Sergey Igorevich Bershov (born 1947, Belaya Glina village, Verkhotursky district, Sverdlovsk region) - Soviet and Ukrainian athlete-mountaineer.
Master of Sports in rock climbing (1971), Master of Sports in mountaineering 1973, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and Master of Sports of international class (1982), “Snow Leopard” (1988), ZT of Ukraine (1990), instructor-methodologist 2- th category. Champion of the USSR and Ukraine.
Biography
He spent his childhood in the town of Merefa near Kharkov.
He worked as a mechanic, electrician, and high-rise painter. After graduating from the Kyiv Institute of Physical Education, he worked as an instructor for the regional sports committee. Associate Professor at the Kharkov Institute of Physical Education.
Sergei Bershov became a very famous rock climber, mountaineer and skier thanks to his incredible endurance. As a child, he had heart problems and doctors forbade him to play sports. However, Sergei did his own thing and became an active athlete; after ten years, doctors did not find any heart problems in him. He came to mountaineering in 1965, thanks to his first coach, the famous Kharkov mountaineer Vladimir Iosifovich (Vil) Poberezovsky. He made his first ascent in 1965 on the. Via Tau (3820 m).
In 1969 he graduated from the Kharkov city school of mountaineering instructors. For many years he worked as an instructor in mountaineering camps in the Caucasus, as a coach on expeditions and in preparing teams for championships. Soviet Union, Ukraine, All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. Sergei Bershov was actively involved in rock climbing, which at that time was just beginning to develop in the USSR. Despite the absence of specialized climbing walls, Kharkov climbers trained on old brick walls and on the rocks of Crimea. Bershov won rock climbing competitions in the USSR fifteen times, became champion and prize-winner six times international competitions. He was the USSR champion in mountaineering three times - in 1973, 1974, 1986 in the technical and rock classes, and eight times a prize-winner of the USSR Championship. During his time as a mountaineer, he made more than a hundred ascents of grade 5B and grade 6, including 22 first ascents and first ascents.
Despite his youthful age, he retains his athletic form, which allows him to be the first on rock climbing routes of the highest category. Worked in the mountains as an instructor or trainer for 1600 days. In 1975, he became one of the first Soviet climbers to touch the rocks of Yosemite. Went first during the first “Russian” ascent of the “Salate” route on El Capitan.
As a senior trainer, he prepared five Himalayan expeditions. He climbed seven thousand meters in the Soviet Union more than 20 times. As part of national teams, he made outstanding ascents in the mountains of Switzerland, Italy, the USA, France, Germany, Nepal, and Japan. Since 1981 - a member of the regular mountaineering team of the USSR Sports Committee, after the collapse of the Soviet Union - a member of the regular mountaineering team of Ukraine and at the same time - its coach.
In 1982 - participant in the first Soviet expedition to Everest. On the night of May 4, 1982, in conjunction with Mikhail Turkevich. This was the first night ascent to the top of the world. Based on the results of the first Soviet Himalayan expedition, he, like other members of the team, was awarded the titles Honored Master of Sports and Master of Sports of International Class.
In 1989, he participated in the Himalayan Soviet expedition - traverse all four peaks of Kanchenjunga. On April 14, 1989, he climbed Kanchenjunga South (8491m) - the first ascent in preparation for the traverse of the massif. On May 1, 1989, he made a traverse-first ascent of Yalung Kang (8505m) - Kanchenjunga Main (8586m) - Kanchenjunga Middle (8478m) - Kanchenjunga South (8491m). This traverse was completed in one day! For courage and heroism during the conquest of Kanchenjunga he was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
On October 16, 1990, together with Vladimir Karataev, he made the first ascent of the South Face of Lhotse (8516m) in difficult weather conditions, which many climbers around the world had unsuccessfully tried to climb. Reinhold Messner retreated from it three times. The outstanding Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka prophetically said that if he does not climb this wall in 1989, then the Russians will pass it in 1990. Kukuchka stayed there in 1989 - Soviet climbers found a piece of his rope on the wall. The ascent of Bershov - Karataev became the highest sporting achievement in world mountaineering. Heavy snowfalls, avalanches and cold tried to hinder the expedition. Sergei Bershov and his partner were without oxygen for four days at an altitude of 8 thousand meters, waiting for good weather. This ascent was difficult for Bershov and Karataev. Without the help of Turkevich and Kopeika, it would have been difficult for Karataev to descend. Reinhold Messner called this ascent "the ascent of the 21st century."
On July 31, 1997, he climbed Nanga Parbat (8125m), Kingstopher Mountain, in a team with V. Terzeul.
On May 1, 1998, he climbed Shishabangma (8012m), according to the classics, in the alpine style, with A. Bokov and I. Svergun.
May 17, 2000 - Everest, N.E. ridge. Repeats the ascent of Everest with an expedition of Krasnodar climbers, as a trainer-consultant. The Himalayan experience contributed to the fact that the whole sports team expedition - 12 people reached the top.
2003 -
Personal life
Married to Tatyana Bershova.
For achievements in mountaineering he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor (1982), Friendship of Peoples (1989), “For Merit” III degree (1996), “For Courage” II degree (1999).
In 1989, he was awarded the Badge of Honor of the Komsomol Central Committee “Sports Valor”.
Awarded silver medal"For services to the development of Kuban."
In 2004 he was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of the City of Kharkov.”
In 2012 he was awarded the Everest Climber badge.
Our guest today, Sergei BERSHOV, is an extraordinary person. An outstanding athlete, he occupies a high place in the table of ranks of world mountaineering - as a climber, in conjunction with the Russian Vladimir Karataev, who in 1990 overcame the considered impassable South Face of the eight-thousander Lhotse, as a participant in the first Soviet Himalayan expedition in 1982, in which, together with his climbing partner Mikhail Turkevich, assisting his comrades, made a night ascent to the high-altitude pole of the planet Everest (we add that Sergei Bershov climbed to the mark twice more - in 2000 and 2005).
Our interlocutor has made many successful ascents of other highest mountains on the planet. Honored Master of Sports, Honored Coach of Ukraine, multiple champion and prize-winner of the USSR and Ukrainian championships in mountaineering and rock climbing. At the not-so-small age of almost 65, he has no intention of resting on his laurels. He trains and trains others, goes to the mountains both as an active athlete and as a guide, and teaches. Sergey Igorevich lives and works in Kharkov. He is an associate professor at the Kharkov State Academy physical culture. For sporting achievements awarded four orders. Honorary Citizen Kharkov. His wife Tatyana Arkadyevna is a chemical engineer, a master of sports in mountaineering and a candidate master in rock climbing. Son Oleg and daughters Marina and Anastasia already have their own families.
– Sergey, you’ve been going to the mountains for more than forty years, aren’t you tired?
