|
Moscow climbers are trying a Chinese 7000-er. Kongur-Tag expedition has started.
A climbing team of Moscow Climbing Federation took a decision to ascend Kongur-Tag peak (7719 m) in China. The event is a part of ‘Moscowers on world summits’ project.
Kongur ridge is situated in Chinese Kun-Lun range and includes only 7000-ers summits. Its highest point is Kongur-Tag (7719 m), which, in spite of numerous attempts of soviet and foreign mountaineers, was climbed only once. It was sir Chris Bonington with his team (four climbers) who win it in 1981.
This summer Moscow climbers dared to repeat a feat of Britons. 14-members team leaded by a vice-president of Moscow Climbing Federation Yury Khohlov and his assistant Vyacheslav Odokhovsky is going to first-climb a new extremely difficult route. Elevation change from a start of the route to the summit is about 4 km (!) what is uncommon even for highest world peaks.
The team flies to Bishkek on the 20th of July. From there it motors to Osh and then, via Irkeshtam pass, to Kahgar. This is a new gate to China, which was opened for tourists only in May of 2002.
“First Chinese warning” to Kognur-Tag was done by Moscow team in 1998, but that time a prolonged storm had prevented the climbers from reaching the summit from the south side.
The baffle didn’t break athletes down. The idea had captured the climbers and during almost four years, while mountaineering in Pamirs and Tyan-Shan, they were approaching to their cherished peak. Expedition of year 1998 became a probing action before the pitched battle of 2002, which issue will be known only in the end of August when the team returns to Moscow.
22.08.2002
| 
