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This is the account of the climbing up Lenin Peak on the part of an Italian expedition.
"After a visit to the colorful marketplace of Osh we finally set off in a helicopter. The city becomes smaller and more distant. We are excited as we approach a large mountain chain, trying to identify Lenin Peak, which we have studied so much in photographs. But there are not the Pamirs, this is the Alai range, our guide informs us, while the pilot shaves a rocky hill, leaving us breathless. Now on the horizon we catch sight of an impressive white mountain chain that is truly the roof of the world. 
"And here we are at Achik-Tash, 3,600 meters above sea level. All around us there is no snow, but an expanse of tiny edelweiss with cold, clear streams running through it. 

The route up Lenin Peak 

Not too far away, at the back of the light blue valley we have just flown over, is the base camp IMC "Pamir", consisting of half a dozen wooden constructions in pastel colours and four rows of green and orange tents. Later on families of Kyrgyz shepherds, with their children, cows, horses and large flocks of sheep, set up camp nearby in their yurtas. On the opposite side is Lenin Peak, a gigantic white wall towering to the south. The air is crisp, to say the least. 
"The following day, having crossed the large green Achik-Tash plateau, we begin the climb up a stone and ice path that rises steeply up to a col at 4,100 meters. Beyond this is a wild and splendid Dantesque inferno: gray moraine, red mountains and rocks, in which we descend again to 3,500 meters and then arrive at the glacier, which slowly goes up to camp 1, a handful of tents on the black stony ground that covers the glacier. 
"We pitch our tents. At night, in the deafening silence, you can hear the crackling of the ice that is quickly changing shape. In less than two weeks I have seen crevasses open out unexpectedly, small grey-blue lakes appear, and the land around change its shape in a few meters space. In the daytime, if the sun is shining it beats down on you mercilessly; but the weather is bizarre and unpredictable. A crystal-clear dawn can change without any warning into a windstorm and snowstorm in a few hour's time. 
"One morning we wake up under thirty centimeters of snow; tents are like igloos, and the mountain sparkling at intervals through the patches of cloud begins to fly one slide after another. A group of Swiss that came down in the morning, arrives unharmed but weary; many them were knocked down by the draught caused by an avalanche.

Camp 1 (4,200 meters) at Lenin Peak 

"Day after day the 3,000 meters of the northern mass of Lenin Peak have become familiar to us. We have become acquainted with the blue caves in the ice along the apparently flat but really undulating terrain that leads to the beginning of the climb, and the grandiose icefall that spills down to the right of the route at the point where it rises up in a stretch of ice that we christened the "huge drop". We have become acquainted with the hard-packed snow that is like rock in the areas where the route crosses the snow that has slid down the northern face during the snowfall, and with the col at 5,300 meters, which marks the starting point of the slight descent that leads to camp 2. We go up by skis, through in some points we have to use ski crampons and some of us feel safer with our skis on our back and crampons on our feet. 
"At camp 2 the tents, on a side of the hollow, look over an impressive icefall, the same one that collapsed on 13 July 1990, destroying the entire camp and killing the 40 persons camping there. 
"At camp 1 we have a long chat with Mark Mill, a young Englishman who died in the Himalayas two years later and who was a professional organizer of mountain trips and expeditions and had climbed up Lenin Peak three times. He was also there when the disaster occurred: "I had pitched my tent 200 meters further down, since the icefall seemed too dangerous: I was very lucky. " 
"Up to this point it is the Lenin Peak that looms so gigantically over the route. But when we get to camp 3, after climbing a steep wall of snow, the countryside suddenly opens up to the south, revealing a majestic expanse of peaks over 6,000 meters high dominated by Peak Communism. Camp 3 lies on a little col east of Peak Razdelnaya, a dome 6,200 meters high that is only seemingly innocuous. In fact it is here that, while a guide is tracing the route rubbed out by the snowfall, a sudden snowslide drags him down the steep slope for at least 100 meters. "Watch where I end up!" he shouts to his rope team partner. Fortunately he stops on a small ledge before the huge gap made by the icefall. 
"Camp 3 is a little group of tents in a small depression beyond Peak Razdelnaya. From here upwards the wind reigns supreme. The terrain consists of frozen snow carved by the wind, as hard as rock, in which the stones imprisoned in the ice crop out. If the wind blows really hard, it is impossible to make the climb. The ridge leading to the summit - which goes up for 1,000 meters and is 300 meters wide - is endless; behind every rise is another rise, and the summit is like an abstract object you move towards without any hope of reaching. Yet finally here we are at the large plateau that opens up at 6,800 meters above sea level, where the top is unbelievably near and still so far away: 300 meters here is like an eternity. And where bad weather rages, this plateau, which eludes the logic of ascent and descent, becomes a dangerous labyrinth; when it is foggy it is very easy to lose your orientation and even go down the northern face, which is filled with deep crevasses. At this altitude, on the eastern crest, eight women in the first women's expedition to Lenin Peak died of cold and exhaustion in 1974. The snowstorm during the night had destroyed their tents. 
"On the summit the rarified air and breathtaking view give you the feeling you are in a sort of empyrean - a clear sky, a sea of snowy peaks and icy faces, peaks that for the most part have not been conquered extending before you as far as the eye can see. The marble bust of Lenin, which defied the bad weather for decades, has been removed. The end of communism has taken place even up here. After reaching camp 3 and going up Peak Razdelnaya again, the descent makes for fantastic skiing, first on the hard packed snow and then on soft fresh snow, in a setting that is extraordinarily beautiful." 