– You know, there’s a joke: if you want to spend your whole life not having to work, but having fun, do what you love. Mountaineering has been my main profession for many years, a favorite activity that I do with pleasure and which never gets boring, gives wonderful emotions and incredible impressions. For example, my regular partner Igor Svergun and I have been taking people to Elbrus for seven years now. When people who are far from mountaineering come to us, they don’t believe that they can climb. Standing at the top, they also don’t believe that this is not a dream. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve been to the highest point in Europe. In some years - four or five times. And every time I go with pleasure. Not only because Elbrus is a springboard for preparing for high-altitude ascents. These are fantastic colors, indescribable sensations. I have already witnessed an astronomical miracle at the summit several times. On one side the sun rises, on the other, the full moon hangs in the sky of the passing night. The sunrise is blazing, two luminous disks in the sky, and between them you and the mountain. On Elbrus, when the weather and visibility are good, it’s a holiday. The most beautiful mountains that attract climbers: Ushba, Shkhelda, Chatyn, are right in front of you, it seems you can reach them with your hand. You know them all, remember the routes you took. You will recognize fireplaces, corridors, bastions. The mountains of Pyatigorye and the Bezengi wall are visible. When there is no haze, you can even see Kazbek - exactly the same as on the cigarette box from my childhood. When I first laid my eyes on him, I didn’t even believe it. What I have never seen from the tops of Elbrus is the sea, although they say that from there you can even see two - the Caspian and the Black. I don't know, maybe I was just unlucky. Maybe I'll see you again.
– This May will mark the 30th anniversary of your and Mikhail Turkevich’s sensational night ascent to the planet’s highest pole – Everest. In total, you climbed to the highest level three times, and last time- at 58 years old. Which of the ascents to the main peak of the Earth was the most memorable for you?
– Each is interesting and unforgettable in its own way. Because, just as you cannot step into the same river twice, so each ascent, even to the same mountain, is different from the previous ones. The weather, the state of mind, the group with which you climb - everything is different... But, of course, the ascent of 1982 left a special mark on my soul. This was the first Soviet Himalayan expedition. We did not know what awaited us at altitudes beyond 8 thousand meters, in the so-called death zone, where there is no longer anything alive, where the body is not able to recover...
To climb through the eye of a needle of the most difficult selections and end up in the Himalayas, to realize the dream of several generations of Soviet climbers about a high-altitude pole was a great happiness. Since the early fifties of the last century, the main events of world mountaineering have taken place in the Himalayas and Karakoram. But for domestic climbers, the highest mountains remained a closed book for a long time. We knew that we were in no way inferior to our foreign colleagues; we walked with them both in our mountains and abroad. But not at eight-thousanders! The authors of the world's major achievements in mountaineering were others. We could only dream of getting there. In the late fifties, a Soviet-Chinese expedition to Everest from the Tibetan side was being prepared. A team was created, our team went to China for reconnaissance, but... That expedition was not destined to take place. When it was our turn in 1982, everyone understood: we needed to declare ourselves in the Himalayas brightly and convincingly. The ordinary route to Everest (the so-called classic), any already traveled or even new one, but not amazing, were not suitable here. It was necessary to choose a path that would lead the Soviet team to the top of not only the world’s highest mountain, but also world mountaineering. This is what was chosen – unique, most complex. By the way, the path we took along the buttress of the South-Western Wall with access to the Western Ridge has never been repeated by anyone. But 30 years have passed!
Later, the first ascent of Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, would say: “Your climbers are a discovery for the Himalayas.” And the Himalayas became a discovery for us. Surely, the magic of these grandiose mountains is felt by everyone who is lucky enough to approach their foothills. I was simply stunned, although by that time I had visited not only the Caucasus, Pamirs, Tien Shan, but also the Alps and Cordillera. Previously, I saw this cosmos of mountains shining with incredible colors only on the canvases of Nicholas Roerich. The Himalayas are even more beautiful in nature. The most amazing thing is that the resources of the soul that you didn’t know about open up there. Maybe because there we are closer to God? Or is it all about higher levels of solar radiation, cosmic radiation? Scientific fact: at high altitudes, the body undergoes dramatic changes. The level of hemoglobin in the blood rises sharply, and all vital forces are mobilized. Perhaps the sensations associated with this set us up for a special perception of the world. Create a joyful emotional background.
– Which of your climbs are you most proud of? 
– “I’m probably too proud” big word. I’m glad that I was lucky enough to participate – it would be more correct. If we take Himalayan climbs, then this is, first of all, climbing Lhotse along the South Face. Back in the late eighties, the legendary Reinhold Messner, who was the first to climb all 14 of the highest mountains in the world, called this three-kilometer wall the wall of the 21st century. And we climbed it in 1990 - Kharkov residents, Muscovites, Donetsk residents, Dnepropetrovsk residents, Siberians, Rostov residents... It was a unique ascent - in terms of the set of difficulties, the prohibitive complexity of the route. Even against the backdrop of the two previous Soviet Himalayan expeditions - to Everest and Kanchenjunga, also record-breaking in complexity, sensational. All three of these ascents are already history. But also modernity - after all, no one has yet walked our routes.
– Mountaineering is not only about mountains, but also about people. Human relationships are never simple or problem-free. Moreover, any ascent is difficult work associated with risk, enormous, sometimes prohibitive loads in conditions of oxygen starvation, low temperatures, and hurricane winds. How do you manage to maintain a human face? Are there such concepts in mountaineering as, for example, nationalism or xenophobia?
- Never! In any case, in the 48 years I spent in the mountains, I have never encountered anything like this in my environment. In general, I think such phenomena grow against the background of some kind of uterine defect, mental insufficiency. This doesn't happen in the mountains. On a climb, when your life (and this is not a metaphor, but an everyday reality) is in the hands of a comrade who insures you, what is important is his human and climber reliability, and not his nationality, skin color or nose shape. Mountaineering, like any work at the limit of the possible, cleanses the soul and relationships. In war, didn't people take risks to save others? History knows how many examples of high dedication! What about the righteous of the world? They risked themselves, their children, saving Jewish children...
Another important point. Kharkov, which has long become my hometown, is an international, intelligent, hard-working city. The bacilli of nationalism, xenophobia and other shameful phenomena for civilized people cannot survive in its atmosphere. So, not only in our very large mountaineering and tourism company, but also in other formal and informal communities, Kharkov residents of all nationalities feel like they belong and not strangers.
– How did a boy from the quiet plains of Merefa end up in mountaineering, from whom did he receive such a serious moral charge of inner intelligence?
