Virgin Peaks 2010 Expedition - Itinerary & Details
GROUND ARRANGEMENTS
As in previous years these will be co-ordinated by ITMC Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan’s
leading expedition company. The director, Vladimir Komissarov, was one of the
leading mountaineers of the former Soviet Union and is now President of the
Association of Mountain Guides of Kyrgyzstan. Vladimir, his camp staff, and
porters (some of whom are strong mountaineers in their own right) will be working
with us throughout the expedition. Through them we can share some of the 'Russian
traditions' which have given Central Asia a unique mountaineering history.
Nowhere else is base-camp life so enjoyable!
EXPEDITION ITINERARY
The expedition will run over three weeks from Saturday September
4th to Saturday September 25th (22 days).
Day |
Activity |
Overnight |
| 1 |
(Sep 4) Afternoon flight from
Heathrow to Almaty (in Kazakhstan). |
plane/hotel |
| 2 |
Arrive Almaty, transfer by coach
to Bishkek hotel (4 hrs). Get a few hours sleep
then after lunch sort equipment etc. at ITMC base. Bishkek city
tour (with guide + transport) evening restaurant. |
hotel |
| 3 |
Load personal equipment into 6wd
vehicle. Drive SE to Naryn and stay at the 'English Guest House'. |
hotel |
| 4 |
Early start to drive south to the
At Bashi range and along to Tash Rabat. We climb here in the afternoon
then spend the night at the 'caravanserai'. |
Yurt camp |
5-10 |
Mountaineering
in the At Bashi range. Having selected our area we establish
BC. We will start with an acclimatisation peak then move up to Advanced
Base Camp. We will climb peaks from here and Porters
will
keep
us supplied
with food for approx 4 days till we return
to BC, ready for our transfer to the Torugart range. |
camp
|
11-16 |
Mountaineering in the Torugart-Too range. We
set up BC on the same excellent site we used in 2007, then immediately
carry up to ABC and stay high. We will have 5 days to climb from this
high camp. |
camp |
| 17- 19 |
Transfer to Son Kul region (option
of hotel night en route). We will have 2/3 days to climb here on the
mountain limestone of Son Kul Canyon and the domes above. Routes up to
700m of all grades. |
camp |
| 20 |
Travel to Bishkek, stopping for
lunch at Kyrgyz handicraft centre in Kochkor. A chance to see how felt
is made and to view a wide range of modern and antique handicrafts. |
hotel |
| 21 |
Free day in Bishkek, shopping/relaxing,
'farewell dinner' in evening. This day is 'in-hand' if mountaineering
programme overruns. |
hotel |
22 |
(September 25) Early transfer to Almaty, morning
flight to Heathrow, arriving around 3.15pm. |
home |
SAFETY AND RESCUE
ISM
will provide the main medical kit, individual
members need only bring a small personal first aid kit. We will
have a radio station or Sat phone at base camp to give us weather
reports and
to enable us to summon a rescue helicopter in the unlikely event
that it is needed. Vaccinations are not obligatory for the area,
however some
may be recommended by your GP.
As always we pay careful attention to ACCLIMATISATION and
rarely, if ever, have any serious problems. Some people may choose
to use Diamox on the trip - if so please consult your GP for
advice.
INSURANCE
All expedition members must have mountaineering insurance to cover medical
and rescue expenses. For UK residents, suitable cover can be arranged
through the following organisations/companies:
BMC Tel: 0161 445 4747 Web: www.thebmc.co.uk
Snowcard Tel: 01327 262805 Web: www.snowcard.co.uk
Austrian
Alpine Club Tel: 01707 324835 Web: www.aacuk.demon.co.uk (more limited cover)
Non-UK residents. If full insurance cover
such as provided by the BMC and Snowcard is not available in
your home country, non-UK residents can obtain reasonable cover
for medical and mountain rescue by joining the Austrian Alpine
Club. However it may be necessary to take out further travel
insurance to cover aspects such as cancellation.
EQUIPMENT
ISM will provide all climbing hardware, ropes, cooking equipment, lightweight
tents for the mountain and the main first aid kit. Individual
members must bring:
-
Sleeping bag (expedition or ‘5 season’ quality)
-
Closed-cell
foam sleeping mat and/or Thermarest
-
Rigid mountaineering
boots (plastic double boots strongly recommended)
-
Rock climbing
shoes (comfortable and large enough to take a thickish
sock)
-
Thermal underwear, fleece shirt or similar, fleece
jacket & pants
-
Extra fleece top or duvet, Goretex
jacket and salopettes (or pants)
-
Mountain mitts/gloves,
hat or balaclava, gaiters
-
Ice axe, ice hammer, crampons
(with anti-ball plate)
-
Helmet, harness, 3 locking carabiners,
belay plate
-
Long sling (120cm), 3 prussik
loops, headtorch with spare batteries,
-
Climbing rucksack
(55-70 litre), second sac or kitbag,
- Trekking poles (collapsible for carrying whilst climbing) with snow
baskets,
-
Glacier glasses, sun
protection cream and lipsalve, water bottle,
-
Mug, bowl,
spoon, shorts, sunhat, lightweight 'trekking' boots or
approach shoes
-
Personal ‘travellers’ first-aid
kit (headaches, diahorrea, minor cuts, blisters etc)
-
'Wet Wipes' for personal hygiene,
-
2-3 books, maybe a tot of something warming to drink
at ABC!
In addition if you can bring
a lightweight tent (2
or 3-man) this
is helpful
in giving everyone
some privacy
at base camp
and room to spread out
their gear etc. Please let us know
on the
Booking Form.
Please see our 'NEWS & REPORTS' page for an article on equipment by
Kyrgyzstan regular Steve Taylor.
VISAS
Kyrgystan Visas: A Tourist Visa should be obtained from Consular Section
of the Embassy of the Kyrgyz
Republic, London, Tel: 0207 935 1462, email:
email@kyrgyz-embassy.org.uk. This is a simple procedure and EU residents
do not require a letter of invitation. ISM will provide letters of invitation
for non-EU residents.
We arrive in Kazakhstan then cross the border
into Kyrgyzstan, however Kazakh visas are not now required
for transit.
COST
The ALL-INCLUSIVE price for the expedition is £3290.
An in-country price is available for people wishing to join
the expedition in Bishkek, and a price excluding guiding is
possible for experienced teams wishing to join the expedition
and then to climb independently. Single rooms are available
for all hotel nights by paying a supplement of £110.
BOOKING
To apply for a place on the expedition, please download
and complete the Expedition
Booking Form then post it together with the deposit
(which must be in the form of a cheque or bank draft for £600 payable
to 'ISM Expedition’)
to the UK office. We will confirm your place as soon as possible.
N.B. The ISM booking form for Alpine courses must not be used
as different information is needed.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE
After your place has been secured by the deposit, we require
a second payment of £600 by the end of March and the balance payment
by the end of June. In case of cancellation, the following
charges will apply: up to 4 months before departure - deposit
only; 4 to 2 months before departure
- deposit plus second payment; within 2 months of departure
- full fee. If arranging your own insurance, please check that
it covers cancellation.
We look forward to welcoming you to this next ISM adventure!
Please phone or mail with any further questions.
Tel: + 44 (0)1766 890441 Email: patlittlejohn@alpin-ism.com or
ism@alpin-ism.com
