"A Good Climber Is A Live Climber...", or "The Mountain Stood And Will Stand..."

By Maksut Zhumaev

From the editorial team: "It’s a great honor for us to publish the essay by Maksut Zhumaev, the legendary Kazakhstani climber, major of the National Climbing Team of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Honored Master of sports in alpinism of the Republic of Kazakhstan, multiple champion and prize-winner of the championship of the Republic of Kazakhstan in alpinism in the high-altitude class. An exciting imaginary journey into the world of extreme adventures awaits you, where the line between life and death is often as thin as the edge of ice. Have fun reading!"

We're back. A unique expedition of its kind has ended. The expedition team consisted of employees of the Law Enforcement Agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For the first time in history, not professional climbers, but professional military and police officers went on the ascent, but in fact, they were qualified as a "mountain training instructor" and having at least one ascent to a peak above 7000 meters in their track record.

We're back. A unique expedition of its kind has ended. The expedition team consisted of employees of the Law Enforcement Agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For the first time in history, not professional climbers went on the ascent, but professional military and police officers, but qualified as a "mountain training instructor" and having at least one ascent to the peak above 7000 meters in their track record.

For me, an almost pensioner of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, this expedition has become extremely complicated and incredibly time-consuming. The responsibility for the life and health of my comrades in arms has become an unbearable burden for me. After all, big mountains are not only about great strength, but also about experience, intuition and luck.

The autumn season in the Himalayas has become abnormal this year, for the first time in more than 70 years. Heavy snowfalls put an end to the ascents already at the height of the season. All the western eight-thousandth peaks of the Himalayas, such as Manaslu (8163 m), Dhaulagiri (8167 m), Annapurna (8091 m), Cho Oyu (8201 m) and Everest (8848 m), were hit.

Any expedition starts with planning. In our case, the start of the expedition was scheduled for September 5, 2024, but due to certain circumstances, we took off only on September 10, 2024. We tried to offset the time deficit by shortening the training day in Kathmandu and double trekking crossings.

The base camp greeted us with rainy weather and friends. It should be noted that Manaslu has traditionally become an "autumn mountain", since in the spring its slopes become very avalanche-prone.

For information, Mount Manaslu is the eighth highest peak in the world, and it ranks third in the list of the "bloodiest peaks". Between 1950 and 2022, more than 80 climbers died on its slopes, with 2,172 people climbing.

The tragic events on the mountain also affected Kazakhstani climbers. On October 7, 1990, Murat Galiyev, Zinur Khalitov and Grigory Lunyakov died while making a pioneer pass along the southeastern wall.

"In the autumn of that 1990, having just completed a "fantastic traverse" (Victory– Khan Tengri), the guys went to the Himalayas to Manaslu. There were eight of them in the team: Kazbek Valiev, the head, Murat Galiev, Viktor Dediy, Grigory Lunyakov, Zinur Khalitov, Valery Hrishchaty, Andrey Tselishchev and the doctor Valentin Makarov. The first passage of the Alpine-style wall route was carried out (without the organization of intermediate camps), without the use of oxygen. They, the Aces, walked powerfully. The difficult Manaslu icefall has already been left behind, where reliable insurance is impossible. We passed it, pulling loads behind us. On October 7, Zinur Khalitov, Grigory Lunyakov and Murat Galiev completed the processing of the upper part of the wall at an altitude of 7,400 meters. There was just a little bit left before the easier way to the top... But there was a breakdown. Zinur, Grisha and Murat died. Their comrades buried them here, at an inaccessible height.

This year, the autumn near Manaslu has become fruitful. More than 290 permits for climbing were issued, of which a record 10 permits were issued by Kazakhstanis. The season in Manaslu began with heavy snowfall, about 50 cm of snow fell. But the work of the advanced groups of climbers did not stop. "Fixing team" – a working team of Sherpas, which is the first to pave the way to the top, hang ropes, which will be used by "clients" which means climbers or mountaineers, was able to climb to the top on September 18, 2024. At that time, our team was preparing for its first acclimatization trip. In parallel with us, the vast majority of teams and solo climbers, with the help of Sherpas and with additional oxygen, have already stormed out of the base camp. It should be understood that the use of additional oxygen provides a significant advantage when climbing. After all, the climber removes the main obstacle in front of the peak – this is "hypoxia" – a reduced oxygen content in the climber's body due to the low oxygen content in the air inhaled by the body. From this, the movement of the climber becomes slow, signs of altitude sickness and other dangerous consequences may appear. It should be noted that our team has set itself the task of climbing to the top, without the use of additional oxygen and the help of Sherpas. Everyone carried themselves, tents, food, personal and public goods. At the first exit, our backpacks weighed about 23-25 kg. For the first acclimatization trip, these are heavy backpacks, but we prepared, trained before the expedition, walked with our fists tightly clenched and our teeth clenched. The plan for the acclimatization exit is simple – alternately set up 1, 2 and 3 high-altitude camps, make a radial exit to the 4th camp and go down to the base camp to rest before the decisive assault.

