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Description
Marble Wall peak is the most northern “6000er” in Asia (6261m) and is the highest point of Bayankol region. Located on the Kazakhstan and China border, it is also a meeting point of Meridional and Sarydzhas mountain ridges. This mighty massif is visible from Kegen-Tekes trench. There is a one-kilometer-long wall of black and yellow marble with an overhanging icy cap to the west from the snow peak. The Marble Wall is surrounded by magnificent peaks such as Bayankol peak (5790m), Karlytau peak (5550m), Kazakhstan peak (5761m), Pogranichnik peak (5250m) and other four- and five-thousanders.
There are few technically easy but long routes along the aretes and mountain slopes (about 40°). As we climb up, we establish our camps at 4300m, 5300m and then on 5900m. The scenery during this ascent is one of the finest in the Central Tyan-Shan, with the highest peaks visible, such as Khan-Tengri peak, Pobeda peak and many other surrounding peaks and glaciers of Kazakhstan and China.
The Marble Wall area is the most accessible area in Kazakhstani part of the Central Tyan-Shan since you can reach it by land. There is a rough track in the Bayankol gorge that leads to the gold mine of Zharkulak. Then we make further 12 km of our way up to the foot of Sarydzhas ridge, on foot or horseback. This part of the trek is relatively easy and will not cause any troubles. But you need to consider a long way (380 km, 5-6 hours on car and 12 km, 4-5 hours trekking to the base camp)
The base camp is nestled right next to the Marble Wall peak, in high alpine meadows by the Sary-Goynou, the riverhead of Bayankol river. From the camp you can enjoy a majestic view of Sarydzhas ridge snow wall, all along from the Marble Wall to Semyonov peak.
The early pioneers in the Marble Wall climbing history were explorers and travelers. They used to head towards Khan Tengri being completely sure that it is located at the riverhead of Bayankol river but always ended up at the foot of Marble Wall. That made Gotfrid Merzbacher, German explorer and one of the most experienced mountaineers of those days, want to come to Bayankol circus in 1902 and unravel the intricate. He investigated the real location of Khan Tengri and was first to describe the Marble Wall. He even made an attempt to climb it. You have to obtain a frontier zone permit if you want to visit Bayankol gorge since it is close to the China-Kazakhstan border.
