Geographical position. The Tien Shan is one of the largest mountain systems in Asia. Tien Shan means "heavenly mountains" in Chinese. The territory of Kazakhstan includes almost completely the Northern Tien Shan, parts of the Central and Western Tien Shan.
The Central Tien Shan within Kazakhstan begins from the powerful mountain junction Khan-Tengri (6995 m), at the junction of the borders of China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Further it extends to the west with a whole series of ridges. The largest of them is the Tersky Alatau. The border with Kyrgyzstan runs along its eastern branch.
The Northern Tien Shan includes the ridges: Ketmen, Kungei Alatau, Zailiysky Alatau, Chu-Ili mountains and Kyrgyz Alatau.
The Western Tien Shan includes the Talas ridge and the ridges extending from it in the southeast direction - Ugamsky and Korzhintau.
Completely within the boundaries of Kazakhstan is Karatau - the most extreme, heavily destroyed region of the Tien Shan.
Relief, geological structure and minerals. The Tien Shan is located in the ancient geo-synclinal zone. It is composed of metamorphosed shales, sandstones, gneisses, limestones and volcanic rocks of Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic deposits. Later continental and lacustrine deposits are concentrated on mountain plains. They consist of clayey, sandy and moraine deposits. Main mountain systems:
The Trans-Ili Alatau is the northernmost high mountain range of the Tien Shan, has a length of 350 km, a width of 30-40 km, and an average height of 4000 m.
The Trans-Ili Alatau rises towards the Talgar, Chiliko-Kemin mountains (Talgar peak - 4973 m), and in the east, to the Dalashyk and Tore tracts, it noticeably decreases (3300-3400 m). The northern slopes of the mountains are especially clearly cut by numerous rivers, which indicates the influence of the glaciation era on them.
The Zailiysky Alatau is composed of ancient sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Lower Paleozoic - sandstones, porphyries, granites and gneisses. As a result of the formation of the Caledonian and Hercynian foldings in the Paleozoic, and then repeated uplift during the Alpine orogeny process, the mountain structure became blocky-folded.
On the peaks, an alpine type of relief has developed. Pointed peaks alternate with intermountain plains. Separate mountainous areas have a stepped relief.
Ketmen - one of the mid-mountain ranges - is located in the eastern part of the Tien Shan. Its length within Kazakhstan is 300 km, width - 50 km, height - 3500 m. It is formed from effusive sedimentary rocks of the Paleozoic. In some places, granite protrudes to the surface of the relief. The slopes of Ketmen are dissected by the rivers of the Ili basin.
Kungei Alatau is included in Kazakhstan only by the northern slopes of its eastern part. The average height of this mountain range is 3800-4200 m. The eastern part of Kungei Alatau and Zailiysky Alatau is separated by the valleys of the Charyn and Chilik rivers and the Zhalanash intermountain plain. The slopes of the Kungei Northern Alatau are relatively gentle and strongly dissected, the peaks are leveled.
The Chu-Ili mountains are located in the northwest of the Trans-Ili Alatau. They consist of individual hills that have undergone destruction, strong erosion (Dolankara, Kulzhabas, Kindiktas, Khantau, Alaaygyr, etc.). The average height is 1000-1200 m. The highest point is Aitau, its height is 1800 m. The Chu-Ili mountains were formed from Precambrian metamorphic rocks and thick layers of gneiss. Their surfaces are composed of sedimentary-effusive rocks of the Lower Paleozoic - shales, sandstones. The slopes of the mountains are dry, dissected by deep gorges, the peaks are leveled, and the Betpakdala plateau is located to the north-west of these mountains.
The Kyrgyz Alatau is a large mountain system; its northern slope of the western part is located on the territory of Kazakhstan. Its highest peak is Western Alamedin peak - 4875 m. In the Kazakhstani part, the height of the mountains does not exceed 4500 m. To the west they decrease. The northern slopes are subsided and destroyed mountains. The surface of the ridge is composed of sandstones, limestones and granites of the Carboniferous period. The ridge has an uneven, strongly dissected surface. On the border with Kyrgyzstan, this range has the type of alpine relief.
The Western Tien Shan within Kazakhstan begins south of the Kyrgyz Range, beyond the Talas Valley. Here rises the chain of the Talas Alatau (in the vicinity of the city of Taraz).
The Kazakh part of the Talas Alatau - the Zhabagly mountains and the Sairam range. The Zhabagly mountains are divided into two mountain ranges: they form the Aksu-Zhabagly river basin (the height of the northern ridge is 2600-2800 m, the southern ridge is 3500 m). They are also composed of sedimentary and igneous rocks of the Paleozoic. The slopes of the mountains are dissected, bear traces of ancient glaciation, and are distinguished by the alpine type of relief.
The Tashkent mountains consist of several mountain ranges extending southwest from the Talas Alatau. These include the Sairam Mountains (the highest point is Sairam peak 4220 m), Koksu (the highest point is 3468 m), Ugam (the highest point is 3560 m), Karzhantau (2839 m), Kazykurt (1700 m). Their geological histories are similar. All of them are composed of Paleozoic limestones. The slopes of the mountains are steep, the relief is dissected. Karst phenomena are widespread.
The Karatau Ridge is located on the western outskirts of the Western Tien Shan. It extends in a northwestern direction for 400 km, its average height is 1800 m. The highest point is Mynzhylky (2176 m). To the northwest it goes down and already at the confluence of the dry channels of the Sarysu and Chu rivers, the mountain passes to a plateau. By geological structure and the relief of Karatau is similar to the Chu-Ili mountains. It settles, collapses and levels out. The northeastern and southwestern mountain ranges of the Karatau ridge are separated by intermountain valleys. If its southwestern ridge was formed from metamorphic rocks of the Proterozoic, then the northeastern ridge was formed from sandstones and shales of the Paleozoic.
The valleys located between the two ridges are composed of red clays. Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits of limestone, sandstone and clay are also widespread. The local relief was formed in a dry climate. There is no permanent surface runoff. The slopes are dissected by large and small gorges and dry riverbeds.
A large supply of minerals was found on the territory of Karatau. They are used for the production of lead, zinc at the Shymkent lead-zinc plant and for providing chemical plants in Taraz with phosphorus raw materials. Ores are mined in an open way. Karatau is a source of building materials - gypsum, cement, etc., which gives the state a big profit. The folded base of the southwestern and southern parts of the range was formed in the Paleozoic era.
The main shape of the Tien Shan relief was formed during mountain building in the Neogene and Anthropogenic periods of the Cenozoic era. The proof of this is the earthquakes occurring in the Tien Shan. The general view of the relief of the mountains is not the same. In the mountains, high peaks, ridges with intermountain valleys, hilly plains, etc. alternate. The altitudinal belt of mountains is formed in direct dependence on the geographical location and the scheme of mountain ranges.
Climate, rivers and glaciers. The climate of the Kazakhstani part of the Tien Shan mountain system is dry, unstable, formed in winter under the influence of polar, and in summer tropical air masses. It is influenced by arctic air masses and the Siberian anticyclone. The height of the mountain ranges, the diversity of the relief affects the flow of heat and moisture. Therefore, frosts often occur in the foothills of the Tien Shan in autumn and spring. In the summer months, sultry winds often blow - dry winds. The dry continental climate of the plain in the mountains is replaced by a moderately humid continental climate. Winter is long, from October to April-May, summer is much shorter.
In Kungei and Terskey Alatau, snow sometimes falls already in August and it becomes quite cold. There are often frosts even in May-June. Real summer comes only in July.
The time of the highest rainfall is May. If during this period it rains at the foot of the mountain, then snow falls on its peaks.
On the northern slopes of the Zailiysky Alatau, even in the winter months, there are often warm days. During the day the snow melts, at night the puddles are covered with ice. Such a sharp change in weather has a destructive effect on the rock.
The climate of the Western Tien Shan is influenced by the warm climatic conditions of the south of Kazakhstan. Therefore, in the mountains of the Western Tien Shan, the snow line is higher than in the east. Here, the average annual rainfall is greater - 600-800 mm. On the slopes of the mountains, the average July temperature is +20°+25°С, at the foot of the glaciers -5°С.
Many rivers flow along the spurs of the Tien Shan mountains, along the intermountain plains. The Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka, Talgar, Issyk, Chilik, Kaskelen rivers originate from the northern slopes of the Trans-Ili Alatau, and the Charyn River originates from the eastern slopes of the Tien Shan. Many of them flow into the Ili River, the flow of which replenishes the water supply of Lake Balkhash.
The Chu River originates in the Kyrgyz Alatau and, after crossing the border of Kyrgyzstan, flows through the territory of Kazakhstan.
