Interview
with Boris Tilov - chief of the Elbrus rescue service (31.12.2004) "...Having some extra days in stock, we decided
not to hurry up with the beginning of our Elbrus climb and to wait here, in the
valley, in comfortable civilized conditions of a hospitable village, for better
weather. Thus, due to the wrong kind of weather an opportunity presented for us
to meet with Boris Tilov, the chief of the Elbrus rescue service, a very interesting
person who, as a rule, is constantly busy with his very intensive work..."
Author: Aleksey Trubachev, Moscow
Tyu-Tyu
(2-nd W, 4420m), North face, Khergiani route, 1956, 6A (29.12.2004) "...While David and I dug the platform, put tent,
cooked, etc., Elena and Evgeny made three pitches on rocky "triangle" of the Northern
face. But after that - we had to have a forced rest because of bad weather. Staying
on a ledge we felt how snow with rain ingurgitated us. That forced us to have
food economy too. But, probably, all of us really would like to climb this route
very much. Finally it became cold, and on July, 30 in the morning the dark blue
sky and rocks filled with ice and covered with snow met us..."
Author:
Elena Kuznetsova, Moscow Demchenko mountain club
"Russian
Pumori Team" Expedition (24.12.2004) "...We will start from Moscow on December, 25 and
next day arrive in Katmandu... We know from the experience of previous visits
and expeditions to Nepal: weather conditions for ascent are almost ideal in winter
there. Clear weather holds usually till January, 18-20. It is enough warm in gorges
and it is not terrible cold up to 7 thousand meters there. The routes are in a
less snow condition because as a rule the strongest winds which blow above the
Himalayas during the winter play the master everywhere above 7000 m..."
Dykh-Tau
Main, 5204m, Southern couloir, Bezengi region, Caucasus, Russia Brief
information and characteristics of the route (21.12.2004) "...Visiting the Bezengi area in winter for
the first time we realized that that the simplest routes of summer season on the
five-thousand mountains are not optimum lines in winter. Long snow ridges, technically
simple sites but with the fictitious belay and constant pressure of a wind made
us searching for other ways..."
Author:
Sergey Shchepachkov, Moscow
Tuva.
"Vostochny (East)" peak and two "heroic" climbers face to face (14.12.2004) "The next morning the time of a feat came: we had 3 days more
before our departure, and we had not tried 6A` route yet. But we had to start
climbing it right after our 5B summit without any day of rest. In general this
route ascent needs for 4 days: one day of fixing the rope from below, one day
climbing up to the ledge, one day more climbing the bastion and the last day climbing
up to the summit. As we had no time we decided to minimize the first part and
to run it up for a day..."
Author: Filatiev Oleg, Tomsk
Igor
Gusak. Portfolio (9.12.2004) "...This album is devoted to the Champion of Ukraine,
my old friend Igor Gusak ..."
Author:
Alexander Ledovskikh, a.k.a. Medun, Netherlands
(1.12.2004) Valeri
Babanov. Nuptse. Polemics In
reply to Steve House's letter (read Alpinist ¹7) "...Thank
you very much for forwarding Steve's comments to me and for giving me this opportunity
to respond. I well understand that our Nuptse ascent has sparked a lot of discussions
about our tactics and style..."
Travel
across Kamchatka in search of bouldering (29.11.2004) "...One fine day having looked the weather forecast
for some days forward, we decided to get to volcanoes area to have a good bouldering.
And wasn't it good, eh?.."
Mike
Pekarev, Moscow. Portfolio (26.11.2004) "...Mike is the real sportsman of extraordinary
health and huge potential. He amazingly climbs complex routes (I vail the bonnet!)
both in technical and power aspect. He has motivation to trainings..."
Author: Alexander Ledovskikh, a.k.a. Medun, Netherlands
Ama
Dablam (6856 m). A new route on East Ridge Southern buttress, 1994 (22.11.2004) "...After in the spring of 1993 a team of Russian
climbers, led by Sergey Borisovich Efimov, at participation of an Englishman Rick
Allen first summited Dhaulagiri, North Face, and became Piolet d’or nominees something
like "vacuum" appeared in my climbing activity, hardly diluted with fall's "jogging"
- trekking up to Annapurna base camp. We screamed the real expedition. Vladimir
Bashkirov suggested to lead a new route on Ama Dablam..."
Author:
Sergey Bogomolov, Saratov
Koshtan
(5151m), North ridge, 4B, Caucasus, Russia (18.11.2004) "...We got up at 3.00. The weather was bad. The
first variant - to descend with heavy rucksacks rappelling in a bad weather and
through the rain. It meant it would be very cold and the people would grumble.
