Mountain photos - amateur and professional photos of mountains.

The author: Ivan Ermakov, Moscow State University of M.V.Lomonosov, Moscow.

 

 

The description of Geographers Pass

Kola peninsula. Mountains Hibinskie Tundry. The pass is located between the summits Vudyavchorr and Takhtarvumchorr. It conducts from the Maly (Small) Vudyavr lake in a valley of the right inflow of the Big White River. Our team of 3 members climbed it in winter, 2.02.2002, ascending from the Maly (Small) Vudyavr lake’s side.

Out gear: suitable clothes (wind-shelter masks, gaiters, thermal underwear, not blown outer clothing), snowshoes with nails.

Category of complexity: 1B (winter), 1А (in summer, in autumn). The altitude is 841m.

At dawn at 10.00 a.m. we left the base of the Geological faculty of the Moscow State University in the Khibiny (Kirovsk, 23-rd kilometer). The temperature was about negative 30 degrees. We got the bus going aside the 25-th kilometer bus station, and went before the turn to a botanical garden. Further we reached it fast trekking on the cleared road. Then we went along the moraine on traces of snowshoes. After a while the trace left on the right and we put on our own snowshoes and moved along a stream breaking trail in a very deep snow. Coming nearer to the Maly (Small) Vudyavr lake, we admired the pass and the most beautiful icicles near the stream. Having reached the lake, we got over the stream on ice. We started ascending from the stream mouth first on the rather gently slope, which was become overgrown with arctic woods.

The slope went on almost horizontal plate. Further we mounted on the right side of the slope. Traversing the slope, we left on a snow flexure under the pass's gorge. The way from the stream took us 2.5 hours. The slope was enough avalanche-dangerous, therefore we moved only along stone ridges. In places we met ice and sites of rigid snow, which it was difficult to pass without nails. All our way of ascent we could hear the roar of a wind in the pass's gorge. Coming nearer to it, we put on wind-shelter masks.

The pass's gorge is rather long (about 250 m). Its bottom looks like chaotic heap of fragments of rocks. The pass's point is closer to its southern extremity.

We had a small rest after our ascent having hidden from a wind behind a big stone. Then we had our training climbing the big stones.

Going through the whole gorge long up to the end we were enjoying the exiting views. On the right we could see the cut up bank of Imandra river and Apatitys. The beginning of descent from the pass lies on an abrupt slope, which deduces to the cirque of the right inflow of the Big White river. Further it is possible to get up to Apatitys or to return to Kirovsk. But we decided to ascend on ridge Takhtarvumchorr and return to Kirovsk in the same way on which had came.

We ascended it without any difficulties; the slope from the pass side is flat enough. We took photos a little at the top and then descended on the opposite slope to the Maly (Small) Vudyavr lake. First we descended the rocks moving cautiously clinging nails in the beginning. Then we moved down almost up to a horizontal ledge. Through a wood to the lake we went already in twilight. Then we made the known way: up to the 25-th kilometer, then by bus to the base of Moscow State University.