Kotlyar Svetlana

News of the mountaineering  school in Tuyuk-Su. Congratulations to the team "Fossil Hibinoids" on the first ascent of Amangeldy Peak on route 1B!

Today we went to Amangeldy Peak (3999m) on route 1B, from the West. We got up at 5 in the morning, went out at 6. We were at the top about 13 o'clock.  The ascent went according to plan. There were mistakes, but this is training, otherwise there is no way. It's even good when mistakes are made under the supervision of instructors who will help fix everything.

After returning to the camp, we conducted an analysis of the ascent and went to the sauna. Tomorrow is a rest day and some rockclimbing lessons.

Guides: Alexey Lonchinsky and Ratmir Mukhametzyanov.

In August 2023, a group of the 7 Summits Club, which called itself "Omatikayi", visited the Central Tien Shan with the aim of climbing the summit of Khan Tengri.  The team was led by our guides Viktor Volodin and Nikita Slotin.  On August 22, the group made an attempt to climb on the top of Khan Tengri. Due to the worsening weather (snowfall and strong wind), the only right decision was made to turn around and go down to the assault Camp -3. On August 23, there was a long and dangerous descent down through the so-called "bottleneck" to the southern side of the mountain range. The participants and guides were rewarded with beautiful views of Pobeda Peak and Khan Tengri.

The Omatikayi group made an attempt to climb to the top of Khan Tengri on August 22. As the weather worsened (snowfall and strong wind), the only right decision was made to turn around and go down to the assault Camp -3.

If we had stayed on the slopes for another couple of hours, we would have been hit by a squall wind that tore us off our feet. After the descent, the wind continued all night. Tents were torn. There was enlightenment in the morning, but the strong wind continued.

On August 23, there was a long and dangerous descent down through the so-called "bottleneck". The clouds did not allow us to see those terrible snow eaves that hung over us. A couple of hours and we exhaled, went down to a flat glacier. And then we walked 10 km along the glacier to the base camp on South. And there, finally, delicious food, a warm bed and a view of the beautiful Peak Pobeda (Victory)!!!

On August 24, departure to Karkara and transfer to Bishkek.

Guides: Viktor Volodin and Nikita Slotin.

News from Khan Tengri Peak (from August 15). "Greetings to all from the Khan-Tengri base camp from the Omatikayi group! We went down from the acclimatization rotation. We managed to climb up to the level of 6000 meters. Yesterday there was a strong wind on the descent. We felt like flying snakes on the fixed ropes, there was a feeling that the mountain wanted to throw us off its slopes. Today is our day of rest. The sun is shining again."

Guides: Viktor Volodin and Nikita Slotin.

News from Khan Tengri: Omatikayi Group sends greetings from Khan Base Camp! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the streams are murmuring, apparently spring has come! Today we worked out the fixed ropes equipment for descent and ascent, learned what a carabine brake is on descent and slow gas on ascent. Everyone feels good. Tomorrow, according to the plan, we will go to Camp-1 with an overnight stay. Wait for messages! Guides: Viktor Volodin, Nikita Slotin.

Greetings to all from the Northern Inylchek Base Camp from the team of the 7 Summits Club and 8000 CLUB!

"Yesterday we moved from Bishkek to Karkara. Our road ran along the Chui Valley past the beautiful Issyk-Kul Lake (translated as "hot lake"). Today, our team flew by helicopter to the Khan Tengri base camp. We settled into our comfortable camp, had lunch and dismantled the equipment. Today we are resting, and tomorrow, as an acclimatization, we plan to walk higher to the Camp 1. Congratulations to everyone on the International Mountaineering Day! Group guides: Viktor Volodin and Nikita Slotin".

Greetings to all from Ascole from the "Don't even think" team!

Since we left the K2 base camp, our trek has been going through torrential rains every day. But everyone has their advantages: firstly, there is no sweltering heat, and secondly - the mountains surrounding us, wrapped in clouds, look quite gloomy, but no less beautiful.

