Ski base "Karakol". Middle and Big Mountains of Kyrgyzstan: Karakol Gorge and Lenin Peak
I worked 7 pitches along the ice couloir, then Boris stepped forward. The pitches were long because we had 60 meters of rope. Borya worked powerfully and quickly. Sometimes he made only one gap on the rope - he kept on the slope so confidently. And I understood that this was enough, because I completely trusted. Just like he did to me. The sun shone on us in the middle of the couloir, but the stones did not fall from the wall, because the weather had been normal for several days before. By the end of the day they had worked 21½ pitches, and on a rocky scallop at the base of the lower "Triangle" they settled down in a tent on a small ledge for the night. Boris drove me into the warm interior of the tent, and he settled himself on the edge.
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Western wall of Przhevalsky peak.
I continue to present the nominees of "Crystal Peak-2011".
This time it Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko. With a story aboutWestern wall of Przhevalsky peak!
Route Information
Przhevalsky Peak (6240 m, Central Tien Shan), Western Face. Estimated category of complexity 6A.The route belongs to the category of high-altitude and technical. The beginning of the ascent from the bergschrund at an altitude of 4760 meters. The height difference is 1480 meters. The length of the route is 2427 meters. Exit to the ascent on July 22 at 03:00. Summit July 25 at 12:00 pm. Descent to the foot of the mountain on July 27 at 20:00.
On the first day, we worked 21.5 pitches (1225.5 meters) on ice up to 60 degrees with a steepness. Second day 2 pitches (114 meters) of ice up to 45 degrees steep and 3.5 pitches (192.5 meters) of rocks M4 F5b-6a. Third day 6 pitches (330 meters) rocks M5 F5b-6b. Fourth day 3 pitches (165 meters) of rocks F5b M4 and 400 meters on a snowy ridge up to 50 degrees.
The first day was hard physically, because I had to climb the ice for a very long time and quickly.
The pieces were difficult on the second day, where we had to climb with traverses, but there was a reliable insurance. Dangerous on the third day were sections of mixed terrain above the AID section, when the hammers' beaks were loaded only by 5-7 mm, with unreliable and rare insurance. The beginning was hard fourth day, when immediately from the tent I had to climb a steep short wall without working, tired after the previous part of the path. And the logical and simple way to the top in the final part of the route became brilliant in beauty. We were relatively lucky with the weather, there were no heavy snowfalls. The temperature during the day was up to + -0, at night it did not fall below -15.
Boris Dedeshko answers questions website
The impressions are the most positive. A very difficult and fast ascent at the limit of one's physical and mental strength. But not a single mistake. I remember how everything went, and I think - there is not a single detail, not a single trifle that I would want to change if I knew everything in advance. The most beautiful views to Khan and Pobeda from an unusual angle. Sunsets and sunrises - just a fairy tale! Even the bad weather was great. In the snowfall, they worked up the ice, being in a continuous stream of snow grains flowing down, evenly filling the entire surface of the ice couloir from one rocky edge to the other - as if trying to swim against the current stormy river. And it is impossible to describe in words the feelings experienced at the top, especially when I took out a note from Boris Solomatov, carefully packed in a tin can, which had lain there for 37 years!
- Were there any sharp moments during the ascent?
First of all, these are traverses. They are so scary! There were several of them on the wall and one on the descent. Tried to impersonate as much as possible. Once, having removed a point in the middle, he flew 8 meters back and down. Dan laughs. He says that he launches a snake like that. The descent from the summit was like the descent from Cho Oyu. It was avalanche-prone up to the pass, then the wall hung and threw back until the exit to the ice.
What are you guided by when choosing a line for climbing? Whose idea was the route - yours or Denis's? Or was it a collaboration?
The line of ascent should be logical, beautiful and complex. It should draw attention to itself and leave no doubts like - why exactly, and not here, for example? By the way, we named our route "Lightning!". The idea of passing this line belongs to Denis. Together we worked out only the details of the ascent.
- Is Denis Urubko an "easy" person and partner? Is it easy to work with him on the route?
