Peak Lenin (7,134m), Kyrgyzstan
22 August 2002 Ramon and Boris are heading for Kyrgizstan for the ascent of Peak Lenin (7,134m).
At first they will be part of an international expedition. Beyond base camp they’re on their own. This means – besides an interesting challenging ascent and undoubtedly a great trip – in case of succes a new altitude record for the both of them.
Map of Kyrgyzstan
Peak Lenin in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, a former state of Russia, is situated northwest of Tibet (China) and north of Tadzjikistan. Going south you’ll find Afghanistan (+/- 200 km), Pakistan (+/- 250 km) and India (+/- 300 km). Peak Lenin lies exactly on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tadzjikistan, in the Pamir-mountain range (39.31°N, 73.01°E).
An “easy” 7,000m peak…
Peak Lenin (7,134 meter) is perfectly reachable. A truck will bring you all the way to base camp at 3.600 meter. The normal route is not very difficult. Therefore the mountain is often climbed. A perfect mountain to get to know the world-of-the-great-heights!
Unfortunately there’s a lot of advertisement about Peak Lenin being an ‘easy’ 7,000 meter mountain. Nonsense! Although there are no huge difficulties on the normal route, no expedition to a 7,000 meter mountain can be seen as easy. The smallest error can and probably will have disastrous consequences.
End of August, early September there are less climbers on the mountain than in July. This will give us a bit more space. Also – less nice – it’s colder this time of year.
First 7,000+ for Ice-X!?
This expedition gives us a chance to reach 7,000 meter for the first time! So far Ramon reached 5,642 meter on Elbrus in 2000. Boris already climbed to 6,962 meter on Aconcagua in March 2002, just 172 less than Peak Lenin. The summit of Peak Lenin will be a huge step forward for Ramon. For Boris it’s more about crossing the magical 7,000 meter limit.