Yesterday was a long and physically energy—consuming day - we walked 22 km from the Urdukas camp to Paiju. Before reaching a couple of kilometers to the campsite, we made a big halt on the river bank, spread out the mats, lay, chatted, drank tea and looked at the turbulent flow of the dark waters of the river. It was great!

Yesterday we spent the last night in tents, and early this morning we went out towards Ascole. We walked 14 km at a brisk pace in the rain, and then switched to jeeps, which brought us to our destination.

Our caring local partners have sent us the ripest and juiciest mango from Skardu for dinner!!! So today we have a real holiday! Tomorrow we leave for Skardu!

Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin were in touch.

Greetings from Pakistan from the team "Don't even think!", which got its name closer to the end of the program!  We have reached the goal of our incredible trip to Pakistan: we visited the K2 base camp, met with a team of climbers, our favorite leaders — Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko, shook hands with Sergey Bogomolov, for whom we are very sick and worried!

Together with our trekking group, Valdis Pelsh reached the Base Camp and yesterday the RD Studio crew began shooting eyeliners for the film "High Altitude Gene-2"!

The day before yesterday we moved from Concordia Camp to K2 Base Camp, admiring the stunning views of K2 and Broad Peak on the way, from one look at these mighty giants breathtaking!

We were very warmly welcomed at the camp, the evening was soulful: together with a team of climbers, we played guitar and sang songs.  In the morning, the expedition's doctor, Andrey Selivanov, walked with us to the memorial dedicated to those who died on K2 and Broad Peak.

We spent two nights in the camp, had a good night's sleep and rested before returning.

And now we are back at Camp Concordia and tomorrow we will move to Urdukas.

The guides of the 7 Summits Club are Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin.

The second trekking group of the 7 Summits Club came very close to its goal – the K2 base camp. They're spending the night at Camp Concordia tonight. Tomorrow is not a very long climb and a meeting with the main team of the expedition of the 7 Summits Club and the 8000 Club on K2. There will be a celebration!

The 7 Summits Club guides Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin: Salaam from Pakistan!  Today we are another 20 km closer to the goal of our trip – the K2 Base Camp! The day turned out to be difficult, but the most intense for emotions and impressions! We walked to the Urdokas camp on the Baltoro glacier, crossed mountain streams and rivers. Today it was a little cloudy and not so hot. The views surrounding us never cease to amaze with their beauty. In the evening, we celebrated the birthday of our participant Yulia Kotova with a festive dinner. Our local assistants baked the chicken and made a cake, and we cooked buckwheat. In the evening we looked at the stars from a height of 4000 meters……

Svetlana Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Pakistan:

 Greetings to all from Ascole! Today our team left the hospitable Skardu. Early in the morning we left for Ascole, a village at an altitude of 3000 m. Here we are housed in large comfortable tents, we also have a personal kitchen and dining room. The conditions are excellent! Here, as at a campsite, there are many climbers from different countries.

The members of our group feel great, we will soon have dinner and relax after a long move. Tomorrow is the first day of trekking. We have to walk 20 km to the Jola Camp. The guides of the group are Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin.

Svetlana Kotlyar, the guide of the 7 Summits Club, reports from Pakistan:

  Greetings to all from Skardu! Today our team had a very busy day! We decided not to waste time waiting for permits, and after breakfast we went by jeep to Deosai National Park!  We spent two hours on the road, which turned out to be very picturesque: alpine lakes, gorges – stunningly beautiful nature!

Deosai is the second highest high-altitude plateau in the world after the Tibetan one. It is located at an altitude of more than 4000 m at the junction of the Karakoram and the Western Himalayas. From the 4000 m mark, as acclimatization, we walked a little higher, up to 4200.

The plateau is known all over the world for its rich flora and fauna. And we were lucky enough to meet a huge groundhog here today!

After the walk, we refreshed ourselves and drove back to Skardu, where another member of the group, Valdis Pelsh, was waiting for us. He will be walking with us to the K2 base camp for the filming of the film "The High Altitude  Gene-2". We listened to his fascinating stories all evening!

