Kichkidar-Yunom, combined, 3B

Route description:

The exit is from the Djailyk tourist camp, moving along the right (orographically) bank of the Kulumkol River past the cow shed and further along the moraines to the middle Kichkidar overnight stays near the Yunom glacier. Travel time is 2.5–3 hours.

From the middle Kichkidar overnight stays:

• Up the glacier along the ridge, leaving it on the left;
• Exit via easy rocks to the saddle;
• Further up the snow-ice slope in the direction of the left gendarme of the "hare".

The bergschrund under the "hare" is usually bypassed on the left. The time taken to move from the middle Kichkidar overnight stays to the left gendarme of the "hare" is 2–2.5 hours.

From the left "hare", easy rocks on the pre-summit ridge lead to the summit of Kichkidar. The time taken for this section is approximately 0.5 hours. From the summit of Kichkidar, bypassing the "hares" on the right (belay!!!), move in the direction of the Yunomkara summit, keeping to the right side of the ridge (there may be cornices on the left) until the first gendarme of the three on the ridge, before the wall on the Yunomkara summit.

Options for overcoming the gendarmes:

1. If the condition of the snow cover on the slope allows, the first two gendarmes are bypassed on the right by descending down the slope (belay!!!) to the end of the ridges descending from them. The long rocky ridge of the gendarme is intersected in its lower part, and then one should ascend directly up the slope along this ridge to the saddle between the 3rd gendarme and the wall on the way to Yunomkara summit.
2. Descend down to the right along the slope along the ridge coming from the 1st gendarme (belay via ledges and pitons) and intersect this ridge at the saddle-like depression. There may be ice formation here, requiring careful belay and possible step chopping. The ridge is intersected via ledges with a small gain in height. Then, the couloir between the ridges of the 1st and 2nd gendarmes and the ridge from the second gendarme is intersected (also at the saddle-like depression via ledges with a small gain in height). Then, exit via the couloir between the ridges from the 2nd and 3rd gendarmes. Overcome the 3rd gendarme head-on and exit under the wall.
3. It is also possible to exit to the ridge via the couloir between the ridges of the 1st and 2nd gendarmes with further overcoming of the 2nd and 3rd gendarmes head-on. In this case, the descent from the 2nd gendarme to the saddle is done while seated on the rope. After overcoming the wall with careful piton belay (using existing vertical crevices), exit to the pre-summit ridge.