lower part of the route) and proceed to the icefall. Traverse the icefall to the left, and above it, reach a small upper ice-and-snow plateau of the glacier. Traverse the plateau, then ascend a gentle 500-meter ice-and-snow slope (closed crevasses) upwards-left to the ice-and-snow pad of the East Ridge of

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