Adventures in the Terskey Ala-Too, Kyrgyzstan
Part 2 - the expedition
Having got all our kit to the camp, we started eying up the mountains nearby. Most were only identified by the spot-heights on our old Soviet military maps, but the 4356m peak immediately next to our camp actually had a name – Srnicova Peak – and little Misha had climbed it before.
The northern side of Srnicova Peak from base camp. Initially we thought there could be some interesting climbs on these buttresses, but then we heard some pretty big rockfalls and thought better of it...
The next morning big Misha drove off back to Tamga, Ivan and his horses wandered off into the hills, and we were left with just the expedition team, little Misha and Sergey. Oh, and one unexpected addition…..
“Misha, why has Ivan left Limba behind?” Will asked.
“We were wondering the same thing!” came the reply.
Limba was Ivan's dog, and for some reason he left her behind when he left with the horses. She became the camp dog...
The next 11 days were spent exploring the mountains, climbing a variety of routes on a combined total of six peaks above 4000m, experiencing the best and worst of Kyrgyzstan’s weather, playing endless games of cards and chess in the tents, and enjoying some excellent meals cooked by Misha and Sergey (usually followed by a wee dram). Overall it was an amazing experience, at times difficult (enduring tent-bound days with rain, sleet, hail and howling wind outside) but often wonderful (whether climbing remote peaks or just enjoying the stunning views from our camp).
The terrain was quite different to what we’re used to from similar altitudes in the European Alps. The big east-west valley that we were camped in was incredibly boggy (partly from glacier meltwater), making travel slow and hard work – as a result we ruled out some of the peaks we had in mind that were too far from base camp. South-facing slopes and ridges tended to have loose scree & boulders lower down, with more solid rock higher up (although loose rock was also a feature high up at times), while north-facing slopes generally had small glaciers interspersed with rocky ridges.
In the area around base camp we saw yaks, horsemen herding cattle, birds of prey and water birds around the lake, the evidence of ibex, and even the paw prints of a large mammal high on a mountain ridge (we thought these had been left by a snow leopard). It was an idyllic spot, beautiful when the sun shone, despite the mixed weather and ferocity of the occasional storms.
Although we think that most if not all the peaks we climbed had been climbed before, we did some new routes, and none of the peaks in this area are climbed often. With no guidebooks, we just had old soviet maps (downloaded for free from www.loadmap.net and printed onto waterproof and rip-proof material in York) and our own judgement to rely on, so it certainly felt exploratory.
Unfortunately after a week at base camp Guy had to return to Tamga (and soon after, Bishkek then the UK) due to a longstanding eye issue causing problems at altitude. Although clearly the right choice in the circumstances, it was a real shame to lose a team member and we missed him for the remainder of the expedition.
John on Peak 4296, which he and Claire climbed via the S ridge, and descended via the E ridge (around a grade 1 scramble)
Panorama from Peak 4296
Maria on the SW ridge of Peak 4379. Will, Guy, Maria and I ascended the SW ridge (approx. PD-, mainly on blocky granite with some snow) then descended the WNW ridge (snow & rock, approx. F) back to the col.
SW ridge of Peak 4379
SW ridge of Peak 4379
SW ridge of Peak 4379
Guy nearing the summit of Peak 4379
On the summit of Peak 4379. Given the trig point type thing, this clearly wasn't a first ascent...
On a bad weather day, I attempted to recce the route onto what became known as Ibex Ridge - a complex ridge about 2.5km long, all above 4000m. This picture was taken from my high point of about 3900m, but there was too much clag to make out the way up to the crest.
Ibex Ridge, on a better weather day, from the col at the top of the Tamga Pass.
