Pik Lenin, Pik Kommunizma and. Other Peaks on Skis, Pamir Mountains. Our best skier of the extreme, Pavol Rajtar, made several first ski descents in the Pamir Mountains. After several acclimatization climbs, on July 20 he climbed Pik Shatayeva (5700 meters, 18,701 feet) solo and made the first ski descent. The next day he was helicoptered to the Moskvin and Walter Glaciers along with Milan Hoholik, Oleg Štulrajter and Robert Gálfy. They bivouacked at 13,125, 16,400, 19,000 and 23,000 feet and on July 25 climbed the Tzetlin (southwest) Ridge of Pik Korzhenevska (7105 meters, 23,310 feet). Rajtar and Gálfy made the first ski descent, skiing down the same ridge to the end of the glacier at 16,400 feet in three hours. The next day they climbed back up to 19.0 feet to help evacuate a sick climber. They were then helicoptered to the Fontambek Glacier at 13,125 feet. On July 30 Rajtar and František Compel climbed some 7000 feet up the Burevestnik Buttress to bivouac at 20,000 feet. The next day they skied eight miles across the Pamir Plateau to bivouac at 20.0 feet below Pik Dushanbe, which they climbed on August 1 to bivouac on the summit at 22,650 feet. From there Rajtar soloed Pik Kommunizma (7495 meters, 24,590 feet) and skied down to 20,000 feet. On the 3rd they crossed the plateau, descended the buttress and returned to Fontambek Base Camp. Rajtar was helicoptered to 13,450 feet on the Achik Tash Glacier, which he ascended to Pik Razdelna, where he bivouacked on August 5. He then soloed Pik Lenin (7134 meters, 23,406 feet) in four hours. He skied down the northwest ridge to 22,800 feet and turned north onto the face. He completed the ski of 10,000 vertical feet in two hours and 25 minutes. The slopes were up to 48°.

Oto Chudý, Czechoslovakia