ASCENT DOCUMENT

1. Ascent category — rock climbing.
2. Ascent area — Eastern Caucasus, Rocky ridge, Armkhi — Assa watershed, ChI ASSR.
3. Peak, its height, ascent route — Girech Glavnaya, (3171.7 m), via the central couloir of the S wall and W ridge.
4. Route description: a) height difference on the route — 920 m on the wall — b) route length — 1940 m c) average steepness of the route — 39°
5. Pitons hammered for belay (for creating belay stations): rock — ? ice — none bolt — none
6. Number of hours on the route: to the summit — 8–9 hours
7. Number of bivouacs and their characteristics —
8. Proposed category of difficulty — 2A category of complexity
9. Full name of the leader, participants and their qualification:
   1. Krapivko A.I. — 1st sports category,
   2. Kurochkin A.G. — CMS
10. Team coach — Kurochkin A.G.
11. Date of departure on the route and return to the base camp: a) departure on the route — August 31, 1984 b) reaching the summit — August 31, 1984 c) return to camp — August 31, 1984 PHOTO.
12. General view of Girech Glavnaya peak.
    1. Girech Glavnaya, 3171.7 m, 5B category of complexity, via the center of the S wall, first ascent, Kurochkin A.G., 1983 (“Ullutau”, III Caucasus championship, rock class, II place).
    2. Girech Glavnaya, 3171.7 m, 5B category of complexity, rock, via the SW wall, V. Gorin, 1983 (“Ullutau”). — Group's route

ROUTE DESCRIPTION

From the bivouac under the rock near the spring, proceed to the right, cross the grassy couloir and continue to ascend along the couloir through the snowy slope to a rocky outcrop, which is bypassed on the right. Then continue up the snowy slope with rocky outcrops to approach the start of the route — an 8-meter 70-degree monolithic wall. From the bivouac, 1.5–2 hours.

Climb the walls with careful piton belay. Be extremely cautious when exiting to the top — “live” rocks!

Then, ascend a 25-meter 40-degree snowy slope with rocky outcrops (caution — “live” rocks!) to reach the central couloir.

The couloir is traversed on the left side. Ascend a 30-meter 75-degree wall to a ledge. Belay! Pitons!

Then, climb 20-meter 55-degree broken rocks to a rocky niche. “Live” rocks! Belay!

From the rocky niche, traverse right to exit the couloir onto a scree slope. Belay! Pitons!

Ascend a 60-meter 20-degree fine scree to a snowy slope. Traverse right — 400 m along the snowy slope to the ridge. Landmark — a rocky niche on a ridge gendarme.

Then, traverse 300 m up along the 30-degree snowy slope of the ridge to a gendarme.

Bypass the gendarme on the left via a 30–40 m long ledge. Then, descend 60–70 m to the snowy ridge via 30–45-degree simple, heavily broken rocks.

Continue 150 m along the sharp snowy ridge and 60 m up a 30–40-degree fine scree to ascend to the saddle between two gendarmes.

The large right gendarme with red slabs is bypassed on the left via a 60 m long ledge. Belay! Pitons! Ropes! From the ledge, exit onto a 60-meter snowy ridge.

Then, ascend 25–40-degree broken rocks to the wall of the pre-summit ridge. From under the wall, traverse left 5 m to a crevice. Belay!

Ascend an 8-meter 80-degree crevice to the ridge. “Live” rocks! Belay! Ropes! Climb 40 m along the sharp rocky broken ridge and then 20 m along 30-degree simple rocks to reach the summit. From the bivouac, 8–9 hours.

Descent from the summit follows the 1B category of complexity route via the left couloir of the South wall.

Table 1. Characteristics of sections