– At the start of life, when you want everything at once, it is very important whose opinion becomes decisive for you, against whom you compare your thoughts and actions. For me, at sixteen, the main authority was my first teacher in mountaineering, Volodya Poberezovsky, a Jew who lives today in distant Australia. Lucky chance? Fate? In general, I was lucky to meet a man who was not only one hundred percent reliable, decent, and intelligent, but also wanted to make us, the factory boys, like that. My future coach and I arrived at the Kharkov “box” (“mailboxes” were the name given to enterprises of the military-industrial complex in Soviet times), a branch of the Moscow Experimental Design Bureau of Automation, almost simultaneously. Only I was an electrician’s student after the seventh grade, and Vladimir Poberezovsky was a young specialist after graduating from the Polytechnic Institute. If not for this meeting, the Himalayas and Karakorum, the Caucasus and Tien Shan, the Pamirs and the Cordillera would have remained just brown spots on the map for me. Who knows what blemishes in the biography could result from the lack of guidelines that Poberezovsky gave. Fortunately, our paths crossed. At the suggestion of Vila, as the climbers called our coach, many of the guys with whom we started together fell in love with the mountains for the rest of our lives.
I still feel the powerful charge received from Poberezovsky. Vil very competently introduced us, factory first-year students, into the world of mountaineering and rock climbing. To the world in general. Because besides mountains, rocks, climbing, competitions and training, there was a lot of interesting things in Poberezovsky’s life - work, friends, books. “What, you haven’t read Hemingway (Jack London, the Strugatskys)?” - a phrase thrown in passing made people rush to the library and pore over textbooks at night school. It was a shame to receive bad grades, because mountaineering is a sport of intellectuals. From Vil we adopted our attitude towards life and towards people. We learned not to hide behind other people's backs. We learned the laws of comradeship, where there is no place for rudeness or national hatred. Even today, Vil and I communicate on Skype, discussing Kharkov, family and world news, and mountaineering problems.
– In your books and interviews, you claim that mountaineering is not even a beautiful sport, but a whole world, the inhabitants of which have to endure a lot, overcome, and take risks for the sake of incomparable impressions and emotions. But does he have a future? In the almost 60 years that have passed since the ascent to the main height of the Earth, climbers have visited all the highest mountains.
– How many other peaks are there on the planet, even if not eight-thousanders, that no human has ever set foot on? How many magnificent walls are there, stunning with their complexity and beauty? How many new opportunities are being opened up for climbers? modern technologies– we, who went on our first ascents in canvas rain jackets and heavy, iron-lined boots, could not even dream about the current level of equipment. Today's mountaineering is developing very interestingly. New species are branching off from it - this includes rock climbing, which in the coming years will become Olympic form, and high-altitude races, and ascents, the final stage of which is paragliding or descending from the top to alpine skiing or a board... The list of “branches” can be continued for a long time. But “pure” mountaineering will not end as long as mountains remain on the ground and new generations come to their feet. After all, Everest has not become lower, and climbing it is easier because many can already say: “I’ve been there!”
– Sorry for being tactless, isn’t it hard at 65 years old to climb to heights that not every young person can overcome? What are you doing for this?
– Firstly, I don’t think about age, I don’t notice it. Being a happy grandfather of five grandchildren, I don’t feel like a grandfather (in the sense of an old man). I'm leading healthy image life, I train regularly so that climbing is not a burden, but a joy. Because if it becomes hard and joyless, then it’s time to leave. But I’m not going to say goodbye to the mountains just yet. I take the example of my teacher, Honored Master of Sports, Honored Trainer, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Vladimir Dmitrievich Monogarov, who at 85 remains an active athlete and marks every birthday with an ascent to the peaks of Elbrus. Trains three times a week. I have more workload - daily workouts for 2-3-4 hours. These are cross-country running, football, swimming pool, cycling, if it snows, I’ll go skiing...
Just don’t think, please, that mountaineering is the only light in my window. You know, when you stand on the top, especially if it is the top of an eight-thousander, mountains stretch in all directions as far as the eye can see. It seems that the whole world is ridges covered with eternal snow and nothing else. But we know that this is not so. There, further away, there are seas and oceans, forests and gardens, beautiful cities... That’s how it is in my life. Mountaineering is a favorite thing, a profession, but besides it there is family and friends, songs and books, theaters and exhibitions. All this is also very interesting and dear to me. All this is my life.
When preparing the material, photographs from the archive of the Kuban - Everest 2000 expedition, provided by Sergei Bershov, were used. The photograph of Lhotse was presented to Sergei Bershov by Mikhail Turkevich.
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Sergei Igorevich Bershov. ZMS, MSMK, Kharkov. |
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Sergey Bershov (S.B.)- I think that the route we laid in 1982 is the most difficult route to Everest. It has not yet been repeated, although one attempt, as far as I know, has been made. It has long sections of five-man climbing at altitudes above 8000 m. Not every team can do this. Then, in 1982, we were faced with a task: to complete a route that would become a milestone in the history of the exploration of Everest. Now, almost twenty years later, we can confidently say: we succeeded!
As for this year’s climb... You know, we climbed along one of the two “classic” marches
ruts, which, apparently, now, after Nepal has inflated permit prices, will become the most visited. Technically, this route is undoubtedly easier, but completing any route to Everest is a serious challenge.
V.B.- Simultaneously with the Kuban expedition in which you took part, a Moscow expedition worked on the same route. The Kuban people reached the summit by twelve people, the Muscovites - only one. Although the Moscow expedition included strong and quite famous climbers. What do you think is the reason for such a significant difference in results?
S.B.- I don’t presume to comment on the results of an expedition in which I did not take part. And can an expedition be considered “unsuccessful” if one participant reached the summit and all the climbers returned home safely? In the work of the “Kuban” expedition, the experience accumulated in the process of organizing and working on “Soviet” Himalayan expeditions was used. I. Aristov managed to create a real team, where every climber was ready to participate in collective(!) work to achieve common goal. I hope my Himalayan experience was also useful. During the ascent, we worked on the Mountain in fours, together, without scattering along the route, without replacing the work of the team with the parallel work of individual climbers. Well, the qualifications of all team members and their level of physical fitness were sufficient to work on such a route. The schedule of preparatory activities was drawn up correctly. Preparations for the expedition lasted more than a year. The four training camps held during this time in the Caucasus Mountains undoubtedly contributed to the successful ascent. In short, the achievement of the summit of Everest by all participants in the Krasnodar expedition is the result of a responsible attitude to the work of qualified climbers.
V.B.- What do you think, haven’t “oxygen” ascents to “eight-thousanders” moved into the category of, relatively speaking, “training”, at the appropriate level, of course?