In the evening, joyful news came — we received permits! Now the whole team is assembled and tomorrow early in the morning we will start in Ascole!

Hello everyone from Pakistan! Guides Svetlana Kotlyar and Alexander Spirin are in touch!  Today was not an easy day for us. We met the participants of our program at Islamabad airport early in the morning.  Since the morning, heavy rain has been falling in the city, we were warned that if the rain does not stop, we may not fly to Skardu. An alternative option, to spend two more days on the road by car after a tedious flight, was not even considered.

We decided together that it couldn't rain forever and went to the waiting room. After a couple of hours, the sky brightened, our flight was delayed, but we still managed to fly to Skardu! We are sure that this flight will be remembered by the participants for a long time: our fellow travelers from Pakistan cheerfully sang local songs throughout the flight, accompanying the singing with cheerful dances, and at this time stunning views of Karakorum opened behind the porthole!

Skardu is the former capital of Baltistan, it is one of the tourist centers in Northern Pakistan. Now there are quite a lot of travelers, tourists and climbers from all over the world. When we arrived at the hotel, a hot lunch was already waiting for us. After settling in and having a little rest, we went to Cold Desert — a high-altitude desert near Skardu.

Very beautiful location! Here at sunset you can ride with the breeze on jeeps or horses!

Having received our dose of adrenaline, we returned to the hotel, where our Pakistani friends treated us to a delicious barbecue! Tomorrow we plan to visit the Deosai Plateau, walk around the local market and get permits.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the 8000 Club team "We are just tourists"! On May 19, our friendly team ascended to the highest point of the planet — the summit of Mount Everest!!!!

This ascent was not easy for all of us. A very difficult and harsh mountain. On the day of the ascent, the wind reached 40-45 km / h, but none of the participants turned around, everyone reached their dream! I had to struggle with the weather conditions and with myself.

We were very tired, we gave it our all. After the mountain, the last participants returned to the second camp at 6400 only by 10 pm.

We will write more detailed news later. Now we are already at the base camp, celebrating the ascent. Our Sherpas have prepared a delicious cake, we communicate, share our impressions, received certificates and medals for our ascent!

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings from the Everest Base Camp from the team "We are just tourists!" of the 8000 Club! This morning we left Namche Bazaar after four full days of rest and flew to base camp, which has already become so dear to us in a month! After breakfast, we attended a briefing, at which we approved the plan for the next 6 days:

May 15: Camp 1 — 6100

16th of May: Camp 2 — 6400

May 17: Camp 3 — 7100

May 18: Camp 4 — 7900

May 19: 8848 Everest summit and 6400 descent

May 20: descent to Base camp

We went to the camp of the 7 Summits Club, where Alex Abramov gave us a practical lesson on the use of oxygen equipment.

After lunch, we charged gadgets, collected snacks and other things. The whole team is in a pleasant excitement! We're finally getting to the finish line!

Wish us good luck!

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings from the 8000 CLUB team "We are just tourists!" After the second rotation, our team moved to Namche Bazaar for a rest. We checked into the hotel "Namche Hotel", today we were joined by the head of our expedition — Viktor Volodin. We have already spent 3 days in Namche.

Today we found out that on Fridays and Saturdays there is a local market. Many locals descend from the mountains to Namche for 3 hours to buy vegetables and fruits here. We bought fresh juicy mango and bananas. After that, we looked into the butcher shop. The male half of our team decided to buy meat and cook soup for the arrival of Viktor Volodin!

The owners of the "Yeti Bar" next to us gave us the whole kitchen and we cooked a delicious rich goat meat soup. Tomorrow is another day of rest and the day after tomorrow we return to BC. The assault on the summit of Mount Everest is planned for May 19.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

  Greetings to all from the team "We are just  tourists" of the 8000 Club! Our second rotation has finally ended and today after lunch we returned to the base camp! This time we overcame the Khumbu icefall 2 hours faster — in just 5 hours, which we consider a very good indicator of successful acclimatization. When we arrived at Camp 1 on 6100, the weather was beautiful and sunny. We managed to dry things and arranged a nap at this height in one thermal underwear — how much the tents warmed up.

