Closed glacier or trap for the careless

Vasiliev Leonid Borisovich - Kharkov, doctor, MS of the USSR.
Photos of the editor - doctor, MS USSR

Rely on a friend...

In the mountains there are situations from which no one is immune. Most Experienced fall into avalanches and under ice collapses, the most cautious do not avoid breakdowns. Spontaneous rockfall can be unpredictable. But cracks in a closed glacierscary if you constantly remember them and adhere to the old rule- in the zone of possible cracks, move only in conjunction and only with certain precautions. The latter is extremely important – binding itself toa rope does not guarantee you from trouble.

I heard about professional guides who, having passed a difficult wall in the Alps without insurance, contact before returning on the glacier. If the local mine rescuers the body of a person who is not properly equipped, without all the devices provided for by the situation, is removed from the crack, no insurance company will pay money to his family.

In fact, you must definitely visit a glacial crack so that there is no desire to fly there someday, but it is best to do this in training sessions for extracting the hung. Let me share my experience...

Crack

Andrey Rozhkov's team participating in the Moscow Winter Championship descended from Ullu-tau. I ran ahead of the rest on our climbing trails at canopy 20 degree slope. At some point, my foot gently fell into the void, and I slowly settled into the snow up to the waist, held on the surface by a voluminous backpack. My legs did not feel support, but I, having not yet “cut into” the situation, began to flounder, trying to get out of the pit. What happened next is still imprinted in my memory like slow motion filming. The edges of the crust holding me sagged, and I sank headlong into the snow, hanging on the backpack straps. In the next second, the backpack followed me, and I fell into a dark void. Light support about something on the cat - and I turned upside down. I fell flat, hitting some ledges. These seconds were endless - I remember, I was seized not by fear, but by amazement - how much can you fall? It's time to be in the center Earth! Finally, I blurted out my back on the ice plug. Backpack failed in continuation cracks, trying to drag myself there too. Somehow I propped my elbows on the edges of the crack, stopping my slide down. Releasing one shoulder from the strap, he rolled over onto his stomach. The backpack hung with a second strap in the crook of the elbow. I got on my knees, pulled him out black void and looked around. It wasn't all that dark in the crevasse. Up went smooth shiny walls. The snow cover at the top let in daylight. Garlands of icicles trimmed the top edges of my trap. In general, it was beautiful. In tiny hole, covering the sky, the face of Sasha Sushko appeared. "How are you there?" he asked, lowering the end of the rope. I untied the ice-fi strapped to my backpack, fastened myself to the rope, and climbed out of the crack myself. A hole in the snow barely let my head through in a helmet - it is not clear how I slipped into it with a backpack. According to the marks on the rope, we measured the depth of my hole – 12 meters. All in all, I got off easy. – trap for the carelesscould be a lot trickier...

How to behave on a closed glacier without tempting fate? First of all, you must be properly equipped. In the "system", in a helmet, in crampons. (cats it is advisable to wear them even when walking in them is tiring due to snow sticking.But, if you are in a crack – and cats can become the main tool in your self-rescue. Without them, you will not be free from possible jamming in a narrowing crack. A helmet will also not be superfluous, given that in the crack the backpack is almost sure to turn you upside down). Zhumar, 2-3 ice screws, the same number of carbines or braces should hang on the belt, in the pocket of the anorak - there is a grasping and at least 3 meter end of the cord.

The best outcome for falling into a crack withsuch equipment is hanging on a rope. Using the jumar and tying the Bachmann knot,climb yourself even in thatwhen your partner is not capable of anything. If only he could fix rope! Ideally, the partner, having secured the rope coming towards you on an ice ax or “drill”, and having secured it by grasping it, crawls to the edge, throws you the second end of the rope, after carefully clearing the edge of the crack, placing an ice ax, a jacket, or a backpack under the rope (all insure!).

If you fall into a crevasse without a rope or with a rope in your backpack, the situation becomes more complicated. Already at your "landing" options are possible. At best, the crack is shallow, withflat bottom, or you will be lucky like me, and you will find yourself on the "cork". Much worse if you will get stuck in the narrowing of the walls or you will fall into the water. There are holes, through and through, up to the stone bed, penetrating the body of a snowfield or glacier. Looking down, you can see the stream rushing under the ice vaults. This is the worst option ever!

Fell into a crack

Not better and jamming, which could result in serious injury. In addition, in a narrow crackyou can be overwhelmed with a layer of snow and ice, part of the snow collapsed behind you overlap. Either way, you'll be wet through in a couple of minutes. (anxious in In this situation, there is only one thing - after 15-20 minutes, the failed person stops responding to calls from above ...). Therefore, in any case, it is necessary to go down to the victim, who has reached the bottom, as soon as possible, having with him a first aid kit, warm clothes, a primus stove and the necessary technical equipment. But if you are able to act in this situation, fight for your life. Throw yourself off and shove deeper into the crack snow, until he dies. Having twisted the ice screw as high as possible and threaded a rope into its carabiner or cord tied to your belt, tie a loop at the other end and try put your foot in it. Pulling up on a hook and loading the simplest chain hoist with your foot, asget rid of jamming as soon as possible. If you succeed, it's a victory. Sameway, alternately twisting the drills higher and higher, start climbing the wall. To release the cord, you will have to hang on a lanyard each time. Things will go faster if you have a pair of cords. It's better to get rid of the backpack, leave it by tying it to a hook or to the end of a rope. The hardest part is climbing over the edge cracks if the rope cut deep into it. In this case, you must go ahead jumar, and the grasping or Bachmann knot is behind it. A double rope and help from above will make the task easier. Remember - there are no hopeless situations for a prepared man!

As a rule, novice climbers consider themselves safe, already just tied to a rope. She is the illusion of insurance if your partner is walking close behind you and holding rings in his hands. Snow does not create friction, and it is naive to think that this way you can keep the jerk of a wet rope. It’s good if your partner doesn’t fly into a crack after you. Make him go all the way. By the way, for a deuce it followsshorten to 12-15 meters, it is even better to go on a double rope. It is advisable to tierope in front of you the conductor’s knot and insert an ice ax into it - then, having fallen during a jerk, it is easier to hold the rope, and, twisting the “drill”, snap the finished knot into it. And yet, on a single rope, you should move with a bunch of more than two people. (Attention! Avoid walking in the middle of the bunch on the "sliding"! My friend it cost his life,but more on that below...).

Hermann Huber in his book "Mountaineering Today" (I note that this"today" was 30 years ago) offers a rational way of linking the two toglacier: the rope is divided into three parts, and to the middle (it is slightly shorter than the two end)partners are attached. Loose ends wound on each are designed todropping failed in the crack. Each can be tied with a grasping knot on a rope a meter from the chest.

Other guides recommend to prepare on foot "Stirrup" from the cord, and with its second end, passed under the chest harness, tie grasping on the main rope at chest level. But even having prepared in this way, falling into a crack is best avoided.

Careful observation of the surface of the glacier will tell you the nature and direction of the cracks - it is unacceptable for both to be above the crack, parallel to the movement of the ligament. Sometimes, especially with oblique morning or evening lighting, closed cracks are guessed by the change in color of the snow that has sunk slightly above them. In suspicious places, probe the path at every step. A ski pole will do you an invaluable service. without a ring, an ice ax is less effective for this purpose. Remember also that the failure of the first is more dangerous on the descent - in this case, there is a great chance to break the partner into the crack. Heavier or careless, coming second on the rise, failing, too runs the risk of pulling off a partner (see below!). Therefore, on the descent and ascent, one should not shorten the rope to the same extent as on a flat glacier.

But in any case, a person who foresees danger, or at least is ready for it, is capable ofresist her. Here is the unenviable situation from which my friend Anatoly Lebedev, now the director of the Ryukzachok company, came out with honor: -3 Pamir). In the heat of the moment, they made an unforgivable mistake - they hung all the ropes, and returned to the tent unbound. Already in front of the tent, Tolya fell into a closed crack - an ice "glass" filled with water. It did not reach the bottom, the smooth walls went up 6 meters. In this stalemate Anatoly did not succumb to panic - floundering in icy water and plunging headlong with each attempt to do something, he was able to pull an ice ax from behind his backpack, remove an ice hammer from his belt, and (fortunately, there were cats on his feet!) traps. It is difficult to calculate with what speed Alik Samoded ran under the wall for a rope, but by the end of the record climbing, he managed to drop the end of it to his partner. Of course, this feat would have been easier to avoid. But how different is its outcome from finals sad stories which are listed below...

1. 08/03/1961 . in. Wilpat, 5a.

A group of instructors a / l "Torpedo", returning after the ascent, passed the last section of the icefall before the "Volginskaya" overnight stay. When crossing a crack, a snow bridge collapsed under the leader of the group N. Pesikov, and he fell to the depth 20 m, having received extensive injuries. There was no insurance.

2. 27.07.1968. Peak Communism.

The group organized a bivouac on the plateau of Communism Peak (6200 m). The tent was set up in a safe place, about 10 meters from a narrow crack. At about 18.30 E. Karchevsky left the tent, where there were other participants. A few minutes later he was called, but he did not answer. As footprints in the snow showed Karchevsky fell into a crack. A rope was lowered into a hole in the snow (ondepth of 30 m), for which they began to pull from below. But repeated attempts to approach the victim were unsuccessful. The crack at the top was wide 45 cm, and then narrowed to 20 cm. Falling 30 m, Karchevsky's body wedged and froze into ice.