S.B.- No, I don’t think so. The difficulties that a climber overcomes on the way to the top of a big Mountain are not limited to the rarefied atmosphere. Moreover, any climber on such a route must be prepared for the fact that the oxygen will simply run out. Yes, oxygen-free climbs are valued higher than sport climbs. point of view. But this does not mean at all that all climbers should set themselves such a goal. Of course, there are climbers who, due to their physiological characteristics their body (supported by training!), are able to work productively for quite a long time at altitudes of more than 8000m without an oxygen mask. They can set themselves the goal of oxygen-free ascent, because the risk of “health failure” is minimized. For others, this is contraindicated - the risk is high, since the body's resources are limited. I'm not advocating artificial braking. athletic growth climbers, forcibly giving each a mask. I just think that a climber should know exactly how much nature has given him, how close is the line beyond which he loses control over the situation. I know for myself that for long-term work at extreme altitudes above 8200m, I should be protected by oxygen. I’m not afraid of losing my “pacifier” on the Mountain (in 1990 on Lhotse, in the immediate vicinity of the summit, I went without oxygen for 4 days), but I won’t go without oxygen unless absolutely necessary. And I won’t plan this. I'm not a kamikaze. If you were to ask me how, ideally, you need to prepare for an oxygen-free ascent of a “big”, above 8500m, “eight-thousander”, I would answer: experience of climbing “seven-thousanders”, experience of climbing a “small eight-thousander”, experience of climbing to the top above 8500m with oxygen, oxygen-free ascent.
V.B.- In 1982, you became the 116th person to climb Everest. It was the twenty-ninth year of the “age of man” on Everest. Over the next eighteen years, by the year 2000, the number of people who had risen to highest point planets, exceeded five hundred. What is this - an indicator of the growth of the level of climbers? Or the consequences of the commercialization of climbing eight-thousanders?
S.B.- As far as I know, the number of people who have climbed Everest has already exceeded a thousand. I won't talk about attractiveness. This is already clear to the third pole - the climbing audience. By the way, the number of people who have visited any other “eight-thousander” is significantly less. As for the increase in the number of climbers rushing to the top of Everest... I think, first of all, the point is that certain psychological barriers have been broken. The mountaineering community has become accustomed to the idea that the summit of Everest is achievable. Well, the climbing level has, of course, grown. The equipment has changed a lot. In 1982, we didn’t know what “gore-tex” was, plastic boots were a novelty... And commercialization... The emergence of infrastructure for organizing ascents to the highest peaks is only a consequence of the demand for such services.
V.B.- What is your attitude towards the activities of companies that undertake to take poorly prepared but financial clients to the “eight-thousander”? There is an opinion that any even more or less healthy person can be taken to the “eight-thousander”, the only question is the number of Sherpas and oxygen cylinders. What do you think about this?
S.B.- By hanging the railing, the master can “drag” a beginner along the “six” rocks. But for this, a beginner must master the technique of overcoming vertical railings using a pair of clamps. And have enough physical training to move on the clamps for a long time. But then he's not exactly a newbie. At altitude it's about the same. An experienced guide can “cover up” for an inexperienced client, planning the strategy and tactics of the ascent for him. Sherpas will bring cargo and oxygen, making the client as comfortable as possible. But they won't be able to carry it. He himself needs to reach the top. With legs. And this, even with oxygen, believe me, is not easy. You know you have to be patient. On “eight-thousanders” you have to endure for a long time. Every person has the right to try to reach the top of the great Mountain. But whether he should make this attempt is a matter of his responsibility to himself and to the people who will be with him on the Mountain. And on the other hand: I consider it completely normal when an experienced climber “sells” his skills to a less experienced one, helping him reach the coveted peak. But the normal work of a guide should not turn into a pursuit of money; his first responsibility is to soberly assess the capabilities of a particular client in the context of the planned route. And don’t drag a notorious teapot up the Mountain, relying on yourself as a superman. We all know how mountains punish for excessive arrogance.
V.B.- I would risk touching on such a problem as the “code of honor on eight-thousanders”. Many copies were broken about this on the pages of mountaineering publications, on Internet sites... I remember the episode described in your second book, when during a winter ascent to p. Communism, Nikolai Cherny was forced to order his participants Pershin and Antipin to leave the dying Ankudinov on the mountain... The number of climbers rushing to the tops of large mountains is growing. Accordingly, the number of emergency situations is also increasing. And the question increasingly arises: does a climber have the right to refuse help to the victim. , if he understands that this is at the limit of his capabilities? Is it possible to pass by the victim to the top?
S.B.- Each emergency in the mountains - the result of a huge number of factors. An adequate assessment of them is absolutely necessary for both those participating in the liquidation of the consequences of the accident and those “dealing with” it. In the situation that you remembered, Kolya Cherny made the only possible decision, courageously taking upon himself enormous moral responsibility. Then Ankudinov, having fallen on a snow-ice slope, lost most of his clothes and shoes while sliding, and lay there, half-naked, unconscious, for almost an hour in forty-degree frost. The pair Pershin - Antipin, descending after a winter climb to the village of Communism, approached it with great difficulty already at dusk. Ankudinov was in agony, this was confirmed by the doctor, to whom the symptoms were described over the radio. The guys didn’t have the strength to transport it. All that Pershin and Antipin could do for the victim was to be present at his death. Without being able to alleviate even his moral torment: he no longer regained consciousness. But this would certainly have killed them - the climbers, exhausted from the ascent, simply could not bear to spend a cold night in those conditions. And Black accepted the only the right decision, ordering them to come down.
Further. About whether it is possible to pass by the victim... If a climber, full of strength, passes by the victim to the top, pretends that he did not notice anything - this is beyond human morality. The trouble is different. Unfortunately, there is a chance to save a person in distress at high altitudes only if he, after providing assistance (drink, oxygen, medicine), is able to move on his own. And if you consider that, as a rule, help is provided by climbers who themselves are at the limit of exhaustion... Who at any moment themselves can become “victims”, exhausted. Heights with people are cruel and unforgiving. Therefore, I am against hasty conclusions about the causes of high-altitude accidents. Against public amateurish showdowns. Please note that climbers with extensive high-altitude experience rarely take part in such events.
V.B.- Thanks to an article in the GEO magazine, the circumstances of the mass death of participants in two commercial expeditions to Everest in 1996 became known to the general public. A lot has been written and said about the role played in this tragedy by an outstanding Russian climber, a graduate of the Kazakh mountaineering school Anatoly Bukreev. You knew Boukreev, and you are undoubtedly an expert in the field of organizing Himalayan climbs. Therefore, your opinion on this matter is interesting.
S.B.- Anatoly is one of our brightest climbers active at the end of the twentieth century. Even during the “selections” for the expedition to Kanchenjunga, he demonstrated incredible physical fitness. Doctors said then that his functional indicators were at the level of those of the champion Olympic Games in cyclic endurance sports. Anatoly was given a lot by nature, he worked hard on himself and became a world-class climber. When it comes to oxygen-free ascents, I first of all remember him and Valera Khrishchaty. These are the climbers who, relying on their natural abilities, have achieved sports uniform, which allowed them to work safely at height for a long time, solving the most complex tasks. In the expedition you are asking about, in 1996, Boukreev was undoubtedly the most prepared climber. And he accomplished the almost impossible: after an oxygen-free ascent, he carried out an unprecedented rescue operation alone. I consider the reproaches made against him to be unfair. It is a pity that Anatoly’s book about these events was not published in Russian.
