Peak Lenin Challenge 2006
I was part of a small international team with members, Morton Lane (USA), Dubravka Zupanic (Croatia), Rene Coativity (France) and our strongest member little Stephanie (CHF).
Despite the difficulties, our small tem of 4 successfully climbed up to the mountain's upper ridge to reach its subsidiary Mount Razdelnaya. We ascended all ascended Mount Razdelnaya 6210m. Stephanie and Rene both managed to get above 6400m, yet 60mph winds, forced them to returnback along the ridge after 3hours of leaving our high camp.
My own summit bid was foreshortened by badly blistered feet which deteriorated into deep wounds. They took months to heal properly afterwards.
The initial journey out to the mountain
We arrivedin Bishkek, the country’s capital city, on the 3 July 2006.The initial journey out to the mountain took two days. We flew to Osh and then caught a 4wd ex-army transport vehicle for a bumpy journey along the Kyrgistani highway that was to last 6 hours. We stopped overnight at a rest stop courtesy of the trekking company Asia Mountains. We stayed in a large Yurt, the first of many we were to see. The staff were very friendly and gave us breakfast the next morning as we waited for a flat tire to be repaired on the truck that was to take us all the way to base camp. We were joined with some members of the bas
e camp staff, the Doctor, his wife and, importantly the cooks. (They were travelling up to stay for the whole season.)
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We travelled up along winding roads up through the main pass that separates Osh from the Pamir’s. The road deteriorated as we progressed. The mountain valleys were green, fed from the rivers. Along the river banks was the occasional yurt with its family members playing in the sun. Fathers were playing with their children, some teaching them how to ride; mothers were drying their washing in the sun. As we drove by children would run up to see our truck pass and wave happily. It felt as if we were travelling back into time to some hidden Eden. As we hit the planes the habitation was replaced with a dry grassy wilderness, every 100m we would see a great eagle sitting on a boulder or soaring over its territory. We turned off the ‘highway’ and began to drive across the planes straight toward a great wall of snow and cloud, toward Peak Lenin.
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We could see a light green path ahead in the prairie hills, This was the onion glade, a long strip, rich in spring onions that would lead us to our base camp as 3300m. The truck tossed us about as we fought across three significant river crossings and hit boulders. At 6pm on day 3 we finally had reached Base Camp.
Morning View from base camp
Base Camp 3300m to Camp 1 4300m
Once at base camp we set aside a day for acclimatisation . We climbed up to Pusteshestvinikov pass and walked up two small peaks at just over 4200m aside it. This gave us our first full view of Peak Lenin. It was ominous in its shroud of white clouds – we walked back to base camp thinking of great task we had ahead of us.
The walk in to Camp 1 ( or Advance Base Camp) was quite a tiring trek. It took us 4 hours to get to camp 1. The scenery was spectacular, in fact it is reason enough to visit this mountain! After crossing Pusteshestvinikov pass we coasted along steep scree edges for a few kilometres . We descended down into the valley were Kyrg horsemen were helping a group of climbers cross the river. With my long legs I jumped across the river - everything depending on my footing of a submerged boulder in the middle of the torrent – luckily I didn’t slip and got across with dry feet.
River crossing enroute to Camp 1, 4300m
Dubravka and I helped Rene who was finding it tough – our bodies acclimatize at different rates and ironically Rene was to prove stronger than us in two weeks time. We took his back pack and made him eat. And the journey soon passed into time. We found ourselves walking across the terminal glacier and crossing some spectacular ice crystal crevasses. In due time we arrived into a happy advance base camp. Morton was there waiting for us - he had alos found it tough going although he looked relaxed and rested. The people at Camp 1 gave us tea and food to drink to our allocated tents - it was luxury provided by the Asia Mountains company- the food was better quality than at base camp. We spent the rest of this and the next day staring up into the mountain...watching Valerie and Eugene (two friendly Russian climbers) attempting to get to camp 2.
Looking up to camp 2 camp 3
Climb to Camp 2
On the 9th of July we began our acclimatisation ascent to 5400m. We left at 5.30 am . Rene and Stephanie started out apart but gradually came together as a team. Dubravka and I were at the rear. Morton was behind us with his own private guide. We slogged up the icy slopes to the fixed line that crossed two large crevasses. There plenty of smaller crevasses and I partially fell into one early on. Morton quickly dropped off on these initial slopes, the altitude was getting to him and he needed assistance to carry his back pack. We later gathered that Morton had retreated, we hoped for his ascent the next day, but later learned that he had decided to return home.
Negotiating crevasses on the way up to camp 2, 5400m
We arrived at the Rocky slope of Camp 2 at 12:30pm. Rene and Stephanie made great pace and got there an hour before us.
After a short rest we located a level spot for our tent on the lower slopes – between two crevasses- the whole slope seemed to be a bit of a rubbish tip. We rested and waited for the Russians to distribute the food. We slept until 4pm and wondered when we would eat. At 630pm I had enough of waiting and the Russians had not appeared from their tent since our arrival – I went and demanded they distribute the food to us so we can start cooking. The Russians, Igor especially, were exhausted and thinking only of themselves.