3. 01.08.1973 . Communism Peak, Belyaev Glacier.

The expedition of the city of Kursk was aimed at climbing the peaks of Communism and Pravda. To monitor the groups and maintain radio contact, 4 climbers of the second category were involved under the general supervision of P. Krylov. On August 1, 1973, at 06:00, two groups of climbers left camp "4700" up to a height of 5000 m, they were accompanied by observers G. Kotov and N. Bobrova. Up to a height of 5000 m, everyone went without contact. From here, the observers returned to camp "4700", where they received a request - to go up again and bring forgotten cats. Kotov and Krylov brought the cats to 5200 m. On the descent they walked without contacting. Kotov, who went first, carried a rope on his backpack. He suddenly failed. He did not respond to Krylov's cries. Only the next day, the body of G. Kotov was found at a depth of 35 m under a one and a half meter layer of snow and ice fragments.

4. 28.07.1974 . The peak of Communism is the plateau of the Pravda peak.

Two bundles of the expedition of the Ukrainian Council of the DSO "Spartak" to remove the body of A. Kustovsky from the south the walls of Communism Peak worked on the plateau of Pravda Peak. The first in the bunch-five was B. Komarov. He walked quickly, not probing the path with an ice pick. Second in line, Morchak, carried rope rings (2-3 meters). The distance between them was about 8 meters. Suddenly, Komarov fell into a crack, but was detained by Morchak. Mosquitoes hung at 3-3.5 meters from the surface. The crack was deep, with even edges, less thanmeters. When asked if he could help with stretching, he answered in the affirmative. Firstan attempt to pull Komarov out ended unsuccessfully - the rope crashed into the firn edge. Komarov began to try to throw his leg over the edge of the crack. Komarov did not respond to the demand to stop these attempts and, as a result, turned upside down, after which stopped answering questions. After processing the edge of Komarov's crack, they removed it withoutsigns of life. According to the group, it took 8-12 hours to extract Komarov from the crack. minutes. An attempt at resuscitation lasted 2.5-3 hours, but to no avail. The cause of Komarov's death was intracranial hemorrhage as a result of a head injury.

5. 11/04/1975. in. Kazbek.

Alpiniad of the Kharkiv Regional Council DSO "Zenith" was held with numerousorganizational violations. On November 3, the participants went up to the weather station.When returning from the exit, the group walked tied with one rope. Degtyarev went first, closing Demanov, in the middle, Taran and Dorofeeva went on sliding carbines. After some time, Degtyarev fell into a chest-deep fissure, which he chose himself. Taran's reaction was slow - he began to insure Degtyarev only after shouting: “What are you standing for? Pull the rope!" Group moved on and in the same place where Degtyarev, Taran falls into the crack.Demanov managed to fix one end of the rope on the ice ax only after 15 minutes(snow lay on the ice in a thin layer). The ram hung on a rope and a cord ondepth of 3-4 m on the chest harness with the head thrown back. The face was covered with snow. Since the Taran was hanging on a slider, it is not possible to pull it out by the free end of the rope.succeeded. They also failed to fix the second end, so Taran was lowered to the bottom of the crack, and they went for help. However, neither Demanov nor Degtyarev, who is inIn an insane state, they could not explain where the victim was. To the crack they approached only at 23 o'clock, but they could not lift Taran (the participant who carried the ice hooks did not come up). The body of I. Taran was removed from the crack only on November 5th.

6. 10.0776. Peak of the World, Za.

A group of dischargers of the 5th stage of the Bezengi a/l left the bivouac at 5 o'clock on the l. Ulluauz on ascent. They moved along the closed glacier, not connected. At 6 o'clock coming thirdT. Zaeva, when crossing the bergschrund, fell through 15-18 m. Zverev went down to her, put warm things under Zaeva and began to wait for help to get her up, but Zaeva died without regaining consciousness.

7. 06.08. 76 . in. Zaromag, 2b.

Two branches of badges under the guidance of instructors L. Batygina and Yu.Girshovich climbed the c. Zaromag. On the descent, bundles of branches wentinterspersed. The instructors walked unrelated. About 13 hours into a closed crackthe participant V. Feldman, who was walking in the first bunch, fell through, next to him - G. Khmyrova from the second bunch, who approached the shouts, and then the instructor Yu. Girshovich, who came up unrelated (he lingered on the ice ledge 4 meters from the surface). Girshovich voiced contact with Khmyrova and Feldman, who turned out to bea little aside. Khmyrova's leg jammed, and she asked for an ice ax. Khmyrova could not use two additional ropes lowered into the crack. Then Girshovich joined them and was lifted up by the participants. Frozen and demoralized, he did not take any further part in the rescue work. Feldman was raised behind Girshovich, but Khmyrov could not be raised. Participant S. Lyubkin on crampons reached Khmyrova, who was covered by 30-40 cm of snow. Having freed her jammed leg, and pushing from below, he helped to lift Khmyrova (at about 14:55). She showed no signs of life. Rubbing and artificial respiration did not help and at 18 o'clock the participants began to transport the body Khmyrova down.

8. 12.08.1976 . in. Gumachi, 1b.

Four squads of badges of the a/l "Elbrus" climbed to. Gumachi andbegan to descend along the path of ascent. Instructor Kalganenko, passing the leadership of his department to another instructor, put on skis and began to descend on them in parallel descent paths. At 11:30 Kalganenko hit a transverse fissure. The skis got stuck across the crack, the bindings unfastened, and Kalganenko fell down 30 m. In 35 minutes. she was taken out of the crack, but, without regaining consciousness, L. Kalganenko passed away.

9. 03.07.1982 . Levinsky Glacier.

A group of dischargers led by an instructor of the 2nd category E. Tarabrin left the a/l "Alay" for snow and ice classes on the Levinskaya glacier. Toplace bivouac came to 12 o'clock. Before going to class, participant V. Peasants receivedthe instructor's order to go to the bivouac of climbers from Ivano-Frankivsk, who are 500 meters away, to get advice on the route of the training ascent. Then he had to catch up with the group on the trail going along the end moraine to the place of training. When Peasants did not come by 16 o'clock,the group stopped their studies and returned to the bivouac to organize searches. Just on The next day, Krestyannikov's body was found at a depth of 15-17m in a closed fissure 2 kilometers away from the training site.

10. 25.07.1984 . Caucasus, Kashka-Tash glacier .

A group of gatherings of the Odessa OS "Avangard" made the ascent 5b to / tr. on c. Ullu-Kara and went down the Za to the plateau. I. Orobey (MSMK) - V. Rozenberg (1st time) moved ahead. They approached the open crack without contact. Rosenberg offered to organize a belay, took off the rope and stuck an ice ax into the snow. Orobei at this time decided to step over the crack, using a ski pole, but slipped and fell into the crack. An hour later, the victim was raised. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

11. 28.07.88 . n. Free Spain .

Sports group V. Masaltsev and A. Pisarchik (both CMS) at three o'clock in the morning beganthe ascent is not along route 5b to the peak of Free Spain (V wall), on which it was released, but along Za. motive route changes (rock hazard) is untenable - this season the wallpassed repeatedly. About 6 hours Masaltsev passed the snow bridge and came out on a snowy slope with a steepness of 20-25 degrees. Pisarchik, following him, fell into a crack and pulled Masaltsev into it. Pisarchik wedged at a depth of 25 m, and Masaltsev at a distance of about 7 m side and slightly deeper. At first, the fallen ones were talking, but after 15-20 minutes Masaltsev stopped answering. Pisarchikwas able to free himself from jamming and,without making an attempt to get to Masaltsev and help, unfastened from the rope, connecting them, took out a second rope and 3 ice screws from the backpack, with whichcrawled out of the crack. At 15:50 the rescue team reached the victim,found signs of life. Scribe for breaking the rules unauthorized change of route, for leaving a comrade in distress, completely deprived of the title of instructor and sports categories.

12. 02.02.1990 .Tien Shan, Marble wall glacier .

A group of observers for the ascent to c. The marble wall overlooked the glacier. Atmoving along an open (!) glacier in a bundle, walking second S. Pryanikov fellcrack. The width of the crack did not exceed 1 m, but at a depth of 4–5 m it narrowed to 30 cm and then widened again. Pryanikov's legs went through a narrow gap, and his torso jammed, severely squeezing his chest. Partner did not feel jerk, because there was a supply of rope. The three of them pulled Pryanikov out with no signs life, resuscitation was carried out for two hours, but to no avail.

13. 24.02.1998 .Caucasus, Kashka-Tash glacier .

Troika climbers, having made winter climb on c. Free Spain (5b), returned to the tent on the plateau. They followed their repeatedly trodden footsteps, not related. Oleg Bershov, walking in front, hearing a quiet “hoot” behind him turned around, but did not see his comrades walking behind him. Upon returning, I found snow a hole with a diameter of a meter and a half. The ropes were left in the backpacks of those who followed. Only the next day, rescuers discovered the bodies of Sergei Ovchinnikov and Sergei Frost in a crack under a meter layer of snow...

I knew the sociable Seryoga Pryanikov, my doctor colleague, I knewKharkiv students Igor Taran and Sergey Moroz, with Igor Orobey passed a methodological meeting on1st category. It is difficult to get rid of the thought that, just remember they are insidious traps on a closed glacier, things could have turned out differently ... I invite the reader to figure out for himself the mistakes from which to learn, and try to find the optimal solution, both in the described real situations and in situational tasks compiled by the author.

