Part 2.

2.2.2. The Peak of Lenin

Pass of Krilenko from the North (right saddle

The Peak of Lenin (7134,3 m 39°01’n.l. 72°63’w.l.) is located in the middle part of the Zaalaisky ridge, at the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tadzhikistan, and serves as its main summit. In the West the summit via the Peak Razdelnaya (6148 m) is connected with the Peak of Dzerzhinsky (6713 m), in the East, via the pass Krilenko (5820 m) and the Peak Spartak (6183 m) it is connected with the edge of the Peak Edinstvo (6673 m).

View to the Peak of the XIX convection of C.P.S.U. from the “Lukovaya Poliana” (“Onion Glade”).

In the North in the sour of the Peak Razdelnaya there is the Peak of the 30th anniversary of UzSSR (5688 m)

From the Northern slopes of the Peak of Lenin a glacier of the same name with Western and Eastern sources, flows down, it is 9 kilometers long and the Western source is the main one. From the Southern slopes of the summit glaciers Bolshoy (in the East) and Maly (in the West) Saukdara flow down.

As well as Northern, Southern slopes of the summit are covered with the glaciers and powerful thicknesses of firn snow. The steepness of slopes reaches 45-55 degrees. The slopes are cut with deep cracks. Snow and ice fallings are often.

View to the Peak of Lenin from the Pass of Puteshestvennikov (“Pass of Travelers”)

View to the spurs of the Peak of the 30th anniversary of UzSSR from the Glacier of Lenin.

From that point a slightly ascending wide edge covered with destroyed rocks stretches in the Southern direction. It is ended in about 250-300 meters by the group of low rocks.

This is the highest point of the Peak of Lenin of 7134.3 meters above sea level.

The difference between the Northern and the Southern points according to the latitude amounts 20 seconds, as one second equals 12 meters, the distance between points equal about 240-260 meters.

2.3. Climate.

The climate in the region of the Peak of Lenin is characterized by sharp contrasts. In the bottom part it is moderate, and in the high-altitude zone it gets harsh polar traits.

Summer is short, cool and even cold. It lasts from June to August. In mountain zone summer warming-up happens with noticeable delay, so in the upper parts of the ridge the warmest month is August, while in the Alai valley the warmest month is July.

Fluctuations in temperature, annual as well as daily, are very considerable. In the hottest time of the year they can reach values from +5 degrees at daytime to -30 degrees at night time. Warm day with intensive solar radiation usually is changed by cold, with frosts, night. And even at daytime often in the shadow the temperature lies below zero, while on the sunny side it equals +15 – +20 degrees. While the altitude increases, the temperature of the air is reduced for 0.5-0.6 degrees every 100 meters.

Most of the winds there have South-Western and Western directions. At day time the speed of wind equals, usually, 6-8 meters per second and at night time it is reduced down to 2-4 meters per second and than wind stops blowing. Gusty, squally winds with snow (speed of which reaches 15 meters per second and more) spring up sometimes very suddenly. This phenomenon can be noticed at day time mostly.

On the edge of the Zaalaisky ridge a special compactness of firn that is caused by hurricane winds of Western direction can be come across. As many alpinists have noticed, on the Western and the Eastern edges of the Peak of Lenin, form the altitude 6200-6500 meters, very often winds of hurricane power can be observed. They often break down tents, wipe of the snow from wide edge. The Western slopes of meridional spurs of the Zaalaisky ridge due to stormy transfer are snowier and as a result, they are more dangerous for avalanches snow cornices often overhang to this side.

Cloudiness, due to dryness of the air, is, as usual, insignificant. The clearest period of the year is August. Number of days with precipitations in July is greater than in August. In the first month of autumn – in September there is a period of settled by rather cold weather. As usual, in the end of August the weather became bad, snow falls. Than, closer to the middle of September, clear weather sets again, it usually lasts for about two weeks.

The higher you climb, the more clouds and precipitations you will come across maxim of then can be observed on the altitude 3500-4000 meters above the sea level. On the Northern slope of the Zaalaisky ridge, especially in the region of the highest summits, there are more precipitations than on the Southern slope. The line of eternal snow lies on the altitude of 4500 meters on the Northern slope and on the altitude 5000 meters on the Southern slope.

Mists, storms and hail are rather rare phenomena in the region of the Peak of Lenin.

In the region of glacier tongues, it is especially noticeable near the tongue of the glacier Octiabrsky, every day at about 14 o’clock strong winds began to blow. Streams of cold air from the edge of the Zaalaisky ridge swoop down along the canyons. On the edges, leading to the top, blizzards and storm winds arise very often. They can tear and fetch down weakly fortified tents.

According to longstanding data, the first half of August has to be concerned the most favorable period for making ascents to the Peak of Lenin. But, in spite of prevalent fine weather, long, up to 4-5 days periods of bad weather can be come across.