I. Category of ascent — category of technical ascents. 2. Region of ascent — Central Caucasus. 3. Peak and route — Western Shkhara (5058 m) via the center of the southwest face. 4. Estimated category of difficulty — 6th cat. diff. 5. Characteristics of the route: a) height difference — 1540 m; b) length of sections — 6th cat. diff. — 695 m; — 5th cat. diff. — 520 m; c) average steepness — 75°; e) steepness of the lower half — 60–65°; d) steepness of the rocky bastion — 90°.

Shkhara South via the East Ridge

(combined route by A. Naumov, category 5A, fig. 18, 21). The path from the "Ailama" alpine camp (group of 4-6 people) to the left-bank (orographic) moraine of the Shkhara glacier is described in route 184. From the moraine:

• descend to the right side of the glacier;
• traverse the flat part of the glacier to bypass the icefall and crevasses on the lower part of the glacier on the right;
• approach the base of the East Ridge of Shkhara South peak. From the glacier:
• ascend the scree slope, and higher up, the snow slope, bypassing the base of the East Ridge on the left, to the inner corner - the beginning of the rock ledge that rises to the right towards the takeoff of the East Ridge of Shkhara South peak;
• follow this ledge up and to the right onto the East Ridge, below the sheer wall. At the platform below the wall - a bivouac. From the "Ailama" alpine camp, 12-14 hours. From the platform, ascend a difficult 70-80-meter wall to a ledge, and from it, traverse the slabs to a snow-covered saddle on the East Ridge. From here, follow simple, smooth rocks ("loose rocks") on the wide, snow-covered East Ridge to approach the narrow crest of the East Ridge.

PASSPORT

Ascent to the summit of peak Borovikov (4880 m) via NE wall, category 5B difficulty Central Caucasus, Bezengi gorge. Elevation gain 1800 m Route length 3040 m Average slope 42° Route character combined Section lengths:

• 5 — 285 m
• 6 — 50 m Team's moving hours – 32; days – 3

138. Dzhora­sh­ty-Kur­sh­o­gan Se­ver­na­ya (North peak) via North­west ridge (combined route, 3A category, fig. 14, 15). From “Che­gem” tourist base (4-8 people group) follow the forest trail on the left bank of Gara­auz­su river upstream. After crossing Tyu­tyur­gu river, turn left and move up, first across alpine meadows and then across moraines along the right and then left bank of Tyu­tyur­gu river till reaching the tongue of Tyu­tyur­gu glacier. Move to the glacier and go along its left side (closed crevasses), bypass numerous crevasses and two icefalls from the left, ascend to the upper cirque of the glacier. In the cirque, turn left and approach the middle of the three snow couloirs descending from the Northwest ridge of Dzhora­sh­ty-Kur­sh­o­gan peak. Ascend via simple snow and then scree couloir to the scree col of Tyu­tyur­gu pass. Make a bivouac on the col. 4-5 hours from “Che­gem” tourist base. The path to Se­ver­na­ya (North) branch of Bu­lun­gu glacier via Ko­ru pass is described in route 135. Descend from Tyu­tyur­gu pass to the South branch of Bu­lun­gu glacier, turn right and ascend along the left slopes of Northwest ridge of Dzhora­sh­ty-Kur­sh­o­gan peak. Having passed two gendarmes, turn right. Cross the bergschrund via a snow bridge, ascend a steep snow slope to the col (cornice) of Northwest ridge of Dzhora­sh­ty-Kur­sh­o­gan peak, to the left of a small sharp gendarme. On the col, turn left and ascend simple, destroyed, snow-covered rocks along Northwest ridge, passing I and II gendarmes. Further, ascend simple snow Northwest ridge (cornices), then a wide ice-snow slope to reach a snow dome. From the dome, ascend a simple, gently sloping snow Northwest ridge to approach the rocky ascent to West shoulder. Ascend simple, inclined, destroyed rocks of medium difficulty of the ascent (protection):

• 80-100 m ascent to West shoulder.

2

3 ⑥ route cat. diff. 5B (1) (2) (3)

Main Dykhtau via the right-hand Southern counterfort — Category 5A (V. Egorov, O. Ilyinsky, A. Kolchin, I. Kudinov, V. Ovsyannikov and V. Toropov — July 7, 1960; Figs. 25, 26, 27). The route from the Bezengi alpine camp to the initial bivouac on the scree ridge under the Southern wall of the Main Dykhtau peak is described in route 73. From the scree ridge:

• up and left across a snowy plateau
• up a rocky snowy gully to a broad scree shelf running along the entire Southern wall of the Dykhtau massif. Along the shelf to the right, crossing:
• two 40–50 m ice-snow gullies (stonefall hazard!)
• and down a 3–4 m wall (“live” rocks!) into a narrow snowy gully (stonefall hazard!). Up and right through the gully to reach the heavily broken rocks of the right-hand Southern counterfort of Main Dykhtau peak. 150–170 m up the broken easy rocks of the right-hand counterfort to a shoulder below a 70–80 m rock belt.

St. Petersburg Climbing Championship

2014 Description of the ascent to the summit of Kara-Kaya (3646 m) via the central buttress of the southwest wall, 6A category of difficulty (E. Poltavets, 2010) ROUTE COMPLETED BY TEAM FASIL Team captain - Nikitin Andrey Borisovich

Ascent Passport

1. Central Caucasus, Bezengi gorge, section No. 2.5 of the route classifier for mountain peaks, point 2.5.226
2. Name of the summit: Kara-Kaya (3646 m), route name: via the central buttress of the southwest wall (E. Poltavets, 2010)
3. Category of difficulty: 6A
4. Route type: rock climbing

St. Petersburg Alpine Championship

High-Altitude Technical Class

Report

on the ascent of Kara-Kaya peak (3646 m) Route via the Central counterfort of the southwest wall, 6A category of difficulty, (E. Poltavets, 2010) St. Petersburg 2017

Ascent Passport

1. Central Caucasus, Bezengi gorge, section No. 2.5 of the route classifier for mountain peaks, item 2.5.226 (Minutes of the Classification Commission meeting No. 6 dated December 28, 2010)
2. Name of the peak: Kara-Kaya (3646 m), route name: via the central counterfort of the southwest wall (E. Poltavets, 2010)
3. Category of difficulty: 6A

Russian Mountaineering Championship 2024. High-Technical Class

Report on the Ascent of Kara-Kaya (3646 m) via the Central Counterfort of the Southwest Wall, 6A cat. compl. (E. Poltavets) by the Voronezh Team from September 11 to 14, 2024

I. Ascent Passport

Moscow Climbing Championship 2024

High-Altitude Technical Class

Report

On the ascent to the summit of Karakaya via the Central Counterfort of the Southwest Wall, 6A category of difficulty, by the team from Moscow from October 9 to October 13, 2024.

Semenov M. A. — Master of Sports Vvedenskaya V. V. — 1st sports category Spichka A. I. — Candidate for Master of Sports Alpine Club — "Mountain Madness"