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Pamir is the highest alpine chain in the South of the ex-SU, these days the territory of the Kirghizia (Kirgiztan) and Tajikistan. It occupies the area of approximately 60 000 square kilometers and presents the extensive network of eversnow- covered ridges and vast intermountain valleys which form Pamir plateau.
Mountaineering
Pamir exploration began together with the first research expeditions of Soviet
Academy of Sciences on Pamir in the 1928 - 1933ths. Tourist expeditions on Pamir
were firstly made in 50ths and for the time being Pamir is the most popular
outdoor mountainous region among those of CIS. In mountaineering practical experience
Pamir's boundaries are accepted on the basis of ridges' orography and
their trek's resources. From the East Pamir is limited by Sarykolsky ridge on
the axis of which there are borders of ex-USSR and China. The southern border
passes along the river Piandge separating Tajikistan and Kirgizia from
Afghanistan and the northern one is limited by the river Kyzyl -Soo (Kyzylsoo),
consecutively adopting the name Sourhob and then Vakhsh. In the West Pamir finishes
with the ridges outskirts - of Peter The Great and Darvazsky.
The highest
ridges and massive glaciers are clustered in the western part of Pamir. Most
ridges' peaks are more than 6000 meters high and sometimes rise over 7000
meters high. There are 3 of 4 peaks above
7000 meters high on Pamir including the highest mountain of ex-USSR
- Communism Peak in Akademii Nauk range (recently this peak is re-named to "Ismoili
Somoni peak"), and Lenin peak (7134 m) - popular peak for those who're
trying their 1st attempt of high-altitude climbing. The highest top of
the whole Pamir area however situated in the Chinese part of the East Pamir
- it is Muztag Ata peak (7546 m).
The plateau
of 4000 meters high and more occupies the eastern part of Pamir and stretches
from its north to the south, being only once separated by Muzcol ridge.
The
natural conditions of Pamir's western and eastern parts are very
different. From one side, there is a sharp unevenness of the relief, from the
other side, the gently sloping plateau, at times going to an alpine desert.
Biologists and climatologists divide Pamir
into regions with rather general and stable physics-geographical
characteristics such as ridge character, type and capacity of icing,
vegetation, air dryness, etc. With such division one part of the ridge is often
in one region, and the other one is in the other region which makes more
difficult to classify the information about routes.
Generally speaking, Pamir's division accepted in trekking and mountaineering practice doesn't contradict with the one of the geography and reflects the history of Pamir's mountaineering exploration. It also helps you to reach the required information very easily. As a rule, Pamir is divided into 5 regions: North-Western, North-Eastern, South-Western, Central and Eastern. Central Pamir has the least clear boundaries, so many people also include here eastern parts of the North-Western Pamir ridges.
North-Western
Pamir's ridges are: Peter
the Great ridge, Darvazsky, Vanchsky and Yazgulemsky
before the place where the Academy of Sciences
ridges cross. North-Western Pamir connects
the eastern part of the Zaalaysky ridge
and Zulumart ridge
before the pass Zulumart. Central Pamir includes the Academy
of Sciences ridge, Tynymas
and the eastern part of the Yazgulemsky ridge
(mountains of the southern group of Fedchenko glacier).
Easteren Pamir's ridges are:
Muzcol, Pshartsky and North-Alichursky ridges.
South-Western Pamir's ridges are: Rushansky,
Shugnansky, Ishkashimsky, Shakhdarinsky and South-Alichursky ridges.
The
western part of the Zaalaysky ridge (to the West of the pass Tersagar) has not
be normally included in the North-Western Pamir. That's why the valley
of the river Muksu is the powerful natural border separating these two regions.
At times the Academy of Sciences ridge is considered to be the part of the North-Western
Pamir (you should mind that the regions' borders are highly conventional).
Such a division helps to classify the information
about Pamir better when preparing for trekking and expeditions, which are hold
usually in one region. Above this, such division based on the directions of
the sides of the World reflects the natural trek's and transport peculiarities
of certain regions which are also important for the visitors.
Pamir differs from other alpine regions
of ex-USSR by comparative stability of the weather during
summer months. More changeable weather is observed near Lenin's peak. More stable
weather is in the North-Western and Central Pamir, exceptions are the
regions before Communism and Revolution peaks.
Dryness of air and high solar radiation
are typical for all Pamir, but in Central, Eastern and South-Western parts
this feature exceed other regions.
Every
ridge and region of Pamir has its passes' set of any complication category.
In this case, passes from 2B and higher prevail, the number of passes
with 1A and 1B complication is not great. The height of passes in
the whole is in the limits from 4000 to 6000 meters. The height of general mass
of passes is about 5000 meters, the number of passes exceeding this
height is also considerable.
Thus treks and expeditions on Pamir are connected
with a long continuous staying on the altitudes of over 4000 meters,
it happens that the time of a continuous staying on the altitudes
over 5000 meters sometimes reaches its highest value (about half of a month).
As a rule, passes and mountains of Pamir require
long up and down approach with getting through water obstacles, glaciers,
snow- capped ice slopes and rocky areas. Passes and interesting to climb
are mainly located in remote, difficult-to-access regions (the Lenin's Peak
from the North is an rare exception). The approach to many of them is possible
only from reserved areas where you can run only through complicated passes or
by using helicopter. For more complicated passes the passage of the
main passing obstacle with neighboring up approaches takes 4-5 days. Passes
1A and 1B being inside the region often takes one-two days walk. During passes'
walking often happen overnight stayings on the stone moraines, on the snow,
on the ice, on the slopes and saddle of passes, sometimes
arises necessity to build neve blocks walls and in digging of snowy
caves. Getting over passes requires the usage of complete set of
climbing gear, technical means and tactical methods which are practiced in mountaineering.
Pamir
is characterized by 4-6 categories of complication for the trekking and pass-hopping
routes. The elaboration of rules for logical treks of less complication
with running through the everlasting snow zone is difficult. Objectively,
this fact is caused by rather small number of low difficulty passes, and also
its scanty comfortable combination passes of other complication. So, Pamir is
more suitable area to mountaineering. Natural-climatic conditions of Pamir and
characteristics of passes requiring high physical, technical, tactical
training of trekkers make from tour safety point of view the organization of
the treks of 3 and less complication category is too problematic. Climbing routes
are mostly ice, snow and neve, less rocky, that's can be considered as common
for high mountain areas.
Administratively Pamir lies mainly on the territory
of Tajikistan. Only the northern outskirts of Zaalaisky ridge descending to
the Alaiskaya valley belong to Kirgiziya.
The main means of communication on Pamir is automobile and aviation transport.
The basis of automobile connection here is the Cross-Pamir road
which begins from the town Osh in the Ferganskaya valley. This road
crosses Alaiskaya valley from the North to the South, stretches to the South
on the Pamir plateau along the river Piandge to the North and then
to the West towards the city Dushanbe (the capital of Tajikistan, which is connected
by air to the Moscow, Novosibirsk and some of the Central Asia states). From
this main road, roads of the local importance are constructed to the South
and to the East along Piandge, there are small parts by the valleys of
rivers Shahdara, Bartang, Yazgulem, Vanch, Obi-Hingou. Near the lake Kharakul
truck road goes to the valleys of rivers Khokhuibel and Tanimas. The city of
Dushanbe is connected with such small towns as Murgab and Horog, with
district centers Rushan, Vanch by local airlines. There is also an airline to
the towns Tavil-Dara and Jirgatal situating on the western borders of
Pamir. The start and the finish points of treks belong to this transport
network.
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