V.B.- This year there are two Russian expeditions traveled to the Himalayas, calling their main goal the ascent of Lhotse Middle. One of them was led, by the way, by your partner in many ascents, Mikhail Turkevich. In your opinion, is Lhotse Middle a peak in its own right?
S.B.- Why are you asking this question? The answer, in my opinion, is obvious.
V.B.- I came across an opinion on the Internet that the “Lhotse Middle problem” was invented by the Russians. Like, the Russians don’t have “their own” first ascent of the “eight-thousander”, they’re making it up...
S.B.- Strange opinion. The concept of “array” is completely established. The Shkhelda massif, the Kanchenjunga massif... Well, the Lhotse massif. It is clear that when they talk about fourteen eight-thousanders, they mean the main peaks of the massifs. Perhaps, characterizing Lhotse Middle, it would be more correct to say “the last unconquered secondary peak, above 8000 meters.” For the “press” this sounds too official. But whatever you call it, this is a completely logical peak.
V.B.- In some reports regarding the preparation of expeditions to Lhotse Middle, the opinion was expressed that the only possible way to its peak is a ridge, traverse through the main peak or through Lhotse Shar. It was argued that certain features of the terrain made wall routes to the middle peak impossible. Is this true?
S.B.- Apparently we were talking about the very avalanche-prone Northern Face. Climbing the wall from the south, it seems to me, is quite possible. It was there that M. Turkevich was going to go with the team of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. In 1990, along the same South Face, the team that Misha and I assembled built a new route to Lhotse Main. (Only two reached the summit at that time - S. Bershov and V. Karataev - V.B.). Messner called it "the route of the 21st century." Without false modesty, I will say that so far this is the most technically difficult route laid on the “eight-thousanders”. But if I were going to Lhotse Middle, I would choose the route along the southeast ridge.
V.B.- What do you think about the plans of the Shamalo-Korabelnikov team from St. Petersburg to climb Lhotse Middle?
S.B.- I admit honestly, I only heard about these climbers from you, when you gave me printouts from the Internet telling about their ascents to read. Alas, the collapse of the Union significantly divided the climbers. To my shame, I am not very aware of the current state of affairs in Russian mountaineering, I do not “live” on the Internet, and there are not enough other sources of information. We are stewing in our own juice, this is bad. What can I say about the plans of the St. Petersburgers? Judging by their climbs, the guys are strong, with good potential. V. Shamalo, apparently, is a climber who loves risky climbs (“Bottle” on Shkhara, from my point of view, is an objectively dangerous route). But so far he has successfully proven his right to walk in his chosen style. The ascent plan presented by V. Shamalo and K. Korabelnikov is quite bold. Autonomous operation of two at such altitudes is a very difficult task. And, I repeat, the northern wall, where they are going to go, is very dangerous for avalanches. What also worries me is that the guys do not have Himalayan experience, although I remember Valery’s words about the lack of funds to gain such experience. A clear argument. Well, if it comes to climbing, good luck to them.
V.B.- When Turkevich’s expedition began work in the Himalayas, the newspaper “Inostranets” published an article about the plans of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations to create a mobile rescue service in Nepal to provide assistance to victims at altitudes above 7500m. It was assumed that Russian rescuers would work there on a rotational basis. Do you think it is possible to create such a service in the Himalayas? And in general, is it possible to talk about the effective organization of rescue operations at such heights, where equipment fails and the capabilities of even the most trained person are limited? After all, the effective work of rescuers, say, in the Alps, is ensured, among other things, by the work of helicopter pilots?
S.B.- It is possible to create a service, the only question is who will finance its work? After all, all this will be very expensive. It is necessary to constantly keep in the mountains a group of “warmed up”, highly acclimatized climbers - high-altitude climbers and high-altitude Sherpas; it is necessary to maintain helicopters, the flights of which over Tibet, by the way, are prohibited by the Chinese authorities. What about food and equipment? I think if you take all this into account, it will be an incredible amount. However, I will not undertake to predict the effectiveness of such a service.
V.B.- “Environmental” question. Many people remember the photograph of the South Col of Everest, littered with empty oxygen tanks and other expedition debris. Are the issues of clearing the routes of garbage and removing it from the places where expeditions work are somehow being resolved in the Himalayas?
S.B.- Spring 2000 A Japanese environmental expedition worked on Everest from the North. 20 high-altitude Sherpas took part in the expedition. At altitudes from 7000m to 8200m they collected large number oxygen cylinders. The weather contributed to this: there was almost no snow. During periods of heavy snowfall, debris is practically invisible. Garbage is removed from the ABC and base camp. In Nepal, they charge a hefty deposit for oxygen cylinders. I did not present the required number of empty cylinders to the communications officer at the end of the expedition - I lost money.
V.B.- In conclusion of the “Himalayan” topic - the question of the Sherpas. Representatives of this mountain people set records in races to Mount Everest and spend the night on its summit for ritual purposes. It is clear that they are acclimatized better than any newcomer and are well prepared physically. Have there been any truly technically trained climbers among them?
S.B.- I have never met anyone like this.
V.B.- Let's change the topic a little. You were quite skeptical about mountaineering championships back in Soviet times. Although you participated in them and, by the way, continue to participate to this day. Much has already been discussed about the advisability of holding “report competitions”. Life has provided answers to many questions - quite “logical” competitions are held in rock climbing and ice climbing, actually “school” mountaineering disciplines. How do you feel about such an event as the “Golden Ice Axe”?
S.B.- In general - positive. I think the method of expert assessments can be more objective than the currently used judging methods. Although I am not ready to propose a project for reforming the judging of the Russian or Ukrainian Mountaineering Championships.
V.B.- Tell me, please, who, in your opinion, is one of the five best active climbers in the world?
S.B.- You know, I will not rank climbers. Neither on a global scale, nor on a CIS scale. Not even because I myself belong to the number of active climbers, and that would not be entirely correct. From my point of view this is simply impossible. There are quite a large number of climbers in the world the highest level. How to choose among them? It would be possible to gather those who want to go to a “festival” and compete in a “school”... No, it’s not interesting. The job of a climber is to climb. His authority does not develop in one season; his strength is judged, after all, not by the results of championships, but by his ascensions. And if he walks a lot, makes interesting climbs, he gains authority. His name becomes a title: Messner, Bonatti, Heckmeier, Erzog, Khergiani, Abalakov... I think you can continue this list.
V.B.- Bershov, Turkevich...
S.B.- This remark is on your conscience! Here is the young Russian climber Valery Babanov... Undoubtedly, an authoritative climber with a worldwide reputation. By the way, the “type” of climber I like most is: a generalist who feels equally free on any terrain, at any altitude.
V.B.- Another question of the same plan. Name the names of five Western and five domestic climbers who, from your point of view, most influenced the development of mountaineering.
