On July, 11 - September, 08, 2004 a complex
expedition organized by Moscow Federation of Mountaineering and Rock-climbing
(MFMRC) and Sports Club of Moscow Aviation Institute (МAI) aimed to summit the
highest peak of China Pamir and Kun-Lun - Kongur, 7719m, North face, via
a new route will take place.
Kongur, a view from the north.
A general view of the route, altitude difference of 4000m.
Expedition team consists of 17 high-altitude
climbers (MFMRC) and mountain tourists (MAI club).
The head of the complex expedition is Jury Hokhlov,
the head of MAI tourist command - Andrey Lebedev.
The expedition set to lead a new route
to Kongur summit from the north. In addition the tourists plan to do that within
the framework of a mountain campaign of the highest category of complexity.
The first Russian expedition on Kongur
was organized by Moscow Federation of Mountaineering and Rock-climbing in
1998. Since then the team have repeatedly visited Kashgarskie mountains. Almost
all its members summited the third highest top of the area - Muztagh-Ata (7546m).
In 2002 and 2003 the team tried to summit Kongur, first via the north face,
then from the southwest, however the mountain did not want to surrender. The
team has perfect conception about the area, weather character and conditions
of ice-snow top cover.
MAI Tourist Command has repeatedly won
National championship on extreme mountain trekking of the highest category
of complexity (1990, 1999, 2001, 2003). In 2000 it carried out the independent
mountain campaign in mountains of China for the first from Przhevalsky time.
The team has in its active unique 470-kilometer trekking "Pamir marathon" (1999)
with ascents on peaks of Revolution (6974) and Lenina (7134) and 370-kilometer
"Zaaliysky marathon" (2001) with first ascent on Beleuli peak (6065) and traverse
of Lenina peak.
Complex
expedition of Moscow Federation of Mountaineering and Rock-climbing
(MFMRC) and Sports Club of Moscow Aviation Institute (МAI) on Kongur
(7719m) (Kun-Lun Shan Mountains, China Pamir)
(31.08.2004) Yesterday Vyacheslav Odohovsky and Andrey
Petrov arrived in Moscow . Five more guys are in Kashgar now
and plan to return back on Wednesday. Victor Kulbachenko had
time to exchange tickets on 25.08.
As Vyacheslav told, the ascent followed
according to the plan with very insignificant deviations.
" The Moscow route " is realized completely in all details
including the traverse from the Kongur North ridge to the
main and east summits bridle. Unique differences - the
camp 6305 was not needed: the way from the plateau 6046 edge
up to 6305 took one and a half hour on the dense snow caked
from avalanches.
Besides the last camp was settled not
at 7400, but at 7250. All the Wall from 6400 up to 6800 appeared
almost the most safe place on the route. There were no any
falls there. The rocky belt at 6600-6700 with ice-covered
rocks of more than 60 degrees steepness appeared more seriously,
than we assumed.
We made four pitches to climb it. V.Kagan,
V.Kulbachenko, V.Legkih, A.Medvedev, A.Petrov, V.Odohovsky
reached the summit.
I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE KINDLY
ALL THE PARTICIPANTS OF OUR EXPEDITION!!! AND I AM GLAD VERY
MUCH THAT OUR PLANS HAVE BEEN REALIZED!!!
Andrey Lebedev.
P.S. I want to give a more precise information:
Krasnoyarsk team led by Nikolay Zakharov refused to climb
via "Japanese umbrella" route and followed the Moscow team
working on the same Moscow route. As the result three climbers
of them reached the summit.
(27.08.2004) Kongur updates 27.08.2004 Odohovsky called in to say that everything
is going right way, the guys are about to change their tickets
to come back Moscow all together on August, 29. There is some news from Krasnoyarian team:
three men summited Kongur from North side via Japanese "rocky
umbrella". Note: This summer three Russian teams successfully completed
different routes on Kongur, here they are - the band from
S.Petersburg leaded by Valery Shamalo, the Moscow team and
the Krasnoyarian one.
(25.08.2004) Kongur. Another Team Summited.
Hohlov called in to say that 18.08
and 19.08 6 men summited Kongur via new route. Everything
is OK, tommorow the caravan are going down.
