// Trip Reports  

Report name	King Edward's VII Kyrgyzstan 2007
Date submitted	Aug-07

After meeting the team at London Heathrow, we enjoyed a speedy ‘check in’ thanks to very friendly BA staff. We were on our way, albeit nearly minus two school members of staff – one was undergoing a body search (obviously a dodgy character), whilst the other lost his boarding pass (well actually put it into an automated ‘check in’ machine). With the body search over and the retrieval of the boarding pass, we were back on track and so continued to departures. The pilot, being a friend of one of the team members’ dads arranged for pre-boarding for a privileged couple of the team, although they still ended up in economy class like the rest of us! What seemed like a swift flight and a quick refuelling in Tblisi, Georgia, saw us in Bishkek in no time (it must be down to who you know!)

One bag was lost in transit – in London Heathrow - and we had very little time to wait for its arrival. In fact, it took two weeks to arrive and much borrowing of equipment and clothing to ensure the trip was not spoilt for one of us.

We arrived at the hotel in Bishkek at 05:30 on the morning of Day Two. After a few hours sleep, it was up & out to explore the city of Bishkek, led by Katie & Melina (our city guides & Kyrgyzstan’s World Power Walking Champions!). We swiftly made our way around the city’s sites before crashing out for a full nights sleep as the next day it was time to move on. A 400km coach drive lay ahead of us. The road made its way up the Chew Valley, gradually gaining 1,000m of vertical height through the course of the morning before eventually levelling out alongside the Issy Kul Lake. Following lunch, we had a further 2½ hours of driving before reaching Karakol, on the eastern end of the lake. Here we enjoyed a comfortable night in a local guest house.

The journey continued eastwards in a number of 4-wheel drive trucks which had been decommissioned by the Russian army and what can only be described as ‘pimped’ for our use - leopard skin ceilings and lace curtains! There appeared to be a degree of excitement amongst the team as we made our way off-road, across streams, up valleys, through high passes before eventually arriving at our Base Camp (BC) in the Sarydzhaz valley, at the confluence of the Chon Kurumdu river.

Our BC was at 2,950m, a gain of some 1,200m in the day. A number of the team members were certainly feeling the effect of such a rise. Here we had a day’s acclimatisation, which took us to a cave at 3,500m, aptly named ‘Baggins Cave’. From here we could see the entire Sarydzhaz Mountain Range – what a fantastic view. Just the job to enthuse the team for what lay ahead. The view gave us the ideal opportunity to identify the specific area we would explore for the next two weeks. It was time now to move onto Advance Base Camp (ABC), up the Kichine Kurumdu valley. Following some negotiation with a few local horsemen, our bags were transported to ABC, while we enjoyed a leisurely 15km trek with 500m ascent. Rain threatened throughout the day, resulting in a heavy storm at around 15:00. With camp established, we sheltered from the storm before enjoying the views that lay to the south. We were now in what we believed to be virgin territory. The exploration was about to begin!

With so much to explore, the team split into three and headed east, west & south. The information that came back from all the teams gave us enough to work with for the next month, let alone the next two weeks. We’ll just have to go back! We had gone with the intention of climbing mountains in excess of 4,000m. The choice was endless. With this in mind, it was time for some glacial training on the Kichine Kurumdu glacier. What a stunning location, surrounded by many 4,000ers in an enormous amphitheatre. The team were now prepared for what this unexplored region would throw at us.

The weather had changed with a high pressure system overhead. It felt as if it would stay for the duration, or perhaps this was wishful thinking after the many days of rain & snow. We took a day off to rest, recover, rejuvenate & recharge our batteries. A plan of attack was formulated. The team were keen to summit the first 4,000er together. We had just the peak in mind. To our knowledge it had never been climbed before, although aiming to get a total of 30 on the summit was no mean feat. We set off early in glorious sunshine. It was going to be a hot day. Not able to hide from the sun, we made slow steady progress to the foot of the snow slope that led to Nicholson Col. From here it was just 200m of ascent to the summit. Excitement was on everyone’s faces as we continued ‘onwards & upwards’. The last five metres was a rock scramble & at last, our first virgin 4,000er had been achieved. The team had given a great deal of thought as to what they wanted to call this peak & the surrounding cols & glaciers etc. They came up with Keseven after their school name.

The weather was beginning to change & we needed to get ourselves down. An interesting descent along the west ridge led us to the base of the mountain and a 6km trek back to ABC. 10 hours of mountaineering left the team euphoric yet exhausted. A days rest followed, during which plans were made for the days that lay ahead. The team were keen to climb a further two 4,000ers. Both of which had been imposing themselves over us throughout the expedition. It was time for the team to split – some would rest further, while others would hopefully climb one or both of the peaks in question.

The ‘extreme team’ would firstly tackle the highest point at 4,353m and name it ‘Pen Eira Fawr’ (Big Snowy Top). The team enjoyed a pleasant, yet steep ascent through a river gorge before it opened up onto alpine meadows & onto a steep scree slope gulley. On reaching the col at 4,150m, the route changed direction to follow a mixed ridge of snow & rock. The team roped up and continued before eventually finishing with some ‘diff’ moves to the summit.

While the ‘extreme team’ were on Pen Eira Fawr, the ‘dream team’ took on the challenge of ‘Singing Peak’ at 4,276m. Aptly named following a very vocal ascent! The snow had subsided along its imposing ridge line, which made for a fairly lightweight ascent. After an initial steep approach to the ridge, the gradient became more gradual for the middle section before sharply rising in the final third. All that was left was the last 30m knife edge ridge to the summit. The team sung their way across this & arrived jubilant.

A further days rest allowed us to re-energise before swapping peaks so that all team members had the opportunity to achieve the same as everyone else. With time on our side, the ‘extreme team’ took in a further 4,000er, naming it ‘Cobra Mountain’ after its rich orange rock, while ‘dream team’ descended ‘Pen Eira Fawr’ via the alternative ‘Brasilian Ridge’.

During this time, the team saw the departure of two of its members due to the illness of one. Together they headed back to Bishkek to be checked out by a doctor. All turned out to be well, which was good news for the saddened team.

The whole team had achieved tremendous success, reaching points of 4,000m plus on more than six occasions, with a potential for two of these to be first ascents. We had achieved more than we had set out to achieve with a team that was so focussed on this journey. We remained at ABC for a further day before descending to BC where we had time to reflect on the success of our journey and await out transport. From BC we would head initially to Karakol before heading onto Bishkek. After nearly 24 hours of rain, we wondered if the vehicles would be able to reach us, given the many rivers to cross (there’s a song in there somewhere!). Sure enough, they arrived on the said day and we began our homeward journey. After a night in Bishkek to celebrate our successes, it was back to the UK & home.

It has been a real pleasure to be part of such a successful exploratory mountaineering expedition with a team of young people who showed commitment & dedication to the set goals. Congratulations to you all & I wish you every success in your future mountaineering & employment careers.

Thanks must also go to: