Peak Lenina (7134m, Pamir, Kyrgyzstan-Tadjikistan), February, 1993 / Climb / Mountain.RU

The author: Michael Afanasyev, Moscow

Peak Lenina (7134m, Pamir, Kyrgyzstan-Tadjikistan)
February, 1993

Part 1

When you are engaged in something for a long time, and it is unimportant what is that: - fishing, track and field athletics, boxing, a science or mountaineering, sooner or later some internal measure, the standard of achievements of the maximum complexity is pawned in you - and the moment when you want to test yourself comes.

Camp 1. Lenin peak.
Photo of Nikolay Orlov

In the mountaineering of 80th years winter high-altitude ascents became that standard.

Generally, our six-men team was going to climb Khan-Tengri in January of 1992, but it did not turn out particularly favourably Е Five my friends appeared, to put it mildly, not ready.

Therefore, when Mike Shtarkov, a member of our Moscow State University club, asked in September of 1992: УWell, what about to climb a high altitude peak in the winter?Ф I answered: УNot the question, it is the right time.Ф

The last "our" planned mountain above 7000m -Khan-Tengri was climbed in the winter of 91-92. So we were late to make the second ascent.

Accordingly, we chose the most accessible in winter У7-thousandФ mountain - Lenina peak.

All the autumn long I was afraid Е and trained like a navvy. I fell asleep in the wild fear passing in horror Е Up to trembling Е УWhere am I going, why the hell?ФЕ

In the morning and in the afternoon all things were in the order in my mind, but in the evening, in the bed Е My nerves were bad Е

Talking to those who had already climbed (whether successfully or not - it is unimportant) the high altitude in winter, I found out, and their opinions were unequivocal, that it was one of the heaviest actions for all their life. That, however, did not wonder.

And it seemed it was absolutely excessive to do that in two-men teamЕ From the beginning up to the endЕ

The one thing pleased me: I was in good shape that never had been earlier even while training in track and field athletics... Pulse in rest fell till 36-38Е

In November there was an assembly of our mountaineering club and someone blurted out: УThey are going on Lenin Peak!Ф The staggered audience rushed to discuss, and, to my horror, all suddenly cried: УWe want too!Ф And 15-20 persons entered their names there and then. Mike and I stood in shock and looked against each other doubting. Michael said: "Morning is wiser than evening. They are thinking about one month and will understand everything.Ф

And so it happenedЕ

At the end of November the any fear suddenly absolutely disappeared. The life went right!

In 20th dates of January we went to Elbrus for acclimatization and checking the gear. We stayed at the hostel station of Moscow State University. And then we were hoisted by cable-way and chair lift to the Garabashi Hut (Refuge Bochki (Flanks)) at 3750 m., where we had accommodation ones and only. Then the owner left downwards. The next day the weather spoiled, and as it was found out later - for two weeks. All the time it was heavily snowing Е But we had at our disposal only 8 days. We tested all equipment, trained. We trained how to dig snow caves and to make a needle (it was a nightmare, by the way) Е As we had ho rope and as there was not also a visibility, we did not climbed up to the summit, but only up to the Pastukhov Rocks (4750m) Е

(It was still fresh in our memoirs how we had strayed more than one day descending in April of 91-st, I failed there about eighty times being roped luckily. At the same time we also help five Balts to descendЕ)

The wind was blowing all the time, and all the time it was snowing Е There was only naked ice upper from the Priyut of 11 (Refuge of Eleven) and higher. In the area of the Pastukhov Rocks we went on three steps because of a strong wind all the time and an impulse of a wind took off me and dropped on the slope sideways in ten meters lower. Having instantly co-ordinated, with all my forces I hewed the "mattock" in iceЕ I had luck: I could catch hold Е What a nasty windЕ

We became very real friends. We had a heap of free time and as we had no playing-cards we talked a lot about everything, we exchanged cock-and-bull stories, sights, histories from our lives, we discussed forthcoming action, a science, mountaineering Е As it found out we had the similar points of view. And we learned a lot ЕWe had no time to be bored, all the time cheerful histories happened to us.

