Our expedition to the Ak-su region started on the 12 th of January 2007 with boarding to a train, that was bound from Krasnoyarsk for Novosibirsk . Further we had to overpass a way of some thousands kilometers with intervening interchange stations: Novosibirsk , Almaty, Bishkek, Osh , kishlak Oz-Gerush. On the 20th of January a caravan of 20 donkeys carried our cargos to the canyon Lyailyak to the place of the Base camp. There were 10 of us:

The first team: Arhipov Vladimir, Dmitrienko Evgeny.

The second team: Belyaev Evgeny, Gunko Vladimir, Loginov Igor, Prokofiev Denis, Rodikov Boris, Hvostenko Oleg.

Balezin Valery was our couch and Komissarov Aleksey was an “odd player”.

Rodikov Boris

Gunko Vladimir

Prokofiev Denis

Belyaev Evgeny

Loginov Igor

Hvostenko Oleg

The period of acclimatizing took us several days. At the bottom of the wall we put a tent of an advanced camp. Then we carried all the necessary cargos to the beginning of the route. The first team chose the route of Chaplinsky. They climbed in light style, so staked on speed. The route of Chaplinsky was the most well-known route, it could be said it was the classics on the Northern wall of Ak-su. The bottom part of this route is the beginning of several routes. The composition of our team was stronger, so we had chosen the route of Odintsov and Ruchkin as the most difficult and beautiful route on the wall, moreover, for the last ten years it had never been repeated.

On the 25 th of January the first team went up to the advanced camp. The weather had become excellent and it was impossible to miss such a moment. Nobody could know for how many days the weather would stay fine. On the 26 th of January without a peep the guys started. For the day they passed 8 ropes and on the next day 6 ropes. It was very high pace . The guys worked independently. All the time Evgeny went solo and Vladimir carried the cargos.

Ice couloir, strip 3

Camp 1

The beginning of the rock, strip 4

We started a day later and for the first day passed 11 ropes along the ice. The portaledges we hung at the beginning of the rocky strip . It was very difficult for us to make such a rush. Although the ice was in excellent condition and didn't represent technical problems. But the trunks on the start were too heavy. On the 28 th , on the second day we climbed for 5 ropes along the rock, Evgeny and Vladimir that day passed 4 ropes. Vertical race started. We were in better conditions: when 3 of us were processing the route the other three-men team was having a rest, the next day we were changing. The guys from the first team couldn't use such a method of climbing, but nevertheless they went up very quickly. If they saved the speed they would reach the top much earlier than we. The key ropes of our route were yet to come and they were headily approaching to an ice “snive”.

Gunko Vladimir, the cornice of the strip 4

Gunko Vladimir, strip 5

Gunko Vladimir, strip 6

To onlookers it could seem that we were climbing competing in speed. But in fact we were competing with the weather. Clouds were crawling along the sky and it was clear that luck would come to the end soon. In the wall alpinism the main thing was to climb as high as possible when the weather hadn't become bad. And when it had become bad, it became not keen to go down, and you bore up to the top.

Gunko Vladimir, strip 7

Gunko Vladimir, strip 8

Skew traverse, strip 10.

On the fourth day of the ascent the first team went on climbing very quickly and soon they reached the ice couloir. The most difficult strip of the route was left behind two days later they could come up to the ridge. But it was the place where they came across a trouble: an ice lens put out under two ice-axes. Evgeny fell down for about 40 meters . On falling down he poorly caught by a crampon. As a result - ligamentous disruption and impossibility to continue the ascent. On anesthetic injections Evgeny with Vladimir 's help went down.

That day we moved our camp to a new place. Camp 2 was made on the 18 th rope. All in all on that day we climbed up for 3.5 ropes. We watched how the guys from first team descented and thought that we kept staying on the wall all alone. A half of the route was passed but the most difficult key strips were yet to come.

The second camp, strips 11, 12

Loginov Igor, strip 12

Loginov Igor, strip 13

All the next day long we were climbing one sky-hooking rope. At first Loginov Igor was climbing along old holes, but 10 meters later he lost them and it became necessary to make our own holes. All the rest members of the team, looking how slowly he as climbing, became a little bit gloomy. In the evening, having come down to the portaledge Igor said that it seemed to him the relief was starting further. The key was overpassed.

