Nikolay Primerov: 2013

Here some new photos from amazing route T2 (WI6, M5) at the Trophy wall we did on 15.12. T2 is a dry tooling variant of the famous Terminator route. This route consists of three pitches where the first one is the crux. It starts with a thin ice for about 10 m, then several meters of dry tooling where you can find one bolt and after you take a free hanging dagger on which you have to climb for 10-12 m before reaching a bolted belay station. The second pitch is a steep ice for about 50 m. Third pitch starts with a big free standing icicle for about 10 m and then continuous for another 30 m of nice and easy ice. That day we new already were to go and how long will be the approach, but it was freezing cold, around -16 C. We parked the car just before the beginning of the horse trail. Actually it is forbidden to drive there, but we took a risk since it safes us one hour. This time approach to the base of the climb took us a bit less than two hours, and it was much easier to walk up since we could follow our own tracks. I started with the first pitch. Up to dry tooling part everything was smooth. The dry tooling part is slightly overhanging and it starts with a nice vertical crack where you can find good holds for you ice axes. After few meters of climbing crack narrows down to the size when you can't put the blade inside. There it gets scary, since there is no more place to put the protection. At this point I could reach the tip of the hanging dagger. I knew that now I have to climb carefully to don't break the icicle, since I had only one good bold 5 m below me. I squeezed myself between the icicle and the rock, standing with one of my foot on the icicle and another on the rock. I climbed free hanging part slowly and carefully. I put two small friends at the end of the crack just for my head. They would probably have never hold me if I fall, but it was enough to stop thinking about falling and concentrate on my climbing. At that time I was pretty pumped and I still needed to go out on the icicle and finish the last ten meter without placing any protection. When I moved out on the icicle I was completely pumped and I had to take a quite long pause when I was at the end of the icicle, just before the belay station. Finally I arrived to the belay station, put on my down jacket and belayed Olov and Sam. Afterwards Olov took a lead for a full 50 m pitch. It started with a icicle and then 30 m of WI5 ice. Last pitch I leaded again and it was nice ice for 50 m. It was great experience and at the same time good training for my head! )