Basic program of IMC "Pamir" final to the Lenin peak (7134 In) 24 day

1-day: Flight from Bishkek (Almaty, Tashkent, Moscow) to Osh. Meeting at the Osh airport. Transportation to Osh. Allocation in hotel. Meal. Rest. 

2-day: Breakfast. Transportation to the stationary Base camp of IMC "Pamir" firm In Achik Tash - 300 km by bus, 7 - 9 hours drive. In the middle of the way a snack (vegetables, fruits, bread, mineral water). After arrival to Achik Tash: appointing an interpreter for each group; location in houses; bath; sauna; hot meals; rest. Acquaintances: with service personnel; working regime and structure of tile stationary Base camp of IMC "Pamir" firm (further Base camp); medical research. Examination of the special acclimatization program and rescue service of the firm in the camps: Base, #1; #2; #3; #4. 

3-day: Acclimatization in the Base camp. 

4-day: Acclimatization ascent to the Petrovsky peak (4200 m). Climbers are given dry rations according to their choice. 

5-day: Preparation to ascent, to camp #1 (4200). 

6-day: Transportation of loads to the Lukovaya Pollyanna (Onion Glade) by auto transport of the firm (3800 In). Ascent to camp #1 (4200) overnight 

7-day: Ascent to camp #2 (5200 m) overnight. 

8-day: Ascent to camp #3 (6100 m) overnight. 

9-day: Return to camp #1 (4200 m) overnight. 

10-day: Return to Base camp (3600 m) 

11-day: Rest in the Base camp (3600 m) 

12-day: Ascent to camp #1 (4200 m) overnight.

13-day: Ascent to camp #2 (5200 m) overnight. 

14-day: Ascent to camp #3 (6100 m) overnight. 

15-day: Ascent to camp #4 (6400 m) overnight. 

16-day: Ascent to the peak (7134 m). Return to camp #3 (6100 In) overnight. 

17-day: Return to camp #1 (4200 m) overnight. 

18-day: Return to base camp. 

19-21 -days: Additional days for bad weather case. 

22-day: Visit to the local nomads. Acquaintance with their yurtas, nutrition, customs, ancient horse games etc.

23-day: Breakfast. Departure from the Base camp to Osh. In the middle of the way a snack (vegetables, fruits, bread, mineral water). Arrival to Osh Location in the hotel. Dinner. Rest. 

