Peak Lenin - Mountain Expeditions

Peak Lenin
COVER FEATURE
A
WORDS AND PICTURES JON GUPTA
t 6am on July 23rd 2012 I knew it was over.
We hadn’t slept a wink, Nick was feeling
rough from the altitude, and the storm that
refused to relent had stolen our summit
chance. We had no choice but to descend
from our camp at 6400m and leave the mountain
empty-handed.
That morning was one of the worst I have ever
experienced. Defeat and guilt ripped though my insides
and disappointment swept us off the mountain. I learnt
one of the most important lessons in mountaineering
– that the mountain is always in control, you simply play
the game. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but looking
back there was little I would have changed, but the fact
remained – for the first time in my high altitude career, I
had not reached a summit. I was utterly deflated.
Two years later Nick and I returned to the same
mountain – Peak Lenin in the Pamir Mountains – and
this time we were fitter, faster, more experienced and
It’s billed as the ‘world’s easiest 7000m peak’ but at this altitude
nothing can be taken for granted, says Jon Gupta
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JON GUPTA
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OCTOBER 2014
A full-time expedition leader, Jon has
led numerous trips to Island Peak,
Elbrus, Kili and Ama Dablam, while
his own ambitions include completing
the Snow Leopard Award peaks.
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Peak Lenin
COVER FEATURE
“Nothing at 7000m is ‘easy’ and Lenin shouldn’t
be taken lightly, but in terms of risk and technical
climbing, it has ver y little of either.”
with skis. Having been so close just two years before and
with the experience of living for two weeks on the
mountain, the only unknown to us was above 6400m.
Physically and mentally we were already prepared for
Peak Lenin, and we climbed it perfectly. But is Peak Lenin
an ‘easy’ objective? Is it really one of the safest and most
straightforward 7000m peaks in the world?
EASIEST 7000ER?
Peak Lenin is a beautiful mountain on the edge of the
Pamir mountain range which borders Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan in Central Asia. This quiet and relatively
unknown range is home to three 7000m mountains and an
abundance of 4000m, 5000m and 6000m mountains of
which most are unclimbed. At 7134m Lenin is often
dubbed as ‘the easiest 7000m peak in the world’. It’s
worth noting that nothing at 7000m is ‘easy’ and Lenin
shouldn’t be taken lightly, but in terms of risk and
technical climbing sections, it has very little of either.
There is, of course, some avalanche risk mainly from
serac fall, but the biggest risk on this mountain is you,
and it is no more technical than glacial travel (crevasses)
and some short Scottish grade I snow slopes at altitude
with exposure.
Due to the lack of severity many climbers will wrongly
assume it’s ‘easy’ and not a serious undertaking, and
potentially push their boundaries. On a perfect bluebird
day I agree that it does feel straightforward, but the two
things to consider are firstly that this doesn’t happen very
often – at this height the weather and your condition can
change very quickly – and secondly, during the previous
two weeks you would have definitely had some poor
weather to deal with.
Arriving into Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, life feels instantly
different. The smells, sights, people and culture seem a
world away from that of the UK, and you definitely get a
sense that the adventure has already begun. Last minute
necessities and amenities are sorted and bought, and
then the exciting journey to basecamp begins. You can
either drive or fly to Osh and then from there it’s a
fascinating six-hour minibus ride through southern
Kyrgyzstan, into and across the vast xxxXXX plateo,
where you pass small settlements and goat herders.
Finally you arrive in the foot hills of the mighty Pamirs
and the lush green pastures of Peak Lenin basecamp
at 3400m.
Basecamp is made up of half a dozen smaller camps
and a few solo climbers doing their own thing. Around
basecamp are a number of easy peaks that make good
acclimatisation – in particular Peak XXXXX at 4600m is a
great objective. This peak requires some basic crampon
skills along the snow arête to reach the top, and the views
across to Peak Lenin from the top are incredible. Most
teams choose to make the long hike up to ABC
(Advanced Base Camp) the next day. This long trek
can take anywhere from 4–10 hours and gains XXX
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Peak Lenin
Background info on Lenin
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LOCATION:
Peak Lenin is situated in GornoBadakshan on the border of Tajikistan
and Kyrgyzstan, and is the secondhighest peak in both countries. It is
the highest peak in the Trans-Alay
range and the fourth highest in the
whole Pamir range.
NAMES:
The peak was name Mount Kaufman
when it was discovered in 1871, but
later renamed Lenin Peak after the
Russian revolutionary. Today it is still
known as Lenin Peak in Krzyskstan
and either Ibn Sina Peak, Avicanna
Peak or Qualli Abuali Ibni Sino (in
Tajik) in Tajikistan.
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K AZ H AK H STAN
UZ B EK ISTAN
T U R KME N ISTAN
ROUTES:
There are 16 established routes on Peak
Lenin, nine on the southern side and
seven on the north . The three most
KY RGYZSTA N
PEAK LENIN
TAJ IKSTAN
popular routes are all on the north side
- Lipkins Rocks route and NE ridge, the
classic north face route and the route
via Razdelnaya Peak and the NW Ridge.
