Expedition current events

Koskulak

Though our Koskulak ascent engenders impassioned debate I would like to explain our viewpoint on events of the last summer.

For the first time the idea to climb Koskulak peak came into our heads in spring 2002. After acclimatization in Pamir we planned to move to China and to make a first ascent of the beautiful Peak 6355 and then Koskulak. A three-man team (Anton Terekhov, Danik Popov and I) were already in Osh when the expedition was canceled for personal reasons. Next time Dmitry Komarov and I discussed the idea in February, 2004. We planned to make an acclimatization and training ascent Koskulak before the main attempt to climb Muztagh Ata Southern ridge. We together even climbed Mt. Ushba in March aiming to come to terms to each other and test equipment. But the matter had a wrong way and that time we postponed Koskulak ascent.

Finally in the beginning of 2005 the circumstances weighted in our favor. In the meantime we found out about a big MAI team from Moscow led by Andrey Lebedev going to the area and aiming Muztagh Ata and Koskulak North Face. I sent them a letter warning about our intention and suggesting to work on Muztagh Ata together, but did not received any answer and due to this reason I considered our team free from bonds and ties. We decided to try Koskulak West ridge as a suitable task for acclimatization because of a short glacier part of the route.

On July 24 we arrived to Bishkek and were met by our friends Tanya and Dima, surprisingly open and pleasant people. They slept us, served us a hefty meal and talked about a spring revolution in Bishkek. In their statement all it sounded horrible, but ridiculous. All the next day long we bought food in Bishkek and then in the evening made a substantial supper with our friends drinking beer and talking about mountains and familiar climbers. In the morning of July 26 together with a big group of the Czechs we came forward to the Chinese border. Having spent the night in Naryn we crossed the frontier through Torugart pass in the afternoon.

By the evening we managed to get already the foot of Koskulak. We spent the night at 4400m. Leonid had not been in the big mountains for some time (the last climb - in 2002) and felt not good. Having bargained with Chinese, we got to ourselves three donkeys and two Tadjiks -donkey drivers. We decided not to set BC too high and having climbed a little we fixed it at the lakeside of the small lake at 4515m. In July 29 we made our first push up to 5300. Climbing was not fast but tolerant. On the last talus sites we made a platform, pitched a tent and descended to BC to spend the night there. The next day we planned to have a rest.

The next day weather was bad. A thunder-storm with snow flurry charges. By the evening we moved the camp 300 meters closer to the mountain on cosy green sites near the river.

Part of the ridge

We did not get up early in the morning aiming by the evening to get 5300m, acted according the plan and spent the night at 5300. Next day since the morning the weather was bad again. We had a forced rest and set off only the next day. In spite of yesterday's snowfall we did not need to break trail and by the afternoon we reached 6000m and the beginning of a sharp ridge. It did not look terrible at all but to tell the truth its cornices were affecting and there were a fault of 300 meters from the right and about a kilometer from the left. We spent the night at the foot of the ridge. In the morning we decided to leave the tent and snowshoes. Dmitry suggested not waiting and to make a summit push tomorrow and we really felt that slowly and hardly could do that but Leonid was not good acclimatized and in the morning we descended to BC at 4500m.

An unpleasant surprise waited us there: the back wall of my new Ferrino tent had been torn by a sharp horn or a hoof. Carefully we sewed the hole and stuck with an adhesive plaster. A Tadjik - shepherd was sitting on the ground and looking at all taking place with curiosity and approval. Next day we spent the night at approximately 5500m and one day more in the afternoon we reached already 6000 m. The lees of the day we were sleeping and looking at the challenge Muztagh Ata Southern face. Everywhere we could see there was dense firn and we decided not to take snowshoes. In the morning the weather was excellent, the guys unloaded me a little and I stared climbing the ridge as the leader with a tool in the left hand and a ski stick in the right one trying to make out a take-off line. My crampons held perfect, but right at the end of the ridge I fell in a crevice up to the waist. The rope stretched and I managed to get out quickly. In a cosy snow break behind the ridge at 6200m we arranged a camp planning to set off right to the summit next morning. Firn and 800 meters of the altitude difference we hoped to climb for four hours. At night it began snowing. I was dreaming about the Crimea: the sea and rocks. And a summer cottage in Stupino: my daughter, a green field and the small river of Sitnya. It was snowing all the next day and we even thought to go and fetch our snowshoes but having got out of the tent and put on crampons found zero visibility and refused this idea.

Next morning at about 9.00 am snowfall stopped and the sky was brightening and finally we set off. At first we broke not deep trails but then from 6500 started to fail knee-deep and more deeply. At last the northwest and southwest ridges converged and we got the 300-meter summit plateau of approximately from 5 up to 10 degrees. Climbing the plateau was easier: snow was denser, fresh snow was blown off from there. We did not want to get the most east edge of the summit plateau being afraid of cornices. It was about 21.00 and we decided to start descent. Having taken some photographs at the summit we headed back. The route was very flat, so flat that our legs did not want to go. Before the break there was an abrupt site there we had to tense up. Finally we got in a small tent we drank a liter of tea and fell asleep. The mountain was given more hard than we had expected.

Koskulak. Photo from the summit

We did not get up early in the morning, the sky was grey. We gathered for a long time and resting and also it took some time to cut down frozen skirt of our tent from ice. On our way back I did not escape and entered into the same crevice again. Finally having descended to BC we just sat and looked at Koskulak until the darkness fell. At night a wind arose and it started snowing.

Muztagh Ata. A view from 6900m

We descended to the basic base camp under Muztagh Ata for rest.

At night right above my ears (outside the tent) a donkey roared wildly, loudly and terrible that made me jumping in a sleeping bag on a meter. One more day in BC and we set off for Muztagh Ata Southern ridge - the main aim of our adventure.

Because of deep snow, a strong wind, shortage of time our attempt Muztagh Ata Southern ridge was aborted at 6900. Descent through the snowstorm was hard, but by the evening we safely reached the glacier. Weather improved, clouds went away and the sun came out. The mountain let us go. We made for home.....

P.S. I did not expect that such modest according sports standard ascent will cause such rough discussion. Thanks everybody taken part in discussion from both sides. I am very glad that I and my team-mates had a successful climbing season in companies of different, pleasant and interesting people. Thanks all my friends and just interested people.