AlmaU students take part in the Amangeldy peak race

On January 19, 2020, a high-altitude race to Amangeldy peak named after Anatoly Bukreev was held in the Maloalmaty gorge (Almaty).

The race to the peak of Amangeldy (3999) has a long tradition and a rich history.  The selection of high-altitude climbers on the Himalