Aksu - The Big Wall

By Alexander Ruchkin

          Pamiro - Alay (or Pamir - Alai), Turkestan range, Laylayk gorge - the region famous by Peak Aksu (5355 m), Alexander Block (5239 m),  Admiralteets (5090 m),  Iskander (5120 m),  Petrogradets (5163 m).
           Mountains, it’s better to say rock towers, formed many thousand years ago by earth crust moving have walls till 1,5 km. Aksu peak - the greatest dominant in upper Laylayk valley. Peak Aksu’s North wall (5217 m) must belong to category “Big wall”. Overfall - 1500 m, route’s length is 1,7 - 2 km.
           The absence of night places demands tents - platforms and special wall equipment. The middle wall climbing by experienced team - 10 days. The difficult descent down the east ridge 
5B difficult remains one more complex climbing, including 28 dulfer and takes 1-2 days. First climbing of the wall in 1982 by L. Troshinenco team took 20 days (route ¹ 9). 
           Today the North wall includes 16 routes:

  • Budyanov 5B /1983/ VI, 5.9,A1
  • Kavunenko 6A /1984/ VI, 5.10. A2 (3 climbing)
  • Popov 6B /1986/ VI, 5.10, A3 (3 climbing)
  • Shabalin 6A /1994/ VI, 5.11, A3+ (2 climbing)
  • Klenov 6B /1997/ VI, 5.11, A3+ (1 climbing)
  • Ruchkin - Odintsov 6B /1996/ VI, 5.11, A3+ (1 climbing )
  • Chaplinskey 6B /1988/ VI, 5.10, A3 (4 climbing)
  • Moshnikov 6B /1989/ VI, 5.10, A3 (4 climbing)
  • Antonov 6A /1997/ VI, 5.10, A3 (2 climbing)
  • Kostenko 6A /1988/ VI, 5.10, A3 (2 climbing)
  • Troshenko 6A /1982/ VI, 5.10, A2 (9 climbing)
  • Klenov 6B /1996/ VI, 5.11, A3 (1 climbing)
  • Pershin 6A /1988/ VI, 5.10, A3 (1 climbing + variant)
  • Vedernikov 6A /1986/ VI, 5.10, A2 (2 climbing)
  • Vasiliev 6A /1984/ VI, 5.10, A2 (2 climbing)
  • Korshunov 5B /1985/ VI, 5.9, A2 (2 climbing)
           All climbings were made in summer. Three last winters there were tryings of wall’s climbing. 
           The two successful winter ascents made on the north face to Ak-Su: 
  • 8.12.98 - 22.12.98 by P. Shabalin, A. Abramov, I. Tukhvatullin. They climbed route #9 with named "Cold corner" - 6A - 31.12.98.
  • M. Pershin & I. Nefedov/ Route #7 "Chaplinskiy" - 6B.

          No solo ascents were made before.  The North wall (Aksu Peak 5217 m), was climbed only once by Korean team in 1994 (Troshinenko’s route of 1982) and two Englishmen in 1990 on the dangerous ice after Vasilyevskiy bastion. There are no solo climbings, but this wall was attracted each climber. Rock massive is rised above vertically up 1,5 km and streched on 2 km. The wall consists of firm metamorphosical granites: without defects, with fluent passages, it support the sky by two beautiful peaks: snowing (5355 m the main) and rocky (5217 m the North).
           The North exposition of the wall allows to see the sun for some hours in summer in the after noon. Water falls down increasing falling stones (routes # 3, 4, 6). All routes are mixed (ice + rock). The weather is not constant during the whole climbing. It storms for 5 - 7 days. Aksu is the white Beauty. Snow sticks smooth falling walls. Snow melts during 3 - 4 days. Nobody must be on the wall this time. You may be taken away. It’s better to sleep under cornices. The better time for climbings - July, August. The most dangerous routes on the North wall Aksu are:

  • #2 Kavunenko route - the dangerous  falling  stones  because  of  ruined  bastion  in upper part;
  • #3,4,6 Popov, Chaplinskey, Shabalin (a danger of falling ice, stones, moving by water from the crack in the tower part where routes are in the afternoon);
  • #5,7 Ruchkin, Moshnikov lobby is passed early morning. Later a hole was made.