A.Ruchkin: "It appeared that Jannu coqueted with us"
Alexander Ruchkin from BC (translation by www.russianclimb.com):
Hi, friends! We have descended again on our tired legs - we can't understand how to go on the plain. Eight days we went only by ropes, up or down. Four of them - upwards, estimating the route on the rock which is unclimbed yet. We went three days to 7000 m, then two nights at 7000, then two nights at 7200 m. Our faces look like Chinese - because of lot of water which has been drunk by our organizms, dryed in that thin air above 7200 m. It appeared that Jannu coqueted with us. She's like the forbidding woman - she allows us to approach to the definite point, and no further. All our attempts were poor - 5 m, 20 m, 30 m per day - what does it mean for the route 2,8 km length...
We remember nothing like this route. The Mount confirms it by every meter of Wall above 7200. Four days of climbing above 7200 - our ropes doesn't touch the rock, they are hanging down in the air. You have to concentrate all your abilities to climb only 50 meters per day - you descend to the portaledge in evening being squeesing out, without any forces, and you absolutely can't move. Only drink a lot...
And your morning begins in the portaledge at 5-6 a.m. You melt the ice, boil the water, cook the breakfast, and prepare the water, water, water... Having drunk enough (it's impossible really), you begin to prepare for start. I've fixed the time nesessary to become ready to start - it's about the hour - only to dress. The portaledge is hanging on the air, you can't touch the rock, you have to begin to ascend on jumars immediately.
We climbed with all our equipment arsenal. There's hang rock, we can't see our future route because of carnices, and above them there are next carnices... We couldn't imagine that there're hanging monolites at such altitude. But reality is so - you have to climb with all your iron, because any thing would be nesessary.
You cut your body from the portaledge with all this equipment and climb - from santimeter to next santimeter in that thin air. The relief is very difficult for climbing, you have to think how to go further. You have to solve the problem of climbing through the carnice. You climb on the crack, but it's ended - you have to go further - think, my head, please...
We climbed 3,5 pitches in 4 days and reset the portaledge at 7200 m. We descended in evening to reach it before the sunset. When we descended to BC and rested one day there, Totmjanin and Pershin climbed two more pitches on the Wall. So, we have 11 pitches at the very difficult part of the route.
Good luck for all of you - and for us too. Ruchkin, May, 12, 20-21 p.m. 13.05.2004
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