JANNU North Face. 21 May, 2004. Doctor Mikhail Bakin: "Hanging chimney with a block had been climbed..."

Reports from Doctor Mikhail Bakin:

22 May, 2004
In the morning Mike Mikhailov suddenly felt ill and had to descend to the base camp. Now he is still there and feels not bad. In spite of the bad weather the two-man team Ruchkin-Pavlenko continued climbing the wall: the relief represents vertical walls crossed by ledges. Rocks are strongly destroyed, in addition the altitude is almost 7600m, and it has been snowing all the day long without interruption. For today the guys managed to climb about 30 meters.

The climbers comment their impressions about climbed part of the wall (above the camp at 7000m): M.Mikhailov: "There is no meter where you can relax: either vertical or hanging wall". S.Borisov: " All of 500 meters of fixed ropes are in the air..." Today S. Borisov and G.Kirievsky's ascended the camp I at 5600m. After some rest and treatments Sergey feels well.

21 May, 2004
Today the weather, as well as yesterday, was non-working. It was snowing since the morning though night was cold and clear. The advanced party worked in spite of those conditions. They climbed very hard 30 meters more, and what meters! Hanging chimney with a block had been climbed. It's possible to tell, that we were hooked for a "roof". They could see in dense overcast the further internal corner with shelfs and vertical walls, which are not monolith as it seems from below. But it's not a hang rock yet. Tomorrow Sergey Borisov, Gennagy Kirievsky and Nickolay Totmjanin leaves for camp 5600.

" As I think, our process hangs, as a drop on a nose. And where this drop will fall, depends on many (and casual - that's the main thing) circumstances. As it has happened with Serguey Borisov and Alex Bolotov. But guys struggle, as Mtsyri (Russian heroic poetry personage - ed.note). May be, the God will render for heroism and courage. Each day is as critical for us. We wait that the wall will begin to be slightly less steep. The weather is worthless, it snowing on a wall the second day. A wall is covered by a cloud, nothing is visible, therefore don't wait the information before the evening connection. Greetings to all.. Doctor Mike" May, 21


20 May, 2004
There was bad weather all the day long. It is raining in the base camp, and is snowing on the wall. A party Ruchkin-Mikhailov could climbed 30 meters above 7500 for 10 hours.

(www.russionclimb.com)

22.05.2004