1. When moving along the glacier, the two walking in front come to a closed crack and fall through. The first is wedged in the narrowing of the crack10 meters, does not answer questions. The second hangs in the middle. The third fell on the snow andholds the rope on the ice axe. Options for each?

2. When the two moved along the closed glacier, the first one bypassed the open crack,the second moves along it. At this moment, the first one falls into a closed a crack and a jerk of the rope throws the second into the open. Both hang on his rope without reaching the bottom. What are your actions in this situation?

3. In a trio, moving on a rope shortened to 15 m - fortythe average moving on the moving average falls into a crack. The partners, torn off by a jerk of the rope, lie on the snow, holding it. What equipment would you like to have in place of each of the three, and what are your actions?

4. Extreme situation: you need to move on a closed glacier in alone. What equipment, what techniques do you use, what do you do to avoid falling into a crack?

Bypassing the cracks of the Sagran glacier. The first is I. Daibog.

In the background - the northern peak of Lipsky peak

Photo by A. Sidorenko

Altitude 4000 m, the minimum thermometer showed at night - 4 °. Glacial streams were covered with ice, but with the first rays of the sun the glacier came to life again. Timashev and Letavet noticed on the shaded side of small ice cones horizontal plates of ice arranged in shelves, on average at a distance of about four centimeters one above the other. Each such shelf, as observations showed, was an ice surface a few days ago, covering a small glacial lake during the night, and the distance between the shelves showed the depth of melting of the glacier surface during the day.

A narrow chute filled with gray moraine was left behind; now before us stretched vast expanses of glacial fields, covered with sparkling bristles of ice needles. Higher behind them rose the walls of high ridges and peaks, shining with the unstained whiteness of the slopes or the dark spots of rocky cliffs.

If in the middle reaches the Sagran glacier receives its main tributaries from the left, then in the upper part the two most significant tributaries flowed from the right side. The glacier itself deviates in a gentle arc here to the northeast, and then almost exactly to the north. The surface of the glacier is also changing; its smooth, sloping course acquired here a stepped character. Sloping and calm sections alternate with steeper falls of the glacier, so torn by numerous cracks that attempts to climb these icefalls would not only require a lot of time, but were also risky.

The most calm progress was possible only along the middle of the glacier, up to the confluence of the right large tributary. I had to go above his possession, pressing close to the right bank, moving along the torn edge of the glacier, through cracks, in many places filled with water. The steep southern slope was covered with talus and rocks. No human has yet set foot in this part of the glacier, and we did not even have a rough description of it.

While most of the detachment was returning to the lower part of the glacier for the cargo left there, a small reconnaissance group continued to find a way in the upper reaches of the Sagran. Only in the evening, tired after a difficult climb and a large load, we reached a relatively flat area on the coastal moraine. Altitude 4500 m.

Here, on the moraine, at the turn of the Sargan glacier to the northeast, it was decided to organize the “Main Camp”.

During these two days, while our comrades with porters were pulling up loads, the reconnaissance group climbed even higher up the glacier. It was found that further, by the right bank of the glacier, it was impossible to rise to its upper reaches, huge cracks and heaps of ice blocks block the way. Climbing to the crest of the ridge separating the Rodionov glacier and the upper reaches of the Sagran, from a height of 5000 m we perfectly saw part of the upper reaches and the huge peaks that closed the glacier. From here it was already possible to outline the paths for climbing the highest, armchair-shaped peak of the region with two powerful shoulders, characteristic sharply dissected ridges and steep slopes, turning into huge rocky kilometer-long cliffs. To the left of this main peak, another towered, it seemed, only slightly inferior to it, but, undoubtedly, surpassing in height all the other, also first-class peaks of this group.

By the evening of August 18, when all the participants of the expedition had pulled up, a whole tent city appeared on the site. During the day it was so warm that many climbers walked in their shorts, but at night the temperature dropped to -4.5-5 °. From the "Main Camp" we made a number of routes to study the orography of the glacier, its tributaries and surrounding ridges. This provided the necessary acclimatization for us.

With the enthusiasm of the pioneers, who open new pages in the book of nature, climbers, overcoming cracks, icefalls and heights, penetrated to the sources of the Sag-ran glacier. The glacier of Observations was passed - a large right tributary of the Rodionov glacier - up to the saddle leading to the Shini-bini glacier. The left tributaries of the Sagran were partially visited, which we called the Vilka and Perevalny glaciers. We also climbed the saddle of the main watershed of the Peter the Great Ridge, on the other side of which lies the Gando glacier. We named this saddle after the most prominent figure in Soviet mountaineering, August Andreevich Letavet. The nearest peak, which we climbed from the Leta-veta pass, was named by us the peak of Newsreel, in honor of the cameramen of our expeditions, who made the first filming of the region from it.

As a result of all the observations on the routes we passed, it was possible to draw up a complete diagram of the entire Sagran glacier and its tributaries. The main channel of the glacier goes in sharp bends to the south, then to the west, and finally to the north. The Sagran Glacier has six tributaries, not counting the Shini-Bini Glacier, which no longer reaches Sagran; four of them flow in from the left, two from the right.

A continuous moraine cover ends at an altitude of 3500-3600 m. The median moraines are almost completely hidden at an altitude of 4400-4600 m, from where the firn cover begins on the glacier. Almost all tributaries of the Sagran have bed inflections that form more or less significant icefalls. A completely inaccessible icefall, turning into a huge fault, has an glacier on the western slope of the Liosky peak, we also saw a large icefall on the Vilka glacier.

The main, watershed ridge of the Peter the Great Ridge limits the glacier from the south and east. The average height of the ridge is small, slightly exceeding 5000 m. Four significant peaks rise above the ridge from west to east: Lipsky Peak, Bezymyanny Peak, Edelstein Peak 1, close in height to Lipsky Peak, and, finally, the main peak crowning the region, which we named, in honor of the 800th anniversary of the capital of our Motherland, celebrated in 1947, Moskvich Peak, and the glacier at the foot of its southern wall - Moskvich.

From the Moskva Peak, the main watershed of the Peter the Great Ridge goes to the east, and a powerful spur answers to the northwest. It begins with the second highest peak of the Sagran glacier basin, which, in connection with the thirtieth anniversary of the October Revolution, we named the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state. Between it and the Moskva peak lies the main source of the Sagran glacier, which we discovered for the first time, which increased the previously known length of the Sagran to 29 km. Further west is a series of gradually lowering peaks. Oshanin Peak, named by us in honor of the Russian explorer who discovered the Peter the Great Ridge and the Fedchenko Glacier. This peak is located in the upper reaches of the Rodionov glacier, which we named after the topographer, member of the expedition V.F. Oshanina. Next comes the Fersman peak, located between the Rodionov glacier and its right tributary, which we have designated as the Observations glacier.

After the first acquaintance with the area, acclimatization, training and filming of the middle zone of the glacier, we began reconnaissance of the approaches to the western ridge of the Moskva Peak.

In the course of the day we managed, adhering to the left, calmer shore of the Sagran glacier, to climb up to the ice-fall. The huge southwestern wall of Moskva Peak was above us. Even earlier, as a result of observations, two possible options for climbing the western ridge arose, the lower, steep ledge of which is crowned with an extensive snow cushion. The first route is along its southeastern ice slope, which is the right side of the Moskvich glacier. The second route is along its northwestern, also icy slope. The closest study showed that the first option would be much more difficult, the path was blocked by a difficult icefall and a high steep ice slope. But the second option also did not seem easy. The icefall separating the upper cirque of the Sagran glacier was so high and broken that the very possibility of overcoming it was doubtful. But still, the ice slope leading to the lower pillow was more sloping and short.

We decided to try to bypass the icefall on the left bank of the glacier along steep snow and ice walls, which do not fall down from the first pillow to the surface of the glacier. After a long cutting of steps in the ice cliffs, moving with constant insurance on ice hooks, by noon we overcame all the difficulties and reached the upper step of the glacier. Careful inspection of the northwestern slope confirmed the possibility of ascent. Having finished filming, we decided to try to go down the icefall on the way back. Studying it from above made it possible to outline a difficult but possible path. Master of Sports A. Bagrov, moving first, perfectly understood the chaos of heaps of ice seracs and huge failures. Two hours later we descended to the foot of the icefall.

Nevertheless, it was decided to look for other ways along the glacier, which could shorten the rise. Moving straight to the camp, the group got into the area of ​​hidden cracks. Our bunch calmly followed in the footsteps of the first, when I suddenly failed. Breaking through the snow cover, I fell into a deep crack. The rope stopped the fall, and, having flown 6-8 m, I hung between two sheer ice walls that went into a dark, ominous abyss. The chest harness strongly squeezed the chest, breathing was already interrupted, when the noose taken with it from cord 1 saved the situation. Having fixed it on the main rope, I stepped into the noose with my foot. It immediately became easy to breathe. Comrades threw me the end of the rope with another loop. Having put it on the second leg, I, as if on a ladder, began to quickly climb, pulled up by my comrades from above. We no longer dared to take risks, and again switched to the path we had traveled, although a long one, but safer.

On August 23, eleven climbers went up the glacier to check the possibility of climbing along the western ridge to the top of Peak Moskva and to study the entire region of the sources of the Sagran glacier. The route was designed for 8-10 days. In the "Main Camp" remained: the head of the expedition A.A. Letavet, A. Popogrebsky and A. Zenyakin, who were supposed to watch our movement to the top. They decided to maintain communication every evening with a light signal at an agreed hour.

