On November 11-27 2005 Mountain.Ru conducted an opinion poll during for two weeks and lined up about 800 votes. Everybody could take only one vote... The FIRST place in our voting with a wide margin - Pobeda Peak Solo Traverse done by Gleb Sokolov
Joint Russian-Ukrainian team spent vinous-relaxing and climbing- lead -up training in Saint-Leger-du-Ventoux, France.
Cool rock-climbing and a good company: Zilya, Jack Krivosheitsev, Katya Yaemurd, Nadya, Scott and Stuart from New Zealand, Alena Ostapenko and Sadovsky Evgeny, Medun, Vadim and Lena Kaspichi, Mike Shalagin...
The aim of our expedition was Broad peak (8047 m), and we were exercising for that more than a year...Nobody has managed to climb the Southern Face of the mountain yet in spite of repeated attempts to win through this magnificence of rocks and ice. The wall is very much in evidence at the way of uncountable expeditions moving to their eight-thousand giants through the head of Baltoro glacier... A prompt reconnaissance of the route found it much more difficult and more dangerous than it was supposed. For this reason, as it was annoying, our Italian friends refused to try it. Well, only Sergey and I ventured upon this climb. The Wall seemed to hang out over the whole world...
Pushkin
peak (5100m) North Face, Besengi,Caucasus, Russia
(18.11.2005) There was a lot of snow fallen out in the spring,
all the North Face covered with a snow armour was silent all the summer
long. Any route could be started to climb. Thus the magnificent weather
had been holding for the whole month. We remembered only great avalanches
from Krumkol collapsed at the night on July 3. Almost all the zone
of faults fell off, the avalanche shined by fires, probably, due to
static electricity or sparks from stones; it was like volcanic lava...
UP
PROJECT trip one 2005. Karakorum
(17.10.2005) Extreme climbers, sport climbers, ice specialists,
all-around mountaineering… the “UP project” team cover all the ideal
terrains of mountaineering’s “new age”. A young group that wants to
have fun and to test themselves mountaineering outside of Europe...
Karavshin
Faces (10.10.2005)
...The group of climbers from Irkutsk and Angarsk
(Maxim Krivosheev, Denis Veretenin, Andrey Kustov) in August, 2005
summited Asan-Usen (4230 m), Pogorelov's route 6À, and tried to
climb peak 4810 via Voronin's route, 6B. We were in Karavshin gorge
(Pamiro-Alai) together with a team from Krasnoyarsk. They climbed
Alperin's route 5B for two days. Our team warmed-up climbing Asan-Usen
(4230 m) on Pogorelov's route 6À-graded: three days upwards and
a day downwards (18 rappels). But the good weather ended concurrently
with the successful completion of our ascent. And further daily
after-dinner rains began...
Author: Maxim
Krivosheev
8-grade
break or first 9a in the Crimea? (8.10.2005)
...Andrey Vedenmeer and I have created a lot
of new lines (some of them are connections with the old ones, but
a few new own lines also appeared!) Seven new lines from 8b up to
9à have been made there! All of them are based on already existing
lines: Matador 8Ñ +, Centaur 8b +, Fantastika (Fantasy) 8à +...
Traverse
(26.09.2005) From August, 16 till August, 23 the full
solo traverse of Pobeda Peak from Chon-Teren pass to Diky pass was
accomplished.
... On August, 21 weather was excellent, I started moving at 8.00.
And again there were avalanche-hazardous rises filled with snow.
I had to move very cautiously. The ridges break off to the Chinese
side with snow cornices, and leave in Russian side with the slopes
on which already snow slabs were formed...
"Now
then, let's go girls" or "Crimean moments" (19.09.2005) On September, 6 I got limbered up on easy routes
and then headed to try Alexis. First go I fell from bouldering site
in the middle of the line. I tried it many times until the sympathizers
prompted me some very strength moves.
I organized myself, started climbing and fell right from the last
but one quickdraw... And after a short rest, but hanging on by the
skin of teeth (with pierced before on a sharp hold my index finger)
finally I could do that! It was my third 8à-line for this short
trip...
