Virgin peaks of Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan - ISM expedition 2013 - Part 3

Last part of the Kyrgyzstan adventure post...

Leaving the advanced base camp gave a sort of sad feeling. We spent 5 nights up there and it started to feel like home in a way. Even the routine starts to kick in. But the idea of leaving for a warmer place and especially for the possibility of getting washed was "irresistible" :). Unfortunately on our last day at ABC we did not climb anything because the weather was rather bad in the morning. So we just waited for the snow to stop, packed the tents and rucksacks and hiked back down to base camp.

   Bad weather was firmly convinced not to leave us so we had to wait for very short windows of decent weather to get a wash in the river. Having no sun and cold winds made the washing an extremely refreshing experience. The evening goes on with everyone sitting in the common tent, chatting, drinking and eating. It's nice to be all together again in the same tent. And it's also very nice to see the truck that fell off the bridge standing again on its six wheels. It looks quite badly bashed, that is true, but these vehicles seem to be really resilient.

Dismantling base camp

Trying to save the truck underwater...not quite there yet

intermediate camp before Son Kul

In the morning we start driving towards the Son Kul canyon, but we already know that we are not going to make it there in a day and we'll have to camp somewhere on the way. We cross again that river where the other truck was stuck half underwater and again the same bloody bridge. Once again our driver decides to cross the river in the water rather than risking the dodgy bridge. After several hours on the go and lots of bumps and holes in the road we reach our camp site for that evening. An idyllic spot, kissed by the warm sunset sun and at the same time gently refreshed by winds. It's strange to feel somehow warm after 7 rather cold nights, two at base camp and 5 at ABC.

Finally the day after we reach the Son Kul canyon shortly after 2pm. Just the time for a quick lunch and off we go to have a look at the canyon and to decide which routes we are going to attempt on the following two days. Some people of the group (naturally including the guides) have already climbed here before and some routes have already been opened. If such a place was in Europe it would probably have several dozens of routes. So it's easy to imagine the excitement of being there and knowing that basically most of these awesome rocks had never been touched by a human hand. 

Me and my rope partner pick up a line that looks doable, rather close to the line that one of the guides has chosen. This way, even if we climb on our own the guide will still be able to hear us and, hopefully, give us some help if needed. However today is too late to start climbing so we go back to the camp and enjoy a sunny afternoon.

Camp at Son Kul

Typical landscape of the canyon

Early start is not a must anymore...rather the contrary. We are not going to leave the camp before the sun hits it, which is happening around 7:00 am. Backpacks are this time much lighter than they used to be in the high mountains and also clothing is much more basic. I'm even taking a fleece with me, but that won't be needed. To get to the climbing spot we need to cross a river and since this is rather deep we end up taking off shoes, socks and even trousers. Cold water on the feet in the morning is a good way to wake up. More walking and scrambling through bushes and stuff and finally we get to the beginning of the route. Starting an unclimbed route is an unusual experience, at least for me. We have no idea if it will be possible to get to the top or if we will have to abseil off at some point. Naturally the route is all done on trad gear and, very interestingly, it will be the first time I'm going to lead a route on trad. I've used trad gear before on mountaineering routes, but on grades not tougher than AD+. This route does not look that difficult from the bottom but having the first lead on trad on an unclimbed route is something really exciting.

The first pitch goes on without problems, but very slowly. Climbing unclimbed rocks one must always be careful not to knock anything off...and especially not on the belayer, you know...On the second pitch is my time to lead. It starts with a long traverse with lots of nice horizontal cracks where the cams are getting in nicely. Unfortunately straight after the traverse the route gets steeper and then the rope drag is too much to continue. So I'm forced to set up and anchor and stop here. The beginning of the third pitch is probably the most difficult part of the climb, even though the route cannot be called difficult. Me and my friend reckon that this must be a 4a/4b...what the swiss would call plaisir! I make a little mistake in setting up the anchor and the end of fourth pitch and pulling up the two ropes is much more tiring than the whole climb. And to make things worse, when I start belaying the leader on the fifth pitch we manage to tangle the rope in a way that the two are tied into an overhand knot. How the hell did that happen??? No worries, just remember the 3 golden rules of mountaineering:

