First ascent of an unclimbed Kanzhar peak | JASA team

On June 27, together with Alexander Vostroknutov, we headed to the upper Kaskelen Valley to climb an unnamed and unclimbed 3,620-meter peak. Its east face, as well as the summit itself, had never been climbed before. Several granite buttresses rise above the valley, with clean, compact rock and plenty of potential for new routes. The route follows the right buttress of the central part of the face, with around 350 meters of climbing, difficulties up to 6c, and 10 meters of aid climbing up to A3. Above the wall, another 300 meters of easier scrambling along the ridge lead to the summit. The first pitch turned out to be the most difficult. The cracks were filled with dirt and vegetation, and there were few opportunities for reliable protection. Higher up, the rock became much cleaner, with long corners, slabs and cracks. We named the peak “Kanzhar” (Kazakh dagger) and the route “Sunkar” (Falcon). It was the first ascent of the peak and the first technical route on its east face. 🧗Сlimbers: Grigoriy Chshukin   / g.chshukin   Alexander Vostroknutov   / alexx.voss   ✉️ For collaborations or partnership inquiries, contact us at Info@jasamedia.ch 📷 Follow us on social media: Instagram:   / jasa_climbing_team   Subscribe to our channel, hit the like button, and turn on notifications so you don't miss our videos.