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KHAN-TENGRI PEAK 6995 m.
For sheer elegant beauty the summit of Khan Tengri may have no peer in the world, rising to the sky it glows red at night, in the cold of high altitude it burns a hole in the sky. For those who know Khan it is a place to go to once, fall in love with the mountain, then go again. Khan Tengri (6995m) is located on the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border east of Issyk-kul Lake. To get to there take a plane to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and take a car or bus to the city of Karakol by the Eastern shore of Lake Issyk Kul. From there hire a four-wheel drive taxi for the 6 hour drive over a 3800 m pass. You will drive down from the pass and travel through a green valley filled with yurtas, sheepherders and finally an old abandoned mine where the only evidence that people still live there is the laundry hanging outside windows in building that should be condemned. Then travel up a different river to the head of the Inychek glacier, here there is an old, still in use, military outpost and next to that a helicopter pad. The helicopter ride takes about forty minutes and flies low 70 km along the glacier to the base camp.
There are a number of commercial camps run by different trekking companies and located on a moraine along the Inylchek glacier (4000m). The campsprovide the climbers with good food and hospitality, tents to stay in, food to be eaten, saunas to be taken and vodka to be consumed. As a rule they usually have mess tents, sauna and bar as well as living tents. There are not many other services available at the camps but along with mentioned above there are also internet "cafe" and satellite phones. Guides and porters are available but you are well advised to arrange them before your trip, e-mailing to travel company. The guides are not really keen on providing trail information as they prefer to be hired up. So do not really expect always accurate information giving by word of mouth. The few maps they provide are also not of much help.
As always prices in camps are elusive, saunas usually cost extra, food is either a package deal or per meal arrangement. Sometimes instead of staying at the camps many self-catering climbers choose to set up their own camps along the moraine. There are plenty of places and in some ways this is a more comfortable and less expensive option but there have been reports of people having tents or gear stolen from their tents, so you do need to be on guard. Climbing on your own be prepared to administer any first aid yourself as at the base camp there are minimal first aid equipment. Rescues are not provided in a tour package so you will need to arrange travel insurance covering emergency evacuations by helicopter. Climbing Khan Tengri
There are two standard or classic ways to the summit, the North and South routes. These two routes meet at the pass and share a common way up to the summit. There is a debate, which is better, the North or South sides and of course the answer is neither is better, they have different characteristics and challenges. The South route is longer in distance, has a dangerous avalanche zone, but has more variety in the approach, and is perhaps wilder. The North side is more direct, more vertical, but more time is spent waiting in line on fixed ropes. But either way, the challenge is to get to the
pass, be in good health and have good weather for the summit day. That is the
day when you make the run to 6995m and if you can stand on the summit looking
into Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan and China. From the south (Kyrgyzstan)
For a climb on the south side your trip starts in Bishkek, you can fly directly to Bishkek, or be picked up in Almaty and drive the two hours to Bishkek. From Bishkek it is a five hour drive (400 km) to the city of Karakol on the east side of Issyk-Kul. There are hotels or yurts to stay in there. Day two is a morning shopping trip for final vegetables and a long drive over a pass to a helicopter base, then the third day a 30 minute helicopter ride into the base camp. The base camp is at 4000m so one day of acclimatisation is needed after arrival.
Your next step is to set up a tent at ABC (4100 m) on a glacier moraine, about a two-hour walk up the glacier toward Khan Tengri from base camp. This walk can be easy, with snow melted out and crevasses visible, or it can be a hell day of breaking trail and searching for a safe path. Very few people, roped up on this section but it is always your decision what to do and when. Early in the season when there is still a lot of snow it would be wise to use standard glacier travel precautions. At the first camp there are no facilities, only a moraine that is near the approach up another glacier to Khan Tengri. Water is plentiful here, but no water will be found past this point. From ABC is an interesting day, up up and more up, the route rises and doesn't stop until you reach the summit. You MUST get up early at about 3 in the morning and hike up the glacier to get through a section prone to rockfall and avalanches before the sun hits the mountain of Chapaeva peak and the trail becomes a bowling alley of avalanches. It is this day that makes a lot of people decide on the North side approach. But if there was not new snow, and you get going early you will never feel that you are in terrible danger. There are often people walking in the middle of the day, oblivious to any danger. From the ABC, if you leave at 3am, you will reach the "mouse trap", as it is called at about 7am. After about 9 in the morning the sun has warmed the cliffs of Chapaev peak and rocks and snow begin to tumble down. If the previous night snow has built up on the cliff it is best to wait another day at Camp 1. The "mouse trap" ends with a short technical section. Sometimes at this section there is a fixed rope but be assure that the rope would support a fall as screws can melt out of the ice. Never trust anything here unless you need to. YOU define need. Past the technical section the camp at 5200m is an hour walk. Early in the season this is an easy walk, at the end of the season it can be dangerously crevassed. Rope up. Camp one is at 5200m. There is nothing at this camp. It is a level area, relatively safe from avalanches. There can be small snow caves dug but basically there is no good place for them here and most bring their tents up this far. On some days it looks like small tent city, other days you hardly will meet anybody. You usually arrive here with a pounding head and in the middle of the afternoon, if it is sunny the camp becomes a heat oven where you are baked by the sun, or it can be really cold and windy with tents getting pounded. From this camp walk along an easy snowfield to the saddle. Some if they are feeling strong, especially if they are already acclimatized will rest here in the heat of the afternoon, then continue on after lunch to camp 2 at the pass. Camp two is at 5800m, located just below the pass. Here there is a place to dig in a snow cave, or use one that has already been dug out. Arguments can of course happen between those who dig and those who poach, but have a shovel, dig your share and no troubles. Do not however show up with a group of 8 and expect to find a cave as some do. Just before the saddle is one steep section of
snow, a fixed line sometimes can be found here, if not just proceed carefully.
