Part 2.

The relief was not covered with snow, but its difficulty didn't leave any hope to pass it by free climbing. Sergey, staying on ice in crampons, took a hook and drove it for a centimeter into a crack filled with ice. He fastened self-belaying, loaded the hook. It held! Then he fastened sidestep, cautiously stood to the first step, then to the second, to the third, drew himself up and hammered in one more hook. Then repeated the operation and reached a rusty bolt, fastened sidestep to it and loaded it. Pieces of rust fell down from the surface of the bolt under Sergey's weight, and the lug began to stretch slowly, the leader showed no perturbation and went on climbing. The sun went around our mount but not in vain our wall was called “Northern”, so, unfortunately, we couldn't feel the warmth of its rays. When it started getting dark we began to for a place for passing the night. For the day we had passed the ice and two ropes of rocks. We hung the portaledge haphazardly, when it had already got dark. It was being shaken and beaten against the wall by wind, but everybody was overtired and, having had a good supper, fell asleep immediately. I hadn't ever elicited so many togs! I had two rucksacks and four ropes hanging on me. And it was only beginning! Great thanks to speleologists! They had taught me how to climb using ascender with hard cargo!

On the 19 th of January we waken up by Chinese alarm clock, that at five o'clock in the morning started screeching from my sleeping-bag: “Five o'clock! It's time to wake up!”. Doronin mumbled half asleep: “Korol had put a woman to his sleeping-bag! Let he make it quite, she disturbs my sleep!” I began to look for this “woman” in the sleeping-bag. That way we woke… Having had a nice breakfast, we examined the place where we had passed the night and disliked it. The portaledge was hanging on the flushing, to the right from the couloir and falling stones, somehow, reach it. We decided to hang the portaledge upwards, where it wasn't dangerous. The leader was Nilov. He was calm as a machine, having hammered in a hook, he continued climbing silently. I was the second, belayed Sergey and elicited about 40 kg of different necessary furbelows and pieces of iron. But the hero of the day was, no doubt, Doronin. He was heroically eliciting our home in built-up condition (without an awning only) and looked liked a base-jumper, who had accidentally caught on our rope and couldn't flew away. But the state of affairs with Doronin was looking ugly, the wind became stronger and it beat portaledge and Doronin against the wall. A danger of losing our home and our friend appeared. Sergey was ped from the wall and beaten against rocks by the flaws. He hardly climbed to the station where he was caught by Nilov and me. Having stripped and put to case the portaledge, we took a deep breath, ate a chocolate and went on climbing. The relief was difficult, there were a lot of overhangs, but there were a lot of bolts and hooks. On the one hand we could use them, but on the other hand it wasn't clear, where the route was going, and how firm those hooks where. We moved slowly but without any accidents. By the evening through the wind blowing we heard Nilov's voice: “Ropes are fixed! I see the control marker!” When Doronin and I went up, it had got dark, but even in darkness it was seen that we couldn't find a place for a portaledge better. And one more amusement! When it was 30 degrees below zero, with blowing wind, in darkness, we had to assemble a meccano “make it yourself” and in any case to lose no details! Here I want to thank all who made that portaledge as it was easy to strip, to assemble, was safe and roomy and, for all that, was of rather small weight – 14 kg . We coped with a task successfully, but got tired incredibly! Having made ourselves comfortable, we quickly cooked supper and lay down to sleep. The night was cold and very gusty. I had watch with a thermometer I took it over the hand and put to the sleeping-bag. We didn't take the clothes over and lay down, pressing ourselves to each other. Nilov and Doronin had downy sleeping-bags, that slowly but surely, from day to day, having been fused into a frozen mass, were turning into thin rag. We slept badly, as it was very cold. In the

Nilov and I went to fix ropes, Sergey went by traverse to the right, looking for the way of further ascent, found the itinerary and went on working as a tractor. At the same time Doronin changed the note in a place for notes and, it seems, at that moment he was sleeping in the portaledge. Then we came across the series of couloirs, along which dusty avalanches run. An hour later we looked like snowmen. The wind became as stronger as a hurricane one, everything was blown through, the hands could hardly be straightened. The equipment became blocked up with snow dust the clutches of the karabiners, ropes were frosted over, ascenders started slipping down. To unscrew the clutch we had to take over gloves and to warm it by bare hand. We took away frazil from the ascenders, to make them operating. To be hanging all the day long on belaying – it was one more amusement!

We worked up to the moment it had got dark, by the evening Sergey reached the second place for notes. We took the note away, left equipment upwards and quickly descented to our “sweet home”, saying in other words – to the portaledge.

The next day, on the 21 st of January the weather went bad for all, so by communication we asked for a weather forecast. They answered that downwards the weather was fine, and it would be the same for about a week. Nilov was lost in thoughts… “If such a “fine” weather would stay for a whole week, this place would be not wholesome for us!” It was difficult for us to argue with him. Moreover, Doronin's cigars were coming to the end, and for smoker it could mean the beginning of great depression.