The Rice and seafood was disgusting. By the time we started cooking 7pm it was getting cold. It was 9pm by the time we had finished. We went to our sleeping bags cold and hungry for a fitful nights sleep. The air was dry and most of our water had been used on the meals and on horrible tea. We lacked enough water and dehydration became a persistent condition of my time at C2.
| Directions for cooking “ Rice and Seafood”: Step 1: boil water Step 2: empty contents of sachet into boiling water and stir for 40 minutes. Step 3: throw it away! |
Storm at Camp2 5400m
Excerpt from diary: day 3
It was a rough night, Dubravka and I remained in good spirits joking about tomorrow when we would go down for a beer at camp 1. In the morning the storm was still raging and I got up at 5am to check out the tent. Snow had filled the vestibule and the sides of the tent. I shovelled away the snow and strengthened the tent. We waited in our sleeping bags. Dubravka was feeling weak today. I melted snow to make tea as she was not hungry. It was clear to us that we had to stay another day. That day from 9am to 6pm I melted snow, fighting the wind. The storm deteriorated, the water from the snow proved to be disgusting and made me sick due to the pot not being cleaned out properly. I melted another 2 litres and fed Dubravka some simple porridge and tea… That night the wind increased, we could only eat porridge, we slept out of hunger and exhaustion, and my head ached with AMS (as well as a bleeding nose, nausea and lethargy). We were alone nobody came to our tent. That night Dubravka had to go out twice in the night, it took two of us to open and close the tent. We were both weak in the morning, there was a strong wind but it was not persistent. We decided to go down.
The Russians ignored my suggestion of roping all four on one rope because of poor visibility and crevasse risk. At 10.30am we descended. The snow was awkward and deep, Dubravka struggled and we yelled ‘wait’ when Dubravka needed to stop for her breath. The white out closed in and the Russians disappeared and did not stop. We couldn’t believe they had left us on the mountain to follow footsteps that could disappear in an instant… We came upon them later as Igor had twisted his knee, we waited for the bastard offering pain killers and a support bandage. To our surprise he had his knee already strapped, an injury which he did not communicate (on a mountain with no rescue facilities). After he took his own sweet time we moved on, I gave him my trekking poles as assistance. They had no idea of safe crevasse crossing, slack rope was everywhere. There were plenty more crevasses and stumbling (I partly fell through one earlier). We eventually got to the fixed ropes only to give Dubravka a lesson in abseiling. The Russian ‘guide’ gawped on and was of no assistance. I gave her my belay plate and used a Munter-hitch myself. Eventually, after a long slog we arrived at camp1. Tea awaited us and we ate quietly with another team.
Summit attempt of Peak Lenin
Camp 2 – Camp 3
This was the toughest day, we all got to the 5800m point easily but Rene was starting to flag. My pace was fast as I was listening to music, I was first to reach the 5800m point however I used too much energy on this first half and suffered for it. Rene was quite ill and showed symptoms of AMS. As we commenced our climb up the steep slope of Razdelnaya he vomited several times. Dubravka and I waited for him. There was an ice wall and crevasse to be negotiated. Rene gathered himself and started to climb it, unprotected and in a hazy state. We watched nervously. I carefully negotiated and gave Dubravka and rope and belayed her up. It was exhausting! After this I got slower and slower. Music played in my ears as I slogged blindly upwards, it was relentless. I drifted in and out of consciousness; I could have just slept on my feet. I was stooped over like an old man. After an eternity the gradient eased, I approached camp. Dubravka came down to help; she
carried my backpack as I staggered into camp. Rene was lying on the ground asleep, the girls were strong and were busy building a base for the tents.
View to the Summit ... only the easy bit to go.
Camp on Mt Razdalnaya 6200m - Rene, exhausted, sleeps in the foreground.
Camp 3 – Summit bid
We awoke that night around 11pm to hear shouting. Russian climbers were yelling out the names of two friends. Whistles could be heard in the distance, they were shouting ‘get up, you in there, get up and help’. Raphael, a very strong Uzbeck guide spoke to the frantic Russians, calmed them down and gave them tea. We heard no more. It was 4am when we woke. Stephanie and Rene prepared in the darkness to make a summit attempt. At 6.15am they departed. Dubravka and I waited behind. After three hours they had returned. It was over. Too windy (60mph) and their water had frozen. Dubravka made tea for them and we all rested until 2pm when we packed up and descended to Camp 2. The thought of descent was a relief. Despite our dissapointment, I was glad to be getting a step closer to home. The team took time to have a laugh at the expense of the Russians. We made a joke of it all. We knew that we could climb this mountain..it just wasn't our time. The humor fizzled as we began though. Stephanie was angry and smoked continously in contempt for the whole deal...super fit yet inexperienced she wanted that summit bagged. Dubravka and I descended together while the French raced ahead (this was typical).
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The next day we were in ABC. It was a spectacular location and the scenery was breathtaking. As any mountaineer knows, ones memory forgets the bad things and keeps the good. With the tiresome descent behind us, the incidents on the rope didn't matter any more. We had found adventure and got back together still as friends. D smoked happily with Stephanie. Rene cracked hilarious puns at Igor and Yorgie. We thought of Mort at home enjoying all the comforts which we would soon have again. We had all shared a unique adventure together and were glad to be heading home. 
The descent to camp 1 - along the great saddle below camp 2
The walk back to base camp
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