Erstbegehungen in Kirgistan

First Ascents in Kyrgyzstan

A Very Personal Blog



With little expectation, Christoph, Franz, and I ventured into the unknown in northern Kyrgyzstan. Our original Plan A was to travel to the south and repeat some existing climbing routes. However, due to nearby border unrest, we had to make a spontaneous change. Long story short: we packed hand drills, plenty of slings, and even more pitons, and soon found ourselves in the Ala-Archa National Park. We didn’t know much, only that the valley was well-developed for hikers and that some ice walls had already been climbed. On our way up to the glacier, we discovered breathtaking granite walls with fantastic crack systems at around 3,000 meters above sea level. It was immediately clear to us that we had to give these walls a try. So, we pitched our tent and spent hours staring into the dark with binoculars, scouting potential routes and first ascents. We quickly realized that these walls had not yet been touched by climbers, which made it all the more exciting for us to embark on our first ascent.



We made rapid progress; there were always beautiful cracks for protection, and we didn’t need a single piton for our first route. Everything was perfectly “clean” and secured only with mobile gear.

Our taxi driver to the valley, Razul, quickly became a legend to us, so we named our first route after him: “Taxi Razul.”



Route 1: Taxi Razul

  •  L1: 3 | 20 m
  •  L2: 6b | 20 m
  •  L3: 6b | 30 m
  •  L4: 6a | 45 m
  •  L5: 6a+ | 20 m
  •  L6: 6c+ | 35 m
  •  L7: 6a | 55 m
  •  L8: 4 | 15 m
The next day continued at full intensity. We established a new three-pitch route on the other side of the valley. It was an incredibly cool, varied climb! And once again, the entire route was perfectly “clean” – unbelievable.

I led the first pitch, which challenged me quite a bit. It had everything: starting with a wide fist crack that transitioned into an offwidth (a body-sized crack) and finished with an overhanging hand crack. The climb continued in a zigzagging hand crack, leading to a perfect ledge for a belay station. The next pitch was an overhanging dihedral with a narrow finger crack. Thankfully, Christoph, the strongest climber among us, was there to master this crux pitch perfectly. We graded it French 7c. After the final pitch, we could easily descend through rolling terrain.



Route 2: Angry Bird

  • L1: 6c | 45 m
  • L2: 7c | 30 m 
  • L3: 6a | 30 m
Our third route could have a blog of its own because it was truly something special and deserved its name: “Crackdream.” Over five pitches, we followed an incredible crack system that couldn’t have been more exciting.

The first pitch required finesse: climbing column-like structures up to the first ledge on the wall. The second pitch was short but one of the most beautiful and aesthetic pitches I’ve ever had the privilege to lead. Traversing to the left with intense moves, we climbed the hand crack using a variety of foot jams and spreads. Afterward, we reached another perfect belay ledge. From here, the climb became truly thrilling: the crux pitch was a horizontal roof crack, no wider than a finger’s breadth. We had scouted it through binoculars and deemed it “possibly climbable.”

Boom! I watched from my belay station as Christoph leaned back from a kneeling position, placed three pieces of protection, and then calmly climbed horizontally across the roof. I couldn’t see him after that, but he moved quickly, which meant the crack continued through the wall. Suddenly, I heard, “Stand!” We both cheered at the top of our lungs and graded the pitch French 7c+.



PS: For me, it was a gem of a pitch, but I had to “aid through” the roof (using protection to progress). Luckily, the next pitch flowed perfectly into a hand crack that stretched through the entire fourth pitch to a tower. Almost finished, we topped out with a short pitch of face climbing. 

Standing at the top of this climb, we were overwhelmed with emotion. Hugging each other, we couldn’t believe what we had just achieved. Christoph said, “Julian, we’ve just created a route that will make any climber’s heart race ... just look at these cracks.” I replied, “Back home in the Alps, this would be an ultra-classic.”



Route 3: Crackdream

  • L1: 7a | 30 m
  • L2: 6c | 15 m
  • L3: 7c+ | 30 m
  • L4: 6b+ | 30 m
  • L5: 6a | 25 m
A few days earlier, we had spotted another beautiful line due to a striking dihedral. I knew I had to lead the first pitch, which climbed a brilliant crack through dark black and vibrant orange rock. The pitch suited me perfectly, and I climbed to another perfectly positioned belay ledge. Christoph then tackled the dihedral pitch, which looked like an open orange book. It required some cleaning and wasn’t always easy to protect, but he climbed it masterfully, and we completed the climb with a slightly easier third pitch.




Route 4: Open Book

  • L1: 7a | 25 m
  • L2: 7b+/6c A2 | 20 m
  • L3: 6b | 25 m
And now, let me speak honestly:

Do you know that feeling when everything seems to be going your way, and things couldn’t be better? It’s like being caught in a rush—a dangerous rush. You crave more and more because you feel unstoppable. That’s exactly how I felt after those incredible and intense first ascents. But soon, an experience brought me back down to earth when things didn’t go as smoothly—and that was a good thing.

On this day, the weather was rather unstable, something we hadn’t realized when planning our next climb. We were determined to establish one last route that had looked incredible through the binoculars. So, Chrischi and I set out for the base of this new wall. The approach to the more compact section of the wall was already challenging. Chrischi had the idea of setting up a 60-meter rappel anchor for later use right there. I started leading the first pitch, climbing through increasingly loose rock that became steeper and steeper. After a mix of decent and questionable placements (gear placements), I kept climbing, but I couldn’t find any solid spots for protection anymore. And there I was, balancing on a finger-wide ledge in a vertical wall—15 meters above the last solid piece of protection, with only two small microfriends in between, the kind you don’t want to fall on.

At that moment, stuck and with no clear options, I spotted a tiny crack that might hold a piton. My knife-blade piton fit perfectly into the crack. Cling, cling, cling, went the sound as I hammered it in—it seemed like a perfect fit. Suddenly, a dull crack echoed, and I saw the rock around the piton split and crumble. My mind raced with all kinds of thoughts and scenarios. How naive I had been to keep climbing without proper protection—I couldn’t believe it. By then, I had already been on this pitch for two hours. It had been raining for 20 minutes, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Chrischi remained calm at the belay and shouted, “You can do it, Julian! Try downclimbing!” Completely soaked and half-frozen, he kept encouraging me. I hesitated for a while, as downclimbing seemed impossibly difficult, but eventually, I took a deep breath and started descending, inch by inch. At my last solid placement, Chrischi lowered me the rest of the way. I reached the belay, trembling, drenched in sweat, and nearly in tears.


Chrischi somehow managed to retrieve the gear I had left on the pitch. We quickly agreed that it was time to rappel back down. Thankfully, we had already set up the rappel station. The feeling of standing on solid, flat ground again was indescribable. In hindsight, I learned more from this situation than from any other climbing experience. Sometimes, a guardian angel is with you up there, but you shouldn’t rely on them too often.

Back at the tent, Franz was waiting anxiously for us. I hugged him tightly and didn’t want to let go.

There will always be situations like this in the mountains. The important thing is to learn from them.

In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, we treated ourselves to some well-deserved rest and relaxation. It was incredible to reflect on everything we had accomplished!

At this point, I could keep writing endlessly since we were only halfway through our trip to Kyrgyzstan. However, to keep this report from getting too lengthy, I’ll save the rest for the second part of our journey, which will be shared in a few weeks.



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