In August, I guided Austrian friends Geri Mairhofer and Traudl We on a 50km journey through the central Ile-Alatau range, south of Almaty. After traveling up Ozyornoye Gorge, we walked to the Kyzylsay hut and stayed the night. The next day, August 3, Traudl and I climbed a new route around 400m high, at AI1, up the center of the northwest face of Molodaya Gvardiya (4,398m, 43.00699°N, 77.08508°E), the highest peak at the head of this valley.

In the following days we crossed Tur- istov Pass (3,980m, 43.028590°N, 77.084322°E) from west to east and descended to the Left Talgar River, and then trekked upriver and then southeast to the Toguzak Glacier. On August 9, all three of us climbed a central line up the northwest face of Muryn-Tau (4,510m, 43.01068°N, 77.23766°E), about 300m at AI1, reaching the summit in poor weather. Descent was via the original 2B route down the north ridge.

Our return journey took us back down along the Left Talgar River and then west to Talgarskiy Pass (3,160m, 43.115688°N, 77.111932°E). We camped nearby and finished at Shymbulak ski resort on August 11.

— Kirill Belotserkovskiy, Kazakhstan