Of course, he is an easy partner. We are separated by 10 kg of live weight. Therefore, when, God forbid, the breakdown of the first one, it is much more logical for me to be in the place of the insurer.
And as a person, in my opinion, he is heavier. Like all strong extraordinary personalities, Denis has a complex character. Sometimes, offended because of the nonsense. But we've been walking together for a long time. And we are not just partners in a bunch, but also friends. It is often easier for me to extinguish the conflict in the bud than to quarrel, although this does not always work out. The ability to compromise is one of the main qualities when working in a team.
On the route with him easily and confidently. For me, the presence of Den next to me is already a guarantee of success and safety of the ascent. That's just for the arrangement of sites for overnight stays had to argue and compete with its minimalism. Den is ready to go to bed on any crooked little shelf with sharply protruding stones. However, he actually sleeps there. I need to bring it to mind in order to sleep and rest.
- Do you have any special system of communication on the mountain during work?
During work, we are not verbose. Traditional commands - issue, select, secure, work, insurance is ready, etc. Although it should be noted that after dozens of joint ascents, if Den is in sight, I often already know what command will come now, a couple of seconds before it is given. Denis also. Therefore, we use “repeat” mainly if you can’t see or hear your partner.
What is the concept of "light style" for you? Do you manage to live up to these ideas during the first ascents? Did you climb Przhevalsky Peak in the style you wanted?
About the light style, I can’t say it brighter than Aleksander Ruchkin did, so I’ll just quote him:
“... progress moves forward, and ascents do not stand still. 100 years ago they walked like this, 50 years ago they climbed differently, now they go even further. People break barriers, as M. Erzog, V. Bonnatti, G. Buhl, R. Messner broke the barriers of the possible in their time ....
If they had said then that a couple of climbers would take 2 small cylinders of gas for an eight-thousander, cutting off everything superfluous, with a minimum of equipment, along the wall, along a new, unfamiliar route, they would have twisted at the temple. And bad weather, yes a lot of things. But when you see that two healthy guys Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko from CSKA Kazakhstan are standing in front of you, you understand that these guys can.”
In this ascent, everything was the same, except for CSKA - unfortunately, our army eliminated mountaineering as a sport in itself.
Very light single layer small tent. One sleeping bag for two and one puff, which was put on to warm up in turn. After the Top, for dinner we had one block of energy and 2 tea bags. The whole next day of the descent was unloading. No stock of gas, food and equipment. Definitely, this is fully consistent with my understanding of light style. And the speed of passage speaks for itself.
For you, climbing in a pair is an ideal alignment in terms of the number of participants? Was such a number of participants optimal on this mountain?
In principle, for a light style, the three is more optimal. Almost the same amount of weight is divided not by two, but by three. The safety of the entire ascent is increased, as well as the speed of descent - after all, one more rope is added. But in this particular case, it was more logical to go in a pair: lying overnight would turn into a sitting one, and a sitting one would turn into a hanging one. Increasing the speed of descent would give an advantage of a couple of hours, which is not important. On the other hand, the pleasure and joy of passing this route with maximum comfort was worth the risk and passing it in the Deuce!
Denis Urubko. Express interview for website
- Are there many routes on this wall and this mountain? How popular is it with climbers? And what attracted you?
There are routes to this peak, passed in 1974. This is the line of the Popenko group along the Western Face. And the path of Solomatov's team from the southwestern cofferdam, along the ridge in the Khan-Tengri traverse - the Marble Wall. Since then, the mountain has not been conquered by people anymore. Although, I know one more try. It was interesting to me that the wall is very difficult and steep. Przhevalsky Peak is very beautiful. And named after a worthy person.
- Tell us about your partner and what attracts you to climbing with him? What qualities do you value in a partner?
Boris Dedeshko, with whom we have been friends for several years, was gifted with the talent to find a common language with other people. This guy is positive. And inhumanly hardy :) With Borka, I am never afraid to work to the limit of my strength and capabilities, because I trust his reliability and skill. It is very important that Boris likes to be "on the cutting edge", he likes to take risks for the sake of an idea, and not just :) for money or other momentary values. Again, he knows how to furnish everyday life with elegant things with glamorous ease. Music player, delicacies, wet wipes - an indispensable attribute of his personal equipment on the mountain. This used to annoy me a lot. Now I look at it as pampering, fun.