(14.08.2004) On august,9, the team leaded by Valera
Shamalo has made succesful ascent of Kongur from the North side.
Everybody is well. More details will appear a little bit later.
(29.07.2004) 26.07.2004 Odohovsky called and informed: The second group (from the Hohlov's team) consisted of
Odohovsky S, Petrov A, Kulbachenko V. and Medvedev A. arrived
to Kashgar. They are OK. Today (27.07.2004) they should
arrive to the settlement of Gyoz. And tomorrow they are going
to have a trip to the base camp.
On July, 26 at 21-00 (Moscow time)Andrey
Lebedev called and reported:
The campaign had a very hard beginning. Three members were
ill: first B.Malakhov, then D.Zelentsov and I. For the first
10 days there were only 2 days of good weather, in the other
days it was raining.
Spending the night of 2002 in
the ice-falls on the north slope of Tumanny (Foggy)
pass
We went one pass in good weather (apparently
- Berekezdavan pass (4771m,1B) - Mountain.ru comment) from
the first planned ring, then started to make a trip under
the second pass (Tumanny (Foggy), 5235m,3А), but approaching
to it we ran into a strongly torn ice-falls (as the result
of the ice push) of North Tumanny glacier. We appeared cut
off from the place located behind the pass and where we had
brought some food and gear earlier to. Because of that we
decided to bypass through the valleys and to get there from
the other side, thus to have a better acclimatization and
finally to recover all fallen ill. It appeared about 40 km.
We planned to pass it for 2 days. But in the first day we
got in a canyon: 1,5 km we went 3 days. There were big scarps
(about 300m), not clear tracks, some Kirghiz which first appeared,
and then disappeared. Have seen mountain goats on a footpath
between rocks we left on this track. In result we spent 3
days, but finally got needed place.
Since 2002 the food has remained under stones on the Aitrak
pass not touched, safe and sound. On Mountain.RU we are going
to publish the article about the provisions that you can keep
in mountains during 2 years.
A view on the pass 5540 from the
west
So, yesterday we found at 4500m the abundance
of tasty food products and made up a holiday: spirit, dried
apricots, crackers, slightly cooked meat. A view on the pass
5540 from the west Today we left on new pass (5540m, roughly
2A). Now we are spending the night at 5000m.
Then we will descend and get to the food carry of this year
and after that began to traverse of Chakragil (6760m).
(21.07.2004) 18.07.2004 At 12-00 (Moscow time) Jury Hohlov makes a call and informs: We are in the
base camp (~ 3600 m), where we came last night. Weather starts
to be good. The sky becomes to be cleared up after three-day
raining. In the base camp we met Valery Shamalo's group. They
came earlier and managed to climb up to 5300 m.
14.06.2003 20-30 Andrey Lebedev reports:
The group led by Lebedev left from Kashgar today in the morning.
Now we are at the beginning of the route. We spend the night
at 3300 m. Weather is bad. It is raining. Hohlov's group leaves
Kashgar tomorrow.
History-geographical
review: Kongur-Muztagh-Ata (13.07.2004) "...East borderland of Pamirskoe
upland is edged with a chain of high mountain ranges. They
tower by a huge wall above oases of Kashgar and Takla Makan
desert. This mountain chain begins from the east borderland
of Zaalaisky range and, turning southeast, passes in King-Tau
range with its highest mountain Chakragil 6670... Thus, the
highest altitudes of Kashgar, the mountains Muztagh-Ata (7546)
and Kongur (7719), lay on crossing of many ranges axial lines.
Different researchers consider them either the area of East
Pamir or Western Kun-Lun..."
Author:
O.G.Chkhetiani
(17.06.2004)
On July, 11 - September, 08, 2004 a complex expedition
organized by Moscow Federation of Mountaineering and Rock-climbing
(MFMRC) and Sports Club of Moscow Aviation Institute (МAI)
aimed to summit the highest peak of China Pamir and Kun-Lun
- Kongur, 7719m, North face, via a new route will take place.
Expedition team consists of 17 high-altitude climbers (MFMRC)
and mountain tourists (MAI). The head of the complex expedition
is Jury Hohlov, the head of MAI command - Andrey Lebedev.