The view of the second camp from the strip 13

Gunko Vladimir, strip 14

Gunko Vladimir, climbing along the holds on the strip 14

Gunko Vladimir, strip 14

Gunko Vladimir, skew ledge, strip 15

Gunko Vladimir, corner of Chaplinsky, strip 17

The 31 st of January, the 5 th day of our ascent. The leader became Gunko Vladimir. In a good pace he passed 3 ropes. We understood that it was time to move the camp. In the afternoon we took our camp off and by the evening moved it for 8 ropes. The third camp was made in the couloir of Chaplinsky. In the place where our way went to the left along the wall. Two thirds of the route were passed – about a kilometer along the vertical line. On the ordinary walls that time we would be coming to the top, but not on the Ak-su. 400 meters of difficult climbing with upper key strip – Big Cornice were yet to come.

Gunko Vladimir, strip 18

The view of the third camp, corner of Chaplinsky, from the strip 18

Loginov Igor, strip 20

On the next morning strong wind was blowing. For that day we passed three ropes. We were in front of the Big Cornice its gab was about 3 meter long. According to the deion this cornice had to be detoured to the left, but Loginov Igor wanted to try to pass it straight “head-on”. At the moment it seemed a switch clicked and the weather ended. Plentiful snowfall started and in few minutes the wall was plastered with snow. We decided to put the cornice off to the next day, to climb it over with a clear head.

The 2 nd of February, the 7 th day of the ascent. Gunko Vladimir was climbing it was my turn to belay him. The snow was falling all the night long and was not going to stop. Vladimir was going along the way of the pioneers he detoured the cornice to the left and climbed to it on its thinnest strip (the gab there was about a meter). It took us a half of the day to pass that obstacle. The weather was classical for February – snowfalling and heavy wind. But nothing could stop us in our yearning for the top. By the evening we hung two more ropes. The ridge was somewhere near. We had three free ropes left and it had to be enough to climb to the head of the wall.

On the 8 th day Rodikov Boris and Loginov Igor were working. The sky became clear and snowfalling granted us a respite. On the other hand the wind became stronger and it became noticeably colder. The guys were climbing slowly but hard. From the bottom Valery Balezin watched them, reporting to the portaledge by the walkie-talkie the news from the front line. Difficult rope in a hanging couloir was passed and in front of our colleagues there were a bend of the wall. It remained to climb some meters along the roof. In the evening Igor fixed the last rope on the ridge. When Balezin reported that the head of climber came into view against a background of the sky, concurrent “Hurray!” could be heard on air.

Loginov Igor, strip 20

Loginov Igor, strip 21

Strip 25

The 4 th of February . Before daylight we started to climb along fixed ropes. On the ridge heavy wind was blowing, there was no visibility at all. We passed 6 ropes along the ridge and at 2 o'clock p.m. all the team gathered on the top. It was the Victory! The element raged, but, strangely, cameras and camcorders operated. We wrote a note, took photos and went down quickly. The descent to the portaledges took us the rest daylight time. In the camp we were waited by festal supper consisted of tinned stew, lard and remains of cognac. Not so bad , in fact . Unfortunately we had nothing sweet . Somehow on the last day all the provisions were luckily over and only one gas-cylinder rested. Either we calculated correctly, or we were simply fortunate enough.

On the ridge, strip 27

In front of the top

The Top

After the descent

The 5 th of February, the 10 th day. In the morning the weather was clear again, one more eye of the cyclone. How lucky we were! We descented straight down from the portaledges. We hammered in bolts directly and after several ropes going down we came to our route again. A short time later we were on the ice and by 4 o'clock p.m. we came to the advanced camp, where we were met by Vladimir Arhipov and Aleksey Komissarov. As soon as we gathered all together near a big stone, the Mount became covered with clouds, the strongest wind began to blow and real bacchanalia started. We quickly went to the Base camp, to eat pilaw and warm. The next morning they ordered a caravan of horses.

On going down we cast parting glances at the Mount and couldn't see the Ak-su. It seemed that the weather came for long. We were cosmically lucky ! The Mount let us going . Thank you! And see you later!

In the train, driving us back home to Krasnoyarsk we discussed the plans of new expeditions. One shoulder of mutton drew another. A good ascent should be like this – to climb, to descent and to merry about new ascents. On the 12 th of February we again stayed on the railway station in Krasnoyarsk , a month had passed. That way our trip finished. We didn't get a total-lot result. But the main thing – all of us were alive, healthy and were looking forward with optimism!

Panorama