Fisht (2,867m), west face. One of the most important first ascents in the Caucasus during 2009 was a direct route up the middle of the west face of Fisht, the most westerly snow-and-ice peak in the range. To enter the 27th Russian Championships for Alpinism in the First Ascent category, the team of Eugene Bolkovoy, Eugene Dmitrienko, Vasily Petyakshev, Dmitry Podlesny, and Alexander Spindonov (leader) chose winter and climbed the face, a 560m rock wall, from March 1 to 6. Because of poor weather, there were some days on which the team could climb no more than one pitch. They used fixed rope and a portaledge camp. They descended from the summit by the line of the ascent.

Anna Piunova, www.mountain.ru