S.B.- How to select exactly five? Look, on July 24, 1760, the Swiss naturalist Saussure offered $60 to a daredevil who would climb Mont Blanc. After 26 years, Paccard and Balma earned this award. For the first time, mountain climbing as a goal was defined and accomplished. By the way, note that the first ascent was already commercial! Speaking about foreign mountaineering, I will limit myself to these names. As for our mountaineering, here you go: Semenovsky V.L., Krylenko N.V., Pogrebetsky M.T., Antonovich I.I., Erokhin I.A.
Semenovsky did a lot for the establishment of the Soviet mountaineering system and for organizing the training of instructors.
Krylenko, using his party authority, organized expeditions to explore the Pamirs, was the first head of the Society of Proletarian Tourism and Excursions (OPTE), within the framework of which climbers and mountain tourists then coexisted happily.
Antonovich is the father of rock climbing. Thanks to his efforts, a significant qualitative leap was made in technical training Soviet climbers.
Erokhin was the first, as far as I know, to look at mountaineering as a sport from the point of view of training methods. Being an excellent skier, he adapted the methods of training skiers known to him to train climbers.
V.B.- At the end of 1999, beginning of 2000, several publications prepared by authoritative climbers appeared on the Risk.Ru website, in which they compiled ratings of the best ascents of the outgoing century. Compiling a long list is a painstaking task. Let's try to play blitz - name, offhand, the ten most significant ascents in the history of mountaineering.
S.B.- Actually, I’m not a historian of mountaineering, I’m a practitioner. Let's speculate: mountaineering developed “from simple to complex.” First we passed all the ridge routes, and a “problem” of the walls arose. The walls began to walk, it was time to “deal with” the heights, and so on... Winter, wall winter, wall high altitude routes. And every time mountaineering climbed to the next high-quality step, consolidated on it, exactly those ascents that you are asking about were accomplished. If we talk about our mountaineering, I immediately remember the ascents of Snesarev, Myshlyaev, Erokhin. Passage of the Southern wall of the village of Communism by Myslovsky’s team, Alma-Ata residents. Undoubtedly, stage ascents.
V.B.- Ten years ago, “trade union” mountaineering ceased to exist. Alpine camps have practically ceased to exist. There was a significant “breakdown” in the lower sections. People haven't stopped going to the mountains. Someone found sponsors, commercial and semi-commercial clubs arose somewhere. There are still a large number of high-quality climbers in the “climbing” countries of the CIS. But these are, for the most part, people who managed to succeed or at least start during the existence of “Soviet” mountaineering. And the influx of young people into mountaineering, whatever one may say, has decreased. Although this summer in areas such as Bezengi and Dombay, there was a certain “full house”. In connection with this, everyone has a question: what, from your point of view, should mountaineering “on the ground” look like today, organizationally? Taking into account all the realities of life around us. So as not to lose the “school”, and to give people the opportunity to engage in mountaineering in new conditions?
S.B.- Club mountaineering, supported by government subsidies to provide initial training.
V.B.- Do you really believe in the resumption of government funding for mountaineering?
S.B.- I dream about it. Why is this possible in France, but not here? I envy them - they have rock climbing in their school curriculum.
V.B.- How, ideally, do you see the organization of mountaineering services in the mountain climbing areas familiar to us: in the Caucasus, Tien Shan, Pamir in the current conditions?
S.B.- Enough hotels have been built in the Caucasus. I hope that, in the end, their work will be normalized, and those who wish will be able to use them. I would like to see mountain camps continue to operate as specialized enterprises, focused primarily on working with climbers and tourists. Well, you understand: inexpensive housing and food, equipment rental, communications, services of instructors (guides). In some form this already exists: “Bezengi”, “Alibek”, “Ullu-tau”, “Elbrus” are working. I wish their managers (owners) to find forms of work that are attractive to potential consumers of their services. I would very much like the socio-political situation in the Caucasus to normalize, so that other mountain camps, “Tsey”, for example, will be revived.
V.B.- Sergey, you probably remember the second page of the ticket to the mountain camp, where it was listed what things a person coming there should have. A sweater, a spoon, two pairs of socks... Please make a list like this for a participant in the Himalayan expedition. Let's put it this way: the ideal set of clothes for the Himalayan "according to Bershov."
S.B.- I recently, at the request of colleagues planning an ascent in the Himalayas, compiled something like this list. Here it is: set of equipment for the Himalayan "according to Bershov" .
V.B.- The name Marmot is often used. Is this personal preference or something else?
S.B.- Unfortunately, I don’t have a contract with Marmot. I've just been using their equipment a lot lately and I liked it. The list I proposed was prepared for a specific situation. You can use equipment from other manufacturers, as long as it is of high quality.
V.B.-Then the question is: during your time as a mountaineer, you have tried a lot of different equipment. Name, if possible, specific pieces of equipment from specific manufacturers that have recently made the best impression on you with their convenience, reliability, and functionality?
S.B.- THE NORTH FACE tents, high-altitude boots One sport, Asolo, clothes made of windstopper, Polartec and Gore-Tex from Third Pole, BASK, Marmot, Petzl jumpers.
V.B.- I can talk to you about mountaineering endlessly, but any conversation should have reasonable limits. Tell me, maybe you were expecting some question from me, but I never asked it?
S.B.- You didn’t ask why people go to the mountains!
V.B.- Climbers already know this. The others still won't understand.
S.B.- Apparently you're right. Without trying, you won't understand.
V.B.- Last question. About the plans of climber Bershov for the near future.
S.B.- The famous Ukrainian climber, Honored Master of Sports Vladimir Dmitrievich Monogarov dreams of becoming the oldest climber to climb Everest. If he manages to find funding, I will go to Everest with my Teacher. There have been invitations to take part in other Himalayan expeditions, but it is too early to talk about them. In addition, I will most likely take part in Ukrainian championships, speaking for the Kharkov team. In any case, all my plans are connected with the mountains.
Annotation
The author of this book is Honored Master of Sports, International Master of Sports in mountaineering, Master of Sports in rock climbing, Honored Trainer of Ukraine Sergey Bershov, who devoted almost half a century to climbing. His mountaineering biography includes unique ascents, including Everest (buttress of the South-West Face and twice a classic), Lhotse along the considered impassable South Face, and legendary expeditions. These are true friends, unforgettable meetings, incredible stories and impressions. As an active athlete, he cannot help but be concerned about the problems of modern mountaineering and the directions of its development. Sergei Bershov states: mountaineering is a harsh man's game, but it is always the game of gentlemen, men of honor and duty. Even if every single peak on the planet is climbed, it will not be in danger of decline, because the planet will never run out of people for whom mountains and climbing are a wonderful world, the only possible way of life.
The book by Sergei Bershov will be of interest to everyone who loves mountains, travel and adventure, who strives to visit “the other side of everyday life.”