From my diary

"On September 19, 2024, an early exit at 5:00 a.m. from the base camp (4800 m) to the first camp (5800 m), approximately 3-5 hours on the way. If you go out later, the intense heat on the glacier takes a lot of energy. The route starts from the base camp along the glacier moraine; after about an hour, you need to put on your "cats" and go out on the ice. At an altitude of 5100 m, it is necessary to overcome a rocky step, a belt of simple rocks hung with railing ropes. The relief of the glacier is complex, broken, with cracks. The trail is marked and safe even for solo passage. Upon arrival at the first camp (5800 m), 2 tents were set up, we ate and slept. The team is feeling good, but the fast pace worries me. It is advisable not to tear up the beginning of acclimatization, but to go slowly.

September 20, 2024 – the transition from the first camp (5800 m) to the second camp (6300 m). The most technically difficult part of the route. The passage of an icefall, overhanging seraks on the way, snow bridges, stairs through cracks, snow and ice walls from 20-50 meters, with a steepness of 40-80 degrees. There are rope railings everywhere. In the second camp– tents are set up, lunch and dinner are scheduled. Some guys get a headache, for many this is the first height. We drink aspirin and relax.

September 21, 2024 – transition from the second camp (6,300 m) to the third camp (6,600 m).

The shortest and easiest transition. Along the way, there is a maze of huge glacier faults; tents of the third camp are being set up on the plateau. Upon arrival at the camp, we immediately witnessed the evacuation of one of the participants of the women's team from Peru. The height starts to get tougher and tougher. Heavy backpacks increase fatigue, but on the other hand, acclimatization is better. We have set up tents and are resting. It's going to be a fun night. The headache is all from hypoxia, we are treated with aspirin. It's hard for the guys, but everyone is doing well.

On September 22, 2024, the transition from the third camp (6,600 m) to the fourth camp (7,400 m) did not work out. The first group of two people reached 7,100 meters, made a drop and returned to the third camp. The main team went down to the base camp.

September 23, 2024 – the team is on vacation at the base camp. Everything was going according to plan until a storm appeared in the weather forecast. A snow storm that hasn't happened since 1950. Our team decided to wait out the storm at the base camp. All the other teams that were ready for the assault urgently left the base camp. Basically, these are climbers who make ascents with the use of additional oxygen and with the help of Sherpas. The weather before the assault was good and many climbers reached their peak.

So, our team is waiting for the storm. As usual, the snow storm was slowly gaining momentum. The light snow gradually turned into a solid snowfall. Tents were covered with snow at night, Sherpas went and knocked down the snow so that they would not break. It snowed like a wall for two days, and more than a meter of fresh snow fell in the base camp. It is unclear how much snow there was on the mountain. But the case smelled fried. The news from central Nepal was disappointing. Heavy rainfall became abnormally record-breaking, floods, mudslides and landslides caused the deaths of more than 200 people. Many roads are washed out in the mountains, and Nepal's transport arteries are paralyzed. And all this in the autumn period, when in principle there should be no precipitation. After all, they traditionally occur during monsoon periods, and these are calendar winters and summers.

For nine long days we waited for good weather to continue our ascent. By this time, there were very few people left in the base camp. Almost everyone left, some after a successful ascent, and some considered climbing after a heavy snowfall too dangerous. About 20 climbers and 10 Sherpas gathered from the entire base camp for the final assault on the mountain. The forces were unequal, but it is not in our principles to retreat without a fight."

From my diary

"On October 1, 2024, we left the base camp. All the attention on the mountain, the breath and the mood of the mountain are avalanches, and they are everywhere. The mountain shakes off the snow cover, a critical amount of snow slides under its own weight. We are afraid, but the mountain is not; we are slowly going up. Sherpa teams are working ahead, their task is to bring down the property that survived the snowfall to the base camp. The first camp, however, as well as the second and third, did not survive. Absolutely all the tents were left broken under a one and a half meter layer of snow. We had to rebuild the camps again. Some of the downy equipment left in the high-rise camps and the sleeping bags of the children were out of order, soaked in moisture. This is a problem, since there is no replacement anymore. I had to practically dry it on myself. Some of the tents were rented to us. Life goes on.

On October 2, 2024, the second camp met us with a problem. There are no tents. We had to dig out a broken dining tent and make a bed in it. It turned out to be something like a den or a snow cave. It was cold at night, you could say we slept outside.

October 3, the third camp is the moment of truth. All the teams gathered and held a meeting. Who will go to the top? All Sherpas refuse to continue climbing, citing the difficult snow and avalanche conditions. We are preparing to go upstairs in proud solitude. The Sherpas have mixed feelings about us. On the one hand, respect for their courage, on the other hand, negativity, since we exposed them as weak and indecisive in front of customers. The refusal of the Sherpas to climb is partly understandable: they do not want to risk their lives for a couple hundred dollars.

