Mountaineering in Kyrgyzstan

The mountains of Kyrgyzstan are known all over the world. The highest ridges of the Pamir and Tien Shan are full of high peaks and therefore it is not surprising that many mountaineers visit the country each year.

Most of the territory of Kyrgyzstan is covered by high mountains, related to two massive mountain systems: Tien Shan and Pamir, which are the highest in Central Asia. The Tien Shan mountains occupy the whole territory of northern Kyrgyzstan, while the Pamir Mountains are located in the south of the country. These mountain systems has really high peaks.
The highest peak in Kyrgyzstan is the Pobeda Peak, which is 7,439 meters high, located in the eastern part of the country. This peak is the highest point of the Tien Shan and very difficult to climb. Very near the Pobeda Peak there is another mighty mountain, known since ancient times – Khan Tengri Peak, which is 6995 meters high, which, however, is considered a seven-thousandths, because of a large glacier on top. The third seven-thousandths of Kyrgyzstan, and at the same time the second highest peak is Lenin Peak, located in the south of the country, in the Pamir mountains.
Of course, not all climbers reach directly to the highest peaks. In other parts of the country, there are also many mountains and base camps, which are also popular. So, a lot of people make their ascent through the Ala-Archa Alpine Camp, which is only 40 kilometers south of Bishkek. There is an annual alpiniad, as well as climbing the peaks of Uchitel, Komsomolets, Agitator, Korona, Svobodnaya Korea and, finally, the highest peak of the Kyrgyz range – Semenov-Tian-Shanskiy Peak, 4875 meters high. Despite the low altitudes, ranging from 4,000 to 4,900 meters, many of the Ala-Archa peaks are very difficult to climb, and marches have very high levels of complexity. Others, on the other hand, do not require special training and climbing equipment, such as Komsomolets Peak.
Another popular place for climbing is the Karakol Alpine Camp, located in the Karakol Gorge. From here mountainers climb to the peaks of Karakol (5281 m), Djigit (5128), Przhevalsky (4200 m), Zhukov (4450 m) and many others.