For example I left once on a subject to pi-pi. The wind was strong and all the time changed direction, therefore, recollecting a saying about Уagainst the windФ, I span, as a children top with damnation. When I came back in a flank, my trousers were slightly wet...

Mike laughed and reminded about Уagainst the windФ, said that it was good to be adroitЕ

-Let's look, as it will turn out at you!

When he came back, I looked at his trousers: it seemed a glass of water was splashed on them. He shrugged shoulders, we were laughed together Е

We descended downwards on the 8-th day. I had not seen such amount of the snow cower there before - the chair-lift in places was filled up above a cable. We descended, failing, sometimes with a head. Below the upper station "MIR" (Peace) on all flat ridges (not more abrupt than 20 degrees) the 3-5 meter-cornices were blown up! It was found out, when I, going the first, suddenly failed.

The first thought flashed: УWHENCE are crevasses here?Ф

The second one: УIt is good, that I am not in crampons Е Ф

It was at that time, when Mike fell down on me from above. He said: У I am going in a meter from you, and I can see vaguely your silhouette, then, suddenly, it disappeared! Ф We laughed again.

The upper ridges were blown up to the stones. We went on them. We could not see our bootsЕ

At last, we reached the ridge leading to the "Krugozor" (Outlook) station. A wind was not so storm and we run downwards skipping. Then the sky was cleared and in 500 meters we could see the "Krugozor", and, simultaneously, we heard shots of anti-aircraft guns.

It was a surprise! We considered that all the competent gunners really had gone away a long time ago Е And then the next impulse of a wind knocked us down. We scattered hands and legs like a star, and the wind dragged us over the stones. Mike was wound around of a column. I was thrown in a big stone. We showed the big fingers each other - "Class!" Yah, what a breeze! Е Our mountain-skiing glasses and balaclavas in a pair of minutes were filled with a stone crumb up to half. From the roof of the "Krugozor" the wind took off the aluminium sheets Е Then it calmed down and we descended Е There was the last bottleneck site we had to descend. We went from the ridge on a slope. We looked at the place, where once the avalanche killed 4 beginners from our club (the unique little site without trees). We were surprised, as it was the unique place where you should not descend in any circumstances. We slid with a small avalanche between trees, then we easily dug out ourselves below - and finally we appeared in the hostel Е

We met our friends, they said, that did not wait us any more. A bath, meal, playing cards with a student-girl from our Alma-mother, even participation in their domestic scandal at night Е So we had all fine vital pleasures.

Since the morning we helped to take out all the children sportsmen Ц young mountain skiers to Terskol, and only six person remained at the hostel - five from the Moscow State University and a tourist. Avalanche cones blocked the road almost everywhere up to Terskol, and in places where they were not present- the road was strewn with heavy snow. Safely we went down and came to Moscow.

Having arrived, we found out, that an avalanche like a fist demolished the hostel. Two students survived, the others were lostЕ

In a week we were leaving to Lenin Peak.

We decided to go by train: it was more cheaply and also there were no problems with heat (winter!) and a cargo.

My wife saw me off. I had a heap of luggage. She was crying Е It was hard to me too, but I was charged with an important mission. Mike was late. If he do not come shall I go alone? It would be too cool! I did not know what to do. I postponed the decision for last moment. Mike appeared some minutes prior to the departure of the train puffing over a cargo of backpacks, boxes and skis.

-Hurry up, we are late!

-Do not worry, we have a bit of time, in fact I could not go at all.

I did not understand his words, why Е and then asked: УAnd would you go alone?Ф

Yes, - he answered.

And then I throw that out of my headЕ

We spent in a train four days. All the time we played preference. Our tactics was already clear: we were going to get to Sary-Mogol, take a tractor to reach almost up to the Retransmitter, further go on skis up to the foot of the mountain. We put on it 6 days (there is hardly more than 20 km). All will depend on amount of snow on the approaches. Further we planned a day of rest, 3-4 days of acclimatization, a day of rest more - and forward!

We came to Andizhan in the evening, then changed to the bus to Osh and got off already in full darkness at the empty bus station. There was not any house around and any car to get us at the hotel. Out of the darkness with a strange noise of fight and shouts a man appeared rubbing his hands, met us, invited to his house, helped to carry our belongings, and we went somewhere in the darkness. And further it was the well-known hospitality of the locals that we came to ourselves only towards noon. Well, we had a nice meeting.

We said hot goodbye, and promised to look in on our return way Е We came to Sary-Mogol in the evening, then we found a tractor operator Mike, stayed to spend the night at his house. And there was a hearty hospitality again. In general, they very warmly concern the tourists. We left superfluous things there: documents, some food, a boiler etc.

The weather rang since the morning, we looked at the mountain Е Yes, it impresses. The ice on the Northern face terribly shines, but strips of firn installing optimism are visible.

We went out. The tractor took us up to the river - further we got across the river, and went more than 3 versts on foot. In an hour we already was in a small house of the Retransmitter - to the surprise of the attendants. But all of them were glad to meet us more, than surprised. Though we somehow had not thought to bring them something as a presentЕ

We left a little of the bacon hardly went bad, some sugar to them, and we found out, that Mike forgot to take spirit - it was a stab in the back! And I - a spare stove - it was even worse.

We weighed out rucksacks: 31,5 kg at Mike and 30,5kg at me (it was because the absence of spoilt bacon).

We left in the morning. There was not a lot of snow, but it was dense. That day we reached up to the International Mountaineering Camp (IMC) - we perfectly advanced 5 versts! We throw our backpacks, trampled a ski track up to Lukovaya (Onion) glade, and came back to IMC to our friends - bags. The weather indulgedЕ

Cheerfully I sangЕ

In the morning we reached up to Lukovaya (Onion) glade and looked where to go furtherЕ

We recollected, how climbers ascended here in the summer: or via a small pass, leaving to the middle of the glacier, or descending to the glacier tongue.

We decided to go through the pass. We removed skis, bypassing rocks, and left on the big slope. We climbed it upwards - to the right. It became more and more snow - already on a breast, the top layer of it - like a dust, we could feel a snow slab under the feetЕ

We could not see how all it held out - we were not here in the summer.

Our legs started to punch the slab - a support below seemed strange.

I began to feel danger. I raked the snow, dived in it, put a hand in Mike's trace, I got out crystals and kernels of ice. My God! All this lies, as on wheels Е Quietly I called my friend and showed gestures Ц letТs accurately and silently come back. We flew smooth on the traces back Е The danger was over!

That slope was extended in 150 on 200 meters; we went on it hardly on 30 metersЕ

Mike was very angry.

Well, we had to bypass through the glacier tongue. We descended to the river - in places it was not frozen at all, and murmured somewhere under the snow Е Ice-covered abrupt clay descent we went using a rope, and a backpack - as a chock, it was a show! We had fun above Уa new word in mountaineering techniqueФЕ

We spent a night below, near a small river. It was not so bad to make 10 versts for two days. I felt terrible cold again at night, I grumbled, looking as Mike was making him comfortable in two sleeping bags: УWell, you are the bourgeois, Mike!Ф

I pulled my sleeping "leg" up to the shoulders, and dozed Е In the morning I found a deep hole under me - the insulating pad was too thin!

We made the way to the tongue through the snows.

We worked up a new tactics: the leader went without a backpack, the second - with a bag, failing on 10-20 centimetres more, trampled down behind him. Then the leader came back to the bag; the second left his bag and went the first. And so onЕ

The weather was spoiling slowly, breaks in clouds were more and more rare, and a visibility sometimes was absolutely not present. We reached the glacier and looked at it. It was strongly torn off Е Having climbed upward we found the glacier in the same condition.

Mike insisted on movement via the rantcluft, but I did not want that. I considered that in spite of the crevasses there should be much less snow on ice and it should be denser. We argued, at last we decided to begin to go via the rantcluft.