The Arys, Boraldai, and Bogen rivers flow from the southwestern slopes of Karatau. From the northwestern slopes - some rivers that are fed by snowmelt in spring snowy waters and dry up in summer.
In the spurs of the Tien Shan, there are lakes located in depressions between the peaks of the mountains. These lakes originate from glaciers. Below, in the intermountain basins, small lakes are formed.
The peaks of the Tien Shan mountains are covered with glaciers, their especially powerful reserves are concentrated in the Chiliko-Kemin mountain junction. There are more than 380 glaciers in the Zailiysky Alatau, which occupy mountain valleys with a total area of 478 km2. They are located in the upper part of the basins, from where the rivers Chilik, Issyk, Talgar, Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinki, Aksai originate. The largest glacier is Korzhenevsky (length 12 km).
In total, there are 1009 glaciers in the Kazakh part of the Tien Shan with a total area of 857 km2. Prolonged melting of glaciers and heavy rainfall on hot summer days increase the flow of meltwater to lakes and rivers. This leads to the fact that the water overflows the banks and floods begin. They cause great harm household and pose a danger to human life.
natural areas. vegetable and animal world. The natural zones of the Tien Shan mountainous country change along the vertical zonality. These belts have developed in direct proportion to the orographic scheme of mountain ranges and geographical location. Due to the diversity of the natural environment and characteristic features of each Tien Shan mountain range, the same belts are not located vertically at the same height everywhere: in one ridge they are higher, and in the other - lower.
There are four levels of altitudinal belts in the Northern Tien Shan. If you count them from the very top, then they start from glaciers, from the alpine relief, covered with eternal snows. And in other ridges, the belts begin from a height of 2600-2800 m, in the third - above 3300 m. Here there are hilly hills surrounding bare rocks. Natural areas consist of subalpine and alpine meadows, alpine landscapes. Snow leopards, mountain goats, snowcocks, mountain eagles live in the mountains.
The next altitudinal belt is common in mountains of medium height from 1500-1600 m to 3200-3300 m. Small-leaved and coniferous forests mainly grow on the northern slopes of the mountains. The plains are covered with meadows, on the southern slopes there are signs of steppe and meadow- steppe zones.
Spruce-forest belt.
1. Schrenk spruce.
2. Aspen.
3. Rowan Tien Shan.
4. Honeysuckle.
5. Geranium straight.
6. Siberian larch.
7. Siberian fir
Forests are found only in the gorges. From animals live bears, roe deer.
The belt of low mountains is clearly visible in the Zailiyskiy Alatau. Their height is 900-1100 m above sea level. They resemble the hilly mountains of the central part of Kazakhstan. Various types of plants grow on the dark and dark chestnut soils of this territory: herbaceous, woody (pines), shrubs (meadowsweet).
The lowest altitudinal zone covers intermountain plains and foothills (they are located at an altitude of approximately 600-800 m). In these territories, there are signs of desert, semi-desert, steppe zones. Cereals, melons and horticultural crops are grown here. The meadows are used as pastures for cattle grazing.
The altitudinal belts of the Western Tien Shan are located 100-200 m higher than the Northern Tien Shan. They are affected by the arid climate of Central Asia, less moisture. Types of soil and vegetation cover change depending on the altitudinal zone. Asian and Indian plant species grow in the Aksu-Zhabagly reserve. And the animals living in the western spurs of the Tien Shan differ markedly from the inhabitants of the Northern Tien Shan. There are more Siberian, European species of animals, and in the West - animals similar to the Mediterranean, African, Himalayan species.
Reserves. In order to protect the nature of the Tien Shan, its flora and fauna, reserves and national parks were organized. Among them, a large place is occupied by the Aksu-Zhabagly and Almaty reserves, the Ile-Alatau national park.
Reserve Aksu-Zhabagly (1927) - a repository of pristine nature of the Western Tien Shan - designed to protect 1404 species of plants (among them 269 rare), 238 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 9 species of reptiles. Rare species of animals and birds live in the reserve: ground squirrels, bustards, little bustards.
In the Almaty Reserve (1961), 965 species of plants, 39 species of animals, 200 species of birds grow. The snow leopard, brown bear, deer are taken under protection.
In 1996, the surroundings of Almaty were declared the Ile-Alatau National Park. It is located on the territory of over 181.6 thousand hectares, on the northern slope of the Zailiyskiy Alatau. Important activities for the protection of nature are carried out here.
1. According to the tectonic map of Kazakhstan, determine when the processes of mountain formation took place in the Northern and Western Tien Shan. Why does the Tien Shan belong to the seismic zone?
2. Using the climate map, explain the unevenness of precipitation in the Tien Shan.
3. What is the reason for the aridity of the climate? Is it possible to form a climate characteristic of the Tien Shan in its individual parts? Why, if possible?
4. On the map, show the glaciers of the Kazakh part of the Tien Shan. Explain the patterns of their location.
5. What explains the diversity of types of altitudinal belts of the Northern and Western Tien Shan?
draw on contour map the layout of the mountain ranges of the Kazakh part of the Tien Shan.
Stunningly beautiful mountains of Tan Shan surrounded by virgin nature. ( 30 photos)
To the Jukuchak pass.
We start our journey from the shore of Issyk-Kul. The water of the lake cannot be called otherwise than crystal, it seems that all the cosmic energy accumulated by the surrounding glaciers, the power of the sun and wind, is concentrated in this giant sapphire in the silver frame of the mountains. Here is a village with an interesting name - Tamga. The name comes from a stone lying among the hills south of the lake. An inscription of the 12th century is engraved on the stone - “OM MANI PADME HUM” - in translation: “let the lotus jewel be famous”, this is an old Buddhist prayer.
Northern slope of the Terskey Ala-Too ridge. Early morning, grass wet with dew, blue geraniums in the shade of fir trees. The Silver River roars in the gorge. Clouds quickly sweep over nearby peaks. Very bright green in the dazzling white light of sunlight. The paints are begging for the canvas. The going is hard, the climb is steep. Suddenly the trees diverge - and a wide valley opens up in front of us. Ahead on the left bank are the tents of the cebans.
Very hospitable people, treat passers-by with tea, cakes with butter and other things. It is noteworthy that you can pay for help with an ordinary rope. All those who traveled Central Asia will confirm that the rope is the greatest value in these parts.
Meanwhile, clouds covered the sky, rare snowflakes appeared, gusts of cold wind flew from the glaciers. Altitude 3,400 meters, cold, numb hands and feet.
Petrov Glacier.
Ahead, all white, from the foot to the base, the Ak-Shyirak massif, in translation - White Shin. Behind you can see the tops of the mountains on the northern shore of Issyk-Kul. This majestic massif is so beautiful that it looks like a magical castle of the snow queen. Nearby is a village, there is at least some kind of civilization here. Cars are driving, and on one of the dump trucks we got to the base of the mountain miners who intended to mine gold here. We go to visit them, intending to get hold of food.
Cars are driving, and on one of the dump trucks we got to the base of the mountain miners who intended to mine gold here. We go to visit them, intending to get hold of food.
The discipline at the mine is very tough, they work on a rotational basis for ten hours a day, for 2-3 weeks, for the duration of the shift - dry law, no alcohol at all. We were pleasantly surprised by the dining room, we were fed deliciously and given on the road.
We had to climb the Petrov glacier, 15 km long, to the Jaman-Su pass (4,600 meters) and go down to cross the massif in the middle.
Walk along flat ice, lightly sprinkled with pebbles - just a pleasure! Our Tibetan bell enlivened the crystal landscape around us.
Rising higher, we see rivers cutting their way through the ice, icicles, stone mushrooms (the cap is a stone of 2-3 meters, and the base is made of ice). From blinding light dizzy.
But then the difficult part of the road began. The legs begin to sink into the crust, the excess of carbon dioxide in the blood makes them stop. The sun burns the skin. And here is the pass. Glaciers are visible from it, small lakes in funnels, steep walls and clefts, broken peaks and hanging glaciers.
All passes have some amazing property: passing them, as if you stop your whole previous life behind, and something completely new opens up before you.
Panorama of the Tien Shan.
Power lines told where to go. The ascent is gentle, at first a good road above turned out to be destroyed - washed out. Hour after hour we rise, the rain is replaced by grits. Then the grass appeared, but not for long, it was replaced by an impenetrable mound of small stones. Finally, completely exhausted, they climbed up and were more than rewarded for the torment during the ascent.
All around you can see glaciers and ribbons of rivers sliding into the valley. A golden eagle is circling overhead.
The open spaces are just incredible! Only in the mountains you can look at hundreds of kilometers at a glance! A very strong wind blows tightly, without gusts, it seems that you can lie on it.
