Travel across Kamchatka in search of bouldering / Climb / Mountain.RU

Check out the previous story on the Mountain.RU:
Kamchatka. Domestic volcanos. Kozelsky mud volcano, Vladimir Markov, Vladivostok
Kamchatka, Pokrovsky Oleg, France
Indescribable fingers. Kamchatka, Ganalsky ridge, Elena Safonova

Author: Shumko Alexander, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Travel across Kamchatka in search of bouldering

Part 3. Kozelsky Volcano
(Part 1 here)

The Top of the Volcano

The following climbing area that we chose was at the foot of Kozelsky volcano (2190m). It is located near to Avachinsky volcano and consisted of basalts and andesites. About two hours we needed to approach it.

The Shelter at the foot of Kozelsky volcano

At the foot of the volcano everybody can rather comfortably spend the night in a shelter choppered in and made good by the guys from climbing club "Kutkh". So you can spend the night there and in the morning start ascending the volcano.

The volcano itself is very interesting both to mountain- and rock-climbers.

In autumn, winter and spring climbers storm it from every faces. And a lot of beginners try prentice hand there.

Ascent to the Volcano Top

Having trained in sending some routes on it (1B, 2А, 2B, 3А, 3B), they can already begin trying more serious routes on Koryaksky volcano.

And in summer this volcano often attracts amateurs of rock-climbing. During all the ascent up to the volcano top there are various stones on which it is possible to make good bouldering.

Amateurs of bouldering

One 3A-graded route goes via a vertical wall of thirty meters from the Volcano East face. Next year (in summer) we plan to free climb it for the first time. And I hope that we can do that first go. A mountain-skiing hotel is situated at the volcano northern face. Snow does not thaw there and it is possible to enjoy downhill skiing at any time all the year.

We are going to traverse all five volcanoes that are located in the Southern-East part of the East volcanic Zone, in 25 km to the West from Pacific Ocean coast: Kozelsky - Avachinsky - Koryaksky - Arik - Aag.

The Top of Kozelsky volcano, Avachinsky volcano is behind

Kozelsky is an extinct volcano, and to the northwest from it the active volcanoes Avachinsky and Koryaksky and more ancient, extinct volcanoes Arik and Aag are located.

Bouldering Valley

We stayed in this area for three days and climbed about 15 problems. All of them were basically simple, training. As we were so tired after climbing difficult routes in Ganaly we did not want to strain any more.

And for the third day a global cyclone came to Kamchatka again and all the day long we stayed in a small house under Kozelsky volcano waiting for a good weather or just snowfall interruption.

Next day as the weather improved a little, we started running at the double heading to our car. And having discussed our further plans we decided to discover a new not less interesting climbing area under Vilyuchinsky volcano....