The peaks were already sparkling in the rays of the morning sun, but deep shadows still lay on the glaciers. The night frost, which fettered the glacial streams for the night, has not yet given way to the warmth of the sun. Slowly moving up the glacier four bundles of climbers, burdened with heavy backpacks.

The ice cliffs of the icefall, which seemed not so difficult when we passed them lightly yesterday, this time took a lot of time and a lot of effort. In addition, in a short time - 20-30 minutes - despite the height of 5000 m, the night frost was replaced by exhausting heat. The snow slopes surrounding us and the firn surface of the glacier only intensified the heat, reflecting the scorching sun rays like a reflector. We were like in a huge concave mirror. On vacation, the comrades, exhausted by the heat, forgot themselves in a heavy slumber. I was thirsty, but there was no water here. Firn reigned.

Honored Master of Sports E. Abalakov on the ascent along the southeastern ridge of the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state.

In the background is the northern face of the Moskva Peak.

Photo by A. Sidorenko

We have embarked on a new, previously untraveled path. Very slowly, the bundles were pulled up to a wide piedmont fissure that tore apart the slope, behind which the ice surface, shining in the sun, abruptly went up. Ice rattled under the blows of ice axes. Slowly advancing over the steep, alternately securing each other on metal hooks hammered into the ice, we persistently climbed meter by meter. By evening, all the bunches had climbed to the vast plateau of the first snow cushion.

Altitude 5250 m. Having leveled the ground in the snow, stretched out the tents, we set to cooking. The water obtained from the snow rustled in the alcohol kitchens, it became more comfortable in the tents. The last rays of the sun went out on the rocks of the Moskva peak, reddened at sunset, and the mountains plunged into a bluish darkness. The exhausted climbers fell fast asleep in their warm sleeping bags.

24 August. Cold. We got out of the tents quite late and began to quickly pack our backpacks. Before us is a huge, steep snowy slope, shining with icy patches and cliffs of firn faults. Here every step required attention. We try to firmly plunge the teeth of the crampons into the firn, but the uncomfortable position of the feet, twisted when moving on such a steep slope, greatly tires the muscles of the legs. As we ascend, the slope gradually grows under us as a huge ice mountain. You can “roll down” it, probably only once in a lifetime. Rare sloping platforms above steep slopes serve as places of welcome rest. Only on them you can drop heavy backpacks at least for a short time.

After five hours of difficult ascent, we finally reached the gently sloping snowy slope of the upper pillow and reached the beginning of the rocks of the western ridge. Deep below, the Sagran glacier remained with fan-shaped strips of cracks. The air is so transparent that the wall of the top of the Moskva peak seems very close. As above the crater of a volcano, a white cloud swirls over it and disappears behind the crest. Near the beginning of the rocks on the north side, we found a completely horizontal small playground covered smooth ice. Despite the height of 5700 m, water accumulates in the cut holes, and we greedily quench our thirst. Having rested, we find out that we are on a wide balcony, a giant snow cornice, which, bending around the northwestern ridge, connects with the previously unknown, main source of the Sagran glacier.

On the way to the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state. In the background on the right is Lipsky Peak, so named by Soviet climbers in honor of the Russian geographer who first saw this peak (1899). The bivouacs are marked with triangles:

1. Above the second pillow, on the balcony (5700 m), 2. On the western edge of the Moskva Peak (5800 m).

At the source of the Sagran glacier E. Abalakov (right) and E. Ivanov.

Photo by E. Timashev

Below us, a completely sheer wall falls for almost a kilometer. Above us, the rocks of the western edge of the Moskva Peak rise in steep ledges. Opposite us rises a rocky massif of the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state.

On steep rocks, trying not to drop stones, so as not to injure our comrades walking below, we climbed 100 m under the sheer wall of the steepest ascent of the western ridge. The weather turned bad. A strong wind came up. Clouds covered the mountains. The assault on complex rocks had to be postponed in order to urgently begin the construction of sites for a bivouac among the rocks at an altitude of 5800 m. All night, hurricane gusts of wind pressed the tents, fluttered the banners. Snow dust from hoarfrost fell asleep sleeping bags, doused the faces of climbers cowering in their sleeping bags.

25-th of August. The morning brought no relief. Visibility is poor. You can't even see the nearest rocks. A frosty blizzard circled behind the walls of the tents, not allowing them to lean out. From the strong fatigue of the previous day, the influence of altitude began to affect. My head ached, my throat dried up, I felt weak. The dry alcohol of the Hexa got wet, and with great difficulty it was possible to light a match, blown out by gusts of wind, and to achieve that the alcohol caught fire. But instead of a life-giving hot flame, the damp Hexa filled the tent with such a fumes that we felt like we were imprisoned in a gas chamber. It was impossible to open the tent, snow whirlwinds would instantly cover everything inside with snow. We had to endure, climbing headlong into sleeping bags, and even when, thanks to the heroic efforts of A. Sidorenko, a delicious breakfast was ready, we remained lying almost indifferent.

But we did not lose hope for an early improvement in the weather. After all, stable, clear weather is usual for the dry climate of the Pamirs, and it was necessary to assume that the storm that overtook us was a transient phenomenon. However, day and night passed, and August 26th arrived, and the storm continued to rage. A dull rumble, originating somewhere below, grew, and another hurricane gust of wind roared against the tents, shaking them, trying to tear them off the rocky ridge. The geographer Timashev reported from a nearby tent: the temperature was 13°. Our "microclimate" was more favorable, since the tent was protected from the wind by rocks. However, the height and cold had an effect on apathy, in unexpected outbursts of irritability. Gradually, the hope for a quick change in the weather also faded away, since the altimeters showed an increase in absolute height - 50 m, reflecting a drop in pressure. The minimum thermometer noted for this day the temperature - 23 °. This is the phenomenon of a three-day severe storm that kept us at an altitude of 5800 m, A.A. Letavet later successfully described it as "Tien Shan in the Pamirs".

Only on August 28 - on the fourth day - the storm subsided, and it was possible to get out of the tents. I had to decide what to do. The time for our return was approaching. Products and fuel decreased. Efficiency from forced passive lying decreased. In the "Main Camp", they were probably already worried about our fate, although at the appointed time we carefully gave light signals, lighting up fragments of film. I considered it premature to go down with the whole group: after all, it is unlikely that it will be possible to organize a second attempt to climb. We were clearly in a "time trouble".

It was decided that weaker comrades would go down, accompanied by several strong climbers.

August 28 at 11 o'clock Kelzon, Staritsky, Khodakevich, Daibog and Bagrov, leaving us most of their food and fuel, went down. By seven o'clock in the evening of the same day they reached the "Main Camp" (4500 m), where prof. A.A. Letavet. Our good condition and the food and fuel left by our comrades allowed the six of us to continue the ascent.

On August 29, the wind died down, but the clouds were still there. With difficulty, we cleared and folded the icy tents, packed our backpacks, and, once again tying with ropes in threes, began to climb sheer cliffs over a kilometer cliff. The first in the bunch drives a steel hook into a crack in the rock, hooks on the carabiner, and only then gives a signal to the next in the bunch.
give out the rope connecting them. Slowly we pull ourselves up one by one, checking each of our movements. The rocks are so steep that it is often not possible to climb them with heavy backpacks. You have to take off the load and pull it out on a rope. We overcame this two-hundred-meter wall for almost half a day. To save money, the latter had to knock out the hooks back. Several hooks in the most dangerous places were left in the rocks for the return.

At the end of the day, when we reached an altitude of 6000 m, M. Anufrikov unexpectedly fell into a snowy area. Freeing his stuck leg, he dug a hole and found a narrow deep crack in the rocks under the snow. This peculiar cave turned out to be a valuable find for an overnight stay. After two hours of work on landscaping, for the first time during the assault, we could spend the night all together, reliably protected from the wind. In the evening, candles were burning in the cave, tea was boiling, jokes and songs were heard. Probably for the first time, opera arias and duets were heard at a height of six thousand.

Already late in the evening, wedged with a triple jack, very pleased with our bivouac, we calmly fell asleep, squeezed by the rocky walls of the stone bag.

It was the morning of August 30th. Unusual silence. We climb out of the cave. Furious exclamations... It's sweeping again in the mountains. A foggy veil and snow whirlwinds covered the ridges. But we decided to keep going. Again, I had to climb on sharp brittle rocks or tie knee-deep in loose snow, balancing under sharp gusts of icy wind. We slowly climb from ledge to ledge. Sidorenko and Ivanov have very cold feet. While the comrades are resting, Timashev and I are going higher to find the way.

Bypassing the huge rock towers, hiding under the rocks from the gusts of a snow storm, we came to a narrow icy ridge. At the end of it we drive a dark silhouette of a high sharp rock: this is probably the highest point of the ridge, the western shoulder of the Moskva Peak. An irresistible desire to find out the possibility of further ascent along the western ridge to the top made us climb along the tip of a steep ridge, on which we had to balance over huge cliffs, covered at times by cosmic clouds. Suddenly, the clouds parted, and in front of us loomed in the distance, rising after some lowering of the ridge, a spectacular giant rise of a sharp jagged rib, ending in the dome of the summit.