The second variant - to go upwards with light baggage, heading the summit, where
a dry snow was falling and everyone would move and be warmer. This logic, certainly,
was foolish but then it worked..."
Russian
Extreme Project History (1.11.2004) "The Outdoor Adventure named the Russian Extreme
Project aims to lead worldwide unique actions and expeditions of obviously expressed
extreme character with the purpose of development and popularization of extreme
kinds of sports in Russia. Author, leader and Project coordinator - Valery Rozov,
master of sports in mountaineering, master of sports of the international class
in parachute sport, two-times World champion on Skydiving..."
SHISHA
PANGMA WINTER 2004-2005 (27.10.2004) "Winter is back and I am off once again to face
the ascent this season of an 8000 metre peak. Last January, at the beginning of
2004, only 300 vertical metres stopped us from achieving the first historical
winter ascent of Shisha Pangma’s 8027 metres in the Himalayas..."
Author: Simone Moro
Julia
Abramchuk. Portfolio (26.10.2004) "I would like to present you some photos of a surprising
girl - Julia Abramchuk. First of all I want to congratulate Julia and with happy
birthday... Also I want to congratulate her with already achieved successes, particularly
with the gold at competitions in Ufa and the Big Cup of Russia that she has won..."
Author: Alexander Ledovskikh, a.k.a. Medun, Netherlands
Brief
anti course against total lawlessness in mountaineering (18.10.2004) "...ATTENTION! This brief analytical review of my
climbing mistakes is intended only for those a few people who are in great interest
in mountaineering and actually want to plunge into this slough, who have courage
to estimate soberly their acts and opportunities, but do not have an opportunity
to find the TRUE instructor for comprehension of mountaineering elements..."
Author: Pavlenko Dmitry, Moscow - Bishkek
Indescribable
fingers Kamchatka, Ganalsky ridge. Palets
(Finger) peak, 5À (8.10.2004) "...We did not want to sleep completely, and were
lazy to play cards, and it was already impossible to sit in the tent. But in the
street there was a deep fog and when you got out from the tent a sensation that
you looked at a white sheet of a paper appeared. Only deep night the sky began
to clear up. The moon got out, and we at last saw the mountains. And then I started
to feel terrible. They were white. Completely..."
Western
Mizhirgi (5025m, Caucasus, Russia), Southern ridge (5A) ascent (4.10.2004) "...Stankevich's wall is the last serious crux on the route.
But we thought that we had already passed this third gendarme, and, looking at
it, we read under the description the passage of the following gendarme "Camel":
“The gendarme Camel to bypass on the rocks from the left ”. We looked at these
monolithic rocks at the left, breaking in the left part by 200 meters faults and
we started to be nervous: either we came not there, or they made mistakes in the
description, or we just were too young to climb such routes if we could not just
climb rocks from the left..."
THE
MASTER - CLASS. Salavat Rakhmetov Direct
Interview for Mountain.RU (21.09.2004) "...My older brother Kayrat was engaged
in rock-climbing since 1978 and he brought me there. That time I was fond of track
and field athletics, ran (distances 800-1500 meters), jumped at length a little.
In 1984 I stopped to run on "horizontal" and began to run on "vertical". Practically
from the first trainings I start to climb. In a year I won a championship of Alma-Ata
and a championship of Kazakhstan..."
The
material is prepared by Anna Piunova, Mountain. RU
Kashkar
peak, 6435 m, ascent Part 1 (15.09.2004) "...Kashkar peak (Koshkar, Kochkar-Bashi), 6435 m, is located
in a southern ridge of Kokshaaltau range that begins at Tomur Peak (Pobeda) at
the area of "obelisk" and extends 40-50 km to the south. Kashkar towers in 20-25
kilometers to the south from Tomur completely independent plexus of mountains
and in this connection it becomes rather attractive object for mountain climbing,
and especially for making first ascents..."
The
female two-man team on Bodkhona (3.08.2004) In summer 2003 a female two-man team (Elena Nagovitsina,
Chelyabinsk, and Svetlana Baskakova, Tashkent) climbed the western face of Bodkhona
(5138 m), Fanskie mountains, via F.Zhitenev's route 6À-graded and won the first
place in the Championship of the CIS.
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..."
