Pavel Shabalin

6 times the Champion of Russia in alpinism.
Master of sports since 1992.
The head of iceclimbing commetee of Russian Mountaineering Federation.
The member of international iceclimbing commission ICCIC UIAA.
The organizer of 2003 Iceclimbing World Championship in Kirov (Russia).

10 ascents to Aksu 5217m. N Face.
First winter ascent to Aksu 5217m. N Face (1998).
New route to Ushba peak SW Face (1990).
New route to Changabang 6864m. N Face (1998).
New route to Everest 8848m. N Face (2004).
First ascent to Khan-Tengri 6995m. N Face in a rope of two men (2005).
New route to K2 8611m. W Face (2007).
Petit Dru (American direct), Grand Capucin (direct), El-Cap (Zodiac)

Pavel Shabalin

Alexander Klenov&Mikhail Devi. Shingu Charpa

Michail Devi

Russia - Kazakhstan climber ("Manaraga-team")
Born on 8 August, 1962 in Kazakhstan.
Started mountaineering activity in the Sport Club of Army in 1986.
Sport Master of International level,
The only route-setter in Russia having International Certificate.
The best alpinist of Russia in 1999 and 2000.
He was nominated for "Gold Ice Axe" twice (1999, 2000).
Was awarded with "Gold Edelweisse" for the best Russian ascent 2000
From 2004 The representative of Russia in the UIAA Youth commission.
Wonderful chanteur, in 2000 he showed his CD

Championships of USSR
1 place - 2 times
2 place - 1 time

Russian championships
1 place - 6 times
2 place - 4 times
3 place - 2 times

Some of the best ascents:

2007
Shingu Charpa, new route of East wall, Karakoram Range of Pakistan, ABO 2360 m, 7a (Diff. obl 6c), M5

2005
Angel Falls in Venezuela (E7, 7c+), the world's highest waterfall, has been climbed free for the first time...
Two ascentions of the maximum category of difficulty on peak Eridag (Caucasus)

2003 - 2004
Free climbing in mountain and rocky areas in the world, has reached 8b level

2002
Expedition to Baffin Island (Canada) - Wall of "Great Sail Peak" , New route

2001
Latok-III . Winter Ascent of Urriellu, Spain .

2000
New route on peak of Spantik, Himalaya, Pakistan, via "Gold Counterfort" 6B(rus)-grade in Russian classification, in pair with Mikhail Davy, unrepeated.
Was awarded with "Gold Edelweisse" for the best Russian ascent 2000. (More in detail on page www.planetmauntain.com)
Winter ascent of Petit Dru, France. New route " Up to Madonna", via North-West Face, 6A-grade, unrepeated 1 place in Russian Championship.

1999
New route on Thalay Sagar via North Face, " High Tention", 6B(rus)-grade in pair. New route
on Grande Capucine, France, " Russian Winter", 6B(rus)-grade, in pair.

1998
Petit Dru, new route via North Face, 6A(rus), in pair Grandes Jorrasses, new variant via North Face, 6A, in pair.

1997
Ak-Su, new route via North Face, 6B(rus), unrepeated.

1996
Ak-Su ( 5217m ), new route via diretissima of North Face, 6A(rus)-grade, unrepeated.

1995
Petit Dru, North-West Face, 6B(rus)-grade.

1993
Asan, Slesova, new route via North-West Face, 6B(rus)-grade, unrepeated.

1992
Sauk-Djalau, new route, 6A(rus)-grade, unrepeated.

1991
Ak-Su, 1 place in USSR Championship.

Photo:Marco Prezelj

Born on April 9, 1966. Started the mountaineering activity in Sverdlovsk city (now named Yekaterinburg) at 1983.
Master of Sports International grade since 1994.
Summited more then 25 ascents of high grade difficulty (6 grade in Russian classification), include near 15 first ascents in Asia, Europa and North America.

Best ascents:
1985 - Peak Lenin, Pamir, first "7000-m" summit
1991 - Peak Engels (6500 m), South-West Pamir, new route on NW Face, not yet repeated
1993: first ascent on peak Slesova, not yet repeated, first ascent on peak "4810" in Karafshin valley, Pamir-Alay
1994: 6 Big Wall routes in Karafshin for only 15 days - two 5B graded routes up to "3850", two 5B routes on Asan peak, 6B on peak Slesova and 6B on "4810".
1996-1997: Two new routes on the great North Face Aksu peak, Pamir-Alay.
1998-2000, summer and winter: New routes and variants in Alps - wall of Petit Dru, Grand Gorasses, Grand Capucin
May 1999: New route on the North Face of Thalay Sagar (6905 m), Hindustan Himal
2000: New route on the Golden Pillar of peak Spantik, (7103 m), Karakorum, in party with Alexander Klenov.
2002: New route on the North Face of Great Sail Peak, Baffin Island, Polar Canada
2003: First attempt on the North Face of Jannu Peak (7770), Nepal, summited next year.
2007: Shinga Charpa, Karakorum, first ascent of the East Face and may be first time summited.

Participation in Russian championships:
1 place - 7 times
2 place - 5 times
3 place - 2 times

Married, have a son 17 years, chief and owner of Real Estate company "Ural-Estate", Ekaterinburg.

Alexander Odintsov

Soviet Union collapsed and with it, all logical system of alpinist training (from beginner to profi) collapsed as well. This system of training helped us to prevent unnecessary risk in the mountains, even if in human nature there is tendency to some risk, all of us knows how it can end, death in the mountain as any other one is a sorrowful event.

As I told, system collapsed and me and my friends were left with nothing.

We asked ourselves what to do, how to built mutual relations with mountains.

This very time an idea, maybe a little bit crazy idea, came to my mind, that a team of Russian mountaineers will travel all around the world, to the famous or unknown walls, big walls, with purpose to establish Russian routes. I shared my thoughts with my friends and they told that I&rsquom crazy.

Alexander Odintsov

That time even me myself was ready to agree with them and accepted that my idea is something of a list of Fata Morgana i.e. unachievable.

But time passed and Russian team has done 8 Russian routes like this. Some of them were nominated for French Piolet d`Or, Jannu`s ascent got Piolet d`Or, but it is not the main thing, it`s my life, my breath, there are all my friends in this midst.

And though I often repeat the words of our expedition`s doctor that alpinism is organic combination of disagreeable with useless (I like this expression for its self-irony and find that there is something in this words that reflected true essence of mountaineering), nevertheless I never understand what alpinism is for me, why I do this, maybe one day I will find solution and give it up and will be involved in politics, I doubt whether…

Alexander Odintsov

Best ascents:

Odintsov&Simone Moro. Handshake

Participation in Russian championships:
1 place - 6 times
2 place - 4 times
3 place - 2 times

Married, have three children, chief and owner of construction company "Severnoe RSO", S-Petersburg.

Boris Korshunov

As emotional aspect of alpinism the main thing especially in solo climbing is that the mountains is the only place to be true to oneself.

Each of us has unsolved problem, which rises up while you are intimated with someone or while you are working, so in the mountains there is possibility to discuss all problems, to reflect, when nobody disturbs you, to find good solution not the same one as you find in the city moving all the time.

Here, in the mountains, you put at your own disposal, you have a lot of time to gain an understanding of yourself.

Boris Korshunov

Simone Moro&Boris Korshunov

Simone Moro

Finale

Simone Moro&Boris Korshunov&Alexander Odintsov

Boris Korshunov's family. Childhood