Further there was a nightmare within two days: there was not any visibility, it was snowing, climbing the rantcluft we fell through the snow sometimes up to a head - and it was on skis! We had to punch a trench. And moreover Mike had his ski fastening broken, and one and a half of day he did not go the first. For this time we did not passed even 4 km! But we did not despond, there were a lot of occasions for funЕ(Smile more often - the chief loves idiots!)

And our business was going on - what it was necessary elseЕ And we were ready to do it up to the end.

All the time we froze at night. Well, it did not matter, we considered, soon our organisms should get used to a coldЕ

We had a self-made tent, a small single-layered kapron hangar. Mike in general is Jack of all trades. He made many good things.

At last, we got out from rantcluft on a glacier, approximately in that place where they descend on it in the summer. We spent the fifth night. Visibility on former was no more than 200-300m. Somewhere during the lunchtime, at last, we approached to our base camp, it was in that place, where climbers usually set the Camp I in the summer. We solved how to arrange our camp. I insisted to dig a cave, Mike - to build it of blocks. The big crevasses were filled up with snow, some of them - not entirely. We found a place, where the ice ceiling was given out by "mushroom" on 3 meter, surrounded it with firn blocks. By the evening we had a cool small house 2 on 3 meters, Уa ceiling ice, prickly darknessФ(Russian folk). It had one wall ice too, the floor - a very thick snow bridge. Its height was 2 meters, so we could stand up. It was spacious there.

We were going to have a rest next day. Well, totally we confined to 6 days.

From that moment we took off our masks only while having a meal and cooking.

We were eaten off, and discussed what to take to the ascent and its tactic.

I insisted on a short going with spending the night at 5300m and 5800m. Mike wanted three spending the night. Well, then we'll see. I still felt cold. After cooking we had a temperature about -15C in our "house", it was OKЕ

We went out in the morning. The sky was cleared up, it was a good visibility and windy. The temperature was about -30C since the morning - it was too cold for that altitude, we were wearing catalytic masks, down parkas Ц we were packed Уon fullФ. We carried about 7 kg everyone; we put on almost all the things. For 5 hours we ascended up to 5300, then we opened a crevasse and dug a cave. In two hours we understood, that it was not the best place, but it was late to change something, it was going to be dark soon.

Something with the sizes of 1,2 on 2 meters with a bottom from the snotty bridge and with holes leaving somewhere in the dark in a headboard and foots turned out at us. It was ominous blowing from the holesЕ

Next day for four hours we climbed to a zone of the big crevasses at 5800m. It was a strong wind, we hardly moved Е The weather still "rang", and it was very cold. Strips of ice alternated with strips of firn. There was not usual snow there. Searching for a place for a cave we descended in a crevasse on the sly. Mike showed a thermometer to me: УLook!Ф

I looked at it: it scaled up to -50C, further the scale ended Е Could it tell lies?

But as we could feel it might tell lies, but not very much. Mike started to dig firn in the valley wall of the crevasses on the depth of 3 meter and through a half-of meter he rested against ice. Further, through each meter downward it was the same. And he began to worryЕ

-What is that? - I asked

-We will be killed by frost! Recollect it will become much colder at night?

I laughedЕ

I reminded his words: УIt is such a destiny!Ф

We descended 20 meters from a surface to a horizontal bridge. There was no place and no opportunity to dig a cave.

We installed the tent. I noticed in 15 meters upward above us one more bridge with the big freakish cluster of hanging blocks of firn. I said: УIs that going to fall?Ф On what it was Mike's turn to laugh: УIt means the DestinyФ.

In tent, before falling into dream, hardly having torn off my internal boots from the socks, I showed them to Mike: ice with a thickness of a half of centimetre was frozen between durable and the insole.

