Our five Snow Leopard climbs in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
Expeditions Unlimited is one of the few operators in the world to take on the Snow Leopard Challenge, which involves climbing the five highest peaks in the former Soviet Union, all over 7000 meters and all between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In particular, these include the climb of Lenin Peak or Ibn Sina Peak (7134 m) on the Tajikistan/Kyrgyzstan border, Korjenevskoï Peak or Ozodi Peak (7105 m) in Tajikistan, Khan Tengri Peak (7010 m) on the Kyrgyzstan/Kazakhstan border, Communism Peak or Ismail Somoni Peak (7495 m) in Tajikistan, and Pobeda Peak or Victory Peak or Jengish Chokosu Peak (7439 m) in Kyrgyzstan. Mountain guide Serge Bazin is expedition leader on each of these climbs. In 2011, Serge Hardy was the fifth and last Frenchman to succeed in this challenge. Fewer than a hundred climbers have achieved this feat worldwide, most of them originating from the great mountaineering culture of Eastern Europe.
While we climb Peak Lenin almost every summer, we climbed Peak Korjenevskaya in 2023 and plan a new climb every odd-numbered year. The next three climbs are massive, either technically difficult, with Khan Tengri via the North Ridge, chosen because it is less exposed to objective hazards, or with Communism Peak and its kolossal plateau at 7000 meters, in terms of commitment at very high altitude, and finally, with the famous Victory Peak or Pobeda, in terms of objective risks. We guide you to complete the Snow Leopard Challenge. We recommend our web conference on the Snow Leopard Challenge in French with English subtitles.