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Peak Lenin
COVER FEATURE
“One of the nice thing about a peak
like Lenin is the camaraderie you enjoy
with other teams on the mountain.”
altitude and takes you up to the edge of the XXXX glacier.
Once again there are a few good acclimatisation
objectives here without going on the main mountain itself.
Almost directly after leaving ABC you find yourself on
the xXXXX Glacier and the angle changes and the
crevasses open up. From here on you’re on snow, ice and
rock all the way. You melt snow/ice for drinking water,
you cook your food and you carry everything (even in the
guided parties). This is a proper big mountain expedition,
and as such Nick and I, although independent, sought
advice and top tips off other climbers who had already
been higher.
The long steep glacier above ABC eventually relents
and swings to the right before levelling out, and you are
now at around 5000m. At this point you are stood at the
base of the huge North Face and for the first time you
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really feel that you are on a very big mountain. This next
section before Camp 1 is known as the Frying Pan
because the huge bowl is a sun trap and without
suncream you’ll fry. The sun bounces off the snow, the
sun beats down on you and there is no protection. This
section is also vulnerable to possible serac fall from
higher on the North Face, so stopping on the trail is not
advised.
Camp 1 is nestled in a small bowl of its own at XXXXm.
You can camp where ever you want of course, but this is
the first safe places since leaving ABC and for most it’s a
very tiring 6-8 hour trek on rotation 1! Some people camp
on top of the ridge 100m above, a nice quiet spot but
exposed to the weather.
At 7000m you can’t go alpine-style (straight up) unless
you come pre-acclimatised, so everyone without
exception will do a few rotations. Once established at
ABC there are options for local hikes to gain up to 5000m,
with most teams aiming to spend two nights at Camp 1
(5400m) and a possible night at Camp 2 (6100m), before
descending and resting. The Russian guided parties tend
to go all the way to BC but this is such a long way we
couldn’t bare it, so we (like many) went back to ABC
to rest.
Peak Lenin
COVER FEATURE
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“High altitude
mountaineering tests a lot
of your metal capacity and
emotions and I’ve always
seen a summit day sunrise
as small token of reward.”
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Arriving into Camp 1 on Lenin is only half of the
journey. You then need to conjure up the energy to erect
your tent, begin melting snow, blow up your Thermarest
and get some food in you, all the while dealing with the
effects of altitude. One of the nice things about a peak like
Lenin is the camaraderie you enoy with other teams on
the mountain. Over the course of days and weeks you
bump into the same people and it’s nice to check in and
see how they’re getting on and exchange stories.
The route from Camp 1 to Camp 2 is short but gains
around 1000m, and with every metre gained the views get
more impressive. Once you arrive into Camp 2, nestled
into the side of Peak XXXXX (6100m) you are rewarded
with breathtaking views south across the Pamir
mountains. Most of the summit route is visible from here
as well as a side-on view of the entire North Face.
OUR SUMMIT PUSH
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Ice fell on our faces as we lay there counting down the
minutes through the night – 02:00 couldn’t come soon
enough. A mixture of nerves, anxiety and fear of being
unsuccessful would have been what we should have been
feeling, but instead we lay quite calm. The weather was
absolutely perfect, we both felt really good and so far
everything had gone well. Over the past 12 days a
mixture of climbing, skinning (skiing uphill) and skiing
down had boosted our moral sky-high, and we had no
reason to get off this high.
By 04:00 Nick and I we were ready and stepped out into
the still cold air. We strapped our skis to our packs and
clipped our crampons to our ski boots. It was a perfect
night, and the stars shone brighter than ever. We gave
each other a knowing look and turned silently into the
darkness, glancing back momentarily at a few other
tents glowing in the night as other climbers prepared by
head torch.
In the same way that leading and seconding a rock
climb feel entirely different, as does stepping onto new
ground on a big mountain: every sense is heightened.
Out of Camp 2 we descended into a small col at 6000m
before beginning the first major ascent to 6400m. A
mixture of neve, ice and rocks passed underfoot as step
by step we gained height once again.
High altitude mountaineering tests a lot of your metal
capacity and emotions and I’ve always seen a summit day
sunrise as small token of reward. Whilst the world is
asleep the mountain brings you the promise of warmth
and a huge positive mental boost. Turning our head
torches off we topped out of this first ridge onto a huge
plateau and a view south across the entire Pamir
mountain range.
Recent wind on the mountain had stripped any loose
snow and we made quick time across the plateau to the
next steeper section. The sun was just catching the snow
arete high above us and early morning catobatic winds
were whipping spindrift high into the air – it looked
incredible... and possibly too windy too cross! We
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Peak Lenin
“For both Nick and I, our
mountaineering futures
involve skis and we were
about to become the first
Brits to ski Peak Lenin...”
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tucked in behind a rock for shelter and drank some tea
and ate some biscuits.
A few climbers had also reached the plateau now, tiny
black dots in the distance standing silently against the big
white mountain. Refuelled and feeling good, we began the
steeper snow climb towards the arete. The wind wasn’t as
strong as we feared but the exposure was intense and
Nick lead the first section. To my left I could see down
towards the North Face of Peak Lenin, and my adrenalin
began to pump as I realised that the consequences of a
slip would take me almost directly to Camp 1, 1000m
below! Snow conditions were perfect and we climbed
silently, unroped, sticking close to the arete. Occasionally
guided teams fix a short section of rope here for extra
protection.