24-day: Breakfast. Acquaintance with Osh town. Transportation to the Airport. Flight from Osh to Bishkek (Almaty, Tashkent, Moscow). 

Exceptional services of IMC "Pamir" firm - Special Acclimatization Program (SAP) of Lenin Peak (7134 m).

1. In the base camp our clients live in warm two person tent-houses, which have wooden beds, synthetic mattresses and electric line of 36 Volt for lightening. 

2. Our clients can take a sauna with water pool filled with pure mountain-spring water or bath for men and women which work 24 hours a day.

3. The clients have three meals a day (European or Asian) in a stationary canteen, cafe with strict observation of sanitary rules and SAP. Meat, milk, vegetables, fruits, cold drinks, juices and mineral waters are brought fresh from Osh and kept in refrigerator aggregates of the camp. Consumption of food is not limited it is up to the clients. 

4. After meal and rest clients are collected in sport-medical room. Here the director of the camp, head of the sport department, interpreters, rescue-guides conduct the introductory lessons to them. At the end a doctor specialized in high mountain areas makes an examination of every climber.
The medical-sport staff of the firm works out the SAP for every climber, basing on their health, age and other data. 

5. The SAP was worked out by major scientists and doctors and sportsmen from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Bishkek, who worked in IMC Pamir in Achik-Tash during 20 years. This program is specially worked out for not only sportsmen but also for any client from any country and any climate, from 18 to 60 - 70 years age. 
I want to accentuate that my firm IMC Pamir together with privatizing the base camp in Achik-Tash it became the only successor of 20 year of unique experience of SAP in the CIS. This special acclimatization program has recommended itself as a very reliable one. That is why IMC "Pamir" firm guarantees successful climbing to the Lenin Peak to every healthy client who strictly followed this program. That is why from 1991 we did not have any accident or mountain disease. 

6. Our rescue-guides introduce to the clients in details the climbing program which is scheduled day after day and with rescue service of IMC Pamir firm: 
- in Achik-Tash base camp on 3 600 meters height 
- in camp 1 on 4200 meters height 
- in camp 2 on 5200 - 5400 meters height 
- in camp 3 on 6100 meters height 
- in camp 4 on 6400 - 6700 meters height
on each of these camps there will be our rescue-guides, who check safety of the routes. 

7. In the base camp in Achik-Tash there are always on duty rescue-guide, doctor, translator, they get in contact with the groups in mountains through radio three times a day. In case of a disease a doctor in the base camp can skillfully help the patient. 

8. For a rescue case IMC "Pamir" firm has two special four wheel drive vehicles GAZ 66 and UAZ 469 with on duty drivers to transport the client to hospital. 

9. According to the condition of an ill client or on his request we call for medical airlines to send to us a helicopter or a small plane from Osh or Bishkek. My camp in Achik-Tash has a special take off and landing strip for planes and helicopters. 

Transportation of clients from Osh to Achik-Tash and transportation from Achik-Tash to Osh at the end of the program, with stops a snack on the way are also a part of the SAP. 
We introduced to you some exceptional peculiarities of IMC "Pamir" firm's program to Lenin Peak (7134 m). 
I invite you personally or you may send a good specialist in climbing from your firm to our base camp to prepare advertisement for 1998 and farther years. 
If you are interested IMC Pamir firm will send you its program to Lenin Peak and day after day schedule of climbing. 
Other firms work on the Lenin Peak camping on a strange land, with only one expedition camp, without of simplest sanitary, hygienic, electric or other conditions. Their clients climb to the peak without of proper preparation, without of acclimatization program, without of guides, without of rescue service and without of intermediate camps. 
At the present time the firm has good chances for development and for increasing number of climbers in my camp, and in connection with this IMC "Pamir" firm offers the following variants for co-operation in mountaineering program to the Lenin Peak (7134 m): 

a) partnership with giving exclusive right in your county for sending clients to IMC "Pamir" firm; 
b) creation of a joint venture. 

About company

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About Kyrgyzstan

Silk road

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