The history of the discovery of the peaks of the Tien Shan
Impenetrable mountain ranges, always snowy, with almost steep slopes, the highest peaks, piercing their sharp peaks into the blue sky, severe glaciers and snowstorms have guarded the geographical mysteries of the Tien Shan for many centuries.
The honor of studying this mountainous country belongs to our domestic science.
The first explorer of the Tien Shan was the famous Russian geographer P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, penetrated into the very heart of the Heavenly Mountains, to the Tengri-tag massif. Following P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, this little-studied region of the country was investigated by N.A. Severtsov, I.V. Mushketov, I.V. Ignatiev and other Russian scientists who made an invaluable contribution to the study of the Tien Shan. But, not having the means to organize large expeditions and not meeting support from the tsarist government; lone explorers could not penetrate the hard-to-reach areas of this mountainous country.
The Great October Socialist Revolution radically changed the lives of the peoples of the former Tsarist Russia. In the Soviet Union, the national economy, science and culture reached their peak. From the first days Soviet power scientists of our country were provided with comprehensive state assistance, hundreds of large scientific institutions were created, large complex expeditions were organized to study many regions of our great Motherland.
Soviet people also came to the peaks of the Tien Shan. They weren't stopped stormy rivers, nor high mountain ranges- they penetrated into the realm of eternal winter and ripped off the mysterious covers from the mountain giants.
The discovery in 1943 of the peak of Pobeda, the main peak of the Tien Shan, 7439 m high, was one of the largest geographical discoveries of the last twenty years.
Victory Peak
The vast mountainous country of the Tien Shan lies in the heart of Asia. Its mountain ranges stretch from west to east for more than two and a half thousand kilometers.
The spurs of the most western ranges of the Tien Shan - Talas, Chatkal, Ferghana and Kuraminsky descend to the capital of the Uzbek SSR, the city of Tashkent. The Fergana, Chatkal and Kuraminsky ranges enclose the Ferghana Valley from the north. The eastern spurs of the Tien Shan ranges reach the western edge of the Gobi Desert.
A characteristic feature of the Tien Shan is the latitudinal elongation of both the entire mountainous region as a whole and most of its mountain ranges and ranges. In the meridional direction from north to south, the borders of the region extend only for 300-400 km, and all of it fits within 40-44 deg. northern latitude.
From the south, the Tien Shan is separated from the mountainous regions of Kun-lun and Altyn-tag, adjacent to Tibet, by the wide sandy Takla-makan desert. The Western Tien Shan is connected with the Pamirs by the Pamir-Alay mountains; The border between them is the fertile Ferghana Valley.
The high ever-snowy ridges of the Soviet Tien Shan feed many large rivers of Central Asia - Ili, Chu, Naryn (upper reaches of the Syr Darya), Ak-sai, Uzengegush, Sarydzhas, Tekes. A common feature of all the drains of the Tien Shan is that not a single drop of their water reaches the ocean, feeding the internal basins of rivers and lakes of Central Asia.
The entire mountainous region of the Tien Shan is usually divided into four parts. The Western Tien Shan includes mountain ranges and ranges located to the west of Lake Issyk-Kul. The Central Tien Shan includes the highest ranges of the mountainous region located to the south of Lake Issyk-Kul, as well as to the east of it all the ranges up to and including the Meridional. The Kungei and Zailiysky ridges, located north of Lake Issyk-Kul, rise in the Northern Tien Shan. To the north-west of the Trans-Ili Ala-tau rise. Chu-Ili mountains. Western, Central and Northern Tien Shan are located on the territory of the Soviet Union.
The Eastern Tien Shan includes all the mountain ranges located to the east of the Meridional Range and located mostly in the western provinces of the People's Republic of China.
The Western Tien Shan is a widely branched system of mountain ranges and ranges, located mainly on the territory of the Kyrgyz and partly Kazakh and Uzbek union republics. These include the Kirghiz, Talas, Chatkal, Fergana, Kuramin and a number of smaller ranges and their spurs, located on a wide area from west to east from Tashkent to Lake Issyk-Kul and from north to south, from the Ili river valley to the Fergana valley.
The ridges of the Western Tien Shan are relatively accessible and explored. In terms of mountaineering, the Kyrgyz Alatau is the most studied, on the ever-snowy peaks of which many ascents have been made. Soviet climbers also visited the peaks of the Chatkal ridge more than once;
To the north of Lake Issyk-Kul, on the territory of the Kazakh SSR, there are two mountain ranges of the Northern Tien Shan, Zaili Ala-tau and Kungei. Ala-tau, connected with the Chiliko-Kemin mountain junction into one powerful mountain system On its northern slopes, facing the valley of the Ili River, the capital of Kazakhstan, the city of Alma-Ata, is located. The part of the Trans-Ili Alatau adjacent to the capital is the most studied and mastered by climbers.
There are several climbing camps in this area, numerous peaks have been climbed, and here, mainly, the training of Central Asian climbers is concentrated.
The Central Tien Shan includes the highest mountain ranges and ranges. Here is the region of the most powerful glaciation.
South of Lake Issyk-Kul, on the territory of the Kirghiz SSR, there are two large mountain ranges of the Tien Shan - Terskey Ala-tau and Kok-shaal-tau
Terskey Ala Tau
Between them, on a vast upland, there are several smaller ridges Naryn-tau, At-bashi, Ak-shiryak, Chakyr-korum, Borkoldoy and others.
Kokshaal-tau is the southernmost and, perhaps, the least studied and mastered by climbers the Tien Shan ridge with peaks of about 6000 m (Kzyl-asker 5899 m, Dankov peak 5978 m, Alpinist peak 5782 m, etc.).
Kok Shaal tau
In terms of height, shape of peaks and inaccessibility, this entire area is of great scientific and sports interest, so it attracts the attention of researchers and climbers.
To the east of Lake Issyk-Kul is the highest and most inaccessible part of the entire Tien Shan - the Khan Tengri massif. Here is the largest (60 km) Tien Shan glacier - Southern Inylchek. In this area there are many peaks above 6000 m, the highest of them is Khan-tengri - 6995 and Pobeda peak - 7439 m, the second highest mountain peak of the Soviet Union. The northernmost the globe peaks - seven-thousanders, covered with masses of ice and snow; they naturally give rise to both the most severe conditions and particular inaccessibility. Many centuries ago, people passed by these mountains, from afar they saw a cluster of ever-snow giants, but could not get close to them. Therefore, human fantasy populated them with mysterious spirits and gave them the appropriate names. Thus, the entire mountainous region is called Tien Shan, which means "Heavenly Mountains" in Chinese, the Khan-Tengri massif has a local name Tengri-tag, translated from Uighur - "mountains of spirits", and the top of the massif acquired the name Khan- tengri - in Russian "Lord of Spirits".
Khan Tengri
The Khan Tengri massif, consisting of a series of ridges and peaks, occupies the eastern part of the Central Tien Shan and until recently has attracted the attention of scientists and climbers, promising them a lot of unknown. The peaks of its ridges are extremely numerous, but the ascents made in this massif can be counted on the fingers.
The orographic structure of the Khan Tengri massif is very peculiar. In its eastern part there is the Meridional Ridge, which crosses this part of the Central Tien Shan from north to south. From this ridge in the latitudinal direction, the highest ridges of the Tien Shan depart to the west - the Stalin ridge, Sarydzhas, Boz-kyr (Eastern Kok-shaal-tau); to the east - Northern and Halyk-tau.
The Terskey Alatau ridge departs from the Sary-Dzhas ridge to the northwest, and the Kuilyu-Tau ridge serves as a continuation of the Sary-Dzhas ridge in the west. From the Boz-kyr ridge, the Inylchek-tau ridge branches off to the west, and from it, in turn, the Kaindy-katta ridge departs.
The highest peaks of the massif are located near the Meridional Ridge and on it itself. Pobeda Peak rises in the Boz-kyr ridge, and to the north of it, in the Stalin ridge, there is Khan-tengri peak.
The Southern Inylchek Glacier flows west from the Meridional Ridge and receives tributary glaciers from the slopes of the Stalin, Sary-Dzhas, Boz-Kyr and Inylchek-Tau Ridges.
There are many forests in the Tien Shan. Alpine valleys, plateaus and mountain slopes are covered with lush grasses. Rich herds of collective farms and state farms graze on mountain pastures. The abundance of wild animals - mountain goats (tau-teke) and rams (argali) - creates favorable conditions for the wide development of hunting. In the bowels of the Tien Shan, many minerals have been explored, promising broad prospects for the development of the mining industry.
