TODAY.AZ / Society

Alpinism grips Azerbaijan

22 October 2015 [09:21] - TODAY.AZ

By Amina Nazarli - AzerNews 

Azerbaijan is surrounded by high mountains and has good opportunities for the development one of the most exciting sports – alpinism.

More than half of Azerbaijan’s territory is occupied by the Great and Small Caucasus mountains. Add to this the Talish mountains in the southeast – Azerbaijan is a basin of Kura-Aras lowlands framed by mountains.

Azerbaijani mountains are not the highest in the world, but the routes laid for rock climbing are not so easy.

The birth of mountaineering in Azerbaijan can be traced to the 1930s, when a large group of “Neftanik” climbers sports club went to a competition in Kabardino-Balkaria to conquer Elbrus.

Today, the sport attracts more than 250 climbers to the country, who go to the mountains on a regular basis.

Aleksey Zakobluk, a 34-year-old father of two sons is the head of the official organization “RockStone” Sports Club. Discussing alpinism with AzerNews, Aleksey said that mountain climbing is different from other sports in many criteria.

“In fact, alpinism is not a cheap sport at all and good equipment will shake you down. Your weekends and holidays,” Aleksey confesses, “you do not spend in a trip to the Cote d'Azur, where the sun rays will warm you. But you conquer the mountaintops, wherein never knowing what is waiting for you there.”

"Every time one conquers the apex, one is filled with mixed emotions, which is difficult to describe in words, as each time they are different and unique.

This can be a sunny day, or vice versa rain, wind and snow. Ideas start to run in a person’s head, like ‘What I'm doing here? Maybe go back before it’s too late...’ But they instantly disappear the moment when you stand at the top,” he explained.

Aleksey’s first apex, as for many alpinists in Azerbaijan, was Gizil Gaya mountain at 1,532 meters height, followed by the more complex Tufan, Shahdag, and Bazar Duzu with the height of 4,466.

The alpinist said he is very pleased to know and to see how this sport continues to grow in Azerbaijan.

Since 2010, Azerbaijani climbers have begun to actively and successfully perform at international festivals and championships in mountaineering, skyrunning, and rock climbing.

National climber Rufat Godjayev was included in the top 20 best athletes of the year. He was the first in Azerbaijani history who conquered three vertices over 7,000 meters within a month.

In the XXI century, Azerbaijanis have conquered world highest peaks. Azerbaijan's late famous mountain climber Murad Ashurly successfully conquered McKinley, the highest peak of North America, in 2007. He was the second Azerbaijani to climb Mount Everest.

Unfortunately, 42 year-old Ashurly died in the Himalayas. He made a successful ascent to the mountain Ama Dablam as part of a commercial exhibition of the Seven Summits Club along with eight other climbers. He died after falling about 300 meters downhill after his rope snapped, on his way down from Camp 2 to Camp 1.

Murad became the first climber who raised the Azerbaijani flag over the top of this legendary peak.

Alpinism differs from other sports thanks to its high degree of patriotism. Climbers say that standing at an altitude of several thousand meters and shaking national flag in hands is incomparable to other feelings.

However, it is not only men that enjoy this sport in Azerbaijan.

Fidan Mammadova is an aspiring mountain-lover. In the summers, mountains beckon her with their pristine meadows, babbling brooks, and in winters, the frosty air, gray rocks, and hot winter sun.

At 22, she has already managed to conquer more than 10 altitudes in Azerbaijan, such as Shahdag, Bazarduzu, Tufan, Ilham, and etc.

This year she plans to climb to Agridag at 5,137 meters and Elbrus at 5,642 meters.

Protection of the mountains from the traces of civilization is one of the main tasks of any mountain climber or tourist. Fidan became an initiator of a project aimed at the protection of mountain ecology, which has been successfully put into practice for three years.

This year, the project is a candidate for the Prize of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/society/144569.html

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