Fig. 3

2. Ascent to the Marukh-bashi summit via the northern ridge — category 3B difficulty (Fig. 3B)

From the Yuzhno-Karakayskiy pass (overnight stay on the moraine under the pass) ascend up to the right along the snow to the right side of the ridge to the rocks. Then move left along the rocks for 60 m and reach the main ridge. Along the heavily fragmented rocks of the main ridge (rockfall hazard!) ascend 90 m upwards and continue along the clearly defined ridge to the slabs. Bypass the slabs on the right (40–50 m) and reach the first ascent. From the ridge, move right to bypass the ascent (8 m), then climb 20 m upwards along the wall of the ascent (piton protection!) and reach the

Fig. 33

8. Ascent to Mitnikov Peak (3700 m) via the Eastern Ridge — Cat. 3B (Fig. 33)

From Dombayskaya Polyana, follow the trail, then cross the Dombay River via a ford, and ascend along grassy slopes, scree, and rocky outcrops on the left side of the Inye Glacier (in rope connections on the glacier!) to a snow plateau. Continue:

• Left — ascend to the col between Maly Inye Peak (Zoloto Peak) and the spur of the Eastern summit of Jughuturuchat.
• Cross the col and exit onto the Eastern Jughuturuchat Glacier (the glacier is avalanche-prone,

Saken-Bashi

1. Ascent to the summit of Saken-Bashi (3500 m) from Saken-Dalar Pass — Category 2A difficulty. From Uzunkol Alpine Camp, follow the right bank of the Myrdy River to the beginning of the Myrdy Glacier moraine. Follow the trail and grassy slopes to a large terrace. The bivouac site is "Myrdy Nochevki". 3 hours from the camp. From the bivouac, go up to the right under the scree below the slopes of Kara-Bashi to the Myrdy Glacier. Traverse the middle part of the glacier and then follow the snowy slopes to Myrdy Pass. (Bypass the bergschrund on the left under the walls of Kirpich Peak). 1.5-2 hours from the bivouac. From the pass, traverse the plateau and a large rock fall above Saken-Dalar Pass. Follow the ledges on the left, descend to the snowy ridge of the pass, and then bypass (on the left) a separate rock — to a snowfield leading to the beginning of the ascent to the summit ridge. Follow the first left couloir (belay!):

• stay on the left side;
• 60 m, 45°;
• exit to the ridge (belay!). From here, follow the ridge and a wide slab (control cairn here) (belay!). Then follow a steep (belay!) snowfield, 45° — 40 m ascent to a simple rocky ridge. After a small depression in the ridge — ascent to the pre-summit ridge. Traverse heavily broken rocks (belay!) — to the summit. 5 hours from Saken-Dalar Pass.

Ai-Petri (Main Summit) via the South Ridge, cat. 2a

From the Yalta–Sevastopol road (9th kilometer), follow the forest road to the Hostа-Bash clearing for 30–40 minutes. Ascend to the main couloir of the Ai-Petri massif from the Hostа-Bash clearing via the high riverbed. The route begins to the right of the main couloir and continues left and upwards along an inclined ledge to the start of the ridge. Then:

• Traverse 160 m across large slabs to the beginning of a counterfort,
• Ascend the counterfort, which leads to the south ridge. The route then follows the rocky south ridge (moderate difficulty) towards the summit tower. Bypassing the encountered gendarmes, ascend a couloir to a col between the pinnacles and the summit tower. From the col, ascend the moderate difficulty rocks to the summit. The route is 800 m long:
• easy rocks — 600 m,
• moderate difficulty rocks — 180–200 m. The ascent takes 4 hours.

2. Ascent to the summit Glavny Ptysh (3520 m) along the eastern edge — cat. diff. 3B (Fig. 39)

Bivouac on the Ptyshsky pass. From the pass, 30 m to the right along the shelves to a 3-meter wall and along it to the left and upwards to the jagged ridge composed of inclined slabs (piton protection!). Further directly along the ridge to the steepest part of the ascent (bypassing to the south is not recommended). At the steep part of the ascent:

• exit to the left to the internal corner,
• along it upwards 15–18 m (thorough piton protection!)
• exit to the shoulder. From the shoulder:
• upwards on the right side of the wide couloir (rockfall!)
• to the summit. From the pass 6–7 hours.

Report on the First Ascent by the Team of the Multifaceted Mountaineering Club "FREELINE" from Essentuki

To the Summit of Meshchana Zapadnaya

via the south wall and southwest ridge Presumably 4A category of difficulty. Team Leader: Popov Mikhail Lvovich Coach: Motienko Nikolai Ilich Essentuki, 2019 Addresses:

• 357600, Stavropol Krai, Essentuki, ul. Oktyabrskaya, 434, apt. 59, Popov M.L. +7 928 265-71-30, mikl_popov@inbox.ru
• 357524, Stavropol Krai, Pyatigorsk, ul. Fuchika, 8, building 3, apt. 41. Konstantinov G.A. Ph. +7 988 860-73-77, bargest2008@gmail.com

59. Sugan Maly — Uzlovoy (V. Popov's combined route, cat. 5A, fig. 11). The path from the base camp on the right bank of the Psygansu river (group of 4–8 people) to the initial bivouac on the scree of the wide snow plateau of the Sugan ridge saddle between the peaks Suganbashi on the left and Maly Sugan on the right is described in route 35. From the base camp — 8–10 hours. The path from the "Nakhashbita" glade to the initial bivouac via the Doppakh pass takes:

• 1–2 days (see routes 17, 22, 26, 28). From the bivouac, along the snow plateau, bypassing the Southeast ridge of the Central Sugan peak on the right, approach the snowy slope of the wide couloir descending from the upper part of the Southeast ridge of the massif to the plateau. Overcoming the bergschrund, perform a 200 m ascent, sticking to the rocks, along the steep ice-snow slope (running belay). Then:
• ascend 40 m along the wet slabs (running belay) to the Southeast ridge of Maly Sugan;
• turn right;
• ascend 160 m along the heavily destroyed rocks of the ridge with numerous gendarmes;