Eugeny
Krivosheitsev. News from Crimea. (30.06.2004)
"...I
successfully worked above the new "combined" line that I named "Parallelny Chertopolokh
(Parallel Thistle)", supposedly of 8ñ +/8ñ. And I sent it fifth go. The line turned
out rather extent with set of complex sites... As a
whole, the line appears very pleasant, but it demands the good form and you have
to do all your best on it. For today it is the most difficult line in Red Stone
area... "
Southern
part of Arctic Ural Review of tourist opportunities of the area (24.06.2004) When in 70th years good map-schemes of the mountain area
appeared, tourists began to penetrate actively directly into mountains, to climb
difficult passes, to traverse ridges and to include in a route technically sated
sites: traverse of Paier's Pila (Saw), traverse of Paier and ascent on Mt. Skalnaya
(Rocky)...
Authors: Konstantin Beketov,
Saint Petersburg, Otto Chkhetiani, Moscow
The
information is given by O.P.Kolesov, Republic Buryatiya
(15.06.2004) Amin
Brakk (Great Tower) B.A.S.E.-climbing expedition, Karakorum, Pakistan "Russian Extreme Project" represents: In June
- July, 2004 "Russian Extreme Project" team consisting of 4 climbers, a camera-man,
a photographer and a doctor, sets to climb a new "Russian" route on legendary
Mt. Amin Brakk (5850m), West face, and make B.A.S.E. jump, executed by Valery
Rozov, from the summit.
Crimea.
Results. Alexey Tselishchev & C. (25.05.2004) "...Julia sent "Flatter", 8à, and "Chertopolokh
(Thistle)", 8b. Kostya and I sent the old lines of 7-graded. It seems to me that
Kostya and Mike sent "Vremya Tch (Rush hours)", 8à (or it might have been "Flatter"?
I do not really remember that). I was trying a little "Chertopolokh (Thistle)"
finally, but sent only "Flatter", 8à, and "Mastertest", 8à + ..."
Siberia
(21.05.2004) "Siberia is a region in Russia, the greater part of the
Asian territory, which occupies an area larger than the USA. It stretches to the
Ural in the west, the North Pole Sea in the north, the Siberian highlands and
the Pacific watershed mountain ridges in the east and up to hilly steppes of Kazakhstan
and boundary with Mongolia in the south..."
Ergaki.
Zub Drakona (Dragon's fang), 2021m Portfolio (19.05.2004) "In March, 1999 a team of climbers of Krasnoyarsk club
of travellers went in the area of Ergaki (Eastern Siberia) for climbing a new
route on Zub Drakona peak. At a strong frost (the temperature reached negative
40) the guys ascended the most complex part of the wall. But time was up - the
guys had to take off the ropes and come back home. In the summer on traditional
gathering of climbers in Ergaki (taking place from June, 24 till July, 5, 1999)
the guys (Koryukin, Terentyev, Tsyganov, Zakharov) climbed the route completely.
A new interesting route 6À-graded appeared on the Southwest face of Zub Drakona
peak via its main tower..."
The
author: Igor Koryukin, Krasnoyarsk
The
Crimea. Results. Eugeny Krivosheitsev. "A fairy tale of wanderings". (17.05.2004) "For the second day of my climbing in the Crimea Andrey
Vedenmeer and I decided to send a new route "Skazka Stranstviy" (Fairy tale of
Wanderings) in Foros... I took my old shabby soft rocky shoes that appeared the
big mistake as all the route goes on very technical difficult plates where I had
to put my feet on crimpers almost not visible at all!.."
The
Crimea. Results. Salavat Rakhmetov. (14.05.2004) "As to the routes Nikita is not strongly changed, but
bolts are located in convenient places, it became more safe to climb (for example,
on Eskadron (Squadron) the third bolt stands there where it should stand.) I was
impressed by amount of people: as if I appeared in Arko in September..."
Ergaki
2003 - Thoughts Aloud (11.05.2004) "Mum, terribly! Stop, effing thing!"- this I said to the sky
hook. "Tension! Hold more strong - the hook is falling out!"- and that I said
to Boom who was belaying me. I did not want to fall: there were 5m of the abrupt
smooth rock that I had hook punched and climbed with sky hooks..."
Author: Filatiev
Oleg, Tomsk
Ascent
on Erydag (3925m) (7.05.2004) Caucasus, Mountains of Dagestan, Chekhy-Tchay gorge,
via a new route on North-West face, centre of right bastion, 6A graded done by
the team of Dagestan Republican search and rescue service, Ministry of Emergency
Measures of Russia in winter 2000.
Italy.
"Wild bouldering" (19.03.2004) Autumn trip to France and Italy, 2003 in the team with
Seric Kazbekov, Natalia Perlova, Salavat Rakhmetov, Eugeny Ovchinnikov and Olga
Bibik.
