The most Northern Mount of more than 7000 m high Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

The Abalakov's place for notes we found easily. We took their note and left our one (written in Russian and in Georgian). Then we shouted to Kuhianidze and Gabliani, saying them to turn back. We ourselves went to the East to find the other places for notes.

The weather suddenly turned bad. It became nothing visible at first in five steps and soon afterwards – in two. Snow stroke in the face, covered the glasses. Through the gaps in snowstorm we saw a place for notes on a rock. It was surely to be Erohin's place for notes: they described that place exactly. But it wasn't easy to reach it at all it had to make efforts to struggle against snowstorm so we decided not to disturb it: let the note of I. Erohin and A. Tsirelnikov, who had died the previous summer in the Caucasus, would be left on the top of the Pobeda Peak – the top of their climbing achievements. From that place we turned back hoping to come up with the second team. But at that moment “doomsday” started. Hurricane was swirling snow, depriving us of any visibility. Al the tracks disappeared and we tried to go along the ridge without losing the altitude. By 7 o'clock we were absolutely exhausted and lose the orientation. There was only one way – to stop, dig a cave and wait till morning would come. But how could we do it? We started to dig snow by hand, but the results were poor, and the forces were leaving us. But suddenly snowstorm stopped. Blue clear sky appeared and nightmare vanished as suddenly as began. We got the orientation and found that we had been going in absolutely correct direction and our rucksacks were near. By the time it was getting dark. At late dust we found our rucksacks. We didn't look for Teimuraz's and Iliko's rucksacks as we thought they had already gone to the bivouac. In the dark we started descending along sharp snow-ice ridge. Djumber was the leader, for a distance of a shortened rope. We were going extremely carefully, but anyway I repeated: “Be careful, don't hurry, let's move slowly”. I could see only Djumber's silhouette. Suddenly he shouted: “Hold me!” I drove my ice-axe into the snow and thrust my weight upon it. But at the same moment a bump pulled it out and tore me off Djumber and I were sweeping along a steep snow slope in the direction of the glacier Zvezdochka. I knew exactly that ice fields were below us at the altitude about 5000 m , and we at that moment were at 7400 m . I also knew that steep ice slope was only 50- 70 m long. Further the slope ended with a 1500 m high rocky wall. I understood that nobody of us, neither Djumber, nor me, could delay our falling. But I felt suddenly energetic jerk and I wasn't sliding along the slope but was hanging on the rope that rounded my left hand. I was afraid to believe to that miracle and was afraid to move not to the rope that by pure accident snagged on something. I shouted to Djumber and he answered that he was safe and sound. I shouted him once more asking not to perform jerky moves, but to gouge steps in the snow very carefully. I did the same. Finally both of us were standing on feet. The rope came loose. We drove our ice-axes into the snow and began to climb back to the ridge. It appeared that our rope (luckily, I hadn't assembled it into the rings) cut into a bend on snow slope so thoroughly that stopped both of us.

We were again on the ridge. It had got completely dark. The bivouac of our friends was about 100- 150 m below us, but we decided to pass the night at the place we were staying. We felled the ridge, made a ledge, sat down on it, having partially climbed into sleeping bags, and passed the night on it. The weather spared us: the night was frosty, but windless.

In the morning, when the sun rose, we stood up and saw that both of Mishas were walking near the bivouac looking for us. We shouted them and started descending. The first question they asked us was: “Where are Kuhianidze and Gabliani?” That question made us feeling at a lot. Having come to the bivouac feeling that everything hard and awful we had left behind, we again were alarmed. But after the first our signals, there, upwards in 50 m from the place of our forced night pass, appeared the figures of Teimuraz and Iliko. As it was ascertained later, they had returned from the top, hadn't found their rucksacks and had passed the night in snow niche that they had dug with the help of their ice-axes.

An hour later we were again together and while Iliko and Teimuraz were having breakfast, brothers Hergiani started the descent to the bottom of the apical ridge, to the bivouac 7000. Then we also started the descent. Closely to the trough Iliko fell down and slid along the solid snow. The rope held him but he complained about the stitch. Djumber, Teimuraz, Iliko and I took our places in the tent and Misha – elder made a cave for him and his brother because in the tent could be too tight six together. In the night Iliko complained about pain in livers. It appeared that it was his old illness and the altitude and supercooling of the last night intensified it. He hadn't told us about this illness before and the doctors hadn't paid attention to it. By the morning he grew weak, but stood firm and we, going on thinking that the weakest member of our team was Misha – younger, decided that brothers Hergiani had to go as the first team, and we would left the bivouac later and would come up to them. We prepared to start the descent slowly, we helped Iliko to dress and he became the first to leave the tent to warm him in sunlight. 15 minutes later Djumber left the tent. He called Iliko, but he didn't respond. He was sitting at a rocky ledge and it seemed that he was sleeping. We rushed out from the tent and it became clear to us that it was not a sleep, it was quite death of our wonderful friend.