Sergey Bershov
GENTLEMEN'S GAMES IN VERY FRESH AIR
LHOTSIE. WALL OF DREAM
“THE RUSSIANS WILL DO THIS”
OUR MOUNTAIN COULD COLLAPSE IN MOSCOW
MONSOON IS DELAYED, “TIBETAN” IS LATE
CLIMAX
ASCEND AND DESCEND
LAW OF HEIGHT: DON'T RELAX!
WITH OR WITHOUT OXYGEN?
RETURN
MY EVERESTS
NEWCOMERS TO THE HIMALAYAS
YOUR OWN CEILING
THE MADNESS OF THE BRAVE
STEP ROUTE
AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES
NOTHING BUT SADNESS...
SKY AND EARTH
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOUNTAIN!
A LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENTS
GIVING UP DOESN'T MEAN GIVING UP
PART III
THE CAUCASUS IS THE SECOND MOTHERLAND
PIC MPR. VERY PERSONAL
KYUKURTLYU'S TRICKS
CHATYN-TAU WITH ENJOYMENT AND ADVENTURE
MORE CHATYN. WITHOUT ADVENTURE, BUT WITH ADVENTURE
USHBA NAMED AFTER MONOGAROV
IN ONE BUNCH. MISHA
IN ONE BUNCH. IGOR
BARBERRY BUSH. VITYA
GOVERLA. WHO RAISED WHOM
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ORDINARY
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING HAS BEEN POWERED AND DELAYED
BEISCLAIMBING FOR YOUR DRAITULLING
“MAKE A MISTAKE – DIE!”
IT'S GOOD THAT THERE ARE MOUNTAINS!
APPLICATION
BERSHOV SERGEY IGOREVICH
SOME ROUTES OF THE 5-6TH CATEGORY OF DIFFICULTY, TAKEN BY SERGEY BERSHOV
Sergey Bershov
South Face of Lhotse
GENTLEMEN'S GAMES IN VERY FRESH AIR
Just recently I discovered that I am not the first climber in the Bershov family. Two hundred years ago, my great-great-grandfather crossed the Alps in the ranks of Suvorov’s army. I also walked a lot in the Alps. It's a pity that the ancestor left no memories. It would be interesting to compare impressions. But that’s not why I’m picking up my pen again after a twenty-year break. For the sake of the guy who, after the publication of Gennady Kopeika’s article about our 1990 ascent along the South Face of the eight-thousander Lhotse on the Risk.ru website forum, wrote: “Comrade author, comrades participants, you are simply unrealistically cool... It’s only a pity that the article is small and, besides this, it gets to the next generations (like me) more by accident than naturally. We wish there were more stories like this about our glorious history.” Yes, Everest-82, Kanchenjunga-89, Lhotse-90 - the first Soviet Himalayan expeditions, which once became sensational - are already history. But also modernity - after all, no one has yet walked our routes. Our mountaineering back in the 20th century was referred to the 21st century by Reinhold Messner himself, who aimed at the South Face of Lhotse. And we passed it - Kharkov residents, Siberians, Donetsk residents, Muscovites, Rostovites, Dnipropetrovsk residents...
If I were asked to describe a true climber in one word, I would choose the word “reliability.” It is very capacious. Includes universal technology and high intelligence. The ability not to get lost in difficult circumstances. Fight for your partner's life as if it were your own. The reliability of a climber is manifested not only on ascents. In ordinary affairs, attitude towards life, people, work - no less. Not everyone who goes climbing meets this criterion. But the majority.
Reliability is the desire to go to the end despite the circumstances and the courage to retreat in time. This is responsibility for words and actions. This is decency, honesty, self-esteem. This is a scale of values where money and material goods are far from in first place. Our older comrades, teachers in mountaineering, lived in such a coordinate system. At the start of life, when you want everything at once, it is very important whose opinion becomes decisive for you, against whom you compare your thoughts and actions. For me, at sixteen, the main authority was my first teacher in mountaineering, Volodya Poberezovsky, who lives today in distant Australia. Lucky chance? Fate? In general, I was lucky to meet a person who was not only 100% reliable himself, but also wanted to make us, the factory boys, so. My future coach and I arrived at the Kharkov “box” (“mailboxes” were the name given to enterprises of the military-industrial complex in Soviet times), a branch of the Moscow Experimental Design Bureau of Automation, almost simultaneously. Only I was an electrician’s student after the seventh grade, and Vladimir Poberezovsky was a young specialist after graduating from the Polytechnic Institute. If not for this meeting, the Himalayas and Karakorum, the Caucasus and Tien Shan, the Pamirs and the Cordillera would have remained just brown spots on the map for me. Who knows what blemishes in the biography could result from the lack of guidelines that Poberezovsky gave. Fortunately, our paths crossed. At the suggestion of Vila, as the climbers called our coach, many of the guys with whom we started together fell in love with the mountains for the rest of our lives.
I still feel the powerful charge received from Poberezovsky. Vil very competently introduced us, factory first-year students, into the world of mountaineering and rock climbing. To the world in general. Because in addition to mountains, rocks, trips, competitions and training, there were many more interesting things in Poberezovsky’s life - work and friends, songs and books. “What, you haven’t read Hemingway (Jack London, the Strugatskys)?” - a phrase thrown in passing made me rush to the library and pore over textbooks at night school. It was a shame to receive bad grades, because mountaineering is a sport of intellectuals. From Vil we adopted our attitude towards life and towards people. We learned not to hide behind other people's backs. We learned the laws of camaraderie, the mountaineering brotherhood, which still exist today, no matter what anyone says. Poberezovsky showed us the beauty of mountaineering. He taught me how to train correctly and consciously, constantly raising the bar. With his guidance, we learned to strive for the maximum and achieve our goals. Gradually the understanding came: when a certain level is reached, a lot depends on what kind of coach you are. Of course, you are still a “new guy”, you need to study and learn from older, more experienced ones. But what you can learn from them depends on self-preparation, self-discipline and many more “self...”. It depends on how interested you are, how ready you are to not feel sorry for yourself. The awareness of all this does not come immediately, of course. But without it success is impossible.
For me, mountaineering eventually became a profession. The more I went to the mountains, the more I became convinced: this is mine. Although at first everything was not so clear. Quite the contrary. The flu suffered in childhood turned into severe rheumatic heart disease. I didn’t know what to do with my swollen knees. In the morning I could not get out of bed. To move, you had to first “diverge.” The old doctor shook her head sympathetically: “Walk slowly, don’t overwork.” Just before this I watched (and then more than once) the Italian film “The Grand Prix”. The phrase of the main character is etched in my memory: “When others slow down, I gain momentum!” The guy on the screen was brave, successful and noble. I wanted to be just like him. Like our Vil. Would they walk slowly? At sixteen and for the rest of my life I chose “revolutions”! Through pain, fatigue, through “I can’t.” I have never regretted it.
.