What tactics did you follow during the ascent? Leading alternately? Or have you decided in advance who will climb which section first?
If the question is about the alpine style, then you can call it that, despite the fact that almost all wall routes were “walked” by the teams of the USSR in this way. They worked from dawn (and on the first day from the middle of the night) to the stop. Leading alternately - experience allowed. There was no preliminary distribution by sites - as the soul sang. Borka quickly and reliably climbed through the ice, and I got the rocks. In addition, I really wanted to work out the “combinashka” first! And Boris condescendingly did not interfere.
You write about 60m rope - why did you choose this length of rope? Was the choice random or do you just always wear that length? Is a long rope always justified?
A long rope is always better for descending. 30 meters is more humane than 25 meters. The rope is very light 9 mm single. In this case (however, in my opinion, and in the others) it was justified so that the first one could work with less restriction. There were enough safety elements, braces too. Usually the guys in our team work on ropes of 50-60 meters. The longer the rope becomes too heavy, and it can be difficult to shout to a partner from a distance.
- Aid or free climbing? Is the whole route climbing freely? How difficult was the passage for you?
There was an A2 site approximately A2, 15 meters long at an altitude of approximately 5700 meters. We climbed it on the third day of the ascent. There were cold overhangs with a good gap through them, with a slight deviation to the left. The passage is normal, the main thing was not to leave extra friends for insurance, but to work on them through the gap.
Compare this climb with others you have made this season and before? On what grounds can it be classified as one of the strongest achievements of this year?
We can say that the line to Przhevalsky Peak has become a strong and beautiful independent route. I would compare it to Kali Himal's north face climb in the Himalayas in 2004. But unlike the route Himalayan mountain this path was passed without setting up intermediate camps and fixing railings. It became very important for me that the wall is located in Kazakhstan - this is “our” mountain, and there are others around interesting objects. That is, there are prospects. After climbing the wall of the Peak of the Eight Climbers in 2008, I hoped that this example would inspire other athletes to search, discover ... However, after three years I realized that I wanted to go to the Inylchek glacier again, that the line to Przhevalsky peak attracted me. Despite the fact that the area has been developed for a long time, the last ascent to this peak took place in 1974, there were only two ascents, as I have already said. Our route turned out to be easier than Popenkovsky ... but it was completed in a different style. There were two of us, not eight, we climbed for three and a half days, not eight, the line turned out to be logical and elegant in its own way.
Climbing can be attributed to the best because it is wall climbing with complex rocky (including overhanging) sections. The line is beautiful, passed with a friend Boris in a beautiful style. No perennial pumps. In a long-established area, where it was possible to make interesting discovery where there is room for creativity.
Denis Urubko sent a story about this ascent. It seems to me that they would be correct to supplement the publication!
After Boris Dedeshko and I crossed the Eleven Pass (from Bayankol on foot with all the equipment to the Base Camp on Northern Inylchek), we got the initial acclimatization.
Having rested, Boris and I advanced under the wall of Przhevalsky Peak. This peak was conquered in 1974 twice, but since then no one has climbed it. The way to the glacier circus turned out to be quite long. Fortunately, we didn’t have to plow much on snowshoes, but in the icefall we wandered through the gullies. The path between the cracks was found to be simple, and after 15 hours we got out onto the flat part of the glacier. The wall soared above us at 1480 meters of drop. The sunset warmed us for a long time - the sun beat into the tent, so that it was warm and cozy. But this mass in the sky, where they had to climb, threatened with cold and uncertainty.
July 22 at 03:00 am we started our route.
I worked 7 pitches along the ice couloir, then Boris stepped forward. The pitches were long because we had 60 meters of rope. Borya worked powerfully and quickly. Sometimes he made only one gap on the rope - he kept on the slope so confidently. And I understood that this was enough, because I completely trusted. Just like he did to me. The sun shone on us in the middle of the couloir, but the stones did not fall from the wall, because the weather had been normal for several days before. By the end of the day they had worked 21½ pitches, and on a rocky scallop at the base of the lower "Triangle" they settled down in a tent on a small ledge for the night. Boris drove me into the warm interior of the tent, and he settled himself on the edge.
