South Ushba via 3 buttress

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MCS AlexClimb Mountain Climbing Club and School

A bit of history. In the "golden days" of the heyday of Soviet mountaineering, the Caucasian beauty Ushba occupied a special place in the hierarchy of peaks as objects for climbing.

View of Ushba from the South-East, archive photo

Not only key events of international mountaineering since the 19th century are associated with Ushba, but also the brightest pages in the history of mountaineering in the USSR. Only the best of the best could proudly say "I am an Ushbist" - and it was true.

The Ushba summit was at the peak of the athletic skill of climbers of that era - when mountaineering was everything: a sport, a profession, a hobby, the life of many thousands of people.

Ushba, view from the South

Below I want to offer you a documentary chronicle of one ascent, taken from the materials of the group's report. It was the first ascent of a new and most difficult route at that time. Its participants were not professional climbers - they were passionate enthusiasts - scientists, engineers, teachers.

No one paid them bonuses or awards for a new route to Ushba. No one liked them on social networks - this motivator did not exist even in the sickest imagination. People went to climb because it was Ushba - a dream and pride. Reading the dry lines of the chronicle, imagine what was behind these notes, scribbled with a pencil in a pocket notebook, with frozen, swollen from climbing on icy rocks fingers. Bad equipment, antediluvian, freezing through leather shoes, heavy and ineffective wool sweaters and tarpaulin windbreakers.

Climbing a rocky section during the ascent of Mount Ushba

And here is what should be especially noted - there was not a drop of heroism in the success of this ascent. No feats - only hard, professional work, careful preparation, impeccable tactics and healthy motivation. This example is especially relevant today. If you want to succeed more than once - you need to be a professional, not a hero.

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Mount Ushba South Summit along the bastions of the southwestern face (first ascent, approximately 6th category of difficulty)

Championship of the Caucasian Territorial Administration of Mountaineering Camps 1981

Participants in the ascent:

Gorodetsky E.M. leader
Svitov V.I.
Kadtsin B.E.
Simakov A.N.
Krasavin V.I.
Shemenev A.G.

July 3, 1981. 7.00 AM

Departure from the bivouac to Ushba Lake. Then climb along the icefall with zones of cracks and seracs (section 1) to the bergschrund. After crossing the bergschrund, climb along a steep snow-ice slope (section 2) to the beginning of a long inclined ledge on the lower belt. Then climb along the ledge to the left and up. (section 3) The ledge crosses a wall with an average steepness of 65°. On the ledge there is loose snow, ice in places, belay through ice and rock hooks. The movement of the teams is autonomous. In the middle part, the ledge is blocked by avalanches coming down from the upper snow fields.

Passing a snow-covered ledge, section 4

Section 4 consists of a snow-covered inclined ledge leading to the wall. Along difficult, icy rocks of the wall, an exit to the site where the control tour is located. A note was taken from the a/l "Shkhelda" Stop for a bivouac.

July 4. 7.00 AM

An attempt was made to cross the steep snow-ice slope to the right, leading under the originally planned option.

About 80 meters were covered. In the immediate vicinity of the planned route there is an almost vertical chute, the removal of which must be crossed. All the "trash" flying from the upper sections of the summit is collected in the chute, despite the early hour, individual stones fly along the chute at intervals of several minutes, an almost continuous shelling of ice fragments, sometimes small avalanches come down, shooting through an area about 60 m wide.

After consulting, they decided to abandon this option, due to the obvious danger, and decided to go along the left option. The Krasavin-Kadtsin team, having returned to the bivouac, took the ropes and the necessary equipment and went out to process the 1st bastion. Having passed the snow-ice slope (section 5), they began working on the rocks.

Section 6 steep inclined shelf, in places turning into an internal corner, rocks are strong, of medium difficulty.

Section 7 is passed along the junction of two internal corners, forming an indistinctly expressed edge. Rocks are complex, monolithic.

Section 8 is an almost vertical wall with large cracks and depressions (insurance on embedded elements), leading to an overhanging 4-meter wall (section 9) with a small cornice at the top. Passage using ladders)

Section 10 is a steep destroyed wall with a large number of holds.

Section 11 is a wall with vertical ribs, water flows.

Photo from top to bottom from section 11

Section 12 is a vertical wet wall with "live" blocks. The climbing is extremely difficult, with the use of I.T.O. Having passed this section and fixed the ropes, the group descended to the bivouac by 19:00, having processed about 250 m of the 1st bastion.

July 5. 8.00 AM

The entire group leaves. Movement along the suspended ropes on clamps. The weather is foggy, with occasional charges of "graupel". Having passed the processed sections, we continued moving. Ahead is the Krasavin-Kadtsin group. Sections 13, 14 are wet, extremely difficult walls with a cornice (1-1.5 m extension) at the top. There is a waterfall from the cornice.