1. Look cool
2. Shit happens
3. If shit happens...look cool anyway!

and so I do...keeping my cool look on my face I untangle the rope and follow the leader. We take a short break to drink something because it was getting too hot and then I start what is going to be the very last pitch. The feeling of getting to the top of an unclimbed route is really....really...I don't know, can't find the right word for it. It's just a weird feeling, a mixture of happiness and somehow sadness at the same time. Happiness because we made it and sadness because it's already over and because in the end we did not have to push too hard for it. Since the route looked more difficult from the distance but it was actually rather easy we are going to call it "Scotta". This is an italian word that means the opposite of "al dente", and which sounds very similar to Scottish. The route would have been "al dente" if it had been tricky and tough, but since it was not it was "scotta". And my climbing partner was scottish, so that is a very good name for it. My first route leading on trad is also a new route...I don't know how many people are lucky enough to get that.

Overview of the route Scotta

Beginning of the first pitch

On the very last pitch!

Back at camp...relaxing

There is not much to say about the second day unfortunately. We were planning to attempt another new route but getting to the bottom of it involves a massive walk and we realize this only once we try to get there. So we end up repeating one route that has already been done during last year's expedition. This route is on a ridge and is called the swiss ridge because it really looks like an alpine ridge in the swiss alps.

Morning of the following day we pack our stuff and the tents for the last time and off we go...back to civilization! Once back in the hotel is not possible to feel to edge of heaven by looking at the shower and the toilet...how cool is that! After two weeks of rivers and squatting (you know what I mean) this is one of the best thing I could think of.

This has been probably the best trip I have done so far. Lots of new experiences and lots of excitement. And this kind of experience is difficult to get somewhere else. For sure I could have joined some trips where higher and more difficult mountain had to be climbed...but nowhere else I could have get to try the experience of getting into the unknown, the real feeling of exploring. Definitely worth trying. And actually...I'm seriously considering joining this trip also next year!

Back in Bishkek we keep the adrenaline high with some flight

Bazar in Bishkek, 1

Bazar in Bishkek, 2

Bazar in Bishkek, 3

Bazar in Bishkek, 4

Bazar in Bishkek, 5

Braciole on the menu...being from Bari in the south of Italy I must be proud of it!

Virgin peaks of Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan - ISM expedition 2013 - Part 2

This is the second part of my Kyrgyzstan adventure post and this is the story of the 5 mountaineering days in the unexplored valley.

ABC

View from inside the tent

 Finally, finally the first real mountaineering day starts. We set off in a group of 5 split into two ropes. One of the mountain guides with two people and me roped up with another member of the expedition. He took part already to 4 previous expeditions and has a long climbing experience in his rucksack already...but there is a small issue :)...he is scottish and, you know, these guys don't really speak proper english...first thing I think is...how the hell am I going to understand him on climbing some pitches when he gets out of sight??? We'll see. 

   Our target for the day is a summit rather nearby with a large snowfield underneath and a summit that from the distance looks like a panettone of rock. The approach involves crossing icy rivers (but this will be a constant for every peak since at night the temperature goes well below zero) and some steep snow fields, where we rope up. At last we get on the ridge and here things get more interesting. Going on an unknown route involves several dangers. First of all you never know if there will be a major obstacle round the corner, but mainly loose rocks are always there. Sure, nobody has ever been here before so it's normal that lots of loose rocks will actually come loose if you are not careful. We are lucky because there a mountain guide going first and clearly he has lots and lots of experience...but this does not mean we can just walk and not being careful. Sometimes we do small "pitches" and sometimes we walk together until we reach the last rocky bit before the summit. Here one single pitch of around 20m with no protection whatsoever and still lots of loose rocks takes us on the first unclimbed summit of our trip! 

   

That's why it's called sunset rock

First rest on the way up

That's a funny shaped rock

   To be completely honest, I was expecting that climbing an unclimbed peak would give much more satisfaction. It could be because the mountain guide was opening the route, or maybe because this summit was not technically difficult...I don't know. But I don't mind also. The fact of being here and in the mountains with good people and especially with good weather is all I need to be happy. The summit is 4600m and we will name this one Sunset rock or Kechki  Nurga Boelgon Aska in Kygyz language. Reason for this name is that this was the last peak to get the sunset light in the evening.
   The day is still young and we are not that tired really...so why not having a second peak? We retrace our tracks up the ridge, through the same loose stuff and get back to the saddle on the snow field. From here, it's only a matter of zig-zagging up a little bit, again on snow, to reach the second summit of the day! Weather is really good, quite warm and almost no wind so it's actually a pleasure to stay here and enjoy the view. Naming this peak will be one of the most difficult task of our 5 mountaineering days...it has virtually no feature and nothing special happened on the ascent...In the end we will name this one as friendship peak which is Dostuk Peak in Kyrgyz language (4590m).

