Scheme of the Yerydag mountain node

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ASCENT CERTIFICATE

1. Technical category.
2. Eastern Caucasus, Dagestan, Chekh-чай gorge.
3. Yery-dag mountain (3925 m) via the Right "cold corner" of the North-West wall.
4. Proposed 6A category of complexity, first ascent.
5. Length of sections: 5 category of complexity — 560 m, 6 category of complexity — 115 m.

Average steepness (up to the plateau) — 76 °.

6. Pitons hammered:

Left on the route: rock — 1, chocks — 1, bolts — 1.

7. Team's working hours: 46 hours and 3 days, including 85 m of processing, 4 hours.
8. Overnights: 1st on a snowy ledge in a tent, 2nd in a cave.
9. Leader: Leonov Pyotr Georgievich, Candidate Master of Sports, Makhachkala, Chernyshevsky st. 43. Participant: Goryaev Anatoly Ernievich, 1st sports category, Kaspiysk, Sovetskaya st. 26, apt. 30.
10. Coach: Leonov P.G., №3184.
11. Departure to the route: June 2, 1996. Summit: June 4, 1996. Return to base camp — June 4, 1996.
12. Organization: State Sports Committee of the Republic of Dagestan.

Date of photography: May 16, 1994.

Sheet 4. Photopanorama of the area (Yery-dag – Sel'dy massif) taken on May 26, 1996.

Tactical actions of the team

Training exits to the high-altitude zone in late May 1996 consisted of passing several sections of the 3rd wall of Yery-dag with 6 category of complexity (2–3 ropes). On June 1, after lunch, 80 m of the route were processed. They worked on 2 ropes of 50 m (fixed and with a UIAA passport). Work scheme — classic pair:

• The first one fixed the rope,
• The second one climbed using jumar with top rope belay.

Belay stations — only on 3 points.

Overnights:

• The 1st overnight was planned on a ledge.
• The 2nd overnight was planned near the cave, which actually happened.

Overnights were lying down and safe. No falls or injuries occurred. Footwear — rock shoes made in Kazan. No new equipment samples were used. UIAA rope belay is very reliable. The steeper the section, the safer the climbing. A. Goryaev passed the key places.

On the evening of June 3, 1996, a stormy wind began to blow, and snow started falling intensively. Already in the dark, a bivouac was organized in the cave (for 2–3 people). The night passed calmly. There were no evening processing sessions on the route. They didn't take water because:

• Water flows in some places along the "cold corner" and snow lies.
• At the site of the first bivouac — a snow cone up to 2 meters deep, which made it easy to set up a site.

Rescue team — 8 people — was at the "Yery-dag" base (about 2350 m). Observers — 2 people — were under the route (2800 m). Communication — voice and via "Lastochka" radio station.

Scheme of Yerydag via the right "Cold corner" of the North-West wall (in UIAA symbols) Scale 1:2000

Scheme of the route to Yerydag mountain via the right "Cold corner" of the North-West wall (in UIAA symbols) Scale 1:2000

Continued

to the summit 1 hour 3670 m plateau 1.5 working hours to the summit.

Route description by sections

The features of this route include:

• Strict orientation to the north;
• Lighting similar to "Chatyn via North wall";
• The "cold corner" is 5–10° steeper than other routes on the North-West wall;
• Due to the above, the relief is significantly smoothed by water flowing down the limestone, thus limiting the use of chocks;
• The route is very logical: it is limited on the left by a series of cornices and on the right by walls smoothed by water, which are interspersed with small ledges;
• There is no need to take water on the route (until the first decade of July);
• All ledges are narrow (up to 1 meter);
• There is very little internal climbing, internal corners and chimneys are not pronounced.

General guideline: climb straight up, slightly to the left of the "black hole", then slightly to the right of the cave, further under the black streak and the big chimney to section R0–R1 of the plateau. From the snow to the niche (orientation landmark) slightly up to the right for the entire rope.

Section R1–R2: A vaguely expressed internal corner with a 0.5 m cornice. Very difficult. Section R2–R3: Even more difficult, a bolt after 20 m, end of processing on June 1, 1996. 50 m rope is barely enough to reach the ledge. The last 12 m, the wall becomes slightly gentler. Section R3–R4: Straight up. Do not go to the right! Difficult climbing. Section R4–R5: Straight up. Section R5–R6: Internal corner leads to a niche for 2 people. Section R6–R7: Very difficult exit from the niche (using a "podsadka"). At the exit, a hole from a bolt. Section R7–R8: Slightly to the right under the detachment, which is visible from under the route. Bivouac on the right on a snowy-icy ledge. No evening processing. Section R8–R12: Slightly to the left through the detachment and then again along the route, bypassing the cornices hanging above the overnight site. Section R12–R13: In the direction of the characteristic "black hole", leaving it to the right. Section R13–R19: Straight up towards the cave, bivouac, landmark in the cave. Section R19–R23: Movement under the hanging black walls, possible "shower". Section R23–R26: Relatively easy exit to the right and up under the big hanging chimney. Section R26–R31: Do not enter the big chimney. Move under the chimney to the right onto the wall. Section R31–R35: Exit to the plateau. Do not relax. Very difficult. Rocks are destroyed. Ice in some places. Landmark at the exit. Section R35 — summit. Very easy. 1 hour to the summit across the plateau.

P. Peonov, June 5, 1996. Technical photography of the route. Yery-dag via the right "cold corner" of the North-West wall.