The cornice is passed along a crevice cutting through it, using inserts and ladders. Behind the cornice the crevice widens and turns into a 25-meter chimney (section 15) with a plug in the middle. The chimney leads to the edge of the buttress (section 16) overlooking the platform under the winding stone, the rocks of the buttress are destroyed, with drip ice. A bivouac was organized on the platform. Stop at 17.00. At night there was occasional snowfall, gusty wind.

Crossing the ice couloir

July 6. 7.00 AM

In the morning it was very cold. The Simakov-Gorodetsky team went to process the 1st bastion. From the overnight stay to the right and up the steep ice slope (section 17) to the rock "paw". Along the smooth, licked rocks of the "paw" section 18) climb to a small ledge. Then we crossed the steep ice couloir (section 19). The ice in the couloir is very hard, sometimes rocks and ice fragments fly by. From the couloir there is an exit to the wall of the 1st bastion (section 20) along a steep rocky chute completely covered with drip ice, climbing is very difficult. Section 21 - steep slab-like rocks with a large amount of drip ice. A bolt has been driven in for safety.

Moving along inclined slabs, section 21

Then along a steep, extremely difficult icy wall there is an exit to an inclined ledge under the cornice. Another bolt has been driven in for safety. Along the ledge to the right to the platform under the wall. Sections 22 - 23 - a steep, very difficult wall with a large number of "live" hanging slabs. Heavy snowfall has begun, visibility is 10-15 meters. The rocks are completely covered with snow. Having secured the ropes and excess gear, the team descended to the bivouac by 3 p.m. During the day, 215 meters of the II bastion were processed

Climbing of vertical rock section 23

July 7. 7.00 AM

Having removed the bivouac, the group passed the processed section along the fixed ropes. The Krasavin-Kadtsin team is working ahead.

Section 24 - along the wall with a cornice (bolt hook, I.T.O.) on ladders, an exit to the base of a smooth inner corner. Along the corner, using I.T.O., an extremely difficult exit to a rocky snow-covered ledge under a belt of cornices. To the right, the ledge widens and it was decided to organize another bivouac on it. The place is very convenient, tents were placed in niches under large cornices.

Passing the inner corner, section 24

While the four are preparing the bivouac, the team continued processing the route. From the shelf along a smooth, monolithic slab (control tour #2 was attached to the slab on a hook) exit under the cornice with a 1.5-2 m extension.

Section 25 - the cornice is passed on ladders using I.T.O. Then along a difficult, in places icy wall climb to a small ledge for one person. There are 4 sculling hooks hammered into the section. Having secured the rope, the team descended to the bivouac by 18.00. It got much colder at night, very strong wind.

Passing the cornice on section 25

July 8. 7.00 AM

The team Shemenev - Svitov sets out to process the route. Having passed the processed section 25, the team along a narrow ledge on an icy, monolithic wall (section 26) traversed to the right, to the base of a narrow chimney. Very cold in the morning, hurricane wind, solid cloud cover.

Passing the traverse to section 26

Then along a narrow chimney, an exit under a small cornice (section 27). The section was passed using I.T.O. Having passed the cornice, we came out on a gentle ledge leading to the ridge on the "roof" of the second bastion. The wind blows off the ridge, you have to go on "all fours".

Then along the snow-covered rocks of the ridge (section 28) an exit to a gentle snow ridge (section 29), leading under the wall of the Third bastion. Having passed another 40 meters along the snow slope to the wall, the team, having secured the ropes, began the descent to the bivouac at 14.00. In one day, about 300 meters were passed, including the processed section 25.

July 9, 7:00 AM

Setting the camp, we climbed up to the base of the Third Bastion wall using fixed ropes. On the left side of the wall there is a huge external angle with numerous cornices and walls overhanging up to 15-20 meters. Passing this angle would require a lot of bolt work, so we chose to pass the wall on its right side along the internal angles, allowing us to free climb.

Exit along the internal angle

The Simakov-Gorodetsky team goes ahead. The start of the movement along a steep chimney filled with drip ice (section 31), leading to the destroyed rocks of a 40-meter wall (section 32)

Straight up the wall, an exit to a ledge interrupted by internal angles (section 33), along it an ascent up to the left to a crevice in a steep monolithic wall. Along the crevice, gradually turning into the inner corner, a very difficult climb of 50 m straight up (section 34) to a small ledge. Then, moving from ledge to ledge, traverse to the right (section 35) to a large inner corner, heavily snow-covered and, in places, with drip ice.