Another valley...

Two members of the team

   Even the way down stays interesting since the guide picks a slightly different route and we have to descend on some rather steep snow. So ice screw in, front points and there you go feeling like Ueli Steck in the video of the Eiger north face climb...only backwards :). From the evening before I could not think it would have got so warm during the day, but actually the way down is comfortable in the baselayer only. At base camp we meet the other team of 4 people plus guide that climbed another summit. In these 5 days we will always be split into two teams and unfortunately I won't be able to say anything about the other team. I've been working hard but I still can't manage to be in two places at the same time...
   The afternoon is the chance to relax, rehydrate and chat about the wonderful things done in the morning. Actually...this is what all afternoons are about here at ABC. Some really brave people might even consider getting washed in the river but apart from that there is not that much to do. However, I don't mind this...actually I like it. The thing is, everyday in our life we are rather busy...get up, breakfast, run to work, quick lunch because I have a meeting, work more in the afternoon, go here, go there, do this and do that. So, the idea of being able to spend several afternoons lying in a tent or outside on the rocks, totally surrounded by untouched nature with the only sound of wind and running water, looking at wonderful peaks...actually...is really really great!

Typical afternoon scene at ABC...if the weather was good

   For the second climbing day the plan is to climb (or at least attempt) the peak almost directly opposite to Sunset Rock, which we will in the end call Dawn Peak or Kun Chygsh (in the local language). Approach to this peak involves a longer walk, even downhill, towards a side valley entirely covered by a wonderful glacier. Being on a glacier very often means having cold winds blowing all over the place, and today is no exception. It does not feel cold, but for sure not warm. After a long walk inside the valley we decide to veer to the left in order to gain the ridge of today's mountain. The snow is rather steep and the bergschrund is covered in snow, but it holds. Suddenly we feel that there might be an avalanche risk so the guide decides to go on his own, still tied to the rope and secured with an ice screw. Once at the top of the snowfield and just below the ridge he realizes that the snowpack is safe and we can all follow.
   Due to the sun rising from the back of the ridge it was not possible to fully understand the features of this ridge. Actually we expected to have to climb very cool stuff and massive gendarmes...but that was not true. The ridge is a huge pile of crumbly rumbly rubble. All the way to the top it's two steps ahead and one step back...quite tiring really. But once finally on the summit we enjoy another wonderful view of this immense mountain region. We can see China on one side with the flat valley underneath and the At Bashi range on the other side. Once again the weather has been good with us and we can rest on the summit without freezing. Altitude gauge is 4460m. 
   

Ridge here we come

On the summit

View towards China

   On the way back we learn how quickly the weather can deteriorate. In the morning there was literally one cloud in the whole sky and now, a few hours later, we can clearly see a front running towards us. Fortunately we have enough time to go back to the tents and approximately an hour later it starts haling. So, the rest of the afternoon has to be spent in the tent...but the company is great and time flies. It would have been nice to have some music to listen to, but I on purpose decided not to take any music with me, just to get a full detachment from my everyday's life. In the evening for dinner we eat beans, salad and chicken...and one of these three things creates stomach problem to almost everyone. Some people have to get up in the middle of the night, and others (like me) can resist until the morning...but the result is the same (better not to go into the details...). 
   In the morning we all feel a bit weaker than usual but the weather is looking good again so we feel compelled to go and attempt another summit. We won't be here for long so is better to exploit all the time we have available. The target for today is a nicely looking peak, and the plan is to climb it from its west ridge. The approach takes much longer than expected and in the meanwhile the weather starts deteriorating again...even faster than yesterday. It really seems that the clouds are running to catch us up. Once we reach the saddle we can see the ridge completely...and it looks really good! But also quite tricky and the guide estimates it as D+, with a 5 hours ascent at least. So, looking at the clouds which are closer to us by the minute we quickly decide that this summit won't be attempted and we move our attention to its neighbor, on the opposite side of the saddle. It looks really easy, just a walk up, but better an easy summit than nothing. Going up is not really so easy as the rubble keeps on rubbling away and this time we make two steps ahead and three steps back :). But eventually we manage to reach the summit and this summit will be named running peak or Churkoo Peak (4480m). Running partly because the clouds were running towards us...and partly for the reasons I have explained earlier due to the food we ate :).
   This third climbing day ends pretty early and we are at ABC even before midday, but is surely better like that since after a short time it starts haling again. The other group is still out there battling on the rocks. They have been trying to climb a nice peak with three summits, but they had to retreat. Partly because the climb was getting dangerous and partly because the bad weather did not leave much choice.

