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Bayancol                                                    russian czech

Bayancol (5791 m according to the Clasiffication of the routes to the mountain summits) is situated in the Sary-djas ridge in the central Thien-shan between the Kazakhstan and the Odinnadzaty peak (photo 2).

 

Bayancol is the third highest peak in the valley (after Marble Wall 6350 m  and Semionova peak 5816 m). It gave the name to the whole valley. Maybe because it is the only snow peak of the valley  which can be seen travelling through the 50-kilometer long Bayancol valley. (photo 1).

 

The first ascent (along the north ridge) was undertaken by Vladimir Shipilov in 1953.  (Here is historial description of the ascent, however only in russian.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The route along the north ridge (V. Shipilov, 1953),  4B, snow and ice (pictures 2, 3, 4, 5).

 

The north ridge of Bayancol does not represent serious orientation of technical problem except approach to the route and steeper part of rock and ice in the beginning (200 m, 45º, here are needed screws and two ice axes for leading).

 

Two nights in the tent are needed to reach the summit starting from the  base camp at the river Bayancol (3200 m). The first at the root of the north ridge (C1) the second on half way to the summit (C2).

 

The beginning of the approach is identical with the path to the Odinnadzaty pass. The main tributaries of the Bayancol river meet close to the base camp. The river (or both it's tributaries) has to be crossed. It may be difficult due to  high water. Another way is then to go along the south part of the valley - to start in the direction of the Marble wall than cross the Marble wall glacier (close to it's end), to cross the root of the north ridge of the Kazakhstan peak and cross the lower horizontal part of glacier between north ridges of Kazakhstan and Bayancol peak (the Kazakhstan-Bayancol glacier, own terminology). The first camp  can be built at the north ridge foot (C1, 3700 m). Half day, determined by the difficulties with the river crossing and orientation.

 

The north ridge is raising form the valley with two ribs - north-east and north-west (own terminology) which join each other in 4500 m. This is desciption of the ascent via NE rib. The scree on the NE rib goes over into steeper part with unpleasant   breaking rocks (difficult protection) which are lined by ice on the right side (100 m, 45º). Than the rocks are changed by 100 meters of ice 45º (the most difficult part of the whole route) (photo 6).  The rest of the route is only snow. Suitable places for the second camp are in the altitudes of 4400 m (C2, on the rocks outside snow, this place is however quite low, photo 7), 4800 m (C2', the mildest part of the ridge – 20º) a 5200 m (C2'', where the ridge is  "melting" in the north slope of the summit). There are no absolutely horizontal places for tents in C2' and C2''.

 

The part above 5200 m is also simple (30º). (photo 9). (We covered the part between С1 4400 m and summit in 6 hours - good weather, depth of snow - 15 cm, poor acclimatization).

 

On the way down it is possible to descent from  C1 4400 m through the rocks of the east slope to the Kazakhstan-Bayancol glacier and so avoid the steep ice on the NE rib. The most easy path down however ends above big crevasse which hinders the way down along the left border of the K-B glacier. It can be avoided descendig on the glacier lower (more to the north). If we still find ourselves above the crevasse than it is possible to ascent about 50 meters up on the upper horizontal part of the glacier and than cross it to the right (east). K-B glacier is divided by lonely rib/ridge  so we are talking about crossing to this lonely rib. The rib is ending at about this level, here is descent on the glacier (70 meters,  40º, protection). Than it is easy to walk down along the middle of the glacier. The crossing to BC or back to C1 is again possible only on the lower horizontal part of the glacier. (picture 3 a 5).

1.Bayancol and Khan-Tengri

2. Bayancol valley (legenda)

            

3. N ridge of Bayancol (legend)

4.  N ridge of Bayancol (legend)

5. Map

Bajankol, pohled na cestu

6. Ice 45º

7. С2.

8. Morning of the day of final ascent

9. Below the summit.

10. Bayancol 5791 m.

Notes

 

С1. We ascended Bayancol in the middle August of 2002. Nobody was climbing it that year and so our only source of information was  description of the ascent on the site of V. Kopylov (english). It was difficult to cross the river and we were finding our approach to the route. We did not find the place for C1 described by Kopylov.

 

NE or NW rib? It is not clear from the Kopylov's text. On the  picture it looks like ascent follows NE rib. It seems from  historical description of the first ascent (russian) that Shipilov wanted to reach the summit via Odinnadzaty pass (although he does not name the Odinadzaty peak nor pass). The descriptin is than more suitable for the NW rib (it was possible to avoid steeper ice on the rocks and particularly description of the big field with crevassess up on the rib). The NW rib seems to be milder and ascend could be easier. Disadvantage may be the crevasse field - there are no such crevasses on the NE rib or the rest of the N ridge (picture 3 a 5).

 

С2. We knew that C2 4400 m was low for the summit but our acclimatization was poor and we preferred higher altitude difference without back packs. At that time we also believed that Bayancol has 5450 and not 5791 m. The difference 350 m does not seem big but under these circumstances it was really unpleasant. The wrong number was inbetween corrected in Kopylov's text but it is still persisting on hispicture and on his CD.

 

Descent. On our way down we decided to descent from the C2 via east slopes to K-B glacier. We find ourselves above big crevasse on it's left border. Than we disagreed with each other about the right way down and three of us went back up to the middle of the slope and descended on the glacier more to the north a two of us went along the lonely rib (see above).

 

Literature.  1. description of the ascent the site of V. Kopylov (in english).

                2. peak altitudes and classification -  Clasiffication of the routes to the mountain summits, the third edition, corrected and completed, Moscow, editor  I.V. Balabanov 2001

                3. historical description of the first ascent - taken from the book of Zatulovsky, I dont have the name

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