This was also the place where my stomach had its final fight against the last of the contents consumed the day before, thanks to an involuntary olfactory response to the rather rural smell of a shop. The first and only thing I consumed that day was a liter of Sprite from Sary Tash, and I can assure you it was the best Sprite of all time.
Tag: mountains
The Road to Purgatory is Beautiful
Osh is not exactly an exciting city. The main attraction is the bazaar, which is massive, but full of all the things you find at every bazaar in Central Asia: fresh fruit and vegetables, plastic products and cheap clothing from China, and police looking to hassle foreigners. The other main highlight, in my eyes at least, was Solomon's Throne, a craggy hill that rises above the town.
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The *Mental* Traverse: Peak Panfilov to Peak Karlytau
We took our time on the tip of the summit, taking lots of photos and having lots of laughs. I think when you complete an exposed climb like this, there is something psychological about the summit that makes mountaineering become more than a sport or hobby, but as something one cannot live without. I had experienced an even greater relief and stronger positive energy at the summit of Komsomol Peak the summer before after free-soloing the Northwest Face, but this feeling is exponentially increased when the experience is shared with partners, perhaps because other people have overcome the same fears and obstacles, and they too have the electric feeling that only a hard-earned summit in difficult circumstances can provide.
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Пик Молодежная (Peak Molodezhnaya) 4147m – Summertime
The climb of the western ridge of Molodezhnaya is pretty simple, if you stray too far left, you'll be on glacial ice, and too far right will put one on loose rocks. The snow was perfect to climb and we made short work of it. The summit was easy to find, and we took plenty of photos of Peak of the Soviets and the surrounding mountains of Tuyuksu Glacier.
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A Day Lasts More than 100 Years (The Visitors & the Cosmostansiya)
I dropped into a slot first, jumping hard to get it to break below me, which it eventually did and ran the entire path wall-to-wall. I found a protected spot, where Eric and Anya joined me, and Zack was able to get the rest of the hangfire to break off above us. We stuck to the slide path after that until the slope shallowed, allowing us to enjoy some powder. Definitely tricky conditions for my brother's first line in Kazakhstan!
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We Run Karakol.
This trip was special to me since it is the last time I will see Karakol for a while, and being able to see all of the great people there and share some laughs was awesome, especially with Sergey, Akerim, Ryan and Ptor. Plus, I had never seen Abram more stoked on a new place, so I'm glad the experience was shared with someone who appreciated it.
