Mountain photos - amateur
and professional photos of mountains.
|
Climb > |
Author: Sergey Shchepachkov
Dykh-Tau Main, 5204m, Southern couloir, Bezengi region, Caucasus, Russia December, 2001 Brief information and characteristics of the route Route description Altitude difference: about 750 m Extent: about 1100 m Average steepness: 40 degrees. Average steepness of summit tower: 50 degrees. Running hours - 26, days - 4. All spending the night are normal. Route grade: roughly 5Аз (V, М4, 5.8) Team members: Ivan Alentsev (Moscow), Sergey Pavlov (Voronezh), Sergey Shchepachkov (Troitsk, Moscow region) Technical data of ascent On December, 4 On December, 5 On December, 6 R0-R1- a narrow snow trench, short difficult ice-covered
chimney (M IV), further simple snow-covered rocks. In total 40 m. 18.00 - the team set the camp for spending the night. On December, 8 R20-R26 - difficult rocks of the summit tower. It was about 240 m left up to the summit. We fixed the rope but when it was only 60 meters up to the top with night coming on we realized that we really had no time to descend before the darkness. And we made a decision to have another attempt next day. 19.00 - descent to the tent. We had about 70 meters of rocks left fixed. On December, 9 On December, 10 On December, 11 By 20.00 the team returned to the base camp. Technical data of the route Earlier on the right side of the couloir (on the descent course) a descent route from Dykh-Tau with the bottom part leaving to the right (on a course) on rocks of Southern buttress extending from Dykh-Tau Main summit passed. This ascent was not a clean first ascent. According the information provided by Jury Saratov, the commander of rescue squad in the area, a two-man team of German climbers summited the mountain via this couloir way back in the nineties. The route can be recommended to ascend only during a cold season. As of the beginning of summer 2000 the Southern couloir was under rock fall danger. In the spring and at the end of winter it can be under the threat of avalanche. Impressions about the route and about Bezengi in winter The main difference this area from the Elbrus area in winter is, first of all, not enough snow below and very strong winds. During a snowfall the thickness of snow cover grows, and next day a strong wind blows it off. We did not use snowshoes on approaches. Up to "Golubyatnya (Dovecot)" - the hut in "Teply Ugol (Warm corner)" and up to "Bolshoy Kamen (Big stone)" on Bezengi glacier we went without leader changing. According locals’ words such situation with snow repeats every year. And certainly it is constantly very cold there - at the end of December the sun visits the "Bezengi" camp area only for 4 minutes a day. Visiting the Bezengi area in winter for the first time we realized that that the simplest routes of summer season on the five-thousand mountains are not optimum lines in winter. Long snow ridges, technically simple sites but with the fictitious belay and constant pressure of a wind made us searching for other ways. Just hoping to hide from a wind we skewed aside more complex rocks of the buttress in the upper part of the couloir though it seemed more logical to finish the line and leave on the cofferdam between Main and East summits. Being afraid of a strong wind we did not risk to spend the night on the cofferdam. It is necessary to add, that all the ridges and slopes of northeast and east orientation are especially overloaded with snow, as well as in Prielbrusye. The routes of southern slopes look not so terrible as melancholy northern walls. Well, it is warmer a little there… if we can use the word "warmer" relating to such place as winter Bezengi. But ice from the south is much softer. |
© 1999-2007 Mountain.RU Mail to: info@mountain.ru |