Alpinism in Altai mountains on the snow leopard's footsteps

From Novossibirsk, May 12th 2009.

Here is a recipe for pure adventure, big emotions, and many souvenirs.
1. Take a 29 years old innocent French boy from Paris, with intermediate knowledge of Russian, fairly experienced in hiking, and used to comfortable swiss Alps cabins.
2. Put him in a group of 7 Russian people, talking only Russian and with specific local jargon, highly skilled alpinists and used to cold, snow, and small tents for base camps.
3. And leave him there two weeks :-)

I had the chance to be the main ingredient of this recipe. The result: two weeks hiking and alpinism in Altai mountain range, at the border with Mongolia and China, between 1,500m and 3,967m, in an area famous for snow leopard's presence.

Along Chouisky Trakt, heading south east to Mongolia, in the rising spring's colors




Still along Chouisky Trakt, landscape moving from taiga to steppe


Reaching the deep steppe at the border with Mongolia and China


Approaching the high mountains of southern Chouisky range, and already observing the rest of some argali poaching


Mysterious menhirs and petroglyphs monuments along Elangash river




My first night in a Russian "bania" (as these small cabins are called here in Altai), photograph in the snowy morning


Base camp for Irbistu summit: igloo for the kitchen, and wall to protect the tents from the wind and snow


Irbistu summit: 3,967m, category 1B, overlooking the Russian southern Chouisky range as well as Mongolian and Chinese Altai ranges


Our companions in the valley: the yaks, providing herders with milk, cheese, meat, fur, combustible, and isolating material with their excrements.


View on Irbistu summit and our way up: through the gletcher from right to left and up on the rocks


On the way to 2nd summit Djanniiktu, 3,922m, category 2A, with its top all made of snow and ice


Base camp for Djanniiktu summit, right next to its gletcher


Endless pleasure at the fire camp, preparing tea and discussing under the supervision of our dear guide Maksim


Happy to find some vegetation, composed by small trees as well as fat and deep grass


Meeting the local population, families of herders, in their habitation traditionally composed of three parts:
1. The wooden house for all time and specifically winter,
2. The yourte for summer,
3. The farm.






Returning to the desertic steppe


Reaching the village of Beltir, entry point to Chouisky range, but with an atmosphere of dead city since the earth quake of 2003 that destroyed many houses






The serpentine of Old Chouisky Trakt on the way back to Gorno-Altaisk and Novossibirsk


Back to taiga landscape along Katun river