Trip Reports

Mongolian Climber - 22 Jul to 6 Aug '17

Written by Leader Adele Pennington, August 2017

We are off to Mongolia, a country that conjures up so many extreme images in your mind. After surviving the Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Ulan Bator we were relieved to be on our way to the hotel for breakfast before departing on a cultural tour of the city. Pleasantly surprised by the cities open space and diversity of high-rise buildings and Gers (Mongolian Yurts), a city clearly undergoing rapid change and seemingly quite prosperous. A visit to Gandan monastery where a copper Buddha thirty meters high which had once been melted down to provide Russian bullets dominated this holy residence and a cruise around the National Museum improved our education on the economy and past of this intriguing country. Following refreshments in the Irish pub! We exercised our legs ascending the 400 steps to the cities monument and then gathered to watch a superb cultural show. To aid our acclimatisation the next day we set off to Mt Tsetsegunn, which was reminiscent of Dartmoor with its granite Tors. Not satisfied with the tourist summit the team insisted on showing off their scrambling skills by clambering on to the final rocky outcrop.

The following morning we returned to the airport but after several hours it was apparent that Mon Air meant, “might it arrive tomorrow”. No one seemed to complain about our extra night in luxury but we held hope for the morning.

Arriving in Olgii was like reaching another planet and with our four Russian vehicles loaded we drove to our lunch spot! The barren landscape was somewhat beautiful and a visit to the Eagle Hunter where those of who wished raised this mighty bird (12Kg) on our arm was a special treat. Soon we were at the road head where our camels were waiting to take us to base camp the next day.

Trekking into base camp was not too strenuous and afforded us fantastic views of the Altai Mountains and glaciers that we would soon be climbing. On arrival at base camp our team of cooks and guides were waiting for us and we were delighted to meet Ganga, our female head guide who was Mongolia’s first woman to climb Everest and reach the Seven Summits. As Ganga had ascended Khuiten over forty times we instantly felt comforted. Having been delayed by a day we decided to bag Malchin, our first 4000m peak, the next day. This provided excellent acclimatisation, although the weather on top was distinctly Scottish.

With a good forecast despite the currently high winds we headed off to high camp on the 29th July; loaded with all our personal equipment we were relieved to reach high camp were the ferocious winds funnelled through the col and left us no option other than scurrying into our tents. Dinner was served and we all hoped that the winds died down for our ascent of Khuiten (4374m) in the morning.

At 5am the sun rose from the east and the sky was clear, there was little wind and we roped up in our teams to ascend Mongolia’s highest peak. The angle of the climb steepened and using some ice screws to provide running belays we made superb progress. Having the mountain to ourselves was a real treat and after each steepening we were able to take rests at small rocky outcrops. After the final 45-degree slope the angle eased and we pulled up onto the summit of Khuiten. The vista of the Mongolian, Russian and Chinese Altai Mountain’s was stunning and we all delighted in our success. Taking care on the descent we retraced our steps and again protected ourselves with running belays. Seven hours after we had left we were back at camp enjoying tea and biscuits and the afternoon sun.

With ample rest we repeated the 5am start the next morning and had an extremely pleasant stroll over the glacier and the easy angled slopes to the summit of Nairandal (Friendship peak). It is not often you can visit three countries in two continents before 8am in the morning. Looking over Khuiten the surrounding vista was wonderful and with the knowledge of an easy descent we soaked up this atmospheric moment. An hour later we were back in camp sampling noodle soup before descending to base camp. Feeling that we had earned our rest day, some of the team pottered around camp whilst others took a 4hr walk to the Russian border.

The final day of trekking saw us head back East following the Silver River where we ended at a beautiful campsite that was made even more special by a Ger selling Beer.

Homeward bound we were reunited with the Russian drivers who drove us across the wild landscape for nine hours. Minor disruptions of a burst tyre and a broken suspension did not delay us too much as we headed to spend a night in a Ger at Tolbo lake. Finally we returned to Olgii for our first shower in several days and were entertained by a Kasakh family with a typical meal that we scoffed with our fingers and also listened to some cultural music. Why do the CDs we buy never sound the same when we get home!

On schedule we flew back to Ulan Bator for some last minute souvenir buying and our final dinner together. What a country, what a team, fantastic mountains and if asked would I go back it is a resounding yes.

Thank you to all the team members and the Mongolian Expedition team who have put this trip in my top 5 expeditions. « Previous report | Next report »

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