The proximity of the snowy ranges of the Tien Shan to the capitals of the Kazakh and Kirghiz Union Republics provides a wide field of activity for the development of mountaineering in them, one of the favorite sports of the brave Soviet people - this kind of school of courage. The governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan pay due attention to the development of mountain sports in the republics, mountaineering in the area of the Zailiysky Ala-tau ridge, near the city of Alma-Ata, takes second place after the Caucasus, and the mountaineers of Kyrgyzstan became famous for conducting alpiniades - mass mountaineering training trips.
In the area of the Khan Tengri massif, on an area of about 10,000 sq. km concentrated the highest peaks, the largest glaciers of the Tien Shan. Deep valleys separate the ranges. Their powerful glaciation is often associated with common firn pools.
The inaccessibility of the Khan Tengri region delayed its exploration for a long time. People did not go deep into this kingdom of eternal winter and told fairy tales and legends about the mysterious country of Tengri-tag.
Only in 1856-1857. the great Russian geographer P. Semenov managed to lift the veil of mystery that covered this part of the Tien Shan. He was the first explorer who managed to see Tengri-tag and step onto its glacier. The remarkable description of his journey to the Tien Shan, compiled by him, still serves as an example of the work of scientific thought and strikes with clarity and breadth of observations and conclusions.
Unfortunately, P.P. Semenov did not go into the depths of the Khan-Tengri massif, and this area, until very recently, kept many mysteries. P.P. Semenov visited the Tien Shan only twice, but in the course of his further activity he sent many Russian scientists there who continued his work. In 1886, I. V. Ignatiev visited the Tien Shan with the special purpose of penetrating the Khan Tengri massif. In addition to the Semenov and Mushketov glaciers, flowing north from the Sarydzhas ridge, I. V. Ignatiev was in the Inylchek valley, but did not reach the huge glacier lying in this valley. Without special equipment, he could not overcome the stone cover of his twenty-kilometer surface moraine. Other researchers of the Tien Shan were also scared away by its impregnability for a long time. The fame of the entire massif, especially the peak of Khan-tengri, attracted several foreign scientists and climbers to it, but they also failed to unravel its secrets. So, in 1899, the Hungarian zoologist Almashy went to the Sary-dzhas valley, but he failed to unravel the most complex orography of the Khan-Tengri massif. AT next year Swiss guides appeared with the Italian climber Borghese, but they also failed to climb the Inylchek glacier, which seemed impassable to them.
In 1902, a well-known explorer of the Altai and Tien Shan mountains, professor of botany VV Sapozhnikov, visited this area. He did not limit himself to work in his specialty, but, according to the tradition of famous Russian travelers; covered a very wide area of research, made measurements of many peaks of the Khan-Tengri massif, climbed glaciers and passes.
He determined the height of the Khan-Tengri peak at 6950 m, having reduced its actual height by only 45 m, and did this much more accurately than many previous and subsequent researchers.
V. the same time, in 1902-1903. The Khan-Tengri massif was visited by the German geographer and climber Merzbacher. He managed to make several ascents to secondary peaks and even climbed the South Inylchek glacier to the foot of the Khan-tengri peak, the height of which he determined to be 7200 m. This scientist took panoramas and made descriptions of the places he really visited. But, unfortunately, he put some of his hypotheses and assumptions, later refuted by reality, on a par with the facts. This caused great confusion in the orography of the Tien Shan, which had to be sorted out and put in final order by Soviet scientists and climbers.
To solve many mysteries of the Tien Shan, Soviet scientists and climbers penetrated deep into the Khantengri massif and overcame all its difficulties and dangers. Merzbacher justified his failures by saying that "the high peaks of the Tien Shan are not the right place to satisfy the love of mountaineering." Soviet climbers managed to prove that they do not single out love for mountaineering as something self-sufficient, but always subordinate it to the main tasks set before the development of the Soviet physical culture movement. Very often they put their mountaineering activities at the service of scientific research goals. And if we talk about the love of sports, about the satisfaction that athletes get from mountaineering, or about what attracts them to high and harsh mountains, then Soviet climbers have their own measure for this. They get the more satisfaction, the more difficult the ascent was, the higher and more inaccessible the peak was, the more was collected interesting information for scientists, the more obstacles were met and overcome, the more united and stronger the team was, p. who share the joy of victory.
A lot of work on the study of the Tien Shan was carried out by Soviet scientists and climbers in a very short period. In 1929, the map of the Tien Shan was still full of white spots, which were to be filled by subsequent expeditions, specially trained and equipped to work on glaciers and peaks.
Soviet climbers came to the Tien Shan together with scientists and entered its unexplored areas not only for sporting purposes. They solved scientific research problems, unraveled the complex orography of the region, studied glaciation, and compiled maps.
M. T. Pogrebetsky, now an honored master of sports in mountaineering, headed the organization of the Ukrainian expedition to the Tien Shan, which worked in the Tengri-tag region for a number of years - from 1929 to 1933. At first it was a mountaineering sports group. Later, it grew into a complex Ukrainian government expedition, which did a great job of topographic survey; geological exploration and geographical study Khan Tengri massif.
Pogrebetsky set the main sporting goal of his climbing group ascent to Khan Tengri Peak. After two years of work on Inylchek, detailed reconnaissance of approaches and study of the route, on September 11, 1931, the Lord of Spirits was defeated. Soviet climbers climbed to its summit, dispelling the myth of the inaccessibility of Khan Tengri and conquering the first seven thousandth peak. Soviet Union Pogrebetsky's group made this wonderful ascent along the route laid out from the South Inylchek glacier.
In 1929-1930. on the other side of the Stalin Ridge, from the Northern Inylchek glacier, Khan Tengri was stormed by Moscow climbers V. F. Gusev, N. N. Mikhailov and I. I. Mysovsky. They were the first to lead horses to the South Inylchek glacier. However, in 1929 they were stopped by Lake Merzbacher, which separates the tongue of the Northern Inylchek Glacier from the Southern Inylchek Glacier, and they decided to change their route. In 1930, they found a pass in the Sary-dzhas ridge (the pass of the Soviet press) and went through it to the Northern Inylchek glacier, explored it and explored the approaches to Khan-tengri. The following year, a group of G.P. Sukhodolsky went to the Northern Inylchek glacier through Lake Merzbacher, using a rubber inflatable boat, and along its rocky shores. The group climbed the slopes of Khan Tengri from the north to a height of about 6,000 m, but retreated, making sure that there was no way to the top from this side. Having completed the task of reconnaissance, she went downstairs.
Inylchek
In 1932, the work of Pogrebetsky's expedition to Tengri-tag continued. At the same time, a climbing group of the Moscow House of Scientists headed by Professor A. A. Letavet appeared for the first time on the Tien Shan. This small group, consisting of only 4 people, visited the sources of one of the main water arteries of Central Asia - the Syr Darya River, climbed Sary-Tor (5100 m) - the main peak of the Ak-shiryak ridge, then went south, to the sources Dzhangart river. Here Letavet and his companions saw large glaciers and groups of high and difficult peaks of the Kok-shaaltau ridge. From here, by another pass, through the Terskey Ala-tau ridge, they returned to Przhevalsk, then crossed the northern Tien Shan ridges Kungei Ala-tau and Zailiyskiy Ala-tau and ended their route in the city of Alma-Ata.
Thus, the group crossed the entire high-mountainous Tien Shan from south to north and, with this kind of intelligence, determined several of its routes for the future.
In the next two years, a group of A. A. Letavet visited the sources of the Uzengegush River, in the middle part of the Kokshaal-tau ridge. On the way to this most southern and most remote ridge of the Tien Shan, climbers climbed one of the peaks of the Borkoldoy ridge, near the junction of it with the Chakyr-Korum ridge.
They penetrated this area by going to the headwaters of the Jagololamai River, and found there a kind of mountaineering reserve - a group of glaciers and peaks up to 4500 m (5200) high. -korum; the earth here seemed to bristle with an endless number of needles and thorns "
"Dry fog" - the dust of the Takla-makan desert - hung over the mountains and made it impossible to inspect the peaks of the Kok-shaal-tau ridge from afar, and the group of A. A. Letavet moved further to the Kubergenty pass. From this pass, the sources of the Uzengegush and Ak-sai rivers were visible, collecting their waters from the glaciers of the northern slopes of the Kokshaal-tau ridge, which rises here with peaks close to 6,000 m in height. Having examined this part of the ridge, the climbers mapped a number of glaciers and peaks, gave names to the nameless peaks Kyzyl-asker (Krasnoarmeyets, 5,899 m), Dzholdash (Tovarishch, 5,782 m) and named the large glaciers of the sources of Uzengegush in honor of Soviet geographers S. G. Grigorieva and N. N. Palgova.
