CET NEVA ANNUAL REPORT 1998

Trekking:

• In February, three Frenchwomen visited Petersburg and during a week had been travelling in snow forests of Karelia isthmus. Guide team consisted of N.Totmianin - chief, S.Kalmykov - guide-interpreter and V.Vysotsky - responsible for hut/hotel arrangements and for car assistance. (See the tour description and photogallery on our web pages.)

• June 5 to 12 a group of 5 trekkers from Japan had been visiting Bezengui region in the Central Caucasus. This put start to our collaboration with EURAS-TOUR agency. Mr. Tsunee Sakata, the agency Director, took part in the tour. The tour was led by CET Neva guide S. Kalmykov + local guides - A. Akhkubekov,  from Bezengui village, and D. Booslik from Nalchik.

• Two weeks later the tour was repeated by a big group of 22 Japaneese trekkers. It was headed by A. Moshnikov, CET Neva director. His guide team consisted of his wife Tania, another CET Neva guide A. Fetisov, A. Akhkubekov and D. Booslik.

Mt. Everest (8848m - the world highest mountain):

In the spring A. Moshnikov with a group of climbers took part in the Russian Everest Expedition 1998. Some events that occured there are described in our site: "On March 20 Anatoly Moshnikov, CET "Neva" Director (on the right in the picture) flew out from Petersburg to Moscow together with french climber Gilles Roman. In Moscow three american citizens - Serguei Arsentiev, formerly member of the Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute Mountaineering Club, his wife, Francis Distefano, and Fred Barth - will join them..." Actually, only G.Roman was CET Neva client but others had their own programs. Moshnikov (using no artificial oxygen) and Gilles summited May 22 at 1p.m. local time and then descended down to the Base Camp. This was the second Moshnikov's oxygenless climb of the Mt. Everest top (the first one had been in 1990 - J.Whittaker's three-lateral Peace Climb). However the ascent had been coloured in black with the death of Francis and Serguei, a few days later,  on the summit ridge (you can read that sinister story on the pages of the site as well).

Climbing on Caucasus

• Mt. Elbrus (5642-5621 m), the European highest peak:

  • In the July S.Kalmykov had been invited as a Spanish speaking guide to ALPTOURS agency (St. Petersburg) Elbrus expedition. It had been organized for members of ONCE (Organization National de los Ciegos Españoles - Spanish National Organization of Blinds). July 18 he had reached the west summit of Elbrus (5642m) together with 7 Spaniards - 2 guides and 5 invalids, blinds, legless, deaf-mute.
  • In the beginning of August CET Neva guide A.Fetisov with group of three Spaniards summited on the east top.
  • In the August CET Neva guide Michael Pronin was at the head of a small client group of two Norwegians. Before climbing up to Elbrus they made two training ascents - Gumachi (3650m, F+) and Dzhan-Tugan (4100m, PD). Then they moved to Elbrus. One of the Norwegians could reach the saddle between two summits (5300m) but another one together with the guide had been on the West top.
  
   

• Elbrus region and Bezengui:         Having completed the job in the ALPTOURS-ONCE expedition, S.Kalmykov was working as a coach of a group of young Russian climbers in the Bezengui region (4 climbs of grades PD/AD) and then met in airport and brought to the mountaineering base camp a team of 5 British climbers. They ascended to 3 summits in Bezengui - Ukiu Main, D.Freshfield route, PD, Archimedis peak, AD and Guestola in the Main Caucasian Range (4850m), AD+. Then the team moved into the Elbrus region where a rope team of the guide and two British climbers had traversed three summits of Irik-Chat (4000m, AD).

Expedition to Peak Lenin (7134 m), Zaalaiskii Range, Pamirs:

CET Neva expedition consisted of tree climbers from France and one from Switzerland, the expedition leader was Anatoly Moshnikov, the agency Director. Two French climbers and the guide had summited and the Swiss had reached 7000m.

Expedition's photos may be seen in an our site page in French.

Expedition into the Central Tian-Shan - to Mts. Pobeda (Victory Peak, 7439 m - the world northernmost "seven-thousander") and Khan-Tengri (7010 m):