Solo
on Pobeda peak in 1978 (12.04.2004) "...In connection with
especially "warm" China-Soviet relations at the end of 70th - the beginning of
80th years the area of Pobeda peak was closed by frontier guards for any campaigns
and ascents. However during this period - in 1978 - a tourist Eugeny Zavyalov
from Petersburg made a solo ascent on Pobeda peak going round the frontier guards..."
The material is prepared by
Mountain. RU.
Krasnoyarsk
route on Ak-Su (N) 5217m 6B, VI, A4, 1600m, Winter,
2004 (5.04.2004) "...as soon as the team blasted, heavy snowfall
began and continued for 11 days frequently accompanied by very strong winds. The
temperature did not fall below negative 25, basically it was about negative15C,
a wind sometimes reached 30ì/s. Despite of bad weather conditions during the ascent,
the team only one day did not work on the route, having considered that day as
potentially microavalanches dangerous. As to our climbing technique we basically
used fifi hooks, anchor hooks for belay stations..."
Author:
Anton Pugovkin, Krasnoyarsk
The
description of Geographers Pass (2.04.2004) "...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..."
Author: Ivan Ermakov,
Moscow State University of M.V.Lomonosov, Moscow
EXPEDITION
to "the wild world" (1.04.2004) "...In the summer, 2004
a team led by Anatoliy Juliy plans the second expedition to Central Tien Shan
mountains (the area of peak Tomur - peak Pobeda) from the China part. The purpose
of the second expedition is passage several new still unclimbed passes, first
ascents on one or two "6-thousand" mountains and an ascent via a new route from
the south on one of known summits of Kokshaaltau ridge - peak of Voennykh (Military)
Topographers...Taking into account the certain financial difficulties at the
majority of the participants, we ask to consider the problem of sponsor's support.
..."
Author:
Anatoliy Juliy, Moscow
The
Khibiny - the point of view of a climber (31.03.2004) "...At first sight,
the mountains seem absolutely simple. Small, flat, and their altitude - only a
kilometer with a "cap" (it means hardly more on Russian). Absolutely domestic,
I can even tell. However every year people perish in them. Freeze or get in avalanches.
It is difficult to tell whether it is happens due to their bad shape and equipment,
or with suddenly worsening weather conditions. Probably, we have to allow for
both: that and another. But most of all underestimation of the dangers concealed
in any, even the lowest mountains afflicts..."
The team of Sverdlovsk
regional sport committee climbed the right O.Khudyakov's route (1970), 6A-graded,
on August, 30, 2003.
A
portrait of Stefan Glowacz (23.03.2004) "... At the age of 15 he took an Alpine Club climbing
course and during the following years climbed extensively in the local Wettersteingebirge.
In 1985 Stefan won Sport Roccia in Bardoneccia, Italy – the first sport climbing
competition ever held. Three times he was the winner of the Arco Rock Master event
(1987, 1988, 1992). He placed first in the unofficial demonstration competition
in the Albertville Winter Olympics, and won victories in countless master tournaments.
In 1993 he became vice world champion in Innsbruck and decided to end his competitive
career with this success. Since then, Stefan has been focusing on the challenges
of natural rock. In 1994 he could claim the first ascent of Des Kaisers neue Kleiderz
in the Kaisergebirge, one of the most difficult alpine sport climbing routes in
the world which is still waiting for a repetition..."
Beyond
the Arctic Circle there is white - white snow... (15.03.2004) "...The Khibiny - is
small mountain range with flat tops located in the center of Kola peninsula. Average
differences of altitudes are from 700 up to 1000 meters. Northern geographical
position and affinity to the Barents Sea in common predetermine the area’s climatic
features. The season begins at the end of January. In December and January in
the Khibiny it is too dark and cold..."
The authors:
Maxim Pankov, Sergey Konyaev and MASANNA ADVENTURES Tourist Club
Peak
Lenina (7134m, Pamir, Kyrgyzstan-Tadjikistan) February, 1993 (12.03.2004) "...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. In the mountaineering
of 80th years winter high-altitude ascents became that standard... Therefore,
when Mike Shtarkov, a member of our Moscow State University club, asked in September
of 1992: “Well, what about to climb a high altitude peak in the winter?” I answered:
“Not the question, it is the right time.” ..."
Ak-Su.
First Ever Winter New Route. The Leader's impressions (3.03.2004) "...That day Andrey made one pitch and looked
like a snowball in glasses. As the result we hang up the portaledge at the zone
of 13-th pitch. A visibility sometimes was no more a meter, The real "White River"
flew on the Wall. In the same evening all of us descended running away to the
base camp. The bad weather continued a day more and after that we could see Ak-Su
in all its magnificence, decorated with fresh snow..."