It was ridiculouslyЕ

We ate; we were stacked, wished each other to not be chilled through, and then dozed offЕ

The morning came Е I came up from a heavy somnolence. I opened my eyes, lifted slightly a balalava and a hood. In a centimetre-crack between lifted and a mask I could see that the tent was covered by a layer of hoarfrost of 10 cm in thicknessЕ Precisely it was very coldly. Mike stirred next to me. So, delicately, we let know each other that it was the time to get up and out of our every morning nightmare. How it was hardly to start something to do! I waited, while the strong-willed effort, apparently, could be felt by fingers. We moved very accurately not to strew our sleeping bags with hoarfrost. Cautiously I postponed aside a wind-shelter jacket (broke it off from my mask) - for the night we made something like a baby's bib from them where the condensate from the mask could flow down. I removed a mask, took out (just break out) the filter of a frequent metal grid, put it on my breast under the down parka to thaw a little, cleared the mask from ice, put it under the down parka tooЕ The face at once became sharply to feel a cold.

Then, groaning and snuffling, by turns we rolled our sleeping bags in the backpacks dressed at night on our legs. We covered our down parkas with wind-shelter jackets, preliminary having cleared them from iceЕ We set the stove right exactly in the middle, on joining of the pads. It was our fascinating and cheerful sports, which never bother us - the won centimetre was considered as the "clear advantage"; you propped up the hardly less hoarfrost by your back thereЕ

There was a division of our duties developed somehow without saying: Mike was cooking, I was getting snow and ice for melting. We had for the breakfast in the morning of the days of going out- sublimate cottage cheese, honey, tea, a cracker, dried apricots, some nuts, a pair of sweets. In the mornings we used our tiny autoclave as a small saucepan - snow was melting infinitely longЕ Then we dissolved cottage cheese, added honey, and ate that slowlyЕ Then in the other saucepan we prepared tea infinitely long too. This saucepan has two walls and a unary bottom, that it strongly saves to us gas, as well as the autoclave, and as, however, a good stoveЕ

I suddenly dreamed: УI would like to invite a hot, after a sweating room, young girl, not, two girls to be imposed with them and to drink a cold vodka Е No, vodka should be hot tooЕФ

We look against each other and we smiled - as it sounded wildly hereЕ

We were absolutely in the other world, and if something occurs with us nobody will manage to help - except for ourselvesЕ It was not Caucasus thereЕ

Two hours passed from our awakening, we started to prepare for our going out.

Our tent (1200 grammes) was small. We had to pack up our rucksacks only by turns. According the other our tradition Mike gathered first, all this time I hunching myself up cleaned the autoclave and the saucepan trying not to prevent him. I picked out ice and a snow from my external plastic boots. I thrusted them in a sleeping bag to get warm and to begin starting bending a little Е I recollected, as, once, sitting on the ridge of Nakra in the beginning of March I looked at stars, at lights below. That time it was much warmerЕ

In an hour Mike was ready. He crept slowly outside, then I gathered Е Though, I seemed put on everything I needed, but gathering dragged on all the same -you ought not to be mistaken in anything. It was too cold, that you could not take off your mittens outside. I took off "night" socks and down mittens from my foots. I put on "day" ones, boots. And I was lacing them up a long timeЕ Finally I was ready in 40 minutes. The thermometer was still overscaled.

Quickly we crammed the rest things into our backpacks; we put on crampons and left the crevasse. Never our morning gatherings were less than 3,5 hours.

We looked like a cabbage, we put on 4 pairs trousers (two pairs of woollen ones), a synthetic jacket, a wind-shelter one; two - three sweaters, a down parka, a wind-shelter jacket, woollen gloves and down mittens - on hands, a mask as respirators, mountain-skiing glasses on facesЕ There was not any open site of skin.

