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Mt. Bodkhona (5138m), Fanskie Mauntains, Zeravshansky Range, ascent, 1998
Brief review of the object and the area of ascent Pamiro-Alai is located between Pamir and Tien Shan. It consists of some ranges a little extended in east-west direction and bordering Fergana valley from the south. Alaiskiy is the main range that segregates into Turkestanskiy, Zeravshanskiy and Gissarskiy ranges. Fanskie Mountains presents a separate massif on the west of Pamiro-Alay. First ascents on its "five-thousand" mountains were accomplished during small expeditions at the end of 30th years. In 1936 the group of military topographers headed by Sibirtsev summited the main mountain of the area: Chimtarga (5489 m). In 1937 two small teams led by A.Mukhin (two-man team) and E.Kazakov (three-man team) climbed several routes in the most part of Fanskie mountains and summited Bolshaya (Big) Ganza (5306 m), Energiya (Energy, 5120 m), Chimtarga. A.Mukhin organized one more expedition to the area in 1939. Mass mountaineering development of the Fans' area began in the second half of 60th years. The main mountains were first ascended and also complex wall routes were climbed. The peak of climber's activity was in the seventies when during one season hundreds of climbers climbed 5B and 6- graded routes. During this period the majority of prize-winners of USSR Mountaineering Championship became the teams had climbed difficult routes in Fanskie Mountains. Mt. Bdkhona (5138 m) is located in a powerful east branch of Main Fansky Range named also East Fansky Range where there are some more "five-thousand" mountains except for Bdkhona located too: Bolshaya (Big) Ganza (5306 m) and Malaya (Small) Hanza, Zamok, Chapdara. Orographically Mt. Bodkhona is located in the Pasrud river basin, in its head water. There are a lot of routes on Bodkhona West Face, and the teams climbed some of them often became winners in the Championships of the USSR. The most complex routes are paved in the left part of the face: two routes 6À-graded were first ascended by Moshnikov and Zhitenev. Our team chose A.Moshnikov's route. The approach to the beginning of the route from Alaudinskie lakes took 4-4,5 hours. Preparation for ascent The team of International tourist center "Alaudin" joined the climbers from Moscow area (Mytischi, Solnechngorsk, Troitsk) familiar on trainings and training camps. Before departure to the mountains they had ski races and langlaufes, rock-climbing trainings as the basic of their fitness program. In May in Crimea they had a training camp and climbed some multi pitch routes of 5-th and 6-th grade in Kush-Kaya area ("Balalaika", “Golubaya Volna (Blue wave)”, “Levaya Shtanina (Left trouser leg)”), in Chelyabi area ("Verba (Willow)", "Dnepropetrovsk", "Kamin (Fireplace)"), and also sent rock-climbing bolted lines in Parus (Sail) and Sarych areas. Sergey Antonov, the team's leader, in June climbed in two-man team Washington Column South Face route (5.10, À2) in Yosemite Valley. In the area of planned ascent the participants had made training acclimatization ascents: Olga Kurova worked the climbing instructor, Julia and Dmitry - summited Mt. Chapdara (5050 m), 5À - graded route, Sergey Antonov - Mt. Energy (5105 m), 2B-graded route.
All of the team's members were well-acquainted with the area of Fanskie Mountains. In former years they had summited some routes of 5B and 6 - graded: Chapdara, Bodkhona, Zamok (through Parandas), Arg, Sakharnaya Golova (Sugar Head). First Ascent A team led by A. Moshnikov climbed the new route on Bodkhona, West Face Left side in 1987. It's the most complicated route in area. We don't know any other successful attempts to repeat that.
Safety Measures All members of the team were physically, technically and psychologically ready for climbing this route, had experience of ascents of such difficulty and climbing experience in Fanskie Mountains. The team was very good equipped. A rescue squad was watching the climb from base camp. During the ascent the team kept in touch by regular radio communication with the base camp.
Weather condition and condition of the route This time, in 1998 the weather was notable for abundance of rains, sometimes non-stopping for several day. Storm streams and mudflows washed away the road, bridges. Because of that the team lost a lot of time approaching to the area. Despite of continuous bad weather the team managed to use a small weather "window" between two charges of wind and weather and climbed the route in rather good weather conditions. We had serious rains in day of approaching, while we were fixing the rope and also the last day of ascent when the crux was already climbed and we had only to reach the top and to descend. Nevertheless, rainy and cold weather in the area affected on the route condition. Many pitches were moistened with running water and that fact made our climbing wet rocks (including of 6-th grade) harder. Team tactics We had only a photo with marked route line. As we did not have the detailed description we gave much attention to observing the details of the route (on August 5 and 8- while ascending, on August 12-th - while descending from Chapdara). The experience of climbing Bodkhona via N.Vlodarchik' and G.Gulnev's routes came in useful too. Unstable weather in this season demanded specification of the tactical plan. In case of strong rains passage of cruxes could become questionable and we had a fallback position of the route: to leave to the left on the big corner and further to the NW buttress. Under the tactical plan S.Antonov and D.Vlaznev were the leaders. The team had 4 heavy rucksacks. On complex pitches the leader worked without a rucksack, and the leader's rucksack or sometimes (on some steep sites - R4, R6, R17) all four rucksacks were hauled up later. Fans are destroyed mountains with a lot of moving stones. We used two ropes to belay. As we found out during route observing there was not enough snow on the ledges- prospective sites of spending the night. Therefore we had to haul some water too. Ascent details: 0-th day, August, 14, 1998. The team approached under the route at midday. Within several hours we examined through the field glasses the planned route condition, found out the details of ascent of some specified sites. It was raining but we decided to start fixing the rope hoping not to climb more pitches but "to feel" the wall. At 16.00 two-man team Antonov - Vlaznev started working on the route. For three hours they managed to make two pitches on the first rocky site under the falls. Water was running down from rocks hanging above and moving stones were falling from the wall landing in 5-15 meters from the wall and leaving their characteristic traces on snow. 1-st day, August, 15, 1998. The team left the bivy settled at a distance of 400 meters from the wall at 4.00 am and began climbing the route. The streams of water were insignificant but the rocks remained wet. This time Vlaznev was the leader and climbed a difficult slab with a hanging wall from the right. The belay station- at a narrow ledge. Next two pitches up to the next ledge were led by S.Antonov. Then there was a big inclined ledge upwards under hanging rock with a chimney in the right part with water distilling in drops . Therefore D.Vlaznev, the leader that time, climbed it from the left via overhang on system of fine cracks taking place along black flow marks. Then- a big scree ledge, there the team made a site for a tent at the top part of the ledge at the foot of a hanging pillar. Concurrently with that Antonov-Vlaznev made two pitches more. Because of total lack of water and snow water hauled from below was used.
2-nd day, August, 16, 1998. D.Vlaznev - the leader: 40 meters more on a vertical wall upwards, then traverse 25 meters to the right up to the crux of the route - a vertical wall with very poor surface. The wall of 50 meters was passed with use of all arsenal of modern gear and climbing techniques: sky hooks, "holes", pitons, bolts. We used the bolts left the team from St.Petersburg, and also bolted two new ones for safe belay. The route went on black flow marks on which during afternoon water was distilling in drops. As we couldn't see any convenient for spending the night ledges farther the bivy was organized in two pitches below, on a good ledge protected by a cornice. 3-rd day, August, 17, 1998. S.Antonov- the leader. A system of hanging sites and small cornices we ascended on the right free- and AID- climbing (mainly using friends). Through 100 meters the vertical wall starts to lie down a little. Further D.Vlaznev free climbed three pitches more. On a small sloping ledge we organized semilying spending the night. 4-th day, August, 18, 1998. D.Vlaznev- the leader. Through 60 meters there was the second crux: a big cornice. We climbed it in a direction to the right - upwards via system of small cornices and overhangs, mainly, by free climbing. After - about 300 meters on rocks of 4-th-grade. The general- direction to the left upwards up to the Gulnev's ledge. There is a convenient place for a camp. 5-th day, August, 19, 1998. Weather sharply worsened. At night the strong wind fluttered our tent, all the sky was tightened. It began snowing. Having left our bivy equipment, we roped up (J.Vlazneva-D.Vlaznev and O.Kurova-S.Antonov) and started summit push. At 11.00 we reached the top, then descended to the tent and rappelled to the glacier. At 18.00 we were on a moraine of Bodkhona glacier. We did that! Schedule of ascent If in 70th years climbers had needed 10 and more days to summit Bodkhona West Face our team made only four spending the night on the route. The rate of movement was high enough. Equipment. The gross weight of common and personal gear together with food was 54 kg. Average weight of a rucksack - 13,5kg a person. Schedule of ascent
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