Snow-covered sharp numerous "gendarmes" of the western ridge, like the teeth of a saw turned upside down, blocked the further path. With tense attention we looked through this remaining climb to the top. It was necessary to go about another one and a half kilometers in a straight line and gain at least 800 m vertically. It was clear that in addition to skill, time, strength and good, stable weather were needed to accomplish this; now, continuing the ascent in unstable weather, with our dwindling strength, with limited time, we would expose ourselves to too great a risk. As sad as it is, we must retreat! Leaving from the south side of the ridge, we laid down the tour, Timashev wrote a note, which we carefully hid in the middle of the stone pyramid. Depressed, we returned to A. Sidorenko, E. Ivanov, A. Gozhev and M. Anufrikov, who were frozen and waiting for us.

Peak Moskva (6,994 m - on the right) and the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state from the south. Below the Sagran glacier:….. climbers' path,  camp on the second pillow. A flag on the crest of the Moskva Peak marks the height of 6200 m, reached by climbers.

Photo by E. Timashev

Until late in the evening they descended steep, snow-covered rocks, hammering and knocking out hooks with numb hands, hanging on frozen ropes, barely distinguishing each other through a snow blizzard. Having reached the place of our camp at an altitude of 5800 m, we unexpectedly discovered an unfortunate “robbery”: dry jelly, pieces of smoked sausage left by us turned out to be scattered and pecked by crows. Only at dusk we went down to the familiar balcony at an altitude of 5700 m and set up tents on the smooth surface of the ice. The passionate desire to draw water from the holes cut in the ice was no longer successful. Sunset. All around was only frosty clear ice.

In the evening, at the appointed hour, I gave the signal. The matches were blown out by the wind for a long time, the hands were cold. But then the film flashed, and I raised the torch high. For a second, the rocks and snow were brightly lit. But the film burned out, and the darkness became even thicker. I anxiously peer down, and suddenly, deep down in the veil of fog, a bright dot flared up. "Hooray! My signal has been received!" It became warmer and calmer in my soul from the realization that comrades led by A.A. were tirelessly watching us down there. Letavet. I am returning to the bivouac. Candles are lit in the tents. Comrades prepare hot food. The moon appeared. The night was frosty. The mercury dropped again to -20°, but the tired people slept soundly.

August 31. Wonderful Pamir morning! Clear sky. Windless. From our balcony you can see the upper part of the main source of the Sagran glacier. In the east upstream, it ends in a saddle, located about two kilometers from us against the background of a dark blue high-mountain sky. It lies between the peak of Moscow and the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state. From the saddle it was possible to solve two sports tasks: to establish the possibility of climbing the Moskva peak along the northern ridge and to try to climb the peak of the 30th anniversary of the Soviet state along its southeastern ridge. In addition, we could establish with the upper reaches of which glacier the source of the Sagran glacier adjoins. Timashev ardently urged Sidorenko to use this exceptional opportunity, which presented itself to the cameraman for the first time - to shoot from such a height the highest peak USSR, Stalin Peak.

There was a heated discussion: to go down - to the "Main Camp" or up - to the saddle? It was decided to reach the saddle and, if possible, complete both tasks.

The exit to the saddle required a significant expenditure of effort. We had to walk along our cornice along the northern slope of the western edge of the Moskva Peak and then go down to the Sagran glacier, to its main source. This was due to the loss of 150-200 m of height. The descent to the glacier turned out to be difficult due to insidious cracks hidden under deep, loose snow. I had to slide down like a plastuna in order to distribute the weight of the whole body over the largest possible area, holding each other on the ropes. Backpacks were dropped separately. Such a “floating” on the snowy slope, over the cracks, took a lot of time.

Technique of movement in the mountains, in some sections of the path depends on the nature and characteristics of the mountainous terrain.

Wooded and grassy slopes are overcome along shepherd and animal paths, usually going along warm southern and western slopes, places with sparse vegetation and a thick layer of soil. On trails or flat ground, move at a steady pace, slowed down at the beginning and end of each transition. The feet are almost parallel, the foot is placed on the heel with a "roll" on the toe to the beginning of the next step. The center of gravity of the body with a backpack should move vertically as little as possible - small hills and pits should be bypassed, stones and tree trunks should be stepped over. Alpenstock or ice ax is carried in the hand in the stowed position; in areas where loss of balance is possible - in two hands in the position of self-insurance or as an additional support.

When driving on grassy slopes, protruding, firmly lying stones, bumps, and other uneven terrain should be used for support; on steep slopes, areas of thick grass and small shrubs should be avoided; rockfalls should be avoided over located rocky areas. For steep slopes, shoes with corrugated soles “vibram” are needed, in case of slippery, for example, wet or heavily snowy surfaces, as a rule, “cats” and rope belay are used. To gain height, tourists move either in steep short zigzags, or make long gentle traverses bypassing rocky areas. When lifting “on the forehead”, the legs are placed with the entire sole, the feet (depending on the steepness) - parallel, half-herringbone or herringbone; when climbing obliquely or serpentine - on the entire foot with a half-herringbone (upper leg - horizontally, loading the outer welt of the shoe more, the lower one - slightly turning the toe down the slope, with a greater load on the inner welt). When descending straight down a not very steep slope, the feet are placed parallel to the entire sole or with a predominant load on the heel, move with their backs to the slope with quick, short springy steps, slightly bending the knees (but not running). They go down a steep slope sideways, obliquely or serpentine, legs are placed in a half-herringbone, as in the ascent. An ice ax or an alpenstock on steep slopes during ascent and descent is held with both hands in the position of readiness for self-holding, in case of a breakdown, if necessary, they are used as a second point of support. In dangerous places, rope belay is organized through tree trunks, rocky ledges, as well as over the shoulder or lower back.

Scree slopes are passed in a group with minimal intervals between participants. When moving along them, one must remember that steep scree sections are especially dangerous with rockfalls. On a small scree they rise “head-on” or in a serpentine, the feet are placed parallel, compacting the step with gradual pressure until the scree stops sliding. You should lean on the entire foot, keep the body upright (as far as the backpack allows). An ice ax (alpenstock) is used if necessary, leaning on it from the front side. They descend in small steps, placing the feet parallel with an emphasis on the heel, if possible, moving down with a mass of small stones and not allowing the legs to tie deeper than the top of the boot; ice ax in the position of readiness for self-detention. On cemented or frozen scree they move in the same way as on grassy slopes.

It is recommended to move obliquely or in a steep serpentine along the middle scree, and at the turning points the guide must collect the entire group so that tourists, for safety reasons, are not on top of each other. Especially dangerous are unstable steep, so-called live screes. Sudden movements should be avoided, the legs should be placed on the entire foot carefully, gently, choosing for support the parts of the stones facing the slope. The ice ax is held in the hand, not leaning on the slope.

On a large scree, they easily move in any direction. The movement is carried out by stepping from one stone to another, changing the pace in order to maximize the use of the inertia of the body with a backpack and avoiding large jumps. When descending and ascending, you need to put your feet on the edges of the stones, closer to the slope. Stones and slabs with a significant slope should not be used.

Rocky slopes, ribs, couloirs and ridges are passed by tourists with a preliminary assessment of the difficulty and safety of individual sections. The main indicators of the impassability of the rocky terrain are its average steepness and its constancy throughout the entire length of the site. When assessing the steepness, it is taken into account that from below, from under the slope, it seems shorter and flatter, especially its upper part. The view from above and “head on” increases the steepness, as it were, and the presence of steep drops hides the distance (the dropping of small stones helps to determine the height and steepness of the slope). A correct idea of ​​the steepness of a slope or rib is given by observing it from the side (in profile) or directly accessing it. The safest for movement are ribs and buttresses; the most simple, but dangerous with possible rockfalls are the couloirs. It is allowed to use the lower part of the wide couloirs to bypass the steepest lower part of the ribs and buttresses, the upper part of the couloirs when reaching the crest of the ridge in dry weather in the early morning hours. It is unacceptable to move along the couloirs during snowfall, rain or immediately after precipitation. Passing on the ridges is safe at any time of the day, except in case of bad weather and strong winds. The "gendarmes" encountered on the ridges bypass the slopes or climb over them.

The basis of climbing rocks is the correct choice of route, the use or creation of supports, and the correct position of the center of gravity relative to the support. There are free climbing using natural support points, ledges, cracks and the so-called artificial climbing, when support points are created using rock and bolt hooks, bookmarks, ropes, loops, ladders. Free climbing can be external - along the wall and internal - in crevices and fireplaces. According to the difficulty of movement, rocks (rock routes) in tourism are divided into 3 groups:

1. Lungs, overcome without the help of hands (hands lean occasionally, maintaining balance).
2. Medium, requiring a limited arsenal of climbing techniques and periodic insurance.
3. Difficult, where any methods of free and artificial climbing may be required, continuous belay of the walker and self-belay of the belayer are needed.

Hands and feet can be used for grips, stops and spreads. At captures of a hand work hl. arr. to maintain balance by loading the supports from above, from the side and from below. The main weight is on the legs. For stops, rock irregularities located below shoulder level and unsuitable for grips are used. The force is directed mainly from top to bottom and is transmitted through the palm or part of it and the soles of the feet. Spreaders are used where there are no protrusions for grips and stops on the rocky surface, and the location of the rocks allows this technique to be used.

On rock routes, the following basic rules are followed:

• before the start of the movement, the route, places of rest, insurance and difficult sections are determined;
• climb is performed, if possible, along the shortest direction - the vertical, choosing the simplest path.