Nilov suggested: “We have to work until we have gas and provisions, then we'll see… Certainly, the main point is gas! Without it we won't be able to melt snow and to cook meals, we have to use it sparingly!... Oh! I remember! Here, to the left from our portaledge a trunk with gas and provisions must be hanging, but it may be difficult to reach it. We left it here last year, when broke the portaledge.”

So, we decided: Nilov and I were going on fixing ropes and Doronin made a “pendulum” from the upper station to the trunk. We reached the couloir, then the wall became more gentle. Sergey nearly the whole rope climbed on ice tools. Then he passed one more rope and we came to a huge cornice. Under the cornice we found one more tin with a note. – “Ah, it seems it is the third place for notes!” And according to the description we should made a pendulum to the couloir, that was the key strip of the route. But the visibility was only 5 m , and we decided to go down to the portaledge. Downwards we were waited by Doronin and supper. We asked each other about the day passed. It became clear that we couldn't reach the trunk: it was too far aside from us. We told Doronin about us, got a note, read it: it had been written on the 31 st of July 2001 by the group from St. Petersburg (4 men): Nikiforov, Shmakov, Klenov, Kirichenko.

By the morning of the 22 nd the weather hadn't changed yet. Snow, wind, cold… Because of accumulated tiredness and indifference towards everything a desire to get drunk and to climb nowhere appeared, so only magic balsam, named in honour of its inventors “Zapor” (Zaitsev-Porhnia), rescued the situation. But after such a therapy we were coming to consciousness up to 9 o'clock a.m. The next exploit was to start working. Nilov and Doronin went upwards, and I tried to get the trunk once more. It could be seen from the portaledge and attracted by its contents. There were gas and provisions in it and for us those things were the most expensive material values in the world. Up to 12 o'clock I tried to reach it by a 100 meters long pendulum, but vainly. It was as far as China ! I gave up this affair, went back to the station, collected the ropes and carried them up to the guys. At that time Nilov made a pendulum to the couloir. He did it with canning, instead of one long pendulum, he made two short ones. One – up to the parallel crack, then climbing up for 5 m along the overhang and then one more pendulum, to the couloir. A man was who compared alpinism with chess, and that situation was the bright illustration of the comparison. I descented to cook meals and the guys fixed one more rope.

On the 23 rd of January the weather was middling, it seemed that clouds were blown away, but the wind was as strong as before. In the morning Doronin said: “We hadn't much provision, if we economize it, it will be enough to pass a week here, but if we don't economize – then there are enough provisions only for four days.” Nilov disliked the word “economize” – “How long can it continue? I seem to have settled here! It is the fourth attempt. And I don't want to live here!” The tiredness was felt in all the extremities. Listlessness, indifference, drowse, dormancy, and, mainly, COLDNESS – we had to struggle with all these every day, and from day to day it became more difficult. Having drunk a cup of tea, we put on the equipment, took two remained ropes and ascented to the upper station.

We looked to each other and climbed. The leader, as usual, was Sergey. He worked quickly and neatly, as if he wasn't tired. Having passed a rope we saw a tin, hanging on a hook. The fourth place for notes! But according to the description, there should be only three places for notes…

- May be we are climbing in wrong direction?

- But where can we climb else? We can climb nowhere, we are in the couloir.

We took the note, read: “a Georgian team Alpindusry, 8 th of September of 199_ (rubbed clean) year, four men, are going the Myshliaev's route”. Other words were impossible to read.

Everything was right, we were to go upwards! We wrote over note, put it to the place. Further the couloir became more gently, a feeling that soon we would climb to the top of the bulwark. We unwound the last rope. Indeed! Here it was! The roof!!! It was our first victory! We looked upwards, we could see ice slope, covered with snow, rocky belt and above it a couloir covered with ice. We descented “home” in darkness. After supper we finished drinking “Zapor” and held council.

Nilov: “How will we hang the portaledge up? In 1984 Moshnikov put a tent on the roof. We haven't a tent.”

Doronin: “Yes, and, moreover, we have not enough ropes to fix them all along the roof.”

Korol: “It will take us a day to complete a removal, and we have gas and provisions ending”.

Doronin: “I got an idea. You can climb to the top in a two-man team, in alpine style. It will take you a day to go up and return down.”

Nilov: “Yes, it's a good idea.”

Korol: “I think it is the only correct decision.”

Everybody agreed.

The 24 th of January was day-off – we slept.