A visibility was rather good; we could see all the northern face from the top to the bottom. But we could not see any visible places for spending the night above 5800mЕ We ascended approximately up to 6200m (on our sensations it was hardly higher than Razdelnaya (Separate)). I was lost in contemplation on surrounding nature. The wind allowed us to stand, especially not straining. Mike clapped me with a ski stick on my back, and showed on his wrist and downwards. It was hardly to speak through the masks and because of the wind, therefore we communicated gesturing Е Really, it was the time to go down. We descended up to the cave at 5300m. Mike insisted on spending the night, but it was all the same for me. I did not see the right special sense of thatЕ

I remembered how I climbed my first "7-thousand" mountain, Peak Korzhenevskoy, via the on classical route. All our expedition took 7 days including the acclimatization ascent on Chetyrekh (of Fourth) Peak up to 6000m and two spending the night at 5100m. From 6500m up to the top we were together, sometimes three together, trampled down a track knee-deep in a snow and "saved" an hour and a half to the other about 30 persons who left from 6300 mЕ But in 1993 our shapes were much better! And I remembered how it was warm that time.

We stayed at 5300. We cooked buckwheat in the evening, we threw in it hardly baked oil, salt. Plus a rusk, a slice of smoked bacon, and a lot of tea, sugar, vitamins - it was our usual supper.

The weather began to spoil again, but it seemed to be warmer Е It was magnificent!Е

Since the morning we descended to the base camp. We were eaten off there and estimated our stocks. Perhaps, if we have a failure on a forthcoming summit push (it means we will sit out in the last camp for a long time) we will run out of our resources to make one more attempt to summit and descend.

And, the most important unique our globally unresolved problem (except for absence of the spare first-aid set and a stove) - how we will find the last camp if there is no visibility? We did not want to leave the diretissima line. But thank goodness, we were healthy, in good shape, without frost-bites and even a high-altitude cough (glory to the masks!)

We had a rest day. It was unexpectedly good weather! The first time we could see the Mountain from Sary-Mogol, the second- during acclimatization ascent. It was like a fairy tale again: we could see everything, the sun was shining, and there was not any wind. Was it warm? Yes! Only minus 15 Е A Fantasy!

Both of us very much appreciate solitude. And, not arranging, after a breakfast we dispersed to stay in loneliness, to think Е Perhaps, for the first time there was no heavy work and, especially, there was no any struggle for a life Е I just was looking at the Mountain, I felt that everything was all right to me.

I was where it was necessary to be Е Yes, that day I, perhaps, began to understand, why everyone who made a high-altitude ascent in the winter, spoke, that this was one of the heaviest ascents in their life.

Suddenly the feeling that the mountain would allow us to summit it was born. I was just joyful floating, drifting, in a stream of ideas Е Shambhala...

On February, 23 - we were going to start the summit attempt. The weather deteriorated again Е It was windy, and visibility was no more than 100 meters. We congratulated each other on a holiday (On February, 23 - a holiday of the defender of fatherland in Russia). We celebrated it in a surprising placeЕ We spent the night at 5300 again.

Next day we climbed up to 5800m though we had planned to reach 6100-6200m. But a wind was too strong and it was very hardly to moveЕ Frequently we just crept or stood on hands and knees waiting for ending of strong impulses of the wind. I wondered what it was happening on ridges! Our route was chosen correctly. And the temperature was decreasing again. What's a paradox! There were neither weather, nor "heat" Е I suggested to summit right from here in the presence of any visibility and absence of a strong wind. We spent the night again in the tent settled in a big crevasse. But there was no good weather next morning, and again it was windyЕ Having roped up just in case we moved ahead even more hardly. After 6- hours of exhausting struggle against a wind we reached the altitude of approximately 6100-6200mЕ

It was difficult to tell more precisely - we could not see anything. Desperately we tried to find not filled crack. We could not to do that. A wind amplified even more, It seemed was going to blow us off! At last, more likely by touch I guessed a roughness between ice and firn and choking scratched raw by my ice axe. Mike tried to find something too and shouted: "We have to descend on 5800m!" I replied: УDo not prevent!Ф And a miracle! On the depth of a half of meter I suddenly made a hole in darkness. Quickly we expanded the hole, in a meter the hole started to widen. Mike dived downwards first, and then I dived and slid off four meters via a ramp of the valley wall on the thin narrow bridge. It was cool! There was not a wind there. The ice mountain wall hung above, and the firn valley wall had a positive gradient. It was a bit low there, more than meter in height, and in width. We moved along the bridge two meters more to the right and found a site just under the tent below. To tell the truth, the site did not fasten the valley wall on whole its perimeter. There was a real hole of two meters in size. There was a fine bridge more in a pair of meters below. It meant we would not fall down far.

