Zhungar Alatau

The area south of the Koksu River in the Zhungar Alatau region of Kazakhstan has had few visitors, so offered a good destination for this exploratory expedition. River crossings prevented them from establishing their base camp in the planned location, so they had to make do with a lower site, which naturally increased the length of walk-ins, although it also added flexibility. They spent 4 days climbing in the valley of the Kyoabl-Kapacau River and then five more in the valley of the Tblwkah River. With relatively good weather during their 17 days in the area, the team climbed a total of 16 peaks up to 4162m, nine of which may have been first ascents. However they feel that the area still has plenty of scope for further exploration.