Peak Lenin

Peak Lenin, also called Ibn Sina, stands at 7,134 metres on the frontier between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and has a particular reputation: technically it is among the more approachable seven-thousanders, a long snow slog rather than a technical climb, which has made it the mountain where many people attempt that altitude for the first time. That approachability is deceptive. The weather is severe, the route is exposed to avalanche, and the mountain has one of the worst accident records in the range, including a 1990 avalanche that killed forty-three climbers at Camp Two. For non-climbers, the whole face is visible from the Alay valley and from Tulpar-Köl, which is as good a view of a seven-thousander as any road in the world offers.

What you actually see

• The full north face - the mountain seen entire from the valley floor.
• Base camp season - the tent and yurt city at Tulpar-Köl in summer.
• Glacier approaches - the moraine and ice below the face.
• Climbers on the route - lines of figures on the snow slopes in season.

When to go

July and August for both climbing and viewing; the base camps operate only then. Clear views come early in the morning before cloud builds. Outside the season the area is empty and the track is closed by snow.

Honest expectations

Climbing this mountain is a serious undertaking despite its reputation, with real avalanche risk and altitude above 7,000 metres; it needs experience, acclimatisation and an operator. For viewers, the trip to Tulpar-Köl is itself at 3,500 metres and altitude is felt. Cloud can hide the peak for days.

Nearby

Tulpar-Köl is the base; the Alay valley and Sary-Tash lie north.