Glossary
The encyclopedia of the tourist
L
Lenin, peak. On the
border with Tajikistan - the mountain rises to a height of 7134 m. It
was the third highest mountain in the former Soviet Union and is shaped
something like a «high armchair». Once called Peak Kaufman after a Russian
Governor General, it was renamed in hour of the Soviet leader, and has
now been renamed Kuh-i-Gamo, (Warm Mountain).
The mountain has a reputation as a high altitude «walk-up»
(easy climb) and so is popular with climbers - it is one of the most
climbed 7000 m mountains in the world. Although many mountaineers
gain high altitude experience here - dozens of experienced climbers
have also died on the mountain, especially as the result of extreme
and unpredictable weather. In particular it was the scene of two major
mountaineering tragedies. In 1974 an 8-woman team was caught by a storm
and wanting to show that an all woman team could succeed they decided
not to descend but to wait out the storm. Unfortunately, after their
tents had been shredded by the wind, they perished one by one - the last
maintaining radio contact with the outside world until the very end.
Then in 1991 an earthquake triggered an icefall which trapped 44 climbers
in the camp below. Only one survived, another body was found - but no
other remains of the remaining 42 have ever been discovered. It is said
to be the world's worst ever mountaineering tragedy.
The main base camp is known as Achik Tash. Nearby is Lukovaya
Polyana ( Wild Onion Field) - the last greenery before the stony moraines
of the mountain slopes. Top
