Kyundyum-Mizhyrgi (4500 m) via W and N ridge

From the bivouac on the SW spur of Panoramny peak (3900) cross the glacier tributary, enter the cirque of Kyundyum-Mizhyrgi pass and approach the beginning of the ascent to the pass. From here, 120–150 m along the snow shelf to the right under the walls of Skalniy peak, 150 m up a gentle snow gully, then 80 m up an ice-rock gully (with protection on ledges on the left) to a snow shoulder on the 3rd spur from the main ridge. From the shoulder, down and then 80 m up a snowy-icy gully on the left to the saddle on the N ridge of the summit. 3–4 hours from the bivouac. Kyundyum-Mizhyrgi From the saddle, 40 m along a steep, sharp snow ridge, 150–170 m along a flattening snow slope, and another 120–150 m along a snow ridge with rock outcrops (beware of cornices) to the summit. 1–1.5 hours from the saddle. Descent via the ascent route takes 2.5–3 hours. Hazardous places: closed crevasses on the glacier; rockfall hazard and natty ice on the shelf; possible cornices on the N ridge. Special equipment: 4–5 rock pitons; 2–3 ice screws; crampons for all participants.

ASCENT TO V. KYUNDU̇M-MIZHIRGI VIA THE 3RD RIDGE, CAT. 3B DIFFICULTY Route Description From the "3900" campsite, head towards the Kyundu̇m-Mizhirgi pass. Traverse the icefall at the base of the upper plateau to the left, keeping close to the rocks of the V. Ullu-Auz ridge. Upon reaching the upper plateau, turn right under the snow-ice slope that leads to the shoulder of the 3rd ridge of V. Kyundu̇m-Mizhirgi. Overcome the bergschrund and ascend 200 m up the slope to the ridge shoulder. Pure ice is possible! Crampons, pitons! From the shoulder, traverse the rocky ridge to the right via simple rocks and ascend upwards to the base of the counterfort wall. From here, ascend upwards to the left via a 8–10 m cleft (70–80°) to the base of a couloir with ice and snow. Ascend 50–60 m (45°) up the left side of the couloir to a rocky ridge connector. Traverse 40 m to the left along the ridge via несложным скалам and then descend 3 m into a pass. From the pass, ascend 50 m (35–40°) up a slab (pitons!) to a ledge, then ascend 10 m to the left, from where you can traverse to the right side of the ridge. Move along the right side of the ridge via ledges (80–100 m) to an ice-snow couloir, which leads to a ridge connector (100–120 m) below the summit ascent. Continue by ascending 20 m up a slab, 20–25 m to the left via a cleft, and then upwards to the right to the pre-summit ridge (pitons!). The further route to the summit follows the ridge (200 m). The ascent to the summit from the "3900" campsite takes around 7 hours in good weather.

Ascent Description

TO THE SUMMIT OF V. MIZHIRGI VIA THE N. RIDGE. Completed by the MGS DSO "Trud" gathering group. July 27 – August 1, 1962. The Mizhirgi peak (5027 m) is located in the Bezengi region of the Central Caucasus, at the center of one of the most complex ridges — Koshtan-Tau — Dykh-Tau. The north ridge ascending to the eastern summit of Mizhirgi from the Cheget-Mizhirgi glacier was first climbed by a Pelevin group in 1952. The ridge drops off towards Krumkol with a vertical rock wall, and towards Dykh-Tau with steep and avalanche-prone slopes. In the lower third, its steepness is around 70°, the remaining part is an icy ridge (40–60°) with several steps in the form of rock cliffs. The key sections of the route are the ridge exit and the pre-summit wall. The route is classified as 5B category difficulty. The MGS DSO "Trud" gathering group completed this ascent from July 28 to 31, 1962, with the following team members: Cheremisov V. 1st sports category — leader Tkachenko A. 1st sports category — participant Petiforov V. 1st sports category — participant Daruga V. 2nd sports category — participant

Ascent Description

90. Missestau via the West Couloir and the South Ridge — Cat. 3A (A. Germogenov, M. Afanasiev and N. Nikolaev — July 1931; Figs. 25, 31). From the Bezengi alpine camp, follow the trail along the left moraine of the Bezengi gorge up to the Misseskozh hut, then continue along the trail on the moraine. 30 minutes later, from the large stone with the inscription "VCSPS – 1935", turn left and climb up the grassy slopes and scree to a wide scree couloir. Ascend the couloir on its right side (beware of falling stones from the left walls!). Bypass the "ram's foreheads" in the upper part of the couloir on the left and ascend via the scree to the right lowering of the West Ridge of Missestau. At this point, the ridge drops steeply on the south side to the icefall of the hanging glacier flowing from the North Ridge of Dykhtau. On the south side of the ridge are the "Russian Bivouac" sites. Water is available 25–30 m higher up the ridge. From the Bezengi alpine camp — 5–6 hours. From the "Russian Bivouac":

• 20–30 m up the ridge, then 120–150 m along the horizontal ledge on its right side — exit onto the glacier.
• Cross the glacier (in crampons), bypassing crevices on the right — exit to a wide snow couloir descending from the col of the South Ridge of Missestau.
• On the right side of the couloir (beware of rockfall and avalanches!) — 250–300 m ascent.
• From under the "ram's foreheads" — traverse to the left side of the couloir and ascend it to a rocky angle.
• From the angle, via a steep, sharply narrowing ice-and-snow couloir (loose rocks, rockfall, piton belay!) — ascent to the col of the South Ridge of Missestau, left of the rocky tower of the South Gendarme.
• From the col, traverse left and via easy rocks on the ridge — exit below the pre-summit tower, which is bypassed on the right along a wide snowy rock ledge. It is also possible to ascend the tower directly along the ridge.