Author: Alena
Ostapenko, Kharkov, Ukraine
Pavel
Shabalin, Ilyas Tukhvatullin. First Ascent Khan Tengri North Face
Center in two-man team, alpine style (14.09.2005) In the eighties we, one of the first, began
to climb routes in technical class not in command but a in a two-man
team. Two years ago the idea to make the same thing in high-altitude
class fell into our mind. In fact Northern Face of Khan Tengri,
South Face of Communism peak, Pobeda peak seem towering lonely and
deserted. Climbers go to repeat these challenge routes but always
in a big team. And it would be more favorable if they climb in a
two-man team and in Alpine style...
Author: Anna
Piunova, Mountain.RU
"GULLIH"
and All, All, All "near the creek" (12.09.2005) The main event of the Crimean summer - sending
the route "Gullih" that was made in 2003. After ten days of the
super concentration, groans, crying, injured fingers, broken hook,
extreme efforts and iron will - and, at last, Evgeny Krivosheitsev
put up "Gullih"...
Koskulak
peak (7028m), China Pamir, first ascent and attempt to climb Muztagh-Ata
Southern Ridge (30.08.2005) The Western slope of Koskulak peak represents
two wide and flat snow fields, connected at 6000 m with a narrow
and sharp snow ridge. According to available information in the
same terms two expeditions (a team led by Andrey Ershov and MAI-team)
were going to climb more obvious southwest ridge. We decided not
to herd there and try Koskulak's western ridge...
Authors: A.Novik,
D.Komarov, L.Fishkis
Climbing
in Turkey (25.08.2005) Perfect rock and pleasant temperatures one can
not only find in Kalymnos. Jost Huttenhain presents the climbing
possibilities and his camp in Turkey.
Author: Jost
Huttenhain, Turkey
Batura.
Portfolio. (19.08.2005) Images courtesy of Alessandro Pianalto, Italy
Tomaz
Humar. Nanga Parbat 2005 (9.08.2005) ...Tomaz
shared some details with Maja, of what it's like "up there. Another
avalanche had just burried him, so he had to dig his way out...
He's cold, and the moisture keeps freezing on this body - for 2
days in a row his toes turned blue and he tried massaging them with
some cream and now yet another night like that follows...
Talgar.
The highest mountain of Zailiysky Alatau Range (2.08.2005) Each mountain area has its own local colour. But
in all dissimilarities, differences and at times contradictions of
different mountain areas there is one their joining trait: the mountain
that epitomizes each area. Zailiisky Alatau included in Northern group
of "Heaven mountains" ranges is associated with Talgar Peak, 5017
m...
"Hot
Sun of the Desert"...in the sense of Nice (1.07.2005) Local lads are very strong here, and like tigers
climb all and sundry lines without straining. Specificity of the
rocks - long moves on pinches, but after a week of climbing you
get used and feel not bad there.
Author:
Evgeny Krivosheitsev, Odessa
"Infinite
Direct" on MacKinley SouthWest Face. (28.06.2005) Acclimatization climb Mt.McKinley West Buttress
via classical route. New route "Infinite Direct" on MacKinley
SouthWest Face
Author: Valery
Babanov
Routes
on Mt. Erydag (20.06.2005) Prior to Russian Internal Mountaineering Championship
2005.
Routes on Mt. Erydag..
Nikolay
Totmyanin. About Melungtse. (14.06.2005) This vertical rocky wall with overhanging and
cornices is dissected with a narrow, inclined small ice river -
float - in the average part of the route. Up to the float there
are three ice-snow and mixed pitches. The exit on the float is an
excellent snow ledge under a cornice, "Hotel Melungtse". You would
not invent the better place for spending the night on the wall!...
The material is prepared
by Anna Piunova, Mountain. RU
Honey
is sweat even if the bee stings! Crimean bouldering - ideas aloud... (10.06.2005) Last May holidays remembered also as bouldering
holidays for all rock-climbers who came to the Red Stone area! Party
of sportsmen from Moscow, Lvov, Petersburg, Kiev, Gomel, Samara,
Dnepropetrovsk etc selflessly was fighting during two weeks on picturesque
boulders of Krasnokamenka and Sosnyak (Pine forest). There were
a lot of friend communication, interesting supervision, joint plans...
Fascination
of the Crimea. Route "Latvia" (6.06.2005) At the beginning of our climb we wrote the title
“Latvia”. We did the route in two groups: Andrey Vedermeister and
me – Andris Malashevskis, and Rolands Laganovskis, Mareks Veinbergs,
Janis Vaivods...
