The Angarskaya Wall is not popular among rock-climbers many of them even don't know that there are made 10 routes of 2 – 5 grades of difficulty. Only route “Acrophobia” – a multipitch route of 5A grade of difficulty, built by V. Ivanov in the 90-s, can be remembered by most of the climbers, and such outstanding trad-climbing routes as “Serp” (4B) and “Troika” (3A) are not well-known.

The main advantage of the Angarskaya Wall is the feature of its climate, which let us make ascents in summer not being afraid of getting sunstroke, and sometimes even risking to become frozen!

General Scheme of the Route.

Approaches: You can get to the Angarskaya Wall by trolleybus № 51 or 52, or by fixed-run taxi, to the Pass Angar-Bogaz. From there it is necessary to go along asphalt road in the direction of the tourist center “ Angarsky Pass ” and after the gates you have to turn to the right to ground road and go along it in the direction of the wall. Having passed the spring, crossing the path you should go up to the edge of the wood, from which rope-way starts. Somewhere to the right from the edge in the wood a spring bubbles, there you can stock up with water. Along the edge of the wood a path goes, it turns to the right and goes through the beech forest to the top of the “Saharnaya Golovka” (“Sugary bulb”). You can make a camp at the pass or go up to the top and then a little bit down to a comfortable clearing with a place for camp-fire. This rise from the station with all bivouac and rock equipment takes about an hour.

Rise to the routes goes along visible path in the direction of the wall and takes about 30 minutes.

The first rope at the route “Serp”

The second rope at the route “Serp”

Sergey is thinking how to pass the second rope of the route “Serp”

“Serp” (“Sickle” ) – the route in commemoration of Alexander Veselov (4B grade of difficulty).

R1: Extension of the strip: 52 m grade of difficulty: IV. From the memory table of A. Veselov you have to climb along the right wall of the implicit chimney up to the ledge with beech tree, from the ledge you should climb up, then a little bit to the left along the system of ledges with grass and overgrown cracks to the station bolt.

R2: Extension of the strip: 30 meters , grade of difficulty: III, trad-climbing, A1+. From the station you have to climb up and to the left for 5 meters , then turn to the right up to the mirror, which can be passed by trad-climbing using bolts (A1+). The bolts are very old and it isn't desirable to pass the strip by free-climbing. Having passed straight bolt pass you have traverse to the right to the next bolt, at this strip there is a hook, to which you should not put the rope, as well as to the previous bolt, in order to avoid intense rubbing. Station can be made on the bolt and special hook (“carrot”) under the cornice.

Chimney at the third rope of “Troika”

R3: Extension of the strip: 45 m grade of difficulty: V. You have to round the cornice along a narrow ledge, and then climb along the crack up to destroyed interior angle. From there climb along sloping ledges to the right and then up along a big crack to a big ledge with trees, station can be made on one of them.

R4: Extension of the strip: 50 m grade of difficulty: III, 5 m - V. From the tree you have to climb to the right and up, then a little bit to the left, to a small chimney on the right wall of which there is a bolt hammered in. From the chimney you should climb to the right and up along the system of ledges up to a big ledge with trees, from it to the left and up to the mountain pasture.

Necessary equipment: Set of nuts large cam devices and hexes 14 quickdraws

It is desirable to have a rope of 60 meters long.

Time of passing: 2 – 2.5 hours.

“Troika” via chimney (3A grade of difficulty)

R1: Extension of the strip: 25 m grade of difficulty: II. Easy climbing along destroyed cracks. There a lots of movable stones and grass. Then you have to turn to the right to a monolithic plate and go along it along ground path up to the beech-tree.

R2: Extension of the strip: 40 m grade of difficulty: V. From the beech tree turn to the left along destroyed rocks to the bottom of the chimney and then climb up for 20 meters along it. In the upper part of the chimney there is small overhang, then you come across a system of destroyed ledges and cracks. In the last crack there are removable plugs! After it there is a big sloping ledge with fallen stones, overgrown with grass and juniper. Station can be made on the ledge or above it in the crack on self points (large hexes).

R3: Extension of the strip: 48 m grade of difficulty: V. From the station move up along the crack, then to the right, rounding cracks with dry tree. Short traverse to the left to the bottom of the crack with smoothed over walls and then climbing up along it. Belay can be organized on large hexes and camming devices. After the crack you have to turn a little bit to the left, then easy climbing to a 50cm-wide grassy ledge with hammered hook (“carrot”) above it. There the station can be made.

R4. Extension of the strip: 50 m grade of difficulty: III. You have to climb up and to the left along the system of ledges and foreheads in the direction of two bolts of the station of “w.c. pan”, from them diagonally up and to the right. Then easy climbing up along the cracks and coming out to the couloir.

Necessary equipment: Big nuts, cam devices (macro!!!), big hexes. 10 quickdraws.

Time of passing: 3 hours.

Descent from the wall goes along the good path, going in the direction of cold couloir, then to the right and in the direction on stony streaks down to beech forest and from there down along the path. It is also possible to descend along the couloir itself. There is also a variant of descend along woody path at the side of the left “two”, but it is in very bad state.