In 1934, the Letavet expedition again headed to the Kok-shaal-tau ridge, to the Kyzyl-asker peak, and also somewhat east of it to the place where the Uzengegush river broke through the ridge. The composition of the expedition was replenished by young climbers I. E. Maron and L. P. Mashkov.
The group made an attempt to climb the Kyzylasker peak. In two days, climbers passed the glacier and climbed the slopes of this majestic peak to a considerable height. However, deep loose snow and the onset of bad weather delayed the ascent, and on the third day, the group descended into the valley, heading east, down the Uzengegush River, to the sources of its right tributary, the Chon-tura-su River. A glacier named after N. L. Korzhenevsky was examined here. In the middle of the glacier, the group discovered an isolated peak with a height of about 5,000 m and named it Alpinist. Having climbed one observation peak with a height of 4,900 m, Professor Letavet finished his work. A two-day snowfall covered everything around with deep snow, so we had to leave this little explored area, which still has many mysteries and awaits a well-equipped climbing expedition prepared for difficult sport climbs.
In 1936, A. A. Letavet paved the route of his next expedition to the main peak of the Terskey Ala-tau ridge - the Karakol peak (5250 m) and to the Kuilyu-tau ridge. This year, the group of expedition members was replenished with V. S. Klimenkov and V. A. Kargin.
The Kuilyu-tau ridge remained little explored until 1936. Its snowy peaks were clearly visible from all the surrounding ridges and passes, but none of the explorers has yet entered the depths of the Kuilyu-tau massif except for Professor V.V.
The Hungarian traveler Almashy, who also observed this ridge only from a distance, expressed an unlikely, but intriguing assumption for scientists and climbers, that the main peak of Kuilyu-tau is only slightly inferior in height to Khan-tengri. Exploration of this ridge was, therefore, the main goal of the expedition. The Karakol peak was of great sporting interest. It attracted climbers with its height, steep icy slopes, sharp ridge and trapezoid-shaped peak.
This peak is located in the depths of the gorge of the Karakolka River, only 40 km from the city of Przhevalsk. Approaching its foot, climbers overcame the ice wall for two days and reached a long summit ridge, reaching almost 5000 m in the lowest eastern part of the peak. height.
On the south side of the summit ridge, one could see the Kuilyu-tau ridge and a glacier covered with a dense network of cracks with the Kuilyu River flowing from under its tongue. Pointed peaks of Kuilyu-tau, half-covered. clouds approaching from the west, looked impregnable, and the climbers tried in vain to determine the gorge along which they could approach them. It was obvious that the Kuilu glacier in the western part of the range could not serve as a way to the main peak, and the "keys to the door" should be sought in the east.
For the purpose of further reconnaissance, the Letavet expedition passed Terskey Ala-tau through the Chon-ashu pass to the Ottuk valley and, further, through the Tornu pass to the Kuilyu river valley. From the Tornu pass, the peaks of Kuilu are comparatively; far away, but they were obscured by overcast clouds.
From the beginning of the Sary-Jas gorge, the expedition turned into the gorge of the Malaya Taldy-su River and settled in a clearing near the tongue of the glacier of the same name. On the second day, Letavet's group passed the entire Small Taldy-su glacier and found an accessible pass in its upper reaches leading to one of the glaciers of the Terekta river system. Near the glacier, there was not a single prominent peak that could be mistaken for the lava peak of the ridge. Disappointed climbers, returning to the camp, decided to change the further exploration plan in such a way as to exclude the descent to the Sary-Jas valley and the long ascent to the neighboring gorge. This could be done by crossing the spur separating the gorges of the B. Taldy-su and M. Taldy-su rivers, and send the horses as a guide around, towards. And so, the next day, the climbers achieved their goal. The brilliant completion of exploration replaced all doubts and disappointment. Letavet himself speaks well about this: “We decided to try to find a passage directly to the upper reaches of the Bolshaya Taldy-su River, directly to the glaciers that feed it.
Sarah Jazz
Having climbed the right (eastern) branch of the Small Taldy-su glacier and crossed the rocky ridge, towering over the cirque of the glacier, we really ended up at the pass point of the ridge separating the gorge of Malaya and Bolshaya Taldy-su. Below, under our feet, lay the Bolshaya Taldy-su glacier, and right in front of us rose a powerful trapezoid peak sparkling with ice, rising about a mile and a half sheer wall above the glacier. However, this peak could hardly be the one we were looking for. Its contours did not correspond to the descriptions of travelers who observed the summit from the upper reaches of the Sary-jas.
We quickly descended along the steep rocky slope to the Bolshaya Taldy-su glacier in order to immediately begin the ascent to the saddle visible in its upper reaches. The last section before the saddle is very steep. Holding back the excitement, we quickly force it. An involuntary exclamation of amazement breaks out of ours and right in front of us in the rays of the evening sun sparkles, amazing in its beauty, a slender peak. With a two-kilometer wall, it rises above the glacier and is almost not connected with the surrounding mountain system. Climbing it should present exceptional difficulties. The peak is very close - we are separated only by a narrow circus of a glacier flowing south and obviously belonging to the Terekta river system. It is quite obvious that this, finally, is the same peak, in search of which we went to the heart of the Kuilyu ridge. But it is also obvious that its height can hardly exceed 5,500 m above sea level. Evening creeps up unnoticed. We set up our tent on the snowy platform of the saddle. Despite the severe frost, we do not fasten the tent for a long time and we all admire the peak in the light of the moon, it is even more beautiful. Indeed, this is one of the most beautiful peaks I have ever seen. We decide to give the peak the name of the peak of the Stalinist Constitution. The massive ice peak we saw from the pass is named in memory of the then deceased president of the USSR Academy of Sciences - Alexander Petrovich Karpinsky.
The group did not attempt to climb the newly discovered peaks due to the obvious difficulty of the route, the need to select a much stronger climbing team and better equipment. The discovery in 1943 of the peak of Pobeda, the main peak of the Tien Shan, 7439 m high, was one of the largest geographical discoveries of the last twenty years.
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The great "Heavenly Mountains", the legendary Tien Shan, has long excited the mind and imagination of many inquisitive Europeans. Shrouded in a cloud of myths and legends, it resisted researchers for a very long time. Enigmatic and hard to reach, even now he has not revealed all his secrets. Even in our time, when transport and tourism technologies have reached an unprecedented level, not everyone is able to enjoy its beauties due to the remoteness and rather harsh climate.
Tien Shan is one of the highest mountain systems of the planet, located in Central Asia. Most of the Tien Shan is located on the territory of Kyrgyzstan and China, but there are some branches within other states - in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are southwestern, and its northern and remote western territories lie in Kazakhstan. The Tien Shan range has a branched appearance and consists of such orthographic regions as Northern, Western, Central, Inner and Eastern, each of which, in turn, is composed of mountain ranges.
All ranges are separated from each other by intermountain basins with picturesque valleys and lakes. Basically, the ridges of the mountain system are located from west to east, with the exception of the meridional. The total latitudinal extent of the Tien Shan exceeds two and a half thousand kilometers, and along the meridian no more than four hundred kilometers.
The predominant height of the Tien Shan Mountains is about four to five thousand meters, but there are many mountains that have a height of more than six thousand meters. The peaks of the Tien Shan have a height that they cannot boast of Mountain peaks Europe and Africa. highest point in the mountain system - Pobeda Peak, which is located near the border of China and Kyrgyzstan - reaches 7439 meters above sea level and is the northernmost peak with a height exceeding seven thousand meters.
The second highest mountain in this region is the "Lord of Heaven" - the peak of Khan-Tegri with a height of 6995 meters. These peaks are extremely popular with climbers around the world. The Tien Shan coordinates according to the reference book are 42 and 1 north latitude and 80 and 7 east longitudes. This, of course, is a conditional point on the maps that defines a certain center of this vast mountainous region near the border of Kyrgyzstan with China, and not at all the peak of the Tien Shan. If we talk about what the height of the Tien Shan mountain is, then most often it means the average or predominant height of the mountain system, or the height of one of its famous peaks.
According to its characteristics, the climate of the foothills is sharply continental - very hot and dry summers, severe winters. In the mountains at medium altitude, the climate is more temperate. Annual and especially daily temperature amplitudes are very large and difficult to tolerate by Europeans. 
Humidity is extremely low and the weather is usually sunny. Most of the clouds, and hence the precipitation caused by them, are concentrated in high mountain regions. Most of them fall on the western slopes of the mountains, since they are formed from moisture-saturated air masses that came from Atlantic Ocean. And although the main share of precipitation falls during the warm period, they are not uncommon on the western slopes in winter. For the same reason, on the western slopes, as well as in the basins open to west wind, winters are snowy, but the eastern slopes and closed valleys are often completely devoid of snow cover. Therefore, the valleys of the Inner and Central Tien Shan are successfully used by residents as convenient winter pastures for livestock. The snow line in the mountains is at a considerable height, due to the exceptionally high dryness of the air. Due to the significant accumulation of ice and snow, these areas are prone to avalanches, especially with the onset of the warm season.