Author: Andris
Malapevskis, Latvia
INTERNATIONAL
Youth rock climbing festival “Europe – Asia 2005” (2.06.2005) There are many fantastic granite rock faces
with vertical and overhanging walls in the Middle Urals...
The camp will be for those who like rock climbing, calm rafting,
adventures and nature...
Mt.
Khimik (Chemist), 3975 m., via the center of North Face Bastion,
5-B (12.05.2005) ...We planned the line right on the center of
the bastion, but further, during our ascent, we became attached
to the relief that did not allow us to lay the ideal diretissima
but we avoided hard bolting...
Harvard
Mountaineering Club Borkoldoy Expedition 2005 (25.04.2005) For political reasons, the Borkoldoy range was not open
to foreign mountaineering until the fall of the Soviet Union... Numerous peaks
from 14,000 to 18,000 feet remain unclimbed and unnamed. This will be the first
American expedition to the region...
Angel
Wall. Expedition to the lost world Alexander
Klenov gives an interview to Anna Piunova, Mountain.RU (21.04.2005) The route is unique. It has such absolute overhanging
that you can not find any where among BIG WALLs. The plumb line from the top point
up to the bottom drifts away not less than 150 meters. Route extent 1100m...
Canmore,
Canada. Mixed climbing (16.03.2005) First three days we climbed in Hafneer Greek - that small
gorge is located an hour away from Canmore and abounds with mixed lines and ice
routes. More than 12 mixed routes from M7 up to M12 + are concentrated there.
We started right away with the most difficult ones...
Festiglace
du Ouibec Ice festival (9.03.2005) On February 18-20 2005 one of the most interesting ice
festivals - Festiglace du Ouibec took place in the eighth time... Portfolio
Author: Oleg Fomichev, Tourist club
of Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. Bauman
Kostantin
Savelyev, Saint Petersburg. Portfolio (22.02.2005) "...I know him of old. First time I met Kostya in
Crimea in 1998 or so. Already then, he admired me with his climbing style..."
Author: Alexander Ledovskikh, a.k.a. Medun, Netherlands
Climbers
from Angarsk at the foot of Mt. Kupol (Dome), 2921m, East Sayany Mountains (17.02.2005) "Having started in 1999 some enthusiasts bolted ten routes
in extent from 250 up to 600 meters there for two years. It seems the routesetters
did not have to pinch and scrape and they bolted good and proper...The rocks represent
granite plates, therefore the majority of the routes start by climbing up a crack,
then slabby face climbing alternating with wall climbing..."
Author:
Oleg Pedenko, Angarsk
Bashkara
- 2005 Winter Expedition of Moscow Demchenko
Club (14.02.2005) Expedition of Moscow Demchenko Club is successfully completed:
the route is gone, all of the participants are pleased and full of optimism...
Ascent chronicle and photo album.
The
information is provided by Olga Firsova, Evgeny Korol and Pavel Fedorov
Kodar-2005 (11.02.2005) On January 29 the guys woke up early in the morning (4 a.m.)
and started their summit bid. After they climbed the summit bastion and narrow
rocky ridge, all the team reached the Kodar's summit at 9.00. Temperature was
negative 43
Mt.
Boks Ascent via Yugoslavian route 5À-graded, Tien Shan, Kirgizsky range (1.02.2005) "...Finally we decided to climb Boks via the north
face ridge: the route first climbed by Yugoslavian team in 1987. And as it turned
out we did not get money's worth: the experts consider this route as one of the
most complicated 5À-graded routes in the area..."
Author:
Sergey Tretyakov
(31.01.2005) Panorama of Bezengi Wall, Bezengi region, Central
Caucasus, Russia A view from Bezengi glacier, during traverse Misses-Kosh.
July, 2004
New
Route in Old Place Dombai Western (4036m) via
Southern face buttress, 5B (VI, A1, 1500m), new route (24.12.2004) "...nitially our plans included climbing of one
fresh route on Dombai Western (6a`, M.Zagirnyak, 2000), but the destiny upset
our apple-card... This spring was rather snowy... Accordingly all the route was
snow-covered, moreover the mountain was collapsing pieces of ice and stones from
above accurately on all our planned route... Miracle! Just in pair hundreds meters
more to the right we found a fine buttress lasted through all Southern face..."
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
Kostantin
Savelyev, Saint Petersburg. Portfolio
