Pamirs '99

The Zaalayskiy Khrebet range, lying at the eastern edge of the Pamir on the border of Kyrgyzstan with Tajikistan and China, was politically out of bounds from the late 1950s, so is little explored. However, it was known to contain four unclimbed 6,000-metre peaks, which were the primary objectives of this expedition. Unfortunately, once in the area, it was found that these were beyond the technical ability of the team, so attention was turned to lower peaks. Ascents were made of five of these, to which the following names were given: Pik Anatoli, 4,985m, Pik 4892m, Pik Ramille, 4,852m, Pik Svyetly (aka Shining Peak), 4,789m, and Pic Molly, c. 4,800m; grades were up to Alpine D. Various other minor peaks were also climbed, in order to gain an overview of the area.