Offset to the side (transition from one vertical to another), if necessary, is performed on the most gentle and easy part of the slope. Before loading a rock support, they check its reliability (inspection, pressing with a hand, hitting a rock hammer), after which they try to use it first as a grip or an emphasis for hands, and then as a support for legs. For a stable position of the body, three points of support are maintained, either two legs and an arm, or two arms and a leg. The main load, as a rule, is carried by the legs, the hands maintain balance. In order to save forces, friction is used as much as possible (stops and spacers). They move along the rocks and load the supports smoothly. In areas where there are good handholds and poor footholds, the body is kept farther from the rock; if there are good footholds, closer to the rock. Before a difficult area, you should rest, determine the points of support and grips in advance and overcome it without delay so that your hands do not get tired. If it is impossible to continue moving, you need to go down to a convenient place and look for a new option for lifting. Hands get tired less if the holds are located no higher than the head; when pulling up, they help by extending the legs. For greater stability, the arms and legs are kept somewhat divorced, they tend not to lean on their knees. The design of modern tourist shoes allows you to use the most insignificant unevenness of the relief to create a support. To increase the traction of the boot with the rock, the pressure of the foot must be perpendicular to the surface of the support. With small ledge surfaces, the foot is placed on the inner welt of the boot or on the toe.

When climbing rocks, extreme attention, caution, and confidence are required. In the event of a fall, hands should be kept in front of you so as not to hit the rock and, if possible, catch on to it. Descent on simple rocks is performed facing away from the slope, leaning on the palms of the hands, bending the knees and body, but not sitting down. On medium-difficulty rocks, they descend sideways or facing the slope, their hands maintain balance, the body is almost vertical. On difficult rocks in short sections they descend facing the slope, but more often they use a rope descent: sports, by the Dylfer method or with the help of braking devices. Before organizing the descent, you should make sure that the rope reaches the platform, from where you can continue moving or organize the next stage of the descent. The main rope for descent is fixed on a rock ledge directly or with a rope loop, as well as on rock hooks with a carabiner or a rope loop. The strength of the protrusion is carefully checked, sharp edges that can damage the rope at bends are blunted with a hammer. Old hooks and loops must be tested for strength, at the slightest doubt they are replaced with new ones. The cord loop must be double or triple. All members of the group, except for the last one, descend with the top belay on the second rope. The last participant descends on a double rope with self-insurance. Before descending the last participant from below, they check how the rope slides, when jammed, its fastening is corrected. The second rope, also used for pulling, is passed by the last descender through the chest carabiner. The descent along the rope is carried out calmly, evenly, as if walking on the rocks, avoiding jerks. The body is held vertically, slightly turned sideways to the slope, legs slightly bent and widely placed on the rock.

Snow and firn fields and slopes, as well as closed glaciers, are overcome, if possible, in the cold season. Particular attention is paid to the possible avalanche danger, taking into account the steepness of the slope, the time of the last snowfall, the orientation of the slope, the time and duration of its exposure to the sun, and the condition of the snow. When moving on snow and firn, they follow the principle of maintaining “two points of support” (leg - leg, leg - ice ax or alpenstock). The main efforts are expended on trampling down traces and knocking out steps.

For safety reasons, tourists adhere to the following basic rules:

• on a soft snow slope, the foot support is pressed gradually, using the property of snow to freeze when compressed, avoiding a strong kick on the snow;
• with a fragile crust, they pierce it with a foot and press the support under it;
• on a steep crusty slope, they lean with the sole of the boot on the edge of a step punched in the crust, and with their lower leg on the crust;
• the body is held vertically, the steps (supports) are loaded smoothly simultaneously with the entire sole;
• the leader's stride length corresponds to the stride length of the shortest member of the group;
• all members of the group follow each other without breaking, but if necessary correcting the steps; with a strong crust and on a dense firn, the steps are stuffed with a boot welt, cut down with an ice ax, or they use “cats”;
• in case of a breakdown, having warned the partner in a bunch by shouting “hold”, the one who broke off should immediately begin self-detention, and the insurer should stop the slide at the very initial stage.

On a snowy slope with a steepness of up to 35 ° rise straight up. With a sufficient depth of soft loose snow, the feet are placed parallel, tamping the snow with them until a snow cushion is formed. With a small layer of soft snow on a firn or ice base, the foot is dipped into the snow with a light blow until it stops with the toe into a solid base. Then, without lifting the toe from the base, the step is pressed with vertical pressure. If the steps move out under load, double pressing of the steps is used: first, with a kick perpendicular to the slope, the first portion of snow is pressed, forming the base for the future step, freezing to the underlying firn or ice, and then, using the snow from the sides of the hole, a step is formed on the resulting base. On a very thin layer of soft snow lying on ice and dense firn, you should use "cats". With an increase in the steepness of the slope and the hardness of the snow, they move to a zigzag movement at an angle of 45 ° to the “line of water flow”, knocking out steps with the welt of the boot with oblique sliding blows with the obligatory observance of the rule of “two points of support”. On slopes with firn muddy to a considerable depth or covered with dry snow, as well as on slopes with a steepness of 45 ° or more, a lift straight up in three cycles is used. When traversing in a three-beat way, they step over with an added step. Fresh soft snow, softened by the sun, sticks in a lump on the soles of the boots. It must be immediately knocked down by hitting the ice ax on the welt with almost every step.

The deep hoarfrost and frosty sandy recrystallized snow sometimes formed under the infusion are not amenable to pressing. In the first case, only a layer of crust is used for lifting, in the second, a trench is pierced to a dense base, organizing insurance on its bottom through an ice hook or ice ax and knocking out steps.

On a snowy slope of small and medium steepness, they descend with their backs to the slope, straight down or slightly obliquely. In loose and muddy snow they walk almost without bending their knees with a narrow step. On the descent on harder snow, the tracks are pierced by the blow of the heel (to maintain balance, you should lean on the bayonet of the ice ax). If the snowy slope is avalanche safe, then you can go down in a row - each participant makes his own tracks; otherwise, you need to follow the trail. On a snowy, firn or icy snowy slope of great steepness, as a rule, they descend facing the slope for three cycles, using and maintaining the steps laid by the leader, or along the railings fixed on ice axes, avalanche shovel, ice hook or snow anchor. On non-steep snowy slopes, visible to the bottom, gliding (gliding) is allowed - on your feet, sitting, on your back or on your feet and a backpack. The slope must end with a safe roll-out, not have sections open ice, rock outcrops, large stones and pieces of ice; snow - free from medium and small stones. Gliding sitting and on the back is used to overcome narrow cracks and bergschrunds with an overhanging upper edge with mandatory rope insurance. The descender must retain the ability to slow down and stop at any time.

Self-belaying when driving on snowy and firn slopes is similar to self-belaying on grassy slopes. When driving for three cycles, self-insurance is carried out with an ice ax driven into the snow. Self-detention on loose and softened snow is carried out by thrusting an ice ax into the slope above the head with a bayonet and cutting through the snow with the pole, when falling on dense snow, firn, crust or on a thin layer of snow covering the ice - with the beak of an ice ax.

Along the snow ridges and along them they move with simultaneous or alternate insurance. Access to the ridge from the under-eaves side is extremely dangerous, it can be carried out in exceptional cases with the utmost care with climbing along the “water fall line” in the cold season and cutting a transverse manhole through the eaves, with insurance by a partner from a fairly remote point. Traverse under the eaves is not allowed. The descent from the cornice is carried out with cutting or cutting with a rope of an extended section of the cornice with careful insurance.

The technique of moving on ice is determined mainly by the steepness of the ice slope, the state of its surface, and the type and properties of the ice. When walking on ice, "cats" are usually used, less often tricones. On steeper slopes, if necessary, artificial support points are used, namely: cutting steps and grips for hands, driving in or screwing in ice hooks. Movement in "tricked" boots or "vibram" boots is possible on relatively gentle ice slopes, while the movement technique is the same as when walking on grassy slopes. When moving on "cats", the legs are placed a little wider than during normal walking. The "cat" is placed on the ice with a light blow at the same time with all the teeth, with the exception of the front ones. The body should be vertical, its weight, if possible, is distributed evenly over all the teeth of the “cat”. With the next step, all the teeth of the "cat" should come off the ice at the same time. The ice ax is held in a self-insurance position in both hands - with a bayonet to the slope and the beak of the head down.

On gently sloping ice slopes (steepness up to 25-30 °) they rise straight "on the forehead". The legs are placed in a Christmas tree, turning the toes of the legs, depending on the steepness of the slope. The ice ax is used as an additional point of support.

On steeper slopes (up to 40°) move on to zigzag at an angle of 45° to the "water fall line". The feet are semi-herringbone: the closest to the slope is horizontal, the far one is turned toe down, along the slope. When driving on slopes with a steepness of more than 40 ° without a backpack or with a light backpack, you can climb "head-on" on the four front (toe) teeth of the "cats", which are simultaneously driven into the ice with weak fixed blows. The feet are placed in parallel, the heels are lowered, the body is vertical. The ice ax is held in a self-holding position in both hands in front of you, leaning on the slope with the beak directed perpendicular to the slope, the shaft is lowered down with a bayonet. Movement in three measures with observance of "two points of support" (the beak of an ice ax is a leg or two legs). The descent on gentle slopes is carried out straight down with a “goose step”, driving all the teeth of the “cats” into the ice at the same time. With a greater steepness of the slope, they go down the rope. When driving with a load on steep sections, they resort to cutting down steps, while rising in a serpentine. The step should be sufficiently spacious, without ice hanging over it, with a horizontal or slightly inclined surface to the slope. On a slope with a steepness of less than 50 ° steps are cut in the so-called open stand with two hands, with a greater steepness - in a closed stand with one hand. For the descent, double steps are cut down and they move with an added step, leaning on the ice ax bayonet in the self-insurance position. The steps are located one below the other at an angle of approximately 15 ° to the "water fall line". When moving along an ice ridge, steps, as a rule, are cut on its more gentle side, or the ridge is also partially used.