Together with another Ukrainian from the group, m, he climbed an eight-thousander at night, along the southern slope. So far, no one has repeated this.
climbed Everest on May 4, 1982. However, it was not possible to catch the hero of the day in Kharkov on this day: despite his 70 years, Sergei Bershov actively travels, teaches at the Academy of Physical Education and instructs other climbers. Finally we met in the hall of the Kharkov alpine club. On a large model of Everest, Sergei Igorevich shows the route of the first Soviet Himalayan expedition - one of the longest.
The hardest way
– Sergei Igorevich, why did the Soviet expedition go to the summit along the South-West Face?
– We were not allowed into the Himalayas for many years, and when the Central Committee of the CPSU was finally allowed, more than 100 people visited there. Something special had to be done, and this new difficult path was chosen.
– Why weren’t they allowed in for so many years?
– The national team was selected twice. The first time - in the early 60s, they planned to go together with the Chinese, equipment for the expedition to China was already sent. But after China occupied Tibet, everything was canceled. The Chinese entered there successfully with our equipment. Then in the 70s they assembled a team, but did not receive permission from the party Central Committee.
– So your team had a huge responsibility?
– Yes, as our leadership later said, it was ordered to continue climbing to the top until the first result, even if one of us died. And according to the rules of Soviet mountaineering, in this case it was necessary to stop climbing and immediately descend. But everything turned out well, and 11 out of 16 people reached the summit.
– How did you prepare? How did you select the equipment?
– We spent two years preparing for Everest, went together to the Tien Shan and Pamir. They bought us Italian shoes - these were plastic boots with dog fur inserts. Crampons and ice axes were bought abroad, everything else was made specifically for this expedition. In general, we were prepared for Everest as astronauts. The Institute of Nutrition Problems developed a space diet for us - freeze-dried foods, canned food. We were examined in the same clinics, by the same doctors as the astronauts. We were raised in a pressure chamber to a great height, they watched how the body would behave - I, for example, rose to 10 thousand meters. Such experiments were carried out; the approach was very serious.
– Could it have ended in such a way that the route would have been unsuitable for climbing to the top?
- No, this was out of the question. We proceeded from real possibilities: we chose a difficult but safe path. By the way, it is still the most difficult on Everest. That's why no one has repeated it in 35 years.
“Soon chefs will climb Everest”
– You and Mikhail Turkevich reached the summit at night - this is a unique case in the history of Everest. Why did this happen?
“I would prefer to come in during the day and admire the view.” But when we were in the assault camp, our first pair, Myslovsky and Balyberdin, contacted us. They asked for help on the descent - they had run out of oxygen and were running out of strength: in 4 hours they descended only 50 meters. It was decided that Turkevich and I would go out to meet them. At 6 o'clock in the evening we left, and at 9 we met them at an altitude of approximately 8750 meters - they only walked a little more than 100 meters. We gave them oxygen, gave them compote to drink, and fed them dried fruit. They continued their descent, and we radioed and asked the expedition leader for permission to climb to the top. I'm still surprised that we were allowed to go. I probably wouldn't let go. But they gave us the go-ahead. At 22.22 we were already at the top. There I left the pennant of the Donbass club and hung the coat of arms of Kharkov on it. We tried to take pictures, but without a flash the night photos didn’t come out. Therefore, we did not linger, we began to descend, and half an hour later we caught up with our comrades - they were weakened and did not go far.
“We took them down to the camp at an altitude of 8,500 meters until the morning. And there we drank tea and went further, up to 6400 meters, spent the night and went to the base camp. Evgeniy Tamm, the leader of the ascent, told me then: “You have no idea, Sergei, what you have done. You saved the expedition!” Then after us, 7 more people got up, and the last group was forbidden to go. They said from Moscow: “Stop climbing, your cooks will soon be climbing Everest.” They were afraid that there would be some trouble. And they were already at an altitude of about 8 thousand and said: “We can’t hear you.” The leader understood everything, and they successfully ascended and descended on May 9.
Then several teams from Czechoslovakia and Poland tried to follow our route after they learned that we had left some oxygen cylinders at an altitude of 7 thousand. But when they approached this wall, they refused to climb. It was necessary to have a team like ours.
– Did you have any competition within your team about who would be the first to climb Everest?
- What are you talking about? There were 100 people in front of us - what a difference! And there was no thought about it: the first is not the first.
– Do you remember your feelings?
– There were no such delights. We went out and said: “Misha, we are on Everest.” That's it. We simply knew that we still had to catch up and save our own, so the most pleasant sensations were after we descended.
“Let’s go to the mountains not to die”
– Probably, after such trips, climbers lose a lot of weight - after all, they have to hardly eat or sleep for many days?
- The most big loss was not after Everest, but after the South Face of Lhotse (the fourth highest eight-thousander in the world, located on the border of China and Nepal - approx. “XN”) - minus 15 kg at my 65. A lot of physical activity, we eat little, there is not enough water. You need to drink a lot, and melt water from ice and snow. It takes a lot of time. You need to drink 3–4 liters a day, but you can’t do that much, you just have to sit and prepare water.
—Have you been to Everest twice more since then?
“I’ve only been to the top three times and didn’t make it twice.” In 2004, I took a climber up the mountain, but he was running out of oxygen - he didn’t calculate it properly. I explained then that we either go down or stay on the mountain forever. He listened to me. And in 2003 there was an accident in a Ukrainian expedition - a frostbitten climber was being lowered.
– Is it now possible to organize a Ukrainian expedition to Everest?
– There was a Ukrainian ascent in 1999 along the classical route from Tibet. But a lot of time has passed since then, and a new generation of guys has grown up. I think it’s time to conduct a purely Kharkov expedition. This is possible - there are people, there is preparation, there is no money. If we find funding, let's go. Most likely in the spring of next year.
– How do you feel about the fact that Everest is now becoming a commercial amusement for rich, but not very prepared people?
“Many people think like this: since I paid the money, I’ll come in.” But this doesn't always work out. We advise those who contact us for support to undergo certain training. Almost every healthy person can climb Everest, but before that you need to climb at least two seven-thousanders. This will take approximately two years.
– There is an opinion that on Everest all the sides are littered with climbing debris. Is that so?
– Recently, each expedition leaves an environmental deposit of 4 thousand dollars. And if she does not completely hand over all the garbage - cylinders, cans, batteries and everything else - this money remains for environmental needs. Therefore, everyone tries to take everything away.
– Do the bodies of the dead remain on the peaks?
– In 2005, I watched as the body of a Japanese climber was lowered from a height of 8,700 meters. There, the expedition consisted of 30 Sherpas and cost a quarter of a million dollars. Many people raise the issue of groups passing exhausted fallen climbers and not stopping to save them. The point is that if such participants commercial trips If they stop, there will be many more casualties. God grant that they come down on their own.
– Constant proximity to death probably changes your attitude towards it?
- We don't think about it. We are not going to the mountains to die. If everything is provided for, then everything will be fine.