 The next morning we had to postpone our exit a little because of the increased wind. But we reached 6400 in three hours. Our Sherpas greeted us with hot chicken soup, delicious baked potatoes and pizza.

   Yesterday was the most difficult psychologically and physically day for this rotation — the climb to 7,100. All night long, the wind ruffled our tents, preventing us from having a full rest. In the morning, gusts reached 45 km/h, then the wind subsided a little and we were able to get out of the second camp higher.

We walked under the wall for about two hours, all the time driven by the wind, which did not abate for a second. At the same time, the sun was shining all day, but it was very, very cold.

 It's nice that there were few people who wanted to spend Monday morning as actively — there were no queues on fixed ropes. We spent a lot of effort fighting the wind, but in the end we reached the desired level of 7100. It wasn't easy.

 At night, the tents were shaking again, making it difficult to sleep. In the morning we waited until the gusts subsided a little, and ran down to the Base Camp.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

All namaste from the 8000 Club team "We are just tourists!" The rest days in Namche Bazaar have come to an end. Today the weather finally got better and we took the first flight to Base Camp at 6 am.   Now the weather in the camp is clear and sunny. Tomorrow morning we go to the second rotation: according to the plan, we spend the night in camp 1 at 6100, then go to camp 2 at 6400, the next day we go up to camp 3 at 7100, go down to 6400, spend the night and then descend to the base. We will be out of touch for 4 days.

The rest in Namche and the altitude drop definitely benefited all participants: we are rested and got full of energy for new feats.  Last night we held an informal meeting of the 7 Summits Club in a pub. It so happened that about 35 participants of our Nepali programs turned out to be in Namche Bazaar at the same time!  In the evening we gathered in a pub, hung our flag in front of the entrance, turned on Russian music and connected a projector with the broadcast of the film "The Height Altitude Gene".

The evening was attended by members of a huge trekking group going to the Everest BC under the leadership of Sergey Avtomonov, members of Nikita Slotin's VIP group, future Everest climbers of the 7 Summits Club and 8000 Club teams. As well as the expedition doctor Andrey Selivanov and our legendary Sergey Bogomolov!

The evening turned out to be very emotional! We got acquainted, talked, sang songs to the guitar, danced and played billiards!

Today everyone went on the route, we hope that we will still have time to cross paths with the guys on May 9 in BC.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the 8000 Club team "We are just tourists"!  After the first rotation, we decided to recover for a couple of days and go down to Namche Bazaar for a rest. The weather did not allow us to leave for two days, but yesterday a helicopter still took us to the capital of the Sherpas! How nice it is to go down 2000 m below! So many smells and sounds! Delicious food, hot water and heated sheets — everything you need for a good rest!  Today we met in Namche our big trekking group going to the BC of Everest.

We plan to fly back to the base the day after tomorrow, gaining strength before the second rotation.

Svetlana Kotlyar, manager of the 7 Summits Club and a member of the expedition, reports from Nepal:

Greetings to all from the team "We are just tourists" of the 8000 Club!  Our team successfully completed the first rotation and today returned to our warm and cozy base camp! We spent one night at 6100 and one at 6400.

The climb to the first camp (6100) took 9.5 hours. This year, the Khumbu icefall does not look as intimidating as in the past, there are much fewer difficult ice walls and unpleasant areas, everything is passable. On the way to the camp, we met the team of Alex Abramov.  In the afternoon after the climb, happy and contented, went to bed and slept almost until evening.

The climb from 6100 to 6400 (Camp 2) takes about 5 hours. Camp-2 is already more comfortable. We were fed a three-course lunch, we were accommodated in tents for one person.

The minimum plan is fulfilled — we made two high-altitude overnight stays. We woke up early today and ran downstairs.

Now we are sitting happily at dinner and discussing all our adventures!