Basalt Column Climbing BAN

FA of a line in Hrazdab gorge that used to be for a top rope and for rescue training.

The Physics' Wall sector is located in Yerevan, Hrazdan gorge, just below the Yerevan Physics Institute on the edge of the gorge. It's around 10min walk from the "Spitak" Rescue Center, and the members of the YerPhI Alpine Club, the same, founding fathers of "Spitak" Rescue Center, used to train there for decades. However this line remained for top rope only, with a couple of glued bolts on the bottom of it for rigging a rescue system.

I checked it for mixed trad climbing and for most of it you have cracks for the safe protection. On the upper part I have put 6mm x 2.5sm sketchy Soviet "schlambur bolts" for eliminating the runout where there are no cracks. Now it's ready for a show off photo-session with some cams and nuts.

With Anahit, Miqael, Yulia and Vardan we went to taste it.

It’s 20m high 5b/5.8 that requires some middle and small size protection gear.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.uptherocks.com/content/view/197/138#sigProId7612d1dcc6

Details: Category: Rock Climbing; Published: 13 April 2008

WE FLY CROWS

We choose Black Diamond

MOUNTAIN GUIDING

Rock and Ice climbing

First Noravanq climbing this season

This time we went to climb the route "Soyuz", a 4-pitch route in Noravank (Gnishik).
Armenian climbing team at "Experience the Rocks of Georgia"

Right a year ago "Norwegian Agency of YIA", by the efforts of Per Erling Tilset Larsen and Eirik Skar, took our team to Flatanger, Norway to the amazing event.
Catching up the cold for warm up

The winter of 2015 in Armenia is again not that cold for ice climbing, but we bought the short gap.
Old friends of the mountains meet in Armenia

“Amazing Armenia” – this was the title of a big article published in the “Rock & Ice” magazine in the US in 2010.

Mountaineering and Backcountry skiing

Ski Season 2021

One of the best seasons in terms of snow abundance and stability during the past decade in Armenia. Although without ski-touring tourists this winter, we made it quite fun anyway!
"Game Ridge" backcountry first descent, solo

I finally skied one of my projects in Fox Mountains, solo. My skiing buddies were busy to support me on this backcountry trip, and the weather is warming drastically in the valley now, so it had to be done now or postponed to next year which I didn't like for some reasons.
Ski Season 2026

Ski season 2026 is still going on, check for the updates of the pictures and the article!
Study of deadly avalanche in Armenia: VIDEO

On Feb 22, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia reported an avalanche accident in Kotayk Province on the slopes of Mt. Teghenis 2851m.