Going far and going high: Muztagh Ata in China + Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan

We need progression to fully enjoy life. To progress we need inspiration. To stay inspired we need to progress…
Out of that thinking, and a desire to explore beyond the western world, good friend of mine and I have decide to go far and high this summer.
As both of us like skiing and neither of us have been higher than about 5000 m we chose Muztagh Ata in China and Lenin Peak in Kyrgyzstan as our objectives. Or perhaps as excuses to visit these parts of the world.

Why Muztagh Ata and Lenin Peak?

Turns out that if you don’t have high-altitude experience you are better off going up peaks that are not very technical, one less thing to worry about. 😉
Simply, these two mountains have served as a stepping stone for many mountaineers seeking to climb 8000-ers one day. We just want a new experience and a good adventure. Or… maybe… one day…
Muztagh Ata is 7546 m high – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muztagh_Ata – and in good conditions could be skinned to the very top. We might not be able to ski below camp 1 (5300 m) but above that should be all good. Base camp is at 4400 m, so pretty much as high as I have ever been.
Lenin Peak is 7134 m high – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin_Peak – and a bit more technical than Muztagh Ata but nothing serious.
Usually, the biggest challenge on both of these peaks are wind, cold and altitude. The winds are usually 60+ km/h above 6500 m which brings down a cozy -20 C to around -35 C.
Views of Muztagh Ata:


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Views of Lenin Peak:


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Itinerary

Currently, we are in Europe, doing some family visiting.
On Saturday, June 29th, we are flying from Vienna to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
On Monday, July 1st, we should get picked up by our “tour guide”. The next 3 days will be mostly spend travelling over the border to China and to a small village called Subashi – a lost city on the ancient Silk Road (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subashi). From here we should hike to BC on July 4th.
Between July 5th-21st we will have 16 days to summit Muztagh Ata. That is not a lot considering we need to acclimatize first, but that seems to be standard “vacation package” you can buy.
Then between July 22nd-24th we will be travelling back to Kyrgyzstan and over to Osh province and to the BC for Lenin Peak (at around 3600 m).
Here we will have 10 days to summit. That should be enough as we will be acclimatized from Muztagh Ata. All we need is couple of days of good weather, and no diarrhea 😉
Pretty much right after that we are flying from Osh to Bishkek and then back to Europe. Back in Canada in late August.
We are climbing both peaks without guides or porters but I guess here and there we will clip into fixed lines.

Big thanks

I want to highlight two companies that are supporting me on this trip. The overall costs are high so even small help counts. I approached a couple that had gear I needed but these two delivered:

• Black Diamond – for providing me with generous discounts on Squall Tent, Mission 75 backpack, warm Super Light Mitt gloves, and a headlamp.
• and especially Clif Bar – for offering to support me year-round with their amazing bars and other products. Yay! The problem with Clif Bars is not to eat them all before I get to the first base camp.

Then thanks to Dynafit for some generous gear discounts through the Canadian Skimo Team. I will be using the Broad Peak skis at 176 cm, TLT 5 performance boots and obviously their bindings.
And I also want to thank to Central Asia Travel aka Pamir Expeditions – an agency we picked from many to organize our trip – for so far great communication and help with Chinese visas.

Trip updates

Likely, I won’t be posting much on Skintrack in the coming weeks but here and there I will try to update on our progress via Twitter and Facebook. Follow or become a fan, it’s easy and it’s free 🙂

• https://twitter.com/skintrack
  
• https://www.facebook.com/skintrack

Once back, I plan on sharing all details of the trip, from gear used, money spent, logistics, culture…
Until then, wish you an amazing summer. And stay inspired, keep progressing!