Safety on the ice slope is ensured by self-belaying with an ice ax, hook belaying, self-belaying by the belayer or with the help of fixed rope railings. Hooks are hammered or screwed into pre-cut steps. The railing rope for ascent and descent is fixed on double hooks, an ice column (usually 50-60 cm in diameter) or an eye drilled with an ice screw.

Glaciers pass, if possible, along ice strips free from stones, longitudinal ridges of surface moraines, along randklufts or trenches between coastal moraines and valley slopes, along (or along) crests of coastal moraines. Access to the glacier is possible from the lower part of the valley through the end of its tongue or along the terminal moraine, bypassing the end of the tongue along the crests of coastal moraines or rundklufts, climbing the slopes of the valley and traversing them to a part of the glacier that is convenient for movement. Overcoming icefalls is carried out along a predetermined route with a preview or reconnaissance of the entire upcoming path: bypassing along the slopes of the valley, coastal moraines or rundklufts, directly on the ice along the coast or in the middle (with a tray surface or thick snow cover). The possibility of a through passage may be evidenced by the median surface moraine stretching from the upper reaches to the base of the icefall. Of the two parallel branches of the glacier, the longer one is less difficult. Icefalls with a southern and southwestern exposure, with the same steepness of fall or height difference, are easier to pass than those with a northern or northeastern one. Cracks are overcome by bypassing (tacking), jumping, including without backpacks, followed by transferring them with their hands, or using descent to the bottom and climbing to the opposite side, and sometimes with an air crossing, similar to crossing rivers. Bergshrunds are crossed by snow bridges. In their absence, on the ascent, the upper edge (wall) is overcome with the help of ice axes stuck into it or an “oblique tunnel” is made - a manhole. Descent - by jumping or on a rope ("sitting" or "sporting way"). On closed glaciers, which pose a particular danger, one should move in bundles of 2-4 people. with an interval between participants of at least 10-12 m, bypassing the zones of cracks that occur on the convex parts of the glacier and the outer. the edges of its turns. When forcing unreliable snow bridges over cracks, alternate belay or belay with a railing is necessary.

ON THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT VICTORY

THEY FIGHTED TO THE DEATH FOR THE PASSES OF THE GREATER CAUCASUS

The fascist German troops, having reached the main passes of the Greater Caucasus in the second half of August 1942, resumed active offensive operations, striving to capture the oil-bearing regions of Baku and Grozny at any cost, and also to reach the Black Sea towards their troops in the Tuapse and Novorossiysk directions. The closest pass to connect with these groups was Marukh.

On the way of the elite units of the Edelweiss mountain rifle division, the ridges were not an insurmountable obstacle Caucasian mountains, but the resilience and mass heroism of the soldiers who defended the passes of the Caucasus.

General Rudolf Konrad and his Alpine riflemen from the 49th Mountain Corps were confident of an easy victory.

The Marukh pass (height 2739 m) in the western part of the Greater Caucasus was covered by the 808th and 810th regiments of the 294th rifle division. Alpine shooters, formed in the mountain villages of Tyrol from the best climbers and skiers, had special mountain equipment and weapons, warm clothing, pack transport - mules. They could move quickly in the mountains, climb glaciers and snowy passes.

From August 27 to September 1, there were stubborn battles on the outskirts of the Marukh pass. On September 5, the enemy, with the forces of the regiment, went on the offensive and, having a great superiority in forces and means, captured the pass. But his further advance into Abkhazia and Transcaucasia was stopped by the forces of the 810th regiment, which was in the 2nd echelon.

Immediately behind the pass was the front line of defense. The line of 1.5-2 km passed from Mount Marukh-Bashi to the north-west and closed the passage to the Marukh Gorge. Our mountain rifle detachments dug in, dugouts were built in the rocks, machine guns were installed. Another 3 battalions arrived to help the regiment. Throughout September and October, the troops fought with varying success for the possession of this frontier.

On October 25, the 810th regiment occupied Hill 1176 and the gates of the Marukh Pass, firmly entrenched and defended among the rocks, snow and ice until the end of 1942.

Our troops were greatly assisted by flying detachments of climbers. They could be found on mountain trails, on snowy plateaus, on steep passes. They hunted down the enemy, set up ambushes and blockages on roads and paths, made daring raids, participated in ground and air reconnaissance. They stood against the selected Alpine units of the "Third Reich", who fought in Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia and gained a lot of experience.

Small groups of rangers managed to get through Caucasian Range in the area of ​​the Bzyb River. They were seen in the villages of Gvandra and Klidzhe, in the area of ​​​​Lake Ritsa, 40 km from Sukhum, but they could not go further - they were destroyed.

At the same time, civilians were evacuated. In August 1942, the climbers received a task from the command - to bring people living and working at the Tyrnyauz molybdenum plant, located in the Baksan Gorge, through the passes of the Transcaucasus, and take out valuable equipment and raw materials. The way for evacuation along the road was cut off by the Germans. They flew over the Baksan Gorge german planes dropped bombs. Under fire, in difficult meteorological conditions, a chain of residents of Tyrnyauz went to the pass, led by climbers and their assistants - Komsomol members from the plant. With a lack of climbing equipment, special shoes, climbers led women, the elderly, the disabled, children and transported valuable equipment on donkeys. Bypassing deep cracks littered with snow, organizing rope crossings, falling into snow charges and a thunderstorm, climbers transferred 1,500 adults and 230 children during August.

Everyone who went from the Baksan Gorge to Svaneti through the Becho Pass knows that it is accessible only to trained, trained athletes. I was convinced of this, having passed the pass with a group of factory tourists in August 1960. There were some beginners in our group, and if it weren't for the help of the climbers passing at the same time, we would have had to experience great difficulties.

After the transition of the Soviet troops to the general offensive in January 1943, the enemy retreated to the north. The enemy's attempt to break through the Marukh Pass to the rear in the Tuapse and Novorossiysk directions and reach the sea failed.

The history of the highest mountain war in the world is presented in the book by Vladimir Gneushev and Andrey Poputko "The Secret of the Marukh Glacier", published by the Stavropol book publishing house in 1966.

In September 1962, the shepherd of the collective farm Muradin Kochkarov grazed a flock of sheep in the mountains of the Western Caucasus near the Khaleg pass. Missing a few sheep, Muradin, leaving the flock for a partner, went in search. He went out to a small lake - there were no sheep there, he went even higher and soon climbed the ridge. Here he saw several combat cells, human bones, shell casings. Walking along the ridge to the top of Kara-Kaya, I saw traces of fierce battles. On the Marukh glacier, he came across the frozen remains of our soldiers. He told the chairman of the village council in the village of Khasaut about what he saw.

The Stavropol regional executive committee created a commission of military specialists, doctors, experts and sent it to the Marukh glacier. With them was a platoon of sappers and a group of climbers led by an experienced instructor, Khadzhi Magomedov. Coming out along the valley of the Aksaut River to the crest of the ridge, they discovered and collected the remains of the fighters, found a field infirmary. On the highest point Ridge of 3500 m in a tour made of stones lay a note left by recently passing tourists. They wrote that they were shocked by what they saw and offered to name this nameless ridge "Defensive".

On the descent from the ridge to the moraine of the glacier, traces of fierce battles increasingly came across. In many places on the glacier - scattered on the surface of the ice, half-frozen remains of our fighters, weapons, shells. On the Defense Ridge, a team of sappers destroyed mines and shells.

All the remains of the soldiers were carried by people across the ridge to the clearing and on horseback they lowered the mournful load into the valley of the Aksaut River, then to the village of Krasny Karachay and from there by car to the village of Zelenchukskaya, the regional center.

Those who were buried in Zelenchukskaya on October 1, 1962, people will remember forever. There have never been so many people in Zelenchukskaya - from the very morning they walked here and rode anything not only from their neighboring villages and villages, but also from Karachaevsk, Cherkessk, Stavropol. Neither the stadium where the military guard with the orchestra lined up, nor even the park where the remains were buried, could accommodate all the arrivals, and therefore people stood, flooding the neighboring streets.

In the summer of 1959, the Moscow city tourist school of Sergei Nikolaevich Boldyrev made a transition through the Western Caucasus. 162 participants were divided into 5 groups, 2 of which, passing north of Kara-Kai, reached the Northern Marukh Glacier. We had to spend the night on the moraine of the glacier. In the morning, going up to the Marukh pass, they began to meet bones, unexploded grenades, fragments of mines and shells, shells. Even in Moscow, preparing for the campaign, they knew about the traces of fierce battles on the Marukh Pass, but what they saw cannot be expressed in words.

