Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Elevation:
|
12696 ft / 3870 m |
|
Overview
Location: Russia, Altai Mountains, North-Chuya Range, Shavlo Lakes Region.
This area is situated southeast of Mt. Belukha (4506 m) region. It can be reached by helicopter, or on foot in three days via the Chuyskiy road (Chuyskiy Trakt), which winds alongside the Chuya river. The countryside is splendid: the birch woods and, higher up, the larches, cover the sides of the mountains up to an altitude of 2,000 meters, where they give way to a thick carpet of bushes that go up as far as the moraines. There is some local tourism in the Shavlo Lakes region, but there are no organised camps, so you will have to sleep in tents, cook over a wood fire and get your water from the rivers and lakes, which also offer plenty of fish. The valley is closed off to the south by a system of marvellous mountains with evocative names - Krasavitsa (Beauty; 3,870 m), Mechta (Dream; 3,600 m) and Skazka (Fable; 3,770 m) - that have interesting snow and mixed climbs.
Pictures of our 1991 expedition to the area can be seen here:
1991 Altai
I apologize for the poor picture quality: back in 1991 in Russia, the good services were simply not available, and I was printing the pictures myself in my bathroom (then scanned those which survived 14 years later).
Some good COLOR pictures can be seen at
Altai Photographs @ Altailand.ru
Another reference:
extreme.k2.omsknet.ru
And some real "alpinist" pictures here (GREAT PICS, ...well, if the site works, and sometimes it doesn't):
Altai alpinism, example
And, please, don't hesitate to add your trip reports and pictures of the area, if you have any.
 |  |  |  |  |
Getting There
1. Travel to Moscow or other major Russian city, from there fly to Barnaul or Biysk, then hire a car/bus/truck to Gorno-Altaysk, and from there travel to village of Chibit (best way - hire a helicopter, but you can get a car/bus/truck and travel by Chuisky Trakt (Road), which will take you a day or two).. From Chibit, it is a 4-5 day trek to Lower Shavlinskoe Lake. Next day you will be on the glacier at The Beauty Peak's base. Your best bet (esp. if you are not Russian and can't easily blend in, and don't know the culture and the area) is to hire a good guide.
2. A quote from Vladimir Kopylov's book:
You can get there from Moscow by plane with regularly scheduled flights that go as far as Barnaul, from where you can reach the towns of Gorno-Altaysk, Ust-Koksa or Kosh-Agach by using the small local airlines or by bus via the city of Biysk. From Kazakhstan, on tiae other hand, you go by air to the city of Ust-Kamengorsk. Then you can go to the base camp by helicopter, or on foot, which will take you from three days to a week. The heart o{ this region consists of the Katunskiy and Chuyskiy ranges, which are named after the Katun and Chuya rivers. Here, for fifteen kilometres the mountain crests never fall below 4,000 meters.
http://mountains.tos.ru/altai.htm
 |
Red Tape
not sure about permits. Back 14 years ago we did not need any. It's probably a different story now. Do some research -- and let me know -- I will update the info.
When To Climb
Summer: July - August.
Other seasons, esp. winter, are tougher, but doable.
Camping
Bring tents and ALL the supplies (yes -- that means HEAVY packs, 40 kg at the start easily; that's another good reason to hire a helicopter).
Mountain Conditions
well folks... you may be trekking and climbing in the area for months and not see a single live person there... And you are asking about a web-cam?
Local alpinism agencies (and even agencies in Moscow) should have some info on that.
1 Trip Reports