On the 25 th of January at 1 o'clock p.m. we started from the portaledge. Sky was cloudy, but visibility was perfect. Three hours later we climbed up to the roof. We were met with darkness and hurricane wind we elicited a rope and went up. The ropes were fluttering horizontally, it stroke in the face with snow crumbs, it was nearly impossible to breath, we were blown over throughout. Not to freeze we worked very quickly. The relief allowed us nearly to run, and we run, without any stops rope by rope. When sun was rising we climbed to the couloir covered with clear and solid, like green glass, ice, along the couloir we climbed as quickly as our health allowed us and it seemed that this would never end, that the other world didn't exist and we had climbed to the mount all our lives long, and we would climbed there eternally. But suddenly the couloir ended and we climbed to a ridge. Here it was!!! The top!! We saw it, we were separated from it by 40 m of steep ridge with snow cornices. We passed the ridge one after another, Sergey was the first and I – the second.

On the 25 th of January at 11 o'clock a.m. we were on the top!!! A grandiose view to the main Caucasus range opened up before our eyes. Straight in front of us, being reflected in the rows of rising sun, seeping through clouds, the vertical wall of beauty Ushba and the Southern massif of obdurate Shhelda towered. Our top was narrow and we two together could hardly settle on it. We dug out a place for notes from snow, got a note, read it: “A note of 29.06.03 (nobody had been here for 3 years), Pyatigorsk, club “Valkiria”, a group of 3 people ascented along the route 3A grade of difficulty”.

To take photo of each of us, the photograph had to climb carefully to the ridge. Having shot a half of film, we put our note in the place, ate a chocolate, drank tea from the thermos and started the descent. Before way down Nilov said: “If we descent from here alive, we will get respect and esteem!...” 80% of accidents happened on the descents, so we went down quickly but carefully and gingerly. On the ice we worked with self-unscrewing ice-screws. Down to the end of the roof we made 9 ropes of repelling. Then there was descent along fixed ropes. In spite of tiredness we decided to take over all the hangs (not to return there once more). With an assigned task we coped brilliantly, having collected all the ferrata and ropes, and at 5 o'clock p.m. we got down to the portaledge. Doronin informed us about the news from “continent”, from one day to the next they were waiting for cyclone, and recommended us to descent with expedition.

The 26 th of January. Wind ped but snowfalling started. In the morning we had breakfast and quickly descented, to the bottom of the wall. By 18 o'clock, having broken a spade, we dug the entrance to the cave. It didn't give nearly, so we hadn't to widen it. Having put all our things to the cave we start to cook supper and repacked the equipment to transport it through the pass. The weight of the rucksacks was really hard, so we decided to put all the ferrata to one trunk and to drag it through the pass.

The 27 th of January. We woke up as it became difficult to breath.

Doronin: “It has filled up us with snow! Dig the entrance!

We took spades, dug, looked out – it was dark, the visibility about 5 meters . Snow falls by big flakes, screening all around and swallowing up all the sounds.

Here it was – one of the variants of hell! Where should we go? And what should we do?

The danger of avalanches increased up to the limit. To climb to the pass – was like to make a suicide. But, theoretically, the cave could be covered with avalanche, too, and we had a lack of provisions. We couldn't wait as snow could fall for two days, or for a week, or two… And if it would be so, the avalanches would run everywhere! We had to climb out that grave or it would be impossible to find even our bodies. At 7 o'clock we went away from the cave. Nilov had GPS with marked way down (from the last year expedition). There was no visibility, we went according the devices and hoped that it would have enough batteries. We descented to the plato and the climb started. We went using snow-shoes, fell in up to the knees, changing each other dragging the portage on the climb snow-shoes sank in the snow and slid down along the slope. Further we had to go traversing, it meant to lop overloaded with snow slope. Nilov became the leader, we attached him a rope. Sergey disappeared in snow darkness, the rope ended, we tied the second, then the third, the fifth. Finally we heard: “Ropes are fixed!” We went to Sergey, at first Doronin, then me. We elicited the portage, became exhausted. Then we repeated the procedure, I became the leader, nothing was seen, I went upwards, the wind became stronger, I fell down to a crack up to the waist, climbed out from it, went upwards, the rope began to slid with more and more difficulties, it was nearly impossible to go further. Through the darkness the saddle of the pass was seen. The wind knocked us off our feet, the guys reached me, we elicited the portage, and at the moment threw it to the Shheldinsky canyon. We prepared ropes for the descent and went down, but downwards the wind became stronger and we had to lie down to the slope. The slope was covered with solid crust of firn on which about 5 cm of snow dust lay. Snow-shoes slid down as skis! The portaledge sometimes got stuck and it was very difficult to free it, and sometimes, having picked up speed, drove into my feet and we together slid down along the slope. And it continued for 2 hours, until we reached German overnight stops. I had torn my favorite wind-proof clothing! (I had bought in the shop for 300$). Having left part of equipment on the stops, 5 hours later we were on the base.

P.S.

The weather conditions were so difficult, that our camera got frozen, and then broken, and we learnt about it only in Moscow . Almost all the photos from two films turned out to be spoiled. (Vexes us)