Bayankol gorge is one of the most majestic, severe and picturesque in the central Tien Shan. The most beautiful mountain range with a length of 70 km rises along the Bayankol River, and the highest peak in this area is called the Marble Wall. The peak is considered not only one of the most colorful, but also accessible. Every year it attracts a large number of athletes and enthusiasts who want to reach its top. The peak has several undoubted advantages, especially for those climbers who want to conquer their first six-thousander.
Only mountains can be better than mountains
Several routes of varying difficulty lead to the summit, including fairly simple ones with an average slope of 40 degrees. The approach to the foot of the Sarydzhassky ridge, where the peak is located and from where the ascent will begin, is the most accessible climbing area in this zone of the Tien Shan. Through the Bayankol gorge toThe Zharkulakskoe field is a dirt road, it can be reached by car. Further up to the camp there is a 12-kilometer trail, which is easy to overcome on foot or on horseback.
The base camp is located among the expanses of mountain meadows, at the source of Bayankol and the channel of Sary-Goinou. A breathtaking view of the Marble Wall and the mountain ranges of the Sarydzhas Range opens from here. Not an extra luxury on this expedition is a good camera. Throughout the route, you can observe stunningly beautiful landscapes, and from the top you will have an equally grandiose view.
Location
The high-mountain glacial region of the Tien Shan is the most continental. In the depths of Eurasia, it rises between the Indian, Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, almost at equal distances between them. Approximately in the middle of this mountainous area, in a basin, is Issyk-Kul, a lake that never freezes. To the east of it, between the beds of the Muzart and Sary-Dzhas rivers, the highest elevation of the Tien Shan rises, its citadel of high mountain glaciers. In these places, the highest peaks are piled up and ridges, forever covered with snow, stretch for tens of kilometers.
The entire territory exceeding 10,000 square kilometers is called the Khan-Tengri massif, because that is the name of the peak with a height of 6995 meters. It rises in the middle of this massif and serves as a kind of landmark, which is visible from remote areas of the Tien Shan. In a southerly direction, after 20 kilometers from it, the mostnorthern seven-thousander, Pobeda peak, 7439 meters high. 11 kilometers northeast of the top of Khan Tengri is the Marble Wall, a peak whose peak rises to a height of 6146 meters.
Merzbacher's expedition and the name of the summit
By the beginning of the 20th century, the pyramidal peak of Khan-Tengri was considered the main one in the region of the central Tien Shan. In 1902, an expedition was organized here under the leadership of the German geographer and mountaineer Merzbacher in order to determine the exact location and relationship of Khan Tengri with respect to the ranges adjacent to it. Hoping to get to the foot of the peak, Merzbacher began his research from the valley of the Bayankol River. However, already in the upper reaches, the scientist was convinced that the path to the target, which was clearly visible from a distance, was blocked by a high snow-covered ridge, and another mighty peak towered over the valley itself instead of Khan Tengri. It descended in the northwest and ended in a steep slope above the glacier at about 2000 meters. The exposed rock, on which neither snow nor ice could hold, revealed layers of white and yellow marble, lined with dark stripes.
This cliff and snow-covered slope Merzbacher called the Marble Wall. The slope forms a semicircle a kilometer long and closes the upper reaches of the glacier that fills the main source of the Bayankol River. The group decided to climb to the top and reached 5000 meters, but due to heavy snow and the danger of an avalanche, they had to abandon further ascent.
Levin Expedition
Nextan attempt to climb the Marble Wall was made by Soviet climbers in 1935. The group was led by E. S. Levin. The expedition managed to climb to a height of 5000-5300 meters, when an avalanche hit the slope where the climbers stopped, partially covering the tents. There were no casu alties, but the group had to retreat.
Further exploration of the peak was prevented by the outbreak of war. However, in the very first post-war year, a new expedition was organized in the Tien Shan, and the Marble Wall again became the object of its attention.