On October 4, 2024, we went out on the mountain, the weather forecast is changing every hour. The force of the wind increases every hour. Our advance group has reached an altitude of 7,100 meters, wind gusts reach up to 50 km/h. We decided to return to the third camp and wait for favorable weather conditions.

On October 5, 2024, there are strong winds on the mountain, we are waiting out the bad weather. All other teams refuse to continue climbing and go down.

On Sunday, October 6, 2024, our team stormed from the third camp (6600 m), the time was 13:30. Weather forecast, wind 35 km/h, gusty. We collected everything we could find: ropes, ice axes, ice drills. We worked out the route until 23:30 in bad weather conditions. Before reaching camp 4 (7,400 m), we encountered an avalanche-prone area, checked the last two remaining ropes, but could not catch on to a safe place, besides we could not find the old ropes. Moving on without insurance was very dangerous, I assessed the condition of some team members as extremely unsatisfactory due to their excessive fatigue; the first frostbite and partial blindness had already appeared.

Assessing the current situation as promising an emergency, I stopped and turned the team down. On the descent, we met Kazakhstani Galymzhan aga with a guide-guide Sherpa Pasang. They were following our footsteps. We turned them down too. The team descended smoothly. The first group from the Anar descended to the third camp approximately at three in the morning. The second group came down with me at 4:30.

Approximately at 5:00, an SOS signal was received – the third group accompanied Galymzhan aga down, and at an altitude of 7,200 m he stopped and stopped responding to requests to continue the descent. The first signs of fatigue, hypothermia and swelling of the brain appeared. An urgent evacuation down was needed. At 5:00 a.m., rescue operations began, which I had to coordinate from the third camp. From there, the first group came up with rescue equipment; we contacted the base camp and Kathmandu about calling a rescue helicopter. Meanwhile, the third group consisting of two officers independently (risking their lives) began to transport the victim themselves in a state of severe fatigue. At one point, the Pasang sherpa could not hold the rope to which the victim was attached and knocked down one of our officers. And the whole bunch inevitably flew down the steep snowy slope into the abyss. Only a miracle saved the expedition from tragedy. An officer of our Mountain Training Center was able to cut himself on a snowy slope and keep his friends sliding down. After the stop, they continued the transportation.

At 6:00, an additional rescue group of two Sherpas leaves the third camp. At 7:00 a.m., an emergency rescue helicopter took off from Kathmandu. At 7:00, the first group approached the third group and the four of them began transportation. The first group fed the victim with medicines, insulated him, and made a "cocoon" (rope stretcher). Transportation at altitudes above 7000 meters is extreme conditions with minimal chances for the victim. At these heights, everyone saves himself.

I would like to note that the rescue work was carried out professionally, thanks to the high qualifications of the officers, who allowed saving the LIFE of one Kazakhstani. All the officers were extremely tired after a difficult attempt to climb to the top of Manaslu.

In my opinion, if we continued the assault on Manaslu through high risk, it would be much more difficult to help the victim. This is my analysis of the current situation. I am fully and completely responsible for the refusal to continue the assault, which eventually became decisive in saving the life of a comrade.

As a result, the expedition did not reach the top, but the team was able to realize one of the main goals and objectives of the law enforcement agencies – saving the life and health of every citizen of Kazakhstan ✊🏽🇰🇿

Summing up the results of the expedition, I will say that the young team, having found themselves in the Himalayas for the first time, faced difficult weather conditions, showed perseverance and courage, and showed their best side. The team gained invaluable experience, carried out rescue work, and saved a man from death.

On behalf of the national team of the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I would like to express my gratitude to the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev for supporting our project, which served to develop mountaineering and strengthen cooperation between law enforcement agencies. A new generation of high-altitude climbers is growing before our eyes. Each Himalayan experience is an invaluable gift of the time of its generation.

Any sporting achievement of Kazakhstani climbers since Independence Day is a landmark, it is a bar, it is a challenge. As the head of the expedition, I believe that the goals and objectives set for us have been fulfilled. Everyone has their own Everest, each Everest has its own hour.

I am proud of my fighters, they fought "not because of, but in spite of." I take every frostbite on my arm or leg as a seal, a notch on my body, as a recognition of a great mountain of honor and courage.

There was no sorrow or sadness on the faces of my fighters, they gratefully said goodbye to the big mountain. Our ascent continues. We will walk the same route more than once, in our dreams, in our dreams. The top must be earned, the top requires a price in energy, in health and even in life.

October 7th... without a year ago, a day of stumbling, a day of payment. Exactly 34 years ago, our friends from the national mountaineering team of Kazakhstan died on this day.

On October 7... we stopped at the "black" line, beyond which there is no way back. We were able to stop and save the man, returning to our children, family, relatives and friends.

On October 7... five Russian climbers died on the neighboring mountain, the peak of Dhaulagiri (8167 m). Bright memory to the guys.

We're back.