Acclimatization. Khan Tengri For the first step of the expedition - getting nesessary acclimatization - the team went to Tien Shan, to Khan Tengri peak (6995 m). There alpinists will climb the top by the normal route from South Inylchek glacier. There are too much snow at Khan's slopes this year, so high-altitude work will be more difficult , especially for such "technical" team, and the height of our smallest 7000-er will be serious test for them. But step by step being closer to the desirable top, plunging into the deep snow and working at the limit of their energy, they know: Jannu is ahead, and it'll be more and more difficult to climb it...

20 August, 2003 Hello, friends!

Today's August 19. Only four days ago the team of the expedition "Panasonic - Jannu north face" standed at the top of Khan Tengri and made pictures with peak Pobeda on the background. We didn't want to descent to Base Camp fast, our goal was to acclimatize before Jannu - so we have slept more night at 6400 m.

We went to Base Camp August 16, and August 17 early morning we went by helihopter to Maida-Adyr (2400)

13 August, 2003 Five members of the team - Alexander Odintsov, Alexander Ruchkin, Mikhail Davy, Mikhail Mikhailov and Mikhail Pershin - began this night (August 12-13) to climb Khan-Tengri (6995 m). Their goal in this push is to reach the top, and to acclimatize at the high altitude.

11 August, 2003 Mikhail Mikhailov:

Hello! The acclimatization have successfuly completed, all are safe and sound. August 6, in the evening we went up to Camp1 at 4200 m. August 7 at 4-00 a.m. we started to Camp 2 (5250 m) along the Semjonovsky glacier. That Camp is on the end of icefall of this glasier. We spent the rest of the day in our tents - it's snowing all day around. There appeared 20 sm of fresh snow in the Camp in morning. August 8 - the weather's better, so we had the opportunity to reach Camp 3 between Khan Tengri and Chapajev Peak (at altitude 5800 m). We slept in the snow cave. August 9 at 9-00 a.m. we have descended to the comfortable high-altitude Base "Tien-Shan Travel" on the South Inylchec glacier (4100 m). We have washed in sauna, eaten and drunk and continue to do the same now.

8 August, 2003 Mikhail Mikhailov:

The team began the acclimatization push, today they'll spend the night in Camp 2 (5300 m) and tomorrow will climb to 5900 m (Camp 3). The weather's very poor: it's snowing constantly, avalanche danger.

Mikhail, August 7, 7-24 p.m.

7 August, 2003 The team has already arrived to Khan Tengri Base Camp on the North Inylchek glacier. They'll climb Khan for acclimatization before going to Nepal. The goal now is not only to climb, but to spend some days on the altitude about 7000 m. The weather's very bad in Tien Shan now - it's snowing every day. There are many climbers in the Base Camp, but conditions on the route are very hard. Only Krasnojarsk team have already summited Khan Tengri from the South - they are preparing to Pobeda Peak.

1 August, 2003 The team flew from Moscow to Bishkek. They are going to climb Khan Tengri (6995 m) for acclimatization (normal South route). Alexey Bolotov isn't with the team now - he's on Lenin Peak - works as a guide with clients. Nickolay Totmjanin giudes now his clients too - on Somoni (Communism) Peak.

Main expedition page