Oops, I did it again.
3 years ago, after returning from the Lhotse expedition I said - NEVER AGAIN!
This time mount Manaslu - the eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8163 metres. As always, I have the ultimate plan - climb without oxygen and without a sherpa guide. So, in "solo" style (if we do not count other ~300 climbers on the mountain).
And as always something went wrong...
Read more: Manaslu climbing expedition - Solo
There is a constant debate among climbers about which mountain should be considered the highest point in Europe - Elbrus or Mont Blanc. But having visited both peaks, I can say that the route of climbing Mont Blanc, even along the classic route, is much more interesting and beautiful than climbing Elbrus along the route from the south. And although Elbrus is almost a kilometer higher, I would advise anyone who is interested in climbing to visit Mont Blanc.
Read more: Solo Mont Blanc climb, classic route description
Initially, the ascent of Mont Blanc was planned not along the classic route through the Tete Rousse and Goutera shelters, but along the route from the Refuge des Cosmiques through the three peaks of Mont Blanc - Mont Blanc du Tacul, Mont Maudit, Mont Blanc.
But a few days before the ascent, a cyclone came and a lot of fresh snow fell. Because of this, the slopes of Mont Blanc du Tacul became avalanche-prone and we decided not to take any chances…
Read more: My express ascent of Mont Blanc
Aiguille du Midi is the highest cable car in Europe. There is an ascent only by cable car or along rather difficult climbing routes. And also from it (or rather from the plateau nearby) starts one of the popular routes to the top of Mont Blanc - Three peaks. We already knew that the route could be avalanche-prone now after a storm and with strong winds, but still decided to look at everything with our own eyes and clarify at the Kosmic shelter. They are still closer to the scene of action. And just spending the night at 3500m is not bad.
Read more: Aiguille du Midi cable car and walks near the Cosmique shelter, Chamonix
The route of climbing the classics through the top is separate
Driving to Lenin Peak along the classic route starts from the Base Camp, located at an altitude of 3,500 meters.
More precisely, several camps of various travel agencies are scattered on the ancient moraine of the glacier, but the whole area is usually called by one name - base camp, also known as bazlag or BL. There is still scant vegetation in the form of grass and there is still enough air to breathe in a normal rhythm.
Read more: Description of the climbing route to Lenin Peak
This article is written as a summary of all the useful materials I found in preparation for climbing Lenin Peak in 2016. It is not an instruction for climbing, and it is not the ultimate truth, it is just a generalization of some articles on this topic. Remember that staying in the mountains can be life-threatening, if you do not have enough experience, it is better to use the services of local guides and travel agencies than to add yourself to the list of accidents.
Read more: Solo ascent to Lenin Peak, cost, documents and other details
Lenin Peak is a mountain peak, 7134 meters high, located on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Until 1928, the mountain was called Kaufman Peak, and since 2006, the Government of Tajikistan has changed the name of the mountain to the peak named after Abu Ali ibn Sina. But the old name of Lenin Peak remained in everyday use.
Lenin Peak is one of the "seven thousandth peaks" — the highest peaks of the former USSR and one of the highest peaks of Central Asia. Lenin Peak is located in the Pamir mountain system, in the north of the Himalaya mountain range. The Pamir is the highest mountain system in the south of the former USSR, located on the territory of Tajikistan, China, Afghanistan and India. Pamir is located at the junction of the spurs of other powerful mountain systems of Central Asia — the Hindu Kush, Karakorum, Kunlun and Tien Shan.
Read more: The history of climbing Lenin Peak
In the morning, there were still no clouds in the sky, and in the hope that our friend was mistaken when he said that navigation was closed, we hurried to the village of Liloan, from which ferries go to Panglao Island. While we were on the bus, the sky was overcast, and even a light rain began to fall, but we did not observe anything unusual that could be a typhoon.
On the pier, near the small building of the marine station, people were already sitting on all sorts of bales and suitcases. We were already happy - since the local Filipinos are waiting here, it means there will be a ferry soon. After asking the workers, we found out that there would be a ferry, but we would have to wait a little, maybe three days…
Immediately, workers began to deploy awnings from the rain, bring chairs, in general, preparing for a long wait. The rain gradually intensified and after trampling for about an hour near the port, we decided that it would be better to return to our bamboo hut and hope that it would not be blown away by the wind.
Read more: Tropical depression - typhoon in the Philippines
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