Party Yuri Koshelenko - Valery Babanov - extrem style of mountaineering

Petit Dru - avant Photo: Volker Leuchsner

In the evening of the 17-th of Februa ry, 1998 the two immensely exhausted,but extremely happy people stood at the top of Petit Dru and could not believe up to the end, that they have made it: have made a new route,Russian route on this perfect mountain, which always was a dream of all climbe rs. They have passed, have done it - and won!

But behind it all - many years of mountaineering experience, wish to climb this proud mountain and kilometre of a Wall. In September, 1997 the huge piece of west wall of Petit Druin Chamonix with  ; height 3733 m has fallen off and practically hasdestroyed the most difficult routes laid on it for many years.

Petit Dru - apres Photo:(Vertical) N103 November 1997

Two strong Russian climbers, Yuri Koshelenko (foreman of sportsof the international class already five times has been the championof Russia) and Valery Babanov (climber becoming known for solo of passage in the Alpes, America and CIS, including first solo passage of Americandiretissima on Petit Dru), taking place in Chamonix by the invitation ofthe French Federation of mountaineering and rock climbing on theInternational festival of winter mountain climbing, have decided to gather the efforts and to pass a new route on this beautiful challenging needle above Chamonix.

After careful viewing of a wall and stone falls, the route bythe right part of a new plate with an exit in the top part on the Bonatti edge was chosen. The style of passage of the Big walls "BigWall" with use of a platform for bivi on a wall allowed to take themost of light time for passage and gave freedom in a choice of places fornights. They already repeatedly used same tactics during wall ascents ingorge Karavshin and Lialyak on Pamir, which tops have kilometer wallsfamous "Big Wall", and Yuri in the same way has subdued in the summer ofpast year a new Russian route on Troll Wall in Norway. Everything was knownand verified years but the new route, to pass it on a over sights of notonly local inhabitants and tourists, but also many well known climbers,which were on the Festival.

Valery Babanov

February 9 with assistance of Alexander Pogorelov (in the past- coach and now the partner on ascents of Yuri Koshelenko)Babanov and Koshelenko come to the wall Petit Dru. After that Alexanderhas gone on ski in Chamonix. And tomorrow he came back in Russia,and about passage of a route he would learned only home.

And since morning of February 10th Yuri and Valery have left theworld of horizontal roads and for one week have put up at the world ofa vertical and cornices. Week they measured the life by amount of pitchespassed from bottom.

Yuri Koshelenko

Being going there, they knew, that it will be hard climbing, butdid not imagine, as far as. Each meter was given by the price of extremeefforts, but main price of the nerves which have stretched as ropes. Koshelenkosaid that it still never was so terribly. Sometimes it was necessaryto climb almost on a complete rope length on "hanging stones", andwithout organising any reliable points for anchors. More - less "reliable"climbing was early morning, when "moving" stones there are keep frozen.They were lucky with a choice of a route (though the word "lucky"probably, incorrectly, all this is the result of a wide experience,which can not allow to count on good luck, all should be reckoned and isverified up to trivialities): and at the left and to the right of themthe stones flied by a continuous flow, not leaving chance to survive.

Five days were required to pass the most dangerous part of a wall, passingup to the large roof limiting from above a zone of "alive" grey plates.February 16th they have passed a 80-meter roof by its right part and furtheron vertical rocks send on the Bonatti route. Then the route was not sofrightened dangerous, but remained difficult and intense. These rocksare very difficult in summer time not speaking about winter climbingit demands extreme efforts. On the Bonatti edge the guys have passedthrough the ledge, on which in summer of the last year from sudden stonefalls so ridiculously was lost Elena Akulova and has got traumas Alexey Boldyrev (about this tragedy we already wrote).

Stone falls was in such place, where never it happens dangerously, hasbecome a harbinger of the subsequent awful collapse. By stopping and mournfullyby keeping silent, Yuri and Valery have made the decision to namea new route in memory Elena. Now in all guidebooks the new route on PetitDru has a name "Lena" will appear.

All week there was a good weather. The ascent with heart beatingwas watched by all friends and the people, simply appeared in Chamonix. The guys were well visible in the field-glass, and evening of the16-th of February the vice-presidentof the French Federation Jean Claude Marmier could even fly up to guysby the helicopter and from distance only 8-10 meters to encourage themand to make several pictures. They still had only 4 pitches up to the edgeand very little up to top. Everyone were sure, that in 17-th evening theywill be in Chamonix. But the passage of a route has required one more dayclimb, and most important - descent ahead was coming.

Jean Claude Marmier

The one who was on such routes, knows, how it is important to not relaxon descent, not believe, that all difficulties behind, the routecomes to the end only in the valley. Jean Claude Marmier couldnot see the guys in Chamonix in the evening of the 17-th ofFebruary, has sent the son Pierr towards on a normal route of descentfrom Petit Dru, as though having felt something bad. And after they didnot meet the guys till 3 o'clock in the evening, they have call to rescue,which have found Valery and Yuri under a crest Flam de Pier. On descentBabanov has left forward, and Koshelenko, moving on a rock-ice crest bysecond, sliding on the crampons, has moved down on the slope. Yurahas flown by on a slope about 30 meters, by hanging on the Valery anchorand got thus strong bruises in the field of a back. Helmetwas broken, has rescued slightly that on him there were a lot of clothes.The rescue helicopter has taken him to the hospital at the same night.Now he is in hospital, the doctors are rather optimistically: hurtsnot so strong, several days in hospital, and in some months Yura can returnto mountaineering. For now he accepts congratulations laying, jokes anddreams of new routes.

The successful ascent of Russian party has done a lot of noisein France. All radio stations transfer the messages on passage of a newroute, being surprised courage of Russian boys. According to theexperts, this ascent is far behind a typical concepts aboutextreme mountain climbing. In nearest issues of all leading climbing magazineswill be reports about the ascent Valery himself looksvery happy because the life of Yura is out of danger and because of passedroute. Now he is going on Grand Jorasses, where the last year he markedthe new route to pass it in solo style.