In July 2024, Anton Kashevnik and Ivan Temerev (both from Russia) completed a new route on the northwest face of Peak 4,810m. Graded Russian 6B (approx. ED+), the climb spans 1,300m of sustained technical difficulty, threading between the Sakharov and Kritsuk routes on one of the Kara-su Valley’s most challenging walls.

The expedition began with unusual challenges for the Karavshin in summer: Frequent storms of rain and snow soaked their gear and delayed progress. After establishing an advanced base camp below the face, Temerev and Kashevnik began ferrying loads and examining the line, which presented blank slabs, thin crack systems, and overhanging corners.

The initial pitches combined free and aid climbing, using skyhooks, cams, and nuts. Bolts were used sparingly, limited to anchors and sections without other viable protection. (The pair placed 30 bolts in 25 pitches.) Sections of thin, poorly bonded ice required careful movement. Higher up, the climbing became more technical, with overhanging cracks giving way to shallow corners, while blank sections of granite necessitated significant aid climbing, including many hook placements, both natural and drilled.

Progress was interrupted many days by bad weather, forcing the climbers to retreat to their portaledge until conditions improved. After 11 days on the wall, Temerev and Kashevnik reached the summit on July 27 at 5:10 p.m. They descended their line in 34 rappels and returned to base camp late on the 28th.

They named the climb Samurai Way (ca 1,300m, Russian 6B VI A3e; the “e” refers to drilled placements). [The first four pitches of this route followed a line climbed in 2002 by a Czech expedition that completed three new routes on the northwest face of Peak 4,810m. One team from this expedition—Marek Holeček, Pavel Jonak, and Vazek Satava—climbed a line to the right of the Sakharov Route, joining that route after 15 pitches; this is the route the Russians started up in 2024.]

            ­—Anna Piunova, AAJ, with information from Ivan Temerev, Russia