Continuing on the ridge the steepness eased back and
we climbed quickly though the next sections up to the
final summit plateau. Now at over 7000m, I allowed myself
to think that this time we were going to summit Lenin and
I smiled to myself as we sat and enjoyed another break.
There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky nor even a puff of
wind. In fact it was so warm we were down to just two
layers, a cap, and thin gloves – protecting ourselves from
the sun more than the cold! Days like this are few and far
between above 7000m and I couldn’t help but feel we had
earned it.
The last few hours to the summit seemed to go on and
on, with false summits teasing us as we ascended.
Looking across the face we decided on our ski descent
line and once again the realisation of what were about to
do started to set it. Finally we spotted the top – hot,
thirsty and exhausted we took the final steps and fell to
our knees, relief flooding though our bodies. This summit
meant a lot for us both. Looking south across the vast
expanse of the Pamir mountain range I paused for a
moment to take it all in. What I was feeling is hard to
describe, but what I can say is that knowing that I have
reached a summit is a unique feeling unlike any other
I know.
We whipped off our crampons and clumsily clipped into
our ski bindings – this was the moment we had be waiting
for. For both Nick and I our mountaineering futures
involve skis, and we were about to become the first Brits
to ski Peak Lenin. After negotiating a few small rocks, the
first pitch was 300m of vertical descent on easy slopes and
the snow was fresh and light. Without a word we skied
effortlessly down the face and what had taken us hours to
climb up flew past in minutes. Stopping occasionally to
catch our breath, our hearts beating at maximum
capacity, we quickly realised that skiing at 7000m is
hard work!
QUICK WAY DOWN
Except for a couple of short pitches of down climbing on
the ridge, we skied most of the way back to Camp 2
together, stopping every five minutes to stop our lungs
exploding as we desperately sucked in the thin air.
Exhausted and dehydrated we crawled back into camp
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Peak Lenin
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11 hours later. The rest of the descent was pretty straight
forward – with ridiculously heavy packs we skied back
the route we had climbed via Camp 1 and down the
glacier towards ABC. Walking across the final few
kilometres across the XXXXX Glacier to ABC we both
agreed that skiing down was 100% worth the additional
effort of skinning, carrying and climbing in ski boots.
The feeling of walking away from the mountain having
been successful is impossible to put into words, especially
when its the second time. Later on at camp as the sun set
on the mountain I took the time to sit and watch the
colours change. Once again I had lived and breathed on a
big mountain – this time two weeks on one of the world’s
best 7000m peak. I had seen people living their dreams, I
had witnessed a climber fall 400m and die right in front of
me and people from all over the world struggle with
altitude but keep on pushing themselves, all with the
same, simple objective of achieving a summit.
Mountains provide the environment in which some of
us choose to push our limits and test ourselves, both
physically and mentally. Peak Lenin will be ‘easy’ to some
and ‘hard’ to others, but with the relevant prior
experience it can provide the next step up in the world of
high altitude mountaineering. A step up to 7000m in fact.
With its limited technicality and objective danger it offers
mountaineers the chance to hone their winter camping
skills, understand and listen to their bodies and learn to
live in harmony with the high altitude world.
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Jon Gupta is a Montane-sponsored athlete. For
more info, go to www.montane.co.uk
THE KNOWLEDGE
Peak Lenin
Essential info to know before you go
HOW TO GET THERE
Fly to Bishkek the capital of
Kyrgyzstan. From here you can
bus (10 hours) or fly to Osh. From
here its a 6 hour transfer of which
2 hours is off road and bumpy.
Basecamp lies in a beautiful
meadow next to the XXXXX rover
at 3400m.
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WHEN TO GO
The climbing season runs from
early July through the beginning
of September. The best weather
is normally in August.
WHERE TO STAY
In Bishkek and Osh there are a
number of hotels to choose from
of all ranges, take your pick
depending on budget. At base
camp you again have options: if
you are climbing independently
you can camp anywhere,
however you local agency will
more than likely have a base
there. If you have signed up to a
guided expedition then you will
be accommodated in big 2person tents and there will be a
mess tent and cooks at both
base camp and advance base
camp.
HOW HARD
At 7000m the altitude will test
even the fittest climber. Lenin is
technically straight forward with
some sections of Scottish grade
1; steep snow with some
exposure. Physically it is tough
and summit day is very long – a
high level of fitness is essential.
WHO TO GO WITH
Adventure Peaks offer Peak
Lenin, as do??? Otherwise you
can book direct with one of a few
local companies such as Ak-Sai
Travel or Tien Mountains Travel
who run tours throughout the
season with local guides. In 2016
Jon Gupta’s is guiding an open
expedition for his company, JCG
Expeditions.
PREREQUISITES
Winter camping skills are
essential, as are being self
sufficient and competent in poor
conditions, a team mentality,
6000m experience, crampon
and ice skills required. Moving
over crevassed area.
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