Will on the lower part of the West Ridge of Peak 4244. A pretty good route for the first time me & Will had ever climbed together - approx AD, mainly on rock with just a bit of snow & ice around
West ridge of Peak 4244
West ridge of Peak 4244
West ridge of Peak 4244
Will approaching the summit of Peak 4244
Summit of Peak 4244
Summit of Peak 4244
Looking down on Ibex Ridge and the turquoise lake from Peak 4244
Summit of Peak 4244
High altitude bouldering! Will, spotted by Misha
Maria scrambling on the ascent of Peak 4347
Rock wall high on Peak 4347. I started climbing up the wall above, only to be scared by loose blocks the size of cars threatening to fall off. After retreating carefully back to the scree below the wall, we found a route that ascended up and left, eventually reaching the summit without further difficulty.
The high point of my abortive attempt on the rock wall
John & Guy performing tent repairs during a bit of a storm...
Guy enjoying some optional scrambling on Srnicova Peak (4356m)
On the broad West Ridge of Srnicova Peak (4356m)
View towards Djel Tau Peak from the summit of Srnicova Peak (4356m)
Maria & Guy on the summit of of Srnicova Peak (4356m)
After setting up an advance base camp near the foot of the rock face leading to Ibex Ridge, we woke to rain, so couldn't make an attempt. Instead, when the rain cleared we tried some cragging. We called this route Full Mashings - technical climbing about V Diff, but crumbly and dangerous, with little protection and holds liable to break off at any time...
Will scrambling on a recce of the start of the Ibex Ridge
John having emerged from below one of the chockstones in Kyrgyz Chasm, an attempt at finding the easiest way onto the Ibex Ridge. It turned out Will had found a better way further left.....
John leading further up Kyrgyz Chasm
Scrambling up towards the crest of Ibex Ridge, after emerging from Kyrgyz Chasm
Me at a dead end attempting to traverse the 1st pinnacle on Ibex Ridge – it was better to take a more direct line
Ibex Ridge, from our recce up & over the 1st pinnacle
Zooming in on some of the pinnacles on Ibex Ridge, it was clear that the route would be long and complex. We never did have a proper crack at it - the next day was good weather, but icy in the morning, and we didn't think we'd be able to move quickly enough in those conditions to complete the full ridge, which we estimated to be an alpine D.
The climb up to the 2nd pinnacle on Ibex Ridge
Scree descent from between the 1st & 2nd pinnacles
Evening light from advance camp
Evening light from advance camp
Evening light from advance camp
Crag on the West ridge of Peak 4272. Red line shows the line Maria and I took, which we called Fixon - roughly 90m, and around S 4b. Will, John & Claire climbed a different line further left, with about 120m of scrambling followed by a pitch of Severe.
On the 1st pitch of Fixon
2nd pitch of Fixon
3rd (crux) pitch of Fixon
Will setting off on the route to the left of Fixon
Scrambly upper section of Peak 4272
Another peak that some else had clearly climbed before us.... Not sure what this weird old electrical thing was near the summit of Peak 4272.
Me & Maria on the summit of Peak 4272
John, Claire & Will on the summit of Peak 4272
On the summit ridge of Peak 4272
Beautiful morning light at base camp
Beautiful morning light at base camp
Beautiful morning light at base camp
We spent our last day in the mountains climbing on some crags at the Western end of Srnicova Peak, at about 3800m. Routes from the left are Europhile Crack (S), No To Brexit (HVS 5a), Ferguson's Flake (HS 4a), Farewell Farage (VS 4c) and Limba's Shuffle (HS 4a).
Will on Europhile Crack
Claire (belayed by John) on Limba's Shuffle
Me on Ferguson's Flake
Maria and I then climbed a 3 pitch route of around Diff, which we called Skyline Ridge (because it was a ridge, and it followed the skyline)
Skyline Ridge 3rd pitch
Group photo before we left base camp (L to R, Sergey, Misha, Claire, Mike, Maria, Will)
As well as the Ford Ranger pickup that was used for the approach to base camp, on our return journey we had a Lada Niva, providing the full soviet experience.... It was pretty impressive off-road, but it did break down 3 times on the way back.