In general, the climate of the Tien Shan is influenced by many different factors - relief, altitudinal zonality, in some places, large alpine lakes, which significantly increase the winter air temperature, have a significant impact.
Due to the harsh climate in winter, there are few visitors to Tien Shan, the main time for traveling in this region is from April to November.
Geographic features
The main feature of this mountain range is rocky mountain ranges, between which there are vast basins. These are the most high mountains of those belonging to the Alpine folding and their seismic activity has not yet stopped, and rather significant earthquakes that occur from time to time, for example, the 1966 earthquake in Tashkent, indicate that their formation continues. To date, 30-40 minor seismic events are recorded per year. 
The mountain ranges are formed by volcanic rocks with admixtures of sedimentary ones, and the basins are formed by sedimentary ones.
In the high-mountain part of the Tien Shan ridges, for the most part, they have sharp, clear ridges with sharp peaks, typical of the so-called alpine glacial relief, but plateaus, traces of ancient leveling, are also quite common. They have a slight slope to one side and are located mainly on the territory of the Inner and Central Tien Shan, but in the Northern they are less common. Often these plateaus are covered with dense vegetation and serve as pastures for the inhabitants.
Mountain slopes are constantly eroded, landslides and rockfalls are not uncommon, and many river valleys are characterized by mudflow activity and are dangerous in the rainy season.
Glaciation
The total area of glaciation in the Tien Shan mountains is more than 7300 square kilometers, and the number of glaciers exceeds 7700. The Central Tien Shan is affected by the greatest glaciation, here is Inylchek - the most significant glacier of the mountain system, its length is about 60 kilometers. This is not the only major glacier.
Also known are the Petrov glacier, which belongs to the Akshiyrak massif, and large glaciers are located on the ridges of the Kakshaal-Too chain. The Terskey-Ala-Too ridge is characterized by flat-top glaciers, which are located on inclined planes high in the mountains in the form of small shields.
In many regions of the mountainous Tien Shan, especially in the Inner and Central, traces of ancient glaciation can be seen. It is assumed that the Tien Shan was subject to glaciation twice, while for the first time it was completely covered by glaciers descending to the very foot of the mountains, which, however, were much higher in those days. The second glaciation, although superior to the modern one, was much weaker than the first.
In our time, in the Tien Shan, there are cirque-type glaciers, as well as valley and hanging glaciers, which pose a great danger to climbers. And although the formation of glaciers does not stop, over the past decades, the area of Tien Shan glaciers has decreased and continues to decrease.
Water system of Tien Shan
Rivers begin in glaciers and do not flow into the sea - that's main feature water system of this mountainous area. Some of the rivers flow into internal lakes, many end in the deserts of Central and Central Asia, there are also rivers with "dry deltas". These are rivers, the waters of which were taken apart for irrigation purposes or simply seeped into the rock.
The rivers of the Tien Shan are fed from glaciers, but there are also those that are filled with melt and rainwater, small rivers that originate in the middle mountains are fed by groundwater.
Rivers here serve not only to irrigate arid valleys. Thanks to an extensive irrigation system, there are many oases, including, for example, Fergana, Tashkent, Talas, Chui and others. Many rivers, thanks to their fast current good for generating electricity. On the Naryn, the largest in the Western Tien Shan, there is a cascade of hydroelectric power stations, there are hydroelectric power stations on other rivers.
Tien Shan is a country of lakes. The largest lake, Issyk-Kul, is extremely picturesque and formed in a tectonic depression; its greatest depth exceeds 668 meters. This lake never freezes in winter and undoubtedly has a significant impact on the climate of its area. Like other drainless lakes, it has a low salinity - a little more than five ppm. It did not have time to salinize more strongly because of its relatively recent formation and the colossal volume of water contained in it. Thanks to the extraordinary picturesqueness and favorable environmental situation the lake has become one of the most visited tourist places in Kyrgyzstan and is available for visiting all summer.
Other high-altitude lakes, for example, Chatyrkel and Sonkel, located at an altitude of more than three thousand meters, are ice-bound for almost the entire year. There are many small lakes on the varietal (pasture) plains in the upper reaches of the Naryn River and in other areas.
Lake Tianchi in the Eastern Tien Shan is located in China and translates as "Heavenly Lake", as well as many other attractions in China. The crescent shape and the mountain slopes covered with forests and flowers make it very picturesque. There are many things associated with this lake. legends about immortality. Also, some believe that primitive monsters have survived and live to this day in its deep waters.
Flora and fauna of Tien Shan
It is worth noting that the main feature of the nature of the Tien Shan is its arrangement in accordance with the laws altitudinal zoning, therefore, it is difficult to talk about the nature of this mountainous area as something unified - it is different everywhere and changes with increasing altitude, just like climatic zones.
The plains bordering the mountains are clayey deserts. In the foothills they are replaced by semi-deserts and desert-type steppes. Here, respectively, you can meet representatives of the steppe and desert fauna - jerboas, topai hares, gazelles, ground squirrels and gerbils, various lizards and snakes. Of the birds, bustards and larks, partridges, and various representatives of birds of prey are common.
Then cereals and bulbous grasses are replaced by shrubs and forests. Deciduous forests are interspersed with thickets of shrubs, among which rose gardens are not uncommon - dense thickets of wild rose.
Numerous pastures are located in the mountain-steppe and mountain-meadow zones.
Well-known forest animals such as wolves, bears, wild boars, foxes live in the forests. Lynx and roe deer live in coniferous forests. Many birds inhabit the forests, the most typical representatives are the crossbill, nutcracker, juniper grosbeak.
AT climate zone marmots, voles, larks, argali sheep and Tien Shan bear, mountain goat and snow leopard are common in alpine meadows. Lush vegetation, real alpine forbs, allows you to allocate areas for pastures.
The lakes are inhabited by fish of local species, some of which are of commercial importance (carp, chebak), and waterfowl nest on the slopes around them - swans, geese, ducks.
The nature of the Tien Shan is very rich and diverse. Since the climate of all slopes and valleys has differences, both the plants growing there and the animals are striking in diversity. During spring flowering, the steppe and desert become extraordinarily picturesque.
mountain tourism
The mountainous country of Tien Shan is of great interest to lovers of mountain tourism. There are many routes developed here for both beginners and experienced climbers. In addition to the repeatedly passed and well-known routes, there are completely new, unexplored, fraught with mysteries and adventures. In addition, everyone can choose a route in accordance with their climatic preferences: snowy peaks, glaciers, rocks, mountain rivers and lakes, an abundance of waterfalls, beautiful views are an inexhaustible source of new experiences.
Sanatoriums and resorts were founded on the shores of large mountain lakes. For lovers of skiing, ski slopes are arranged on the territory of comfortable ski resorts. The most "inhabited" and visited part of the mountain range is the Northern Tien Shan, due to the proximity of cities and developed tourist infrastructure. The Western Tien Shan is extremely convenient for all types of travel, because it is located simultaneously on the lands of three countries - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, there are many access roads to tourist routes, mountain recreation centers have been built, there is an extensive network of roads.
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In the summer, the combined team of the MAI Tourist Club and the State Customs Committee “Citadel” (Brest) visited the mountains of the eastern part of the Central Tien Shan. Despite the fact that not all of the initial plans were realized, the campaign was a success. We got acquainted and fully imbued the area, passed several beautiful passes and climbed three highest peaks Tien Shan. See below for a photo report of our trip.
I'll tell you a little about what we wanted and what happened to go through. The acclimatization stage went according to plan. It included the passage of two survey passes of the Seven Muscovites (1B, 4130) and Chontash (2B, 4570) and the first ascent to the summit of Explorers of the Tien Shan (4490). Then, having reached the South Inylchek glacier, we climbed up it and through the Komsomolets glacier climbed out to the Schmidt Plateau pass (3B, 5270), which had not been visited for a long time. From its saddle we passed the traverse of the untrodden peak 5650 and, ahead of schedule, descended through the Proletarsky tourist glacier to MAL on South Inylchek.
At the next stage, we planned to pass three high-altitude traverses. But due to problems with my back and the paramount desire of the team to climb the seven-thousanders, they refused to continue the planned route. Later we switched to separate ascents in the upper reaches of the Southern Inylchek, sometimes for convenience dividing into subgroups. As a result, through the Razorvanny glacier we climbed the Eastern Saddle of Khan-Tengri (5800 m) and made an attempt to climb into. Tent Western (6511), climbed Khan-Tengri (7010) and Pobeda (7439), climbed the western peak of the peak of Military Topographers (6815).