Conquered Peak
On July 25, a group of 10 climbers left Moscow. They were people of different professions: mostly engineers, one architect, geographer, two doctors. The expedition was headed by Professor of Medical Sciences A. A. Letavet. The researchers were equipped with the necessary equipment and measuring instruments, including altimeters.
On August 10, nine kilometers from the Marble Wall, a base camp was set up at an altitude of 3950 meters. Initially, members of the expedition made more than a dozen exploratory ascents to a height of 4800 meters. During them, various climbing routes were explored, which allowed them to get acquainted with the sculpture and relief of the Marble Wall, acclimatize and enter the climbers into excellent physical shape.
It was decided to climb along the eastern ridge with a further approach to the northern ridge. This path was tedious and long, but the most acceptable. On the morning of August 24, at seven o'clock, the group in full strength set out from the base camp and beganascent. The summit was taken on 28 August. It was three o'clock in the afternoon when the seven members of the team first climbed to the top of the Marble Wall. Their instruments determined the height of the peak at 6146 meters.
Expedition results
In addition to the fact that one of the outstanding peaks of the central Tien Shan was conquered, according to the reports of the expedition, the All-Union Committee of Physical Culture and Sports classified the ascent with V-A category of difficulty.
The most important studies of the Khan-Tengri massif were also carried out, which dispelled previous assumptions about the structure of the central Tien Shan. By this time, Merzbacher's theory was accepted about the "radial" branching of the main ridges from the nodal point, for which they took the Marble Wall or Khan-Tengri Peak. At the same time, Pobeda Peak was considered the main peak of the massif, to which, in theory, numerous chains of the main ridges converged. The expedition proved that all three peaks are not central nodes from which the main ridges could diverge. The Khan-Tengri massif does not have such a centralized point; it is formed by five latitudinal ranges that connect the Meridional Range and the Terskey Alatau.
Top description
The top of the Marble Wall is crowned by an uneven area with a north-western slope, approximately 12 by 20 meters. Light yellow marble rocks protrude on its southern side. In the southwest, towards the Northern Inylchek glacier, there is a rather gentle slope. In the southto the east one can see the saddle, and behind it the stretching ridge of the Meridional Ridge. From the northwestern and northeastern edges of the peak, a sudden cliff leaves towards the Ukur glacier and the Bayankol valley.
The border between Kazakhstan and China passes through the peak. However, if you look at the eternal silence of snow-capped mountains, indifferent to human fuss, from a height of six thousandth, thoughts about dividing the planet into states are the last to visit.
Surrounding panorama
The entire area surrounding the Marble Wall seems like a huge circus or a hollow, from which the only way out is along the Sary-Goinou River. The first thing that strikes is the contrast of the relief between the northern and southern sides. All the space of the southern part of the horizon visible from the top is filled with rock masses of unusually large forms with a sharp change in relative heights. The tops of powerful monolithic ridges are covered with an amazing abundance of snow and ice. It seems that he lay and will lie here forever. When you look at these snow-white giants from above, you recall the famous line that only mountains can be better than mountains.
Toward the northern half of the survey, the overall level of absolute heights sharply decreases with a colossal step, reaching 2500 meters. Smaller, with sharp outlines of relief forms and numerous punishments reign here, long thread-like depressions in the rocks with low walls and flat bottoms. They are covered with short, with visible traces of melting glaciers. It is impossible not to notice that the glaciation of thisparts of the horizon are much smaller than the south side.
But most importantly, the most breathtaking sight opens in the south. From the top, you can see the most powerful part of the ridge, which stretches from west to east, in close-up. 11 kilometers southwest of the Marble Wall, the “Lord of the Sky” itself rises with all its might and grandeur. From this point, almost the entire peak of Khan-Tengri is visible, vertically it can be seen at 2500 meters. The fantastic landscape is complemented by two more six-thousanders: Chapaev Peak located to the west and Maxim Gorky Peak behind it.