At the pass is where the North and South routes meet. Most coming up from the
North stay on the top of the pass, from the south most stay just below the pass
in snow caves. If the trip from the saddle seems too long, many climbers set
a tent up on a ledge at 6100m. This is a relatively well protected, small ledge
that can accommodate about three tents. This gives a better shot at reaching
the summit as you are closer, but it is a long extra way to haul gear, and there
have been reports of the people whose tents had been destroyed and backpacks
blown off the ridge. Most use the first trip up to camp 2 at 5800 as the acclimatisation run and leave a tent and some gear at camp. Unfortunately gear, food and even whole tents can be stolen, it is very disappointing that at high altitude people will still steal shit, but that is reality. So on that there is nothing to say, trust humanity and lose things on occasion, or carry everything all the time with you. After your first run up to get acclimatized a good vodka drunk and sauna is next back at base camp. It seems like a waste to run all the way back to camp, but for summit success it is the best strategy. On the second trip up if you are feeling well you can run right up to the pass at 5800 or spend another night at camp one (5200 m) then the next day go to 5800. For this the best option is to go to ABC and spend the night, then early go to camp two, rest the hot afternoon away, then after lunch walk the rest of the snowfield up to the pass. Once you are at the saddle, ready for a summit
attempt. The climb from the saddle (6000m) to the summit (6995m) is like another
world. It is here that the altitude plays havoc on your brain and bad weather
can destroy your tents. The character of the route from the saddle at 6000m
is that it follows a ridge most of the way, traverses right over a snowfield,
then ascends a short, 1 pitch steep rocky section. From there the route keeps
going right and up over snowfields finally topping out along a thin exposed
ridge. From this ridge it is another hour or so across a large snowfield to
the pile of rocks and metal triangle which is the summit. There is no one way to approach this mountain, only to have
plenty of time and be flexible in your plans. The standard climb of Khan Tengri (from the south) goes something like this:
If all goes well the entire trip can be accomplished in two weeks, but notice in the itinerary there are no spare days for bad weather or party members needing additional rest days. Three weeks is considered normal, a month is not excessive. From the north (Kazakhstan)
For a climb on the north side your trip starts in Almaty, you can fly directly to Almaty, or be picked up in Bishkek and drive the two hours to Alamty. From Almaty it is a one day drive to a helicopter base "Karkara", and a 30-40 minutes flight to the base camp right below the North wall on the third day. At the base camp there is good food, a washroom, and tents with mattresses. The base camp is at 4000m so one day of acclimatisation is needed after arrival. From the Base camp the route on the North is clearly seen. To get to camp one it is about two hours walk cross
the glacier from the base camp. This section is on sloping snow, so after heavy
snow, avalanches can come down by this part of the route. Camp one is one at
flat rocky outcropping. To camp two is a lot of up on fixed ropes, some ice
sections and a lot of snow. The steepest parts of the approach to camp three
are on this section. At the summit seen in right part of the photo you then
must go down to the pass where there is a place for snow caves.
The route is laced with ropes from the glacier to the small summit on the right. The ropes of course are old, have knots and scary sections and often there are several ropes hanging there and if you are going up it is never clear which is the best one. How you decide on your strategy is of course your own business. Americans and Europeans have the habit of taking everything with them and staying up at camp one and two hoping to acclimatise and make a shot at the summit. Russians tend to go up to camp one, then back to the base to drink a shot or two of vodka, then back up to a higher camp, then back for vodka, then back up and to the summit. Whatever plan you may try to come in with will undoubtedly change due to weather and how you are feeling. What happens is that all plans get changed by weather, and after a storm that lasts a few days the fixed rope becomes a traffic jam of people going up and down the ropes. From the saddle at 6000m to the summit For equipment on this day going as light as possible is the best option, a harness, couple of carabineers, figure 8, perhaps a short section of rope if you are in a group, an ascender, and one ice ax and that is it. A word of caution needs to be added about the fixed ropes, very often as the ropes get pulled from side to side they drag over rocks and fray to a few remaining threads. They are not replaced, instead knots are tied at the worst places. So all that can be said is when climbing, try to use them for balance only. On the way down do not slide with velocity of light. Very often it is easiest to just clip in with a very large locking carabineer instead of a figure 8. The summit day you of course should start early
and not stop moving. Down low is the place not to waste time as minutes usually
become valuable at the end of the day. So much depends on weather, on how much
snow there is, if there is a trail or if you are breaking trail that it is really
hard to give an estimate on how long the whole trip takes from pass to summit
and return. But an average time would be 12-14 hours for the round trip. For
both the North and South routes the base camp can be reached in one day from
the pass. The standard climb of Khan Tengri (from the north) goes something like this:
If all goes well the entire trip can be accomplished in two weeks, but notice in the itinerary there are no spare days for bad weather or party members needing rest days. Three weeks is considered normal, a month is not excessive. Ropes Gear Check the prices for Khan Tengri
peak North face and South face packages Have a great climb! Copyright
© 2003-2008 by Fantastic
Asia Ltd.
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