The way from the base camp to the Semenovsky glacier takes 2.5 - 3 hours. The tents of the first camp are not located directly at the confluence with the South Inylchek, but a little lower, hiding from large avalanches from Khan Tengri and Chapaev Peak behind a rocky spur.
Feeling some euphoria from going on the route, we got carried away and talked until late in the evening. The degree in the blood also interfered with sleep. As a result, we passed out at ten, and at midnight got up for the early passage of a narrow and dangerous section between the peaks of Chapaev and Khan-Tengri, popularly called the bottle.
Evening snow covered all traces. The ascent began almost in the dark. The flashlight snatched out only 50 meters of the glacier in front of my feet. We went straight up, focusing on the silhouettes of large mountains. I was on Khan Tengri 8 years ago, but now everything has changed. Instead of deep snow - firn, powdered with snow. Yes, and we went down for the most part along the opposite side.
Before the beginning of the dangerous place we were overtaken by a bunch. One of the men in its composition was on Khan last year and in general terms he imagined where the standard ascent path passes.
The surrounding landscape brightened, and the mountains woke up.
On the way to the neck of the bottle from the Chapaev Peak, an avalanche began, which went lower, but kept us in suspense and covered us with snow dust.
A little higher we saw a tent with a crazy man who decided to put it in such a place.
Tent - dot in the center of the frame
Someone is coming down
Camp 5300 is located a little above the icefall of the Semenovsky glacier. Considering yesterday's gatherings, we could not deny ourselves the desire to boil tea there and take a nap for an hour.
The upper reaches of the Southern Inylchek and the peak of the Military Topographers (6873)
The rest cheered us up a little and we climbed relatively fresh into the bergschrund under the Western Saddle of Khan-Tengri. Here, at an altitude of 5800, the tents of the assault camp are located. The further route along the western ridge of Khan-Tengri is almost entirely fixed with stationary railings. There are also small sites for spending the night at 6350 (for one tent), 6400 (for two tents), at 6600 (for 1 tent), near the summit.
Compared to 2009, now most of the tents at 5800 are located in a wide covered berg under the saddle, and caves are being torn off there. There's less wind and it's safer. 8 years ago, from the saddle to the north, almost from under our feet, a giant cornice flew off, breaking off right along the path with poles.
A simple ascent to Khan Tengri could not give normal acclimatization. Therefore, we decided to climb with bivouac equipment to 6400, set up a tent, go to the top, and then descend and spend the night. Maybe in terms of load, such a plan was not quite ideal, since it would be more wise to spend the night at 6400 first, and then climb the mountain the next day. But we were afraid of the worsening weather that the forecast promised. We decided to make the most of our first outing.
We packed the camp and at about 3 o'clock in the morning we went up from 5800 m. I was lucky at the start to slip through a group of foreign climbers, and Misha stood behind them and later bypassed them one by one. On the way to 6400 I overtook a few people, whom I didn’t see more on the way to the top and on the descent, they probably turned back.
In 3 hours I climbed to the site at 6400, where one tent was already standing. The weather was nasty, visibility was limited, and a gusty wind was blowing. Therefore, I did not dare to set up our tent alone and started leveling and completing the site. Together with Misha, who soon came up, we set up and stretched out a tent, in which we left our belongings and equipment.
It must be said that climbing Khan-Tengri along the classic route from the Western Saddle is not quite sporty. The almost continuous thread of the railing allows you to climb and descend from the top in almost any weather. Modern equipment reliably protects even from strong winds, and the lack of visibility deprives you of pleasure, but does not interfere with the ascent. So we, of course, remembering the “cold - wind” from Vladimir Stetsenko, decided that there was no reason not to go upstairs.
If up to 6400 even with a backpack I felt quite fresh, then continuing the ascent already light, I noticed that the pace had dropped. Misha, on the contrary, added and went a couple of pitches ahead. I tried to find motivation to climb to the top, where I had already been before, along a fixed route and in the absence of visibility. I persuaded myself to continue climbing for the sake of further acclimatization. In front of the “trough” I caught up with Misha, who ran into a line on the railing.
We clearly lacked acclimatization, as the previous summit was a traverse of the Baglynka peak (5650) with an overnight stay at 5300. I looked at the people in front, going noticeably slower and still resisting and continuing to move up. And I understood that if they endure, then I can endure a little.
We went to the top together with the people of Alma-Ata. The ascent from 6400 took about 5 hours. Physically and psychologically, he was given hard. After a couple of weeks, we went to Pobeda easier and with much more pleasure. I dragged a heavy DSLR upstairs for nothing, taking only a couple of shots. We never saw the northern Inylchek behind the clouds.
Misha on top
We went down to the tent at 6400, where we had lunch and settled down to rest. The forecast was predicted to be negative, but we did not deny ourselves a high overnight stay.
We woke up at one in the morning and hurried down. Having passed the bottle before sunrise, at 5 am we were at South Inylchek.
On the left is Pogrebetsky Peak (6527)
Meanwhile, our main team climbed the East Saddle of Khan-Tengri through the icefall of the Razorvanny glacier. And having made an attempt to climb the Western Tent, in bad weather, she was forced to turn around and go down to the camp on the saddle. And there was no time left for a second attempt, as the deadline for our meeting in MAL was running out.
Vazha Pshavela (6918) and Nehru (6742)
Khan Tengri (6995)
Having reunited with the team, they began to jointly build further plans. It became clear that we no longer had time to continue the originally planned route and in the end go to Pobeda. As a result, we decided that it would be easier and more interesting to go to individual peaks. In addition, at that moment there was still hope for a possible traverse of the Victory.
The guys who were not on Khan decided to go there. And Misha and I were joined by Vanya, already a former snow leopard, and we planned a walk to the upper reaches of the Zvezdochka glacier.
Here, in the Inylchek region, the main focus is on Khan Tengri. This year, more than a hundred people climbed from the south alone. Another part of the people is trying to climb the Pobeda Peak. The rest of the interesting and easily accessible peaks, which have a not so attractive height, are deprived of attention. Climbers visited many six-thousanders of the Meridional Ridge 1-2 times. In the area of the glaciers Komsomolets, Shokalsky, Putevodny and other glaciers there are a lot of untrodden five-thousanders. The third highest peak of the Tien Shan - the peak of the Military Topographers (6873 m) is climbed extremely rarely, 1-2 groups in 5 years.
Since we didn’t have any descriptions, we decided with our subgroup to go up to the upper reaches of the Zvezdochka and already there decide what to do next. They planned to choose between Military Topographers and Eastern Victory, depending on what they saw.
The path to the upper reaches of the Zvezdochka leads along a marked path to the icefall at the turn of the glacier. Then it passes by the first camp of Pobeda under the pedestal of the Abalakov route and further up under the walls of Eastern Pobeda.
Abalakov's route goes from left to right
In the center of the frame, the western peak of the peak of the Military Topographers
There are many lakes in the central part of Zvezdochka. The glacier is broken not strongly. A small icefall opposite the spur of Shipilov Peak goes along the right side of the glacier. In order not to fall through, after dinner, we put on snowshoes and went further in them.
Western Summit of Military Topographers Peak (6815)
Avalanche from the Victory balcony. To the right is Zhuravlev's route
The rocky walls of the Eastern Victory impress with their steepness and scale. The sun practically does not illuminate them. Of the four routes laid here, none is repeated.
About 4 kilometers did not reach the Chonteren pass, located between the Eastern Victory and the Military Topographers the day before. In the morning Misha complained of being unwell. Probably not fully recovered after Khan Tengri, and yesterday at 9 o'clock was not easy. We approached the pass take-off, but did not rise higher. Since they considered that the rest will be much more productive below.
The next day, the condition and mood is excellent. Chonteren climbed almost on foot, hanging 50 meters of railings at the top of the takeoff. From the Chinese side, too, there are no big difficulties. Therefore, the tourist category of the pass 3B is very conditional.
Shipilov Peak (6201)
The advantage of the route to the summit of Eastern Pobeda (6762 m) is that from the saddle of the pass (5500 m) it is light and with the current state of snow it takes a day. We, having a certain margin of time, decide to go to the peak of the Military Topographers located further.
Behind the crest to Eastern Pobeda
A narrow cornice ridge goes straight from the pass in the direction of the peak of the Military Topographers. Walk along it in a bundle small group pure pleasure.
Above the ridge expands, turning into a snowy slope, which leads to a small plateau. On the edge of the plateau there is a group of picturesque ice seracs. Vanya dubbed them Julie's, since in Anatoly's reports he often saw similar landforms. Large pieces of ice break off the edge of the plateau and gradually slide into the abyss. While dinner was being prepared, we had time to walk and climb a little.
