Lenin Peak

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Recommendations for expedition to Lenin Peak

There is a common opinion that out of all seven-meters-high peaks of the CIS Peak Lenin is most easy-to-climb. This partly is true but not for one hundred percent.
Firstly, one should not forget that the decent height of Peak Lenin alone, which is in excess of 7,000m, makes it an object of high-altitude mountaineering, not to mention that any mountain has to always be dealt with respect. Despite the climbing route technically being not complex, treacherous factors such as unpredictable weather and depressing altitude can play decisive role in the success or failure of your expedition. Not only good physical preparedness but, too, appropriate quality gear and, of course, good acclimatization (especially to those inexperienced high-altitude climbers) are crucial for the success of their climb. Do not spare your efforts and days for getting full-value acclimatization – otherwise it may turn into a higher loss of time wasted in the course of ascent for recreation of your energy and, in the worst case, put the success of the entire climb under question.
Usually, consequences of anoxia (oxygen starvation) are already felt at the altitude of 3,500m to 4,000m. At such altitudes and higher the organism of even most healthy though untrained and non-acclimatized person may develop altitude sickness (local Kyrgyz call it as “tootek”). By the way, even passengers travelling along the Pamir Highway sometimes may be taken by altitude sickness. Symptoms of altitude sickness are as follows: acute drop of physical performance, dizziness, headache, nausea and, in some cases, vomiting. In worst cases altitude sickness may cause fatal consequences. There is no medication against the altitude sickness, and the only remedy that invariably helps is as fast as possible downwards transportation of the patient.
Most effective means that helps to prevent altitude sickness has always been altitude acclimatisation which is based on human organism’s ability of adaptation to the rarefied atmosphere obtained as a result of series of ascents and stays at higher altitudes. The organism acclimatised in this way can easier withstand harmful consequences of oxygen starvation. The one aiming at the summit should first carry out a number of forays to the higher and higher altitude and only after having ensured acceptable level of acclimatisation proceed with storming the summit.
Our tourist company offers a standard programme designed to take into account all conditions prerequisite to good acclimatisation, including extra days in case of bad weather. The programme we offer provides optimum conditions for successful ascension to the Peak Lenin.
Ideally, any high-altitude climbing should be preceded by training which is to include climbing a summit that is lower than the main-goal one. For instance, aiming at a “seventhousander” one should have first climbed a mountain at least 5,000m high.
Another aspect is safety. We do not recommend climbing solo as the recent history of Peak Lenin solo-climbing tends to report growing number of accidents. What we do suggest is your finding a good partner or joining any group of climbers. Your better off would be hiring an experienced high-altitude guide for you so that at any time you had a confidence about your next step and, in case of hardship or emergency, you had a reliable person nigh you.
We recommend you AT ALL TIMES TO HAVE WITH YOU YOUR PERSONAL FIRST AID KIT which shall contain medicines matching your particular individual health conditions and tolerances. Besides, you personal medical kit must contain other medications common with and widely used by high-altitude mountaineers (see in the “Medical Kit” section).
As to foodstuff and cooking, there will be no particular problems for you up to 4,400m – our personnel will take care of this. What really may put you in a dilemma is your high-altitude foodstuff beyond 4,400m. You should remember, at higher altitudes water boils at lower temperatures hence it takes longer to get your food cooked. More time for cooking means more gas canisters and thence more heavy backpacks/loads to carry. Standard programme assumes gas consumption rate for two persons equivalent to 1 canister (230 grams) per day. You can recharge your own gas canisters at our base camp (BC) without limitation. You may also buy brand new canisters from the BC manager.
More about foodstuff. Ideally, your high-altitude foodstuff should require no cooking/boiling, be of less possible weight and of maximum possible energy value (luckily, most of today’s supermarkets are happy to satisfy nearly all your gastronomic whims). Importantly, do not expect a last-minute shopping high-altitude foodstuff in Osh - you will hardly be able to find any good-quality concentrated or sublimated or packet foodstuff there. Take your own one from your home country.
As a rule of thumb, most of mountaineers feel apathy towards eating at altitudes above 6,000m. Therefore, it doesn’t make sense carrying a lot of foodstuff to the upper camps. Trust us, better part of the stuff you would bring upon your shoulders to the upper camps will stay there forever without being eaten. You should better think over diversification of your high-altitude ration. Tastes, surely, differ, but majority of climbers prefer the food that is liquid and saline. It has clear and logical explanation: thaw-out water used for cooking has practically zero content of salts while the loss of liquid (dehydration) by organism at higher altitudes is a continuous, normal, non-stop process. At the heights above 6,000m, a human must consume up to 4 litres of liquid per day so that to compensate the loss. Some climbers, with pleasure, have food that tastes sweet-and-sour. Important note: avoid over-diligence, as digestive-system disorders are quite commonly seen during climbs and are always annoying when you are at your last stretch before the summit. Take quality of your water at the heights up to 4,500m as your high priority. Better use mineral water that is available on sell in both BC and ABC. Do not make saving on your health!
Local population always readily offer their services to travellers – with carrying their loads, providing means of transportation etc. Take our advice: if you use services of our company then you would better be using services of those local Kyrgyz people who cooperate with our company on legal contractual basis. This is the company’s prerequisite condition with respect to safety of and warranty to your loads and settling of any disputes that may arise in case of loss of or damage to your loads.
As to high-altitude gear, “Pamir Expeditions” offers its clients gear to rent as follows: high-peak tenets (“Red Fox” and “Terra Nova” models), gas-stove burners, ropes, crampons, ice-axes, two-way radios etc. The rest of the gear, we do suggest, has to be of your own and brought with you (see in the “Gear” section).
Time most favourable for climbing Peak Lenin is two summer months: July and August. Our tip to skiers: best time for ski climbing is July. Most comfortable ski downhill you can get when skiing from the top – 7134m!
You can easily without limitation change your US dollars or Euros or Russian roubles to local Kyrgyz soms at any exchange office in town of Osh. Same kind of currency is in circulation at the BC and ABC.
And the last thing to mention: we highly recommend that you provide your passport details to us well beforehand – at least 3 weeks, better 1 month before your planned arrival in Kyrgyzstan, so that we could timely obtain all necessary permits for you.
Upon arrival in the country you are to pick up from customs office and write in 2 (two) customs declaration forms. Out of the two form one form stays with the customs while the other one is to be stamped and returned back to you by the customs officer so that you could produce it to customs officer at time of you departure the country. In the customs declaration you are to describe all cash money, traveller’s cheques, weapons and ammunition (if any), psychotropic substances and other items that needs to be declared under the form. Make sure that you fill in the form in two (identical) copies even though the customs officer may assert to you that it is not necessary. The point is that at the time of your leaving the country you are to declare valuables and money you’ve got once again. And customs officer is in right to require your first (old) declaration to be produced. If you fail to produce the old one and your new declaration states some amount of money that you are taking out of the country then the officer has a right to confiscate this money. Once again, we reiterate: if the officer at time of your entering the country tells you that one form is enough while the officer at time of your exiting the country requires the old form to be produced then how do you prove him that you do not take country’s money out but are taking just your own money unless you have your entering declaration?

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