Author:
Anton Pugovkin, Krasnoyarsk
Spring
2004: projects in Nepal Baruntse (7129m) and Annapurna (8091m) (1.03.2004) "I’ll be returning to Nepal on the 28th of March. I’m
going there in order to attempt two prestigious climbing objectives. The first
will be the north wall of Baruntse (7129m). This is a “virgin” wall, untouched
except by the gaze of thousands of “eye climbers!” This wall is located in front
of the south wall of Lhotse (8561m), part of the mountain group between Everest
and Makalu which has battled hundreds of trekkers and alpine specialists over
the past 30 years..."
The author: Kovsherev
Aleksandr, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Jury
Koshelenko. Winner 13th PIOLET D'OR Interview for
Mountain.RU (12.02.2004) "...I had an internal sensation not connected to my mind
but more likely with feeling at a mental level, that we will be awarded. Thus
I well understood, that there were a lot of reasons against that. Certainly they
are basically the facts that it would be the second Piolet d’or for Valery and
as a whole the third for Russia. It is impossible. Though on total merits we had
9 nominations - five at Valery and four at me. It was a voice of heart..."
The material was prepared
by Anna Piunova, Mountain.RU
"6613".
A virgin summit on Kurumdy peak (30.01.2004) "…After some more meters
and in some minutes and we were going to reach the top … We needed to take breath,
evading from strong gusts of a wind. But no, there was not the top. We were mistaken.
The ridge turned round sharply on the West, smoothly, with ascent. As the wind
blew directly to face with sharp impulses it drove crusted snow. My heart was
beating whether of sensation of the high altitude or of presentiment of affinity
of a victory..."
Author:
Michael Mihajlov, Bishkek
History
of northern face of Svobodnaya (Free) Korea peak (4740m) (28.01.2004) "...When I only started first to climb in my life, there
was a huge photo of northern face of Svobodnaya Korea peak on apartment's wall
of our instructor and trainer Victor Nazarenko. The black and white photo directed
trembling at everyone. And admired words of the trainer only confirmed that it
was the very complex wall, and not everyone managed to climb this northern route
to the top..."
Author:
Alexandre Ruchkin, S.Petersburg
Makalu
- history (26.01.2004) The combined team of Kazakhstan
within the framework of the project of ascending on the all tops higher than 8000m
is going to climb the fifth summit of the planet - Makalu via Parago route (Western
ridge) this spring. Some data about the Makalu...
Aksaiskoe
Gorge. Svobodnaya Korea ("Free Korea"), 4,740 m (21.01.2004) "...In
upper reaches of Ak-Say glacier the most interesting walls of Kirghiz Ala-Too
are located, forming the highest site of the Central Kirghiz Range which is called
as Aksay “semi-horse-shoe”. The big altitude of these places (4000-4800m), arrangement
of the ridges sheltering from warm southern winds and a number of other factors
are the cause of the presence of a powerful congelation. Ak-Say glacier in many
respects determines a microclimate of the area - rather severe and cold. In Ak-Say
gorge there are more than eighty qualified routes graded from 1 up to 6B categories
of complexity..."
Author:
Alexandre Ruchkin, S.Petersburg
THE
PROJECT "SNOW LEOPARD" IN WINTER Winter Lenin
peak ascent (19.01.2004) "...Exactly
three years ago climbers of the Center of Mountaineering Training for Rescuers
and Guides made a suggestion of renewal of old tradition - "Snow Leopard". Also
they made a decision to climb the all mountains above 7000m in the area of the
ex-USSR in winter, i.e. to execute the program "Snow Leopard" in winter...."
Ak-Su
- the White River (16.01.2004) "...In
the end of the 80th years the area became one of the most popular in climbing
in many respects due to the unique geological structure: the presence of the tops
with vertical monolithic walls extended from 500 up to 1000 m and more..."
Author: Pavel Shabalin Photo: Pavel Shabalin,
Alexandre Ruchkin, Viktor Ostanin
Tomaz
Humar and Ales Kozelj to Aconcagua's peak along a new route (8.01.2004) Slovene mountaineers Tomaz Humar and Ales Kozelj conquered
the south face of Aconcagua along a new route in the last days of December. They
named the route Mobitel's Swallow - Johan's route. The highest peak of
the Andes, the South-American mountain range, is situated along the border between
Argentine and Chile and was first conquered by the French in 1954. Slovene mountaineers
first stood on its summit in 1982.
