The Mountains

Pik Lenin (7134mt.,Pik Kommunism (7495mt.), Pik Korjenevska (7105 mt.)

The Mountains
The Pamir is the heart of Central Asia, a mass of highlands shrouded in mystery. More than a mass, it really is a complex tangle of valleys, high points, and glaciers. The true essence of the Pamir is found in its isolation because the "roof of the world" is tucked in more interior areas of the Asian continent. And it can also be considered a "starting point" where the most important mountain ranges are born and from where they take there various directions: the Hindukush, the Tien Shan, and the Karakorum. Pik Lenin (7134 m. or 23407 ft.), often generically placed in the Pamirs, is actually part of the Transalai chain culminating in the Zaalayskiy range, located in the border area of the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. It's the second highest 7000-er (peaks above 7000 meters in the former Soviet republics) after Pik Kommunism (7495 m., 24591 ft.) and its earliest explorations date back to 1871 and the Russian explorer Fedchenko. Later on, it was the Russian Academy of Sciences to explore the region systematically. The first recorded climb up Pik Lenin was in 1934 by the venerated, infamous Russian climber Vladimir Abalokov who opened a route on the northern flank from the meadows of Atchik-Tash (at 3600 m., 11811 ft), still today the starting point for the normal route up Pik Lenin. In Atchik-Tash we can still find the historic IMC Pamir camp built during the height of the Brezniev years (1974) to host climbers. The camp was complete with emergency hospital, sauna, toilet, mess tent, kitchen, bar, radio station, etc..

Getting there
Osh, ancient crossroads (Silk Road) city connecting trade routes to China is considered the southern capitol of Kyrgyzstan and is also the starting point to reach Atchik-Tash (approx 3600 m., 11812 ft..) at the base of Pik Lenin. From Italy we fly through St. Petersburg to Bishkek, the capitol of Kyrgyzstan. Then we take an internal flight (about 1.5 hours in duration) to Osh. Depending on whether we go by jeep or bus, the travel time between Osh and Atchik-Tash is anywhere from 5 to 10 hours.

Weather and climbing conditions
The best period for high altitude climbing in the Pamirs is during the months of July and August, more specifically from mid-July to mid-August. Even during the summer months, weather conditions can be quite severe especially at high altitude. In contrast, the lowlands and valley bottoms can see temperatures which easily exceed thirty degrees C. (90 deg F.).