I inserted an ice screw. A terrible crash was heard. And the whole upper wall was dissected with a horizontal crack. Child's play, we thought, it was simply over frozen ice. We got settled, drank tea. I found out us exhausted by the wind.

We decided to leave tomorrow, on the 26-thЕ Since the morning we left with an interval of one hour. The ramp fell down in places so it was difficult to get out from our shelterЕ

A visibility in the "street" was about 200meters. A wind considerably became much weaker. We needed special efforts for movement - it was a great progressЕ Mike, using that advantage, went far. In an hour I caught him up, having climbed about 300 meters on height. It was easily - all the time I kept the line of falling waterЕ

It was more abrupt sites there, and all crevasses looked in such way: their top edge Ц the walls of 2m up to 5m long, in a steepness from 60up to 75 degrees, the smaller ones simply covered with snow. A crevasse in itself was filled by firn, that it turned out almost horizontal firn ledge with abrupt ice below and above.

I did not take trouble to bypass them, I just scattered my arms for balance, and leaning slightly on a wall I climbed only on front points. I had a tremendous self-confidenceЕ

The visibility began worseningЕ We consulted a little and turned back.

Somehow very easily we found our "mink" (using the line of falling water?)Е

We had no any chance for the second attempt. It meant: either tomorrow upward, or downward. That's all talks. We thought about our long preparation, our spent time. If you recede once you will get used to do itЕ And we decided to summit in any way and any weather.

Since morning we were gathering for a long time again ЕThough we clearly understood, that we had to hurry up - a very heavy day was ahead. It became cold again, and in the morning it was about -45C Е Finally we got out of the tent. Mike decided not to take his ice axe relying upon his good sticks with corundum tips. He considered that if he fell he would not be able to hook. I was surprised with his decision and recollected that yesterday he had not taken it too. Then I began to fuss gathering. Mike having hardly got out began climb. The ramp was near to fall.

Having gathered for a long time again (I should not forget anything). At last I got out of the tent too. I had to hurry, Mike had left an hour ago. I put on my crampons, took both sticks, an ice axe, roped the end of the 20-m rope.

Finally I put on the warm clothes and climbed to the exit... What a surprise! I puzzled looked the hole's exit: all the walls were with the negative gradient. Our ramp appeared a bridge, instead of a continuous part of the valley wall. And its top edge finally fell off.

I understood that the time was drawing me in, I had no time to make a rope-ladder. We will be able to get into the hole any way and the next morning we will have time to think about what to do. Staying on the edge of the bridge I managed to reach the external edge of the hole with my ice axe (hurrah!) and set my left leg off width the valley edge. Accurately I moved, easily pressing the ice axe, and hammered my right crampon into the mountain wall, then I rearranged my legsЕ I tried to throw the ice axe far awayЕ The right crampon slipped, the ice axe cut through the firn and I fell on the bridge, bringing down a big block more. The devil takes it!!! All right, one more again - if I failure I will have to descend to take some ice screws to make a ladder. I cut on two steps in the both edges of the crevasse and having risen on the bottom, I reached again the edge of the hole. Despite of a wild pressure I covered in sweatЕ

I managed to put out outside my ice axe and to be hooked, then my left hand caught hold the wrist of my right hand, I was tightened, my legs were hangingЕ I made a block, moved my left hand with a stick forward, thrusted my knees in the walls of the hole, threw the ice axe more forward with a mad effort - and I laid up to the waist outside convulsively swallowing air. My legs were still hanging, but I was not going to slide off downwards any moreЕ

In some minutes I came round and noticed that the left part of my mountain-skiing glasses taught the firn. Damn! Now it will be frosted over Е Let's see.

Part 2 >>