KRASNOYARSK ROUTE AT THE NORTH FACE OF TROLLRYGGEN PEAK (1748m) NORWAY, FEBRUARY 2002 The first ascent

The team is the winner of the Winter All Russia Mountaineering Championship, season 2002

Members (the team of the Krasnoyarsk Region Sport Committee): Oleg Khvostenko - the leader Vladimir Arkhipov Eugeny Dmitrienko Pavel Zakharov Anton Pugovkin Sergey Cherezov Coachs: Nickolay Zakharov, Valery Balezin

Dates: preparation from 3 February, ascent - 9 - 22 February, the top - 21 February at 17pm, descent -22 February (about 8 hours) The route: altitude difference - 1090m the length of the route - 1140m ( including 850m - 6grade (russian), and 265m -5grade) the average steep - 82° Working days: 19, including preparation (157 hours) Baltika, Odintsov - Potan'kin, 1997 Norvegian route 1965 Krasnoyarsky route, Khvostenko -Arkhipov -Dmitrienko -Zakharov -Pugovkin -Cherezov , 2002 Russian route, Ruchkin - Koshelenko, 1997 French route, 1967 Arch Wall 1972

Troll Wall is located in Norway, in Romsdal region, at the North-West coast of the country, near the city Andalsnes. Climat is calm due to the Gulfstream, but very damp, rainy. During 19 climbing days there was only 4 days without rain or snowfall. The temperature fluctuated from +2 with rain or damp snow ( which is worse than the strong frost) at the beginning of the route till -20 at the upper part of the Wall. Strong winds blow very often. Opposite the Wall there is the camping "Trollweggen". It takes 3 hours for the approach to the route (if the path exists) Climbs of the Troll Wall are very rare because of their difficulty. All attempts to climb the main part of the Wall have failed since 1998. Only 5 routes were climbed at Troll Wall, and all ascensions were realized at Summer. The first was the Norwegian route (14 days) in 1965, than the French route (20 days) in1967, than in 1972 - the route "Arch Wall" (21 days) All of these routes was repeated not more than 5 times. In 1997 two Russian teams Ruchkin - Koshelenko and Odintsov - Potanjkin did two first ascensions of the highest grade (6b Russian) (11 and 14 days) and became the Winners at the All Russia Mountaineering Championship (Rockclimbing class) There was the great fall at the Troll Wall in 1998, so there was no successful ascensions since that. The most of the routes lines are very winding and avoid the difficult top tower at left or right. We decided to ascent the center of Wall via the straight line, the upper part of the route is on the center of the top tower, exactly to the top. The Wall is very steep. It's the biggest European Wall of such steep. There are no places for the camps, so we used two portaledges. The daylight is about 10 hours in February, so 19 days - it's great result for the winter ascension The descent was very simple, but hard because of the lots of snow. It took us 8 hours to descent.

Member's photogallery:

Brief team resumes

The head of the team - Nikolay Zakharov. He ascended some of 8000-peaks, including Mt Everest and also the "Golden" routes of the first ascents such as South Face of Communism Peak and North Face of Khan Tengri Peak. Zakharov was in many countries and different continents, climbed the highest peaks of the North and South
America - Denali and Aconcagua. The New 2002 Year he met at the summit of Aconcagua in Argentina ( that was his third ascent of this Mount).

The another coach of the combined team of Krasnoyarsk Region - Valery Balezin - no less legendary person. He is famous as the single in USSR and Russia Master of Sports of International level in both rockclimbing and mountaineering. At the last Nation Championship Balezin took part as the climber in the team.
As Zakharov, as Balezin can be climbers in the team on the Troll Wall, but for the first time they didn't participate in the ascension. And it's symbolical - it means the generations of the great alpinists in Krasnoyarsk have changed de-facto. In spite of Vladimir Arkhipov (born 1955) was the member of the team.

After self-resignation of Balezin, 29-years old Oleg Khvostenko became the leader of the team. Twice Winner of the National Championship, Oleg is known due to his composed character, and skill to keep cool in the very extreme situations. He took a part in the first ascent to Tsar's Throne in Kodar (Region Baikal-Amur Railway Main line) in winter
in -50C frost. That last year ascent doesn't have the analogous one in the Russian alpinism history. The team used the "siege" style of ascent: one party changed another, and descended to the bottom of the wall for night. Oleg thinks that last year ascent was more difficult than this one. The second-time Winner Oleg became last summer (the first ascent North Face Zvierzdny Peak (Ergaki, West Sayan)

In Norway Oleg worked in party with Anton Pugovkin. When preparing to the expedition they constructed the portaledges for the ascension to the Troll Wall together with experts from Rock Pillars Company (Krasnoyarsk), so all manipulations with portaledges on the Wall were the duty of that party. Anton is the twice Winner of the National Championship too. Tall, strong and hardy man. In the party with Oleg they climbed some pitches when preparation the route.

Vladimir Arkhipov. The most experienced in the team, third time Winner of the USSR Championship (technical class) 1986-88 years - the highest grade ascents at Yagnob Wall, Moskovskoi Pravdy Peak and Akhun Peak . He is the Winner of the last year National Championship. By the way, the Wall such difficult grade as Troll Wall he climbed for first time. He thinks that the success of the ascension was guaranteed by the technical and physical training of the team. " It was very difficult to become the team member. We passed through the hard and thorough training." Arkhipov worked in party with the "main climber" Eugeny Dmitrienko. Eugeny climbed ahead, Vladimir worked as belayer. This role is no less important - you have to stay during hours, trying not to catch stones or fallen partner. The belayer freezes most of all on the route.

Eugeny Dmitrienko - the rising star of Krasnoyarsk mountaineering. The youngest member of the team. His climbing experience - only in Sayan - Tuva and Ergaky. In spite of that, Eugeny was one of the the central persons in the team. It was he insisted on the first ascent route on Troll Wall, and he worked the first the most part of the ascension. He was the leader, because he had the highest tempo in climbing. He was released from another kind of work at the Troll Wall, beside of climbing - day of the work, day of the rest. " What a bore! every day the same: climbing up, and nobody to talk with... So I began to talk with Vladimir, when he climbed and was in 15m below me. As for difficulty - I've thought that it will be more hard. I heard terrible stories about Troll Wall. Really there are some monolith places, but they can be climbed with sky hooks. Eugeny thinks the team needs to train in iceclimbing and high-altitude ascents, because he is going to continue his career on the significant Walls, including ones on 8000-peaks.

Pavel Zakharov. Guy, the shortest in the team, the good climber and the object for the funny jokes of the team-mates. The second leader after Eugeny. He is rockclimber first of all. "I like to get pleasure from climbing warm rocks in rock shoes
but here was the heavy work in the very hard conditions. I couldn't imagine, that anybody can climb at such weather. As special: my turn to climb - the weather turned bad. Visibility 4 meters, constantly dry avalanche from the Wall,
it's better not to rise your face" Pavel is the single member of the team, who is not sure in his participation in such projects in future. Besides, Pavel's mood didn't influence neither over his work in the team, nor over his behavior. And it's one of the most important factors in the extreme mountaineering. On the Wall we live in two "little teams": Oleg, Pavel and Sergey at one portaledge, and the other at the other portaledge.
And all "resistance" had the funny character. When the party worked at the route, others can play cards.

Sergey Cherezov. Master of Sports, the Winner of the National Championships. Psychologically reliable, universal team-mate. Worked first at the last, unclimbed part of the Wall, at the top tower. But the most part of the route he worked as the last, taking off all what other climbers put in the Wall.

Oleg Khvostenko & Ilia Naimushin, Krasnoyarsk