KAZAKHSTAN - The Marble Wall and Khan Tengri Traverse

04 Aug 2011 - Portage Gear and Food to 5200m

 

All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

 

Highlighted area shows today's climbing

Alarms went at 4:30am and we were off at around 6am. In fine weather we took a load of gear up to 5200m. All the climbing was on snow slopes and glacier. Superb climbing. Altitude headache has gone. Great views. Stashed the load of gear and then returned to our tent at 4320m. Starving hungry. Nothing much to eat today.

We got an early start this morning and we left the tent at about 6am and started up the ridge while the snow was still hard.
After climbing a steep section of ridge we were above the icefall and were able to traverse this gentle snowy cirque.
We then gained the main ridge which was much gentler.
Edik leading and Danat next, with me bringing up the rear on the rope.
Climbing one of the higher sections of the ridge. We would deposit our stash of gear a bit higher up and then return to our tent at 4320m.

Climbing at around 5100m.
Edik.
We stashed a pile of food here and covered it in rocks. When we returned to here a day later, the food underneath these rocks had been attacked by birds, and much of the food had got wet.
Now it's time to return to our camp at 4320m.
We descent the steep section of ridge back to our tent. You can see our tent as the yellow object on the ridge below.

That evening there was another stunning sunset from our camp at 4320m.

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All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2011. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

Page created 29 Nov 2011, last updated 5 Dec 2011.

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