In 1960, a group of students of the Civil Engineering Institute. Kuibysheva from Moscow, making a mountain hike, found the remains of warriors on the glacier. They buried the nameless soldiers as best they could, and the next year, in backpacks, they lifted a prefabricated obelisk into the mountains and installed it in the area of ​​​​the glacier.

Many years later, a mass ascent was made to the Marukh pass. A monument was erected there and a rally was held in memory of our soldiers who fought to the death against the elite units of the Edelweiss division.

In 1961, I led a group of tourists from our factory through the Klukhor Pass, and we found traces of battles. And even in 1974, being here with factory tourists, I found echoes of the battles of 1942.

In 1975, the country was preparing to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Great Victory. For a long time I had been nurturing the idea of ​​organizing a trip to the area of ​​the Marukh Pass and setting up a board for its heroic defenders on the rocks of the Defense Range from the factory's tourist club. Alexander Kozlov, chairman of the plant's tourist club, supported me. So the expedition was organized as part of mountain and water groups, which were supposed to meet after the hike on May 9 in the village of Zelenchukskaya and take part in a rally and lay a wreath at the monument to the defenders of the Marukh pass. Alexander Sapozhnikov and Viktor Khorunzhiy took up the manufacture of the board, the factory artists prepared two ribbons for the wreath and the board. The trade union committee allocated money for travel and a few days of vacation.

Mountain group: Nikolai Lychagin and Mark Shargorodsky - engineers, Tatyana Zueva - technologist, Vladimir Dmitriev - military representative of the plant, Viktor Khorunzhiy - electrician and I - Marishina Valentina - designer, leader of the campaign.

Water group (3 crews): Valery Gut - rater, campaign leader, Viktor Slabov - technologist, Boris Evtikhov and Alexander Sapozhenkov - engineers, Alexander Ivanov - milling operator and Igor Zhashko (not a factory worker), whose father participated in the battles for the Marukh Pass.

Vodnikov drove through Cherkessk to Upper Arkhyz, from where they began rafting down the Bolshoi Zelenchuk River.

Our mountain group arrived in Karachaevsk, from there by bus and car to Krasny Karachay and along the valley of the Aksaut River moved to the upper reaches. After a two-day hike in the morning, light with ice axes and two backpacks, in which the board and fasteners are packed, we begin the ascent to the Khaleg pass. We make a path in the knee-deep snow. On the ascent to the pass we meet several rounds of stones, installed boards, obelisks. At the foot of these monuments there are traces of battles, remnants of weapons, rusty iron, shell casings. Leaving the board in a secluded place on the pass, we returned to the tents. The next day, passing through the Khalega pass along the beaten path, taking the board, we went down to the valley of the Marukh River, filled with snowfields. Not far from the glacier in a wooden shelter we stopped for the night. The shelter was filled to overflowing with tourists - the entire geography of the country. In the morning we climbed the Oboronic Ridge, found a ledge with a flat platform for the board, where the next day they installed and secured the board, using ropes for insurance and lifting the board with the text: “To the heroic defenders of the ice fortress of the Marukh Pass, who fought to the death Transcaucasia in August - December 1942. From the factory youth and the tourist club of the factory. Moscow. May 1975". Pine branches with a ribbon and lilacs from the village of Krasny Karachay were fixed under the board.

We met with the senior pioneer leader of the school, and she offered to make a wreath from the group at their school. We made a chic wreath from spruce branches, added fresh flowers to it, attached a ribbon, and on May 9 we took it out of school. Pioneers and schoolchildren also brought out their wreath. There was a rally at the stadium. I have never seen Victory Day celebrated like this anywhere. The stadium was full to overflowing. All with wreaths, flowers, baskets, flags - veterans, youth, pioneers, children, mothers with prams.

A photo

After the rally, in organized columns, everyone moved to the park to the monument to the defenders of the Marukh pass, where Eternal flame. There are many tourists descending from the mountains in the columns. In the guard of honor are young guys, schoolchildren.

A photo

Wreaths, baskets and flowers were laid at the monument. On the dark stele of the monument there is a light board depicting a machine gun and an ice ax.

We gave the pioneer leader, who helped us with the manufacture of a wreath, a figure of a warrior - the defender of the Marukh Pass, made by our factory craftsman, for the school museum.

On the bank of Zelenchuk, after all the celebrations, the groups gathered at the festive table. They came to us locals, sat with us by the fire, sang military songs. The people are very friendly, there are many children.

Having passed many passes in the Caucasus, I saw dozens of obelisks, commemorative plaques, pyramids with stars, lifted on their shoulders by tourists from many cities of our Soviet country. On the Becho pass, tourists from the Odessa tourist club "Romantic" installed a large silver plate on the rock, on which the names of 6 climbers who accomplished the feat, transferring the inhabitants of the Baksan gorge through the pass to Svaneti, are written. On the board is a warrior in a helmet with a star and a little girl clasping his neck with her arms.

The geography of the cities whose tourists lifted these modest monuments into the mountains on their shoulders is great: Odessa, Donetsk, Moscow, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Leningrad, Rostov, Krasnodar, Stavropol ... I remember one obelisk with a star and a massive plaque with the inscription "Defenders of the North Caucasus" , established by the Komsomol members of the city of Chapaevsk, Kuibyshev region (now Samara).

The passes of the Caucasus were defended by warriors of many nationalities of our great country - the USSR. The Marukh Pass, in addition to the soldiers, was defended by the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet. The memory of grateful descendants for the great feat of our fathers and grandfathers should be passed on to the generations following us.

Valentina Marishina,
Moscow

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Fracture formation zones can be predicted by knowing the nature of the glacier and the surface on which it is located. fault zones usually formed in places where the flow of ice changes direction - on bends, troughs and bends. Ice and cracks are often covered with a layer of snow. There is a danger of falling into a crack. On closed glaciers they move in bundles, with careful insurance, constantly probing the path in front of them.

The first bunch during the reconnaissance of the route route should consist of three people. Falling into the crack of one should not lead to pulling the other two into it. The rope must be fully extended (do not leave rings, do not allow slack in the rope). The movement of participants within the bunch and between the bunches - track to track.

When the group moves from ice to rocks may encounter coastal fissure (rantkluft), running along the body of the glacier and formed due to the temperature difference - the stones heat up more than the ice, and the latter melts near the rocks. Such cracks (Fig. 1) have a relatively shallow depth. For their passage, you can almost always find a site where they are covered with fragments of rocks or ice.

When the steepness of the glacier bed changes, transverse cracks appear in its body.

With a significant increase in the steepness of the inflection, due to the fragility of the upper layers and the higher (compared to the lower layers) speed of their movement, a significant cracking of the glacier surface occurs, the fall of the separated ice masses. Such zones of intensive ice destruction called icefalls.

Where the glacier, following the shape of the valley, makes turns, in its body are formed radial cracks, fan-shaped diverging and expanding to the outside of the bend. Here way groups must pass off the coast along the slope closest to the center of the turn.

When the glacier exits the gorge to a wider section of the valley, longitudinal cracks. In the case of a closed glacier these are the most dangerous cracks. Here, all the tourists of one bunch can, unaware of the danger, walk along the crack in the immediate vicinity of it, and a fall into the crack of one of the tourists will inevitably cause a breakdown for the rest. In such cases, it is advisable to move either along the convex forms of the glacier or in a serpentine with a thread angle of 45 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the glacier.

When driving along the convex landforms of the glacier, tourists may encounter mesh (cross) cracks arising from the creeping of ice on the protruding part of the solid rock at the bottom of the valley. As a result, the ice swells, longitudinal and transverse cracks are formed, intersecting with each other (Fig. 2). These cracks are best avoided. If, when bypassing such a zone, there is a danger of meeting with the longitudinal cracks existing in it, then it is best to bypass the latter along the lower boundary of the convex shape. Here tourists can only wait for transverse cracks.

On the edges of the cracks, the formation of snow cornices is possible.. Therefore, if it is necessary to move near large open cracks, it is necessary to first examine (with careful insurance) the nature of the crack and the eaves.

In the upper reaches of the glaciers, parallel to the slopes of the cirque, arcuate piedmont fissures (bergschrund), which have a large width and depth in their central part (Fig. 3). Closer to the base of the arch, in its lower part, the width of the crack decreases, disappearing. If the bergschrund is a series of arches, then most often their bases do not connect, but are located one above the other, forming possible passages. In summer, you can also look for a passage through the bergschrund in the concave part of the slope, which in spring is an avalanche chute. Descending avalanches form strong bridges here. Of course, this path should be chosen only when avalanches have already descended (in no case after a snowfall). Approach to the snow bridge should be made from the safe zone one at a time, with an observer posted. Those who pass the dangerous area immediately leave the danger zone. It is necessary to overcome such bridges and the entire dangerous zone in the morning hours with careful insurance.

Before crack transition across the snow bridge you need to look at it carefully first. In the case of a group moving along the bridge, tourists overcome it in a plastun way, with insurance, but without backpacks. At the same time, they should try to distribute the weight of the body as much as possible on a large surface. Even on not entirely reliable bridges, in this way you can transport the entire group. Backpacks are dragged separately.

Cracks in closed glaciers- serious danger. Falling into them in the absence of reliable and correct insurance leads, as a rule, to injury. If the fallen person is not injured, but is unable to move (jamming, unreliability of the support on which the fallen person managed to linger, etc.), the lack of a rope or the inability of other participants in the trip to organize the rise of the tourist from the crack in a timely manner leads to his rapid freezing.