Description

of the ascent route to the "Yuzhnaya Matcha" peak via the ridge from Matcha Pass. Group composition: Zhelonkin E.F. (leader), Egorov L.A., Pavlovsky E.S., Sofronov I.D. The double-peaked Matcha summit is located in the Turkestan Range, north of Matcha Pass. It rises 600 meters above the pass. Its height is approximately 4600 meters. North of the Matcha peaks, conditionally referred to as "Yuzhnaya Matcha" and "Severnaya Matcha", lies a three-peaked summit in the Turkestan Range, followed by the Kshemysh-bashi peak. The ascent route to "Yuzhnaya Matcha" peak chosen was the climb along the ridge from Matcha Pass. A group of alpinists from Arzamas-16, consisting of Zhelonkin E.F. (leader), Egorov L.A., Pavlovsky E.S., Sofronov I.D., left the base camp at Matcha Pass on July 18 at 8:00 and reached the summit by 13:00. The group returned to the base camp by 17:00 the same day. The path to the summit from Matcha Pass follows a heavily serrated ridge, where 4 major pinnacles can be conditionally identified, although there are many other pinnacles ranging from fairly large to individual needles. The route is purely rock (July 1969). There's a lot of climbing on severely deteriorated rocks of moderate difficulty. The first pinnacle is bypassed on the left via scree and snow. The second pinnacle is climbed on its left part via inclined smooth slabs. Here, piton protection is necessary. The third pinnacle is climbed on its left part.

Photo 1. View of Severnaia Matcha and Yuzhnaia Matcha from the upper reaches of the Zeravshan glacier.

Description of the ascent route to the summit Severnaia Matcha 4500 m via the southern edge (first ascent)

Group composition:

1. Rudnev V. S. — leader.
2. Melnikova R. N.
3. Zhgilev A. V.
4. Pinaev V. S. The Matcha peak 4500 m is located in the upper reaches of the Zeravshan glacier (Pamiro-Alai) in the Turkestan Range, north of the eponymous pass, and is actually two peaks, conditionally named Severnaia Matcha and Yuzhnaia Matcha (see photo 1), separated by a wide snow col. A wide snow couloir descends from the col to the glacier, making an ascent possible. The height of Severnaia Matcha, the higher of the two peaks, is determined with an accuracy of ±30 m. The absence of a cairn and other signs of human presence on the northern peak allows us to classify this ascent as a first ascent. The group of Arzamas 16, consisting of: Rudnev V. S. — leader, Melnikova R. N., Zhgilev A. V., Pinaev V. S. — members, made the first ascent to the peak Severnaia Matcha via the southern edge on July 18, 1969. The group left the base camp at the Matcha pass at 3:00, reached the summit at 8:00, and returned to the bivouac at 10:30 on the same day.