Along the inner corner (section 36) an exit to the "roof of Ushba" and the summit ridge. At the top there is a very strong wind, solid fog, very cold. By 17.00 the whole group came up and, having cut out a platform in the snow-ice slope, set up camp. During the day (not counting the processed areas) about 200 m were covered.

At night a strong snowstorm, the tent constantly has to be dug out.

The wall of the third bastion, sections 30-36

July 10, 8.30 AM

In the morning a hurricane wind with heavy snowfall, very cold. Having left the tent and bivouac gear, the entire team went out onto the summit ridge lightly and reached the summit at 10:00 (section 37). The note from the Shkhelda alpine camp group was taken.

At 10:10 we began the descent to the tent and at 12:15 we began the descent towards the "Red Corner". The bad weather became even worse, a severe thunderstorm began. We found the way thanks to the fact that many groups had already descended along this route. On this day we managed to descend to the "Mazerskaya notch". The condition of the descent route was extremely difficult.

Having spent the night at the "notch", the next day we continued the descent and by evening we were in the village of Mazeri.

On July 12, together with the observation group, we passed the Becho Pass and by 9 p.m. we were in the Adyl-Su alpine camp.

Scheme of the route for climbing to the summit of South Ushba

Organization and tactics of the ascent

Preliminary reconnaissance and review of the route were carried out by team members back in the 1980 season, during the ascent to the II Western summit of Shkhelda from the south (observation from the summit and from the South Shkhelda glacier during the ascent to South Ushba along the Grigorenko-Prigody route (observation in close proximity).

Observation of the route in the 1981 season was carried out during a training ascent to the 2nd West Shkhelda and from the ridge of the summit 3810 (Tsentsi-Tay) located directly in front of the Southwestern wall of Ushba through the Ushbinsky glacier. Additional observation was carried out immediately before setting out on the route.

As a result, a route was outlined along the bastions of the southwestern wall, passing between the Myshlyaev routes on the right and the Grigorenko Prigody routes on the left. The main places were outlined bivouacs. The chosen route in the lower part (see the general view photo) coincides with the Grigorenko-Prigoda route and goes along the shelf leading under the first bastion. Then it was planned to pass the 1st bastion along the unfinished version of Kensitsky (dash-dotted line in the general view photo), the 2nd bastion along its giant outer corner and the 3rd bastion to the left of the Myshlyaev route.

A spare left option was also planned with the passage of the 1st bastion along the Grigorenko-Prigoda route or the Shalaev option. During the ascent, due to the objective danger of approaching the originally planned option, caused by the almost continuous descent of ice fragments, stones and avalanches along the chute to the right of the Grigorenko-Prigoda route, the left option was chosen.

The novelty of the route, therefore, is the passage of the 2nd and 3rd bastions (sections 20 - 36). During the route, the team had photographs of the wall with a conditional division into sections. Similar photographs were available to the observation group, which corrected the team's movement by radio.

The observation group, consisting of camp instructors Nikolaeva L.K. (1st special rank) and Mingalev V.N. (1st special rank), was located on the right-bank moraine of Ushba Lake. Observation was carried out using 12-fold binoculars. Radio communication with the alpine camp and the assault team was carried out using a Karat-M radio station with an 80-meter antenna.

The assault team on the route had a Karat-M radio station with a pin antenna and two Vitalka radio stations for communication within the group. Communication was carried out according to the standard camp schedule and was stable throughout the ascent.

Considering the extremely unstable and unfavorable weather in the first ten days of July, as well as the difficult condition of the route, the tactics of passing the route with the provision of convenient and safe bivouac sites were adopted, allowing for a full rest and the opportunity to wait out any deterioration in the weather. Therefore, during the ascent, the route was processed from one convenient overnight stop to another, with the subsequent transfer of the bivouac.

During the passage of the route, such tactics fully justified themselves in conditions of constant snowfalls, strong winds and low temperatures, and allowed the route to be passed with a large reserve of strength.

During the passage of the route, the teams were distributed as follows: Gorodetsky-Simakov, Krasavin-Kadtsin, Svitov-Shemenev.

During the movement along the route, the teams working ahead changed daily. The processed sections were passed along fixed ropes with a backpack on the back or on a suspension ("American way") with mandatory insurance. Backpacks were not pulled out on the route. On easier sections, the teams worked autonomously.

Nutrition on the route

The food rations were selected based on 400-450 grams per person per day. As the ascent progressed, the caloric content and weight of the rations increased.

The basis of the diet was made up of the following products: salted and smoked pork fat, crackers with cheese, bouillon cubes, freeze-dried soups, hard-smoked sausage, sublimates (cabbage rolls and ragout), honey, hazelnuts, sugar, tea, chocolate, lemons, vitamin preparations. During the entire ascent, two hot meals were provided

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Introductory text, assembly, digitalization and preparation of the text - Alex Trubachev

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