Array of Victory
Walls of Military Topographers Peak
Between the seracs is Pobeda Peak
The camp was set up at an altitude of 6050 under the slopes leading to the western ridge of the Military Topographers. While the guys were setting up the tent, I managed to trail up and take some pictures of the mountain. The entire path of the traverse of Valery Khrishchaty's team from Pobeda to Khan opened up before my eyes.
Peaks of the legendary traverse in one panorama
Panorama from Pobeda to Khan
The plans to traverse the summit that had arisen were postponed until future trips, since Misha, motivating the decision by the preservation of strength for the Victory, refused to accompany us on the ascent.
In the morning, new adventures awaited us. About 5 o'clock shook a couple of times. As it turned out later, these were the echoes of a seven-magnitude Chinese earthquake. Where there was a small bergschrund the day before, a 3-meter ice wall appeared. Our entire plateau sank, deep ice funnels formed on the slope. There have been landslides here and there. As the guys from our second subgroup, who were descending from Khan at that moment, later said, avalanches descended from Chapaev and Khan Tengri at the same time, a cloud of dust flew to Inylchek. And just a few minutes before that, they managed to leave the Semenovsky glacier around the corner.
During the evening reconnaissance, the first rock gendarme of the western ridge of the Military Topographers seemed rather difficult. For its passage it would be necessary to hang a railing. Therefore, we decided to climb the ridge in a new way, leaving already above the gendarme.
South view
The amount of snow on the slopes was decent. Sometimes there were spots of crust, but mostly we had to trail and not forget about the avalanche danger. It went hard. Initially, having taken with them an additional rope and some kind of rock equipment, they left it all on the shelf. Because we realized that if we encounter serious technical difficulties, then in the current state we will not make it to the top. And everything that is easier, we will climb in a bunch.
The upper reaches of the South Inylchek
From the place of exit to the ridge under the rocky rise to the second gendarme there is a long section with cornices. We were more embarrassed not by them, but by the real chances to leave with an avalanche on the sheer cliffs of the Chinese side. At some point, they even tied up the entire length of the rope in order to be able to alternately release each other and tuck it behind protruding stones.
The weather didn't help the climb, but it didn't make us turn around either. Hoods and windproof masks saved from the gusty wind. Having passed the cornices, we approached the rocky gendarme. The lower part was climbed. I climbed higher, tensing a little in the fireplace, and threw off the rope to Vanya.
Above the gendarme, the crest expands and becomes simple. But the wind and deep snow made it difficult to go. We climbed to the Western summit of the Military Topographers (6815 m) in the absence of visibility. In the tour, they found a note from Kirikov-Oleynik-Parshin dated 2005, who, in turn, removed the note from Sergey Lavrov from 1999.
According to the navigator, there were still 400 meters and 60 in height to the Main Peak, but there were no thoughts of going there without visibility.
Cleared up on the descent
We went down to camp 6050, where Misha met us with an awesome borscht, by 18:30 in the evening.
In the morning, we got up early, went down to Zvezdochka and ran to the base camp, where we were already met by the guys who had successfully climbed Khan Tengri.
In the evening, an Iranian woman came to talk to us, which the guys actually saved on the Khan. According to stories, during an overnight stay at 6400, at 8 pm, she went down to the ledge to their tents and remained seated. The girl no longer had the strength to continue the descent. Initially, she refused the invitation to go into the tent, as well as the offer of tea. But in the end, they put her in a sleeping bag, warmed her, gave her a drink, and sent her downstairs in a normal condition in the morning.
After resting for a couple of days, they began to gather for the Victory. The weather is over by now. After August 10, not heavy but frequent snowfalls began, and winds blew up above. We understood that there could be no eternal bad weather and a window would definitely appear, we only needed to guess the exit to Vazha Pshavela by this moment. And from there to the top day. Part of the team also did not want to give up the idea of a traverse so easily, so they took an additional arc tent upstairs, all together intending to live in a tent.
There are seven of us left on the team. Zhenya flew to work after trying to climb the Western Tent, and Maxim after climbing Khan Tengri. And three guys from Novosibirsk and Moscow joined us. We decided to go up the mountain autonomously, but climb together, trying to help each other.
Dmitry Grekov gave us a radio station and further helped by maintaining and reporting the current weather forecast. This attitude was very pleasant, especially since we were not Ak-Sai's clients.
While the weather was on the Tien Shan, the people, believing that the time had not come, acclimatized on the Khan, rested and talked in the base camp. As a result, when everyone was ready to go up, the weather turned off. Before us, three people climbed through Vazha, who unsealed the mountain this season, and four guys from the Novosibirsk team passed the traverse, climbing the Zhuravlev route and descending the classic.
We went upstairs on August 14th, believing that just in time for the possible window on the 18th-19th, we would row up to Vazha.
The first obstacle on the way to the summit is the icefall of the Wild Pass. Unlike the further route, every year the first climbers on the mountain hang it with new railings. The icefall itself is normal. Above a steep step in one and a half ropes, everything is walked on foot. Dangerous approach under the hanging dumps and ice at the beginning of the railing. Therefore, it is advisable to pass the icefall either early in the morning or in the late afternoon, when the peak solar activity behind.
Leaving the base camp after lunch, we stopped for the night about a kilometer from the icefall. It is scary to stop closer because of possible avalanches and landslides from the slopes of Pobeda.
Having passed the icefall in the morning, we went through the snowy fields to a small trough on the Dikiy pass. While dinner was being prepared, the stragglers approached. Since the weather was not promised for tomorrow, the goal on this day is to climb to the caves at 5800, in order to comfortably wait for its improvement there.
View of the Western Col of Khan-Tengri
Exit to the Wild
The slopes above the Wild are gentle, but overloaded with snow and avalanches. Plots of deep snow alternate with a firn board. We put on beepers and snowshoes. Trying not to cut the slope, we went up, breaking the path.
In the center of the frame we passed the traverse of the top of the Bagpipe (5650)
According to the information we have, two caves were dug on the slopes for three and six people. Coming to the bottom of them at an altitude of 5700, as it later turned out to be less, they expanded it to seven people. Three guys from the parallel group went to spend the night higher.
By evening the weather had deteriorated and it was very cold. While expanding our cave, we met a team of people descending from above. The weather prevented them from going to the top. To the question: “Where are you from?”, Ilya, who led the group, replied: “From hell!”.
At night, they dug up the entrance to the cave a couple of times. The whole next day the revenge continued. Our walkie-talkie quickly sat down. Left without weather and without a forecast, they began to try to get information by satellite phone. In response to an SMS with a request, one of our friends wrote that heavy rains were expected at Pobeda, another sent a long text in English, copied from the site, saying that everything would be very bad, but not without specifics. We were also interested in specific figures for cloudiness, precipitation and wind strength.
Seeing what was happening on the street, and having no perspective, the idea of traversing the summit was finally abandoned, switching to a radial ascent. We left extra things and an additional tent in the cave and, closer to dinner on August 17, when it was a little more visible, we went upstairs.
There are several rocky belts on the ridge of Vazha from 5800 to peak 6918. The first is at 5800 - 6000, the second is 6100 - 6250 and a couple of small areas above 6400. There are traditional places for a tent at 6100 under the protection of small stones, and at 6400. There are no places protected from the wind. In case of heavy snowfalls, the rocks at 6100 and 6400 do not fully protect against avalanches either. In fact, a small arc tent can be put up almost everywhere, breaking off part of the slope. You will have to tinker with the platform for the tent.
The rocky sections of the ridge are fixed with railings. But they are not updated and only sometimes they are duplicated by the forces of enthusiasts with newer ropes. In some places the rope is broken or without braid. The rocks are simple, so it is better to climb on your own, insuring yourself with a jumar.
In the evening we went to the sites at 6400. Three guys walking in parallel found a ready place for their arc redfox. We began to expand the site next to our large tent. After some time, they came across a human body, as it turned out later, perhaps it was Alexander Popov, who was covered here in 2012 by an avalanche. Having dug it with snow, they went 50 meters to the side and there they dug a place on the slope.
We are building a site at 6400
The bodies of those who died at the Victory are a little tense. It is clear that there is simply no strength and opportunity to go down. But it is one thing when a person is wrapped in an awning and a tent and conditionally buried away from the path. Another, when at 7250, he just sits in the trough under the gendarme dead man. It is not so difficult to wrap it in an awning, but you need to know about it in advance and have an awning with you. On a ridge covered with fir, you can’t just bury it in the snow and you won’t take off your puff.
Behind the peak of Nehru