Haling seen from inside the tent

Hang on...I think I have seen this mountain before...doesn't it look like the Matterhorn?

That's the fantastic ridge we could not climb

Summit of running peak

Back to ABC

ABC after another bad weather spell

   In the following morning we decide to attempt this peak with three summits, but from the opposite side. Looking at the peak from the bottom I think to myself: "finally we get to climb something that looks really technical". In fact, the climb starts with a rather steep snow couloir, probably in the pictures it even looks steeper than it actually was. After almost 100m of snow and some rubble we get to the beginning of the first pitch. Naturally, the guide goes first. But he picks a route that I would have not thought about and he disappears in a very large crack, shuffling along. Ho doesn't know if this will be the correct way..actually nobody knows. And this is the nice thing about climbing an unclimbed route. You never know what is awaiting behind the corner. At some point he shouts to keep on feeding the rope because he thinks he has found a way. One the rope comes tight one by one we start following, both rope parties. After a second and much shorter pitch we reach something that looks like the summit ridge...but here there is a problem. The guide starts going up but he claims that there is no way we can go through there. It is not that difficult but there are no possibilities for placing protection and, additionally, the rock seem very loose and easy to break. But just below our feet we see a traverse that brings to a couloir that should directly access the summit. It looks rather airy, but the guide knows that this might be the only way. Before crossing he places several slings in such a way to create hand holds and facilitate the descent towards the traverse. Reason why we study history is to learn from it, and this is one of this case. For sure most people know about the Hinterstoiser traverse, and about what happened when they did not leave a rope in place after crossing it. So, we leave all the slings and the protections in place...just in case we have to come back this way.
   After the traverse there is a full pitch up this big couloir, starting with a large slab. It's not difficult but we have to be really really careful because big boulder can be dislodged at any time. I'm the last in the row and therefore I have to clean the rock from all the protections. I have to say some of the placement found by the mountain guide are really good and imaginative, but always effective. At the end of this pitch we can finally see the summit, and the last short pitch that will lead us to it. This is by far the best pitch of all. It's all up an arete that involves holding with the hands on one side and work on contrast with the feet on the other...amazing climbing. And finally we "stand" on the summit. There is not really that much space to stand but somehow we all manage to stand up there, being happy of the best summit conquered to far. Due to the fact that this peak has three summits we will call this one Cerberus Peak, like the dog that was guarding the Ade, or Hell. It's the lowest summit (4365m) but by far the best one.

Steep snow

Steeper snow

Where the hell do we go now?

That really looks like Matterhorn

The traverse

  

Summit shot on Cerberus peak

The last pitch on the arete

The second last pitch after the traverse

The other team on the other summit...even though they came from the opposite side it is still a fantastic view

Abseiling...long way

   Even the descent is good as we decide to make a single long rappel from the beginning of the arete all the way down into the end of the snow couloir. Fortunately we also manage to take back all the gear that we left in place, but we have to leave a piece of rope for the abseil. From now on, there will be a clear sign on this mountain saying that somebody else has been here before...but probably no one will climb this mountain again.
   One last afternoon, the most relaxing of them all, and then ready for the last night in the sleeping bags at 4000m. The plan for the following day would have been to attempt one last summit, come back to ABC to dismantle it and go back to base camp. Unfortunately the weather in the morning is bad and we can't do anything else other than waiting for the hale to stop, dismantle the camp and go down.
   Rest of the day will be used to get washed (after 5 long days) and eat lots of very nice food cooked for us at base camp. Tomorrow we are going to leave to get to the rock climbing region of Son Kul canyon, and so the mountaineering part of this trip is here finished.

...continues...