Djumber run following Hergiani. He came up to them and consulted with Misha – elder about the situation. We decided to bury Iliko here, on the rocks of the Pobeda Peak , at the altitude 7000 m . It conflicted with the Svanetia traditions, but we had no another way out. We made a grave of stones and left Iliko's body there. On the ascent to the Peak Baja Pshavela Misha – younger refused to go further again but that place was not far from the descent and we extracted him with the help of the rope. The bivouac we organized for 150 m below the summit.

The 29 th of August came. The weather was clear, but frosty. We decided that Mishas' team would we the first again. Misha – younger was going well and they rather quickly disappear on the other side of the ridge. We prepared for the descent and went left the bivouac. Kuhianidze had his feet frozen and he couldn't put on crampons. Djumber had “shekltons” (arctic bootee), lined with calks, they were not safe on the ice. So both of them went down to the fool length of the rope and then belayed me. Djumber and Teimuraz waited for me before the last rocky wall to help me to descent from it as after the falling upwards my left hand couldn't move at all. We gathered on a ledge. The descent was about 10- 12 m long. Djumber passed the wall with upper belay. What would we do? Teimuraz suggested to descent with the help of descending devices. It was quite reasonable. We fastened the rope on a rock jut and I was first to descent. I went down to snow, unfastened from the rope and sat down near Djumber. Teimuraz was descending. Only two steps remained between him and snow and we stood up to free him from the rope and continue the descent. But at that moment something happened upwards. The rope came loose. Teimuraz with scream moved aside the rocks and together with the rope, tumbling on steep snow slope, fell down and disappear on the other side of the ridge. On his way he touched Djumber. He fell but retarded quickly. A stone that killed our rope flew following Teimuraz.

We thought that on the other side of the snow slope there was a platform and Teimuraz could stop on it – it was in about 200 m from us. We extracted all unnecessary things from the rucksacks, left only a tent in them – we were going to descent without belay. We descented slowly and carefully along the way of our climb in order to traverse the slope on a level of the place possible stoppage of Teimuraz. We went without confidence. In a steep rocky couloir I feel that my rucksack pushed me aside the rock and I was about to fall down. But Djumber who was below me supported and nothing bad happened. Finally we reached the place of one of our previous bivouacs. The altitude was 6400 m . From that place we decided to traverse the slope to the right. At first the slope was covered with snow and the steps were rigid. Gradually the layer of snow became thinner - we had to make steps in the ice. Djumber was going the first. When I suggested him to let me pass him, he kept silent. The accident was especially hard to him: he was the leader of the group and the best Teimuraz's friend.

When we were not far from the place from which we could see all the Kuhianidze's way of falling, Djumber turned his face to the slope, at that moment his foot slid from the step, calks slid on the ice (what a pity – he hadn't crampons on his feet the fore calks of them could provide stoppage). Djumber fell to the slope. He tried to stop using ice-axe but it broke loose from his grip. At first slowly, then quicker, Djumber slid down and disappear round the turning of the couloir. I was standing and looking at him, but could do nothing to rescue him. A steep couloir in 400 m below me ended with a 1000-m high sheer cliff to the glacier Zvezdochka. I don't remember how I turned back to the place from which we started our traverse and started to descent slowly. There were a thought in my head: where my turn in this stupid tragedy was? And only on difficult places I mobilized to struggle for my life. I was afraid to load my left hand most of all, I could not sustain the pain shock. I had to pass 1400 m to meet the people and sometimes I had to descent along steep difficult ice strips. Hergiani went far away. I tried to call him but they didn't hear me, and only some time later I saw him on a snow ridge far from me. In the evening I descented to the altitude 5000 m and came across Georgian alpinist Avtandil Ahvelediani. When I told him about what had happened he sat down to the snow and closed his face. He cried.

The Base camp we reached on the 30 th of August. The people in the camp knew everything: they saw how Teimuraz and Djumber fell down, and the alpinists that met us on the ridge were the rescue party that saw our signal from the bivouac 6750 on the 28 th of August. Before descending to the Base camp Misha Hergiani, Djokia Gugava and Otar Hazaradze came to the wall of the Western shoulder on the glacier Zvezdochka and found there the bodies of our colleagues. Later they were brought to the Base camp, then to Tbilisi and then they were buried on a memorial cemetery near the famous Georgian people.

To be continued…