Mountain photos - amateur and professional photos of mountains.

Author: Maxim Krivosheev
Photo: Maxim Krivosheev, Denis Veretenin, Andrey Kusto

 

Karavshin Faces

Climbers from Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk

The group of climbers from Irkutsk and Angarsk (Maxim Krivosheev, Denis Veretenin, Andrey Kustov) in August, 2005 summited Asan-Usen (4230 m), Pogorelov's route 6À, and tried to climb peak 4810 via Voronin's route, 6B.

We were in Karavshin gorge (Pamiro-Alai) together with a team from Krasnoyarsk. They climbed Alperin's route 5B for two days. Our team warmed-up climbing Asan-Usen (4230 m) on Pogorelov's route 6À-graded: three days upwards and a day downwards (18 rappels). But the good weather ended concurrently with the successful completion of our ascent. And further daily after-dinner rains began.

Peak 4810: Winter has come

Mt. Asan-Usen has rather impressive steepness. And due to that fact its rock material is light enough - drops of rain miss it. At the summit we met two Krasnoyarians and rappelled together with them.

The approaches from kishlak Borukh up to base camp are rather long - 50 km. Karavshin Walls are monolithic with overall from 500 up to 1200 meters at the high steepness.

For example, the route 6À on the top of Kupol (Dome) in our Sayan Mountains (Barun-Handagai gorge) seems to be "five"-graded in comparison with local walls. Here are completely other scales. Let us say, the route on Asan has five overhang pitches (all the route consists of 25 pitches of 50 ì).

After ascending Asan we had a three-day rest and together with the Krasnoyarians set off under peak 4810. One day we fixed the rope and then took off. The route passed via shady side of the wall up to two o'clock in the afternoons (it's northwest face), and the rain/snow began after from three o'clock. And in such way all the days! 80 % of the route is passed by climbing, but it was terrible!...

100 cornices

Points of belay were set in 5 meters at the best case. If you found any deaf crack, you would set an anchor hook in it and move upwards again. Climbing one pitch Andrey set only three belay points on 30 meters. At the end he managed to set a bolt, then climbed further and in three meters he got into such a snare and finally fell.

On our sensations this route on 4810 peak received the name of "100 cornices" because 10 pitches from climbed 16 ones passed on overhangs.

Yellow Wall

We climbed two thirds of the route: one day of fixing the rope, one day of waiting out the snowfall in a portaledge, 4 days of climbing and a day of rappelling - only 7 days.

We were prevented only by weather. The route seemed very real though we were off the fourth climber in our team to make two two-man teams, and accordingly, our speed of climbing (the team with gear) was not high.

The Krasnoyarians climbed a 600-meter Mount Zheltaya Stena (Yellow Wall) where in 2000 the mojaheds shot American climbers (they came under the wall and kept the team under fire). Their gear still hangs on the wall: the rests of a portaledge, shot saucepans, hammers, etc.

As a whole, we like the area has very much, were impressed by the route and are going to return there.

Former frontier post		The maximum height of the area: Pyramidalny peak (5509 m)
Mount of the 1000-anniversary of the Christening of Russia		Peak 4810 and the 1000-anniversary of the Christening of Russia from northeast

 

Asan-Usen (4230 m)

Asan-Usen: Pogorelov's route, 6À	Suitcase without the handle	The first spending the night
Cross split climbing technique	13-th pitch	At Asan summit against the background of the wall of peak 4810
18 rappels against the background of the wall of Mount of the 1000-anniversary of the Christening of Russia

 

Peak 4810

Climbed part of Voronin's route, 6B

Andrey with a "cosmetics bag"

A trunk instead of a ledge

4-th pitch	"Hairy" crackdowns	The beginning of the first (and the subsequent) nights	Nightly brandy : )
Traditional afterdinner weather	The third day on the wall	Max on the traverse	The middle of the wall

Team

Maxim Krivosheev	Andrey Kustov
Denis Veretenin (Hairy)

 

Against the background of the phantom peak 4810	Asan-Usen: consequences of a night rain
Fat and vodka - climber's friends :)	On way home
Guess, who is poor among them?	The Karavshin river