For «Russkie nochevki» (Russian bivouac) see description 90. From «Russkie nochevki» 20–30 m up the Zapadny (West) ridge, then 120–150 m along the horizontal ledge on its right side — exit to the glacier. Across the glacier (crampons!), bypassing crevasses on the right — exit to a wide snow couloir descending from the saddle of the Yuzhny (South) ridge of Missestau summit. On the right side of the couloir (stonefall! avalanches!) 100–120 m up, then traverse across the main couloir and along the first, steeper and narrower, couloir branching left 220–250 m up (piton belay!). At the end of the couloir along the wall 70–80 m up-left (difficult climbing! piton belay!) — ascent to the Zapadny (West) ridge.

Ascent Passport

1. Ascent category — technical.
2. Ascent area — Central Caucasus, "Bezengi" alpine camp, Dumala valley, Koshtan-Krest ridge.
3. Ascent route — Oktyabrenok peak (3890 m) via the north face (first ascent).
4. Characteristics of the ascent:
   • route length 1460 m,
   • height difference 900 m,
   • average slope of the route 60°,
   • average slope of wall sections 76°,
   • length of difficult sections 610 m.

From the "Djangi-kosh" hut along the crest of the right-bank ("crescent-shaped") moraine to its flattening, then along the Sella Glacier. Along the left edge or through the middle of the icefall (Fig. 1) exit to the upper circus (cautious — closed crevices) and through it under the N wall of the Sella peak, 1 h 31 min. Through the bergschrund along the ice-snow slope to the left of the ice fall with piton belay in the direction to the summit (attention — do not deviate left, rockfall hazard from the rocks of the NE ridge counterfort). Along the steepness, the route has sections: 1 — ice slope (120 m, 45–50°) from the lower bergschrund to the ice edge of the ice fall. 2 — ice slope (40 m, 50–55°) in the ice fall zone. 3 — ice-snow slope (80 m, 45°) from the ice fall to the upper bergschrund. 4 — ice-snow slope (120 m, 45–30°) from the second bergschrund to the summit ridge. The difference of edges of the second bergschrund along the path is 1.5–2 m, in the absence of bridges traverse right for 20 m — here the difference is smaller. Depending on the ascent timing, the length of the snow sections of the wall is 120–150 m, belay — through ice axes. For ascent 8–12 h. Descent from the summit along the NE ridge to the saddle, then along the slope to the right onto the Bezengi Glacier and along it (attention — closed crevices, under the S slopes of the Varshava peak — rockfall hazard) to the hut 1.5–2 h. Hazardous places: on glaciers — closed crevices and rockfall hazard under the S slopes of the Varshava peak, on the N wall of the Sella peak — rockfall hazard when deviating left, on the NE ridge — possible cornices to the right. Special equipment: ice axes 8–12 pcs., crampons — for all.

Sella peak — Warszawa peak, traverse.

From the “Jangi-kosh” hut through the “serac” moraine to the Bezengi glacier, along the left (in the direction of travel) side of the glacier (attention — closed crevices and rockfall hazard from the S. slopes of Warszawa peak), bypassing the bases of the three S. spurs of the main ridge, into the SW cirque of Bashha-aus-bashi. From the hut 2 hours 30 minutes. Through the bergschrund and along the snowy slope to the saddle on the NE ridge of Sella peak, leading to Bashha-aus. From the saddle, left along the snowy ridge with cornices on the left. On the pre-summit section:

• cross the ridge

Peak Semenovsky 4050 m via the South Ridge, Cat. 1B difficulty

From the Dzhangi-Kosh Hut, follow the trail down, cross over the S. spur of the 4050 peak, descend 150 m down the gully between the slope and the right-bank moraine, then head right and up along the mudflow and avalanche deposits along the W. slopes of the spur into the S. cirque of Peak Semenovsky — 4050 m, 1–1.5 hours from the hut. Cross the cirque to the left in its lower part and ascend via the fine reddish talus or outcrops of broken rocks onto the S. ridge. To the right of the ridge, move up with simultaneous belay on rock outcrops, crossing snowfields, to the pre-summit rise of the ridge. Traverse along a ledge to the right of the ridge into a snowy gully and up it for 150 m to the NE ridge (ice possible in the upper part of the gully; one can divert to the rocks on the right). Follow the NE ridge leftwards to the summit, 4–5 hours from the hut. Descent follows the ascent route — about 1.5 hours. Hazardous areas:

• ice possible on the ledges of the S. ridge
• ice possible in the pre-summit gully

ROCK peak via N ridge (via Kündüm-Mijirgi pass) Initial bivouac — on the SW spur of Panoramnyi peak (3900 m). Route:

• From the bivouac, cross the left tributary of the glacier and ascend the snowy-icy slope left of the icefall to the cirque of Kündüm-Mijirgi pass.
• Ascend to the ridge via the couloir right of the pass "gendarme" from the bivouac in 1.5–2 hours.
• Along the ridge of sharp slabs, directly to the first "gendarme", then along the ridge below the wall.
• Up and left along the wall for 7–8 m to a ledge (pitons), from it right and up via a crack to the pre-summit ridge.
• Along the ledges right of the ridge for 70–80 m to the summit.
• From the saddle in 1.5–2 hours. Descent: via the ascent route to the bivouac in about 2 hours.