In the morning it was foggy, but we cheerfully started moving - two more pitches on the ice. And then we moved on to the rocks. They often had to work with traverses to the right. Because the idea was to go along the edge of this lowest “Triangle”. The rock was fragile, badly destroyed, with shallow cracks. But on the other hand, it was relatively warm, sometimes it was possible to climb with bare hands. The difficulty of the rocks is 5b-6a according to the French system. Mixed was not difficult - M4. But the final pitch went straight up and we ran into overhangs. We climbed 5½ pitches in a day.
Here we managed to find a small shelf, on which they could only fit while sitting, without a chance to stretch the tent. The night was supposed to be warm, and we nested in the open air, dangling our legs in a sleeping bag into the abyss.
We met the morning quite “major”. The choice was either to climb on good for belay, but difficult overhanging and vertical blocks, or to try to traverse to the right without good belay to the right on not steep peeling slabs. We chose the first option - straight from the shelf. Climbing 15 meters is free. Then, under the cornices, I switched to AID, since a good broken crack was found, leading far up. Friend after friend... and another 15 meters of the wall was again brought to the relief, traversable in the given conditions by free climbing. This pitch, as it turned out later, was the key to the route. The complexity of the section is A2, F6b, M5.
Boris, in general, very reliably and confidently walks routes first. Therefore, here, when he belayed, it was done so competently that sometimes I forgot that I was working on a rope. It seemed that I was walking unbound by the fetters of reality.
A smooth horizontal traverse of 60 m led from the station to the right ... at the end I even had to lower it a little. And we ended up on the ice cap of a small bastion. Then they turned right again. There were small patches of ice, but mostly there was a simple mixed M4. Difficulties arose in the organization of insurance points, because the past centuries smoothed the surface, splitting it, however, into small plates.
Already in the evening, exhausted, we saw a good place for spending the night - a snow scallop protruding from the general relief of the wall. And in the dark they set up a tent on it. My friend, seeing that I was very tired, until the last moment continued selflessly to expand the area. Made ice for the kitchen. And then we easily heated a lot of water to drink for a crazy day. For which they worked 6 pitches.
The weather continued to pamper us with its good mood. We met the dawn on our feet, and through three M4 ropes we got to the crest of the mountain. It so happened that we passed the wall completely in accordance with the plan - along the left side of the lower "Triangle".
After that everything was simple. We left our backpacks under a small rock, and having contacted, moved under the bright sun along the white plane upwards. After 400 meters of the way, alternately plodding shallow, ankle-deep snow, on July 25 at 12:00 we reached the highest point of the Przhevalsky peak. It was cloudy from the west, but not dangerous. Boris and I spent about half an hour on the summit, enjoying the views, the feeling of safety and victory, taking pictures.
We descended to the West, to the saddle to the Shatru. There, in the evening, on a flat plateau, they set up a tent, and fell asleep without safety systems. And in the morning they began to descend along the rocky wall to the north. It would be possible to go down the ice couloir, but from above I did not find the correct entrance to it. So it turned out 14 rappels of 30 meters (half a rope) on the rocks, and then 15 descents on the ice of the lower part. Borya skillfully organized self-twisting, and I stuffed my hands, wrapping ice screws in rock chips in the ice. And in the evening, under the snowfall, we found ourselves below the bergschrund. Visibility was extremely limited, however, Boris managed to find our tracks leading to the drop. And it was good, because we completely ran out of food and gas. But now there are a lot of them. And already by the light of the lanterns, we arranged for ourselves a festive feast of crackers, smoked fish and cheese.
In the morning, having put on our favorite snowshoes, we quickly passed through the icefall, and reached the Base Camp along the Northern Inylchek glacier. Everyone there - from the head of Uncle Khudaibergen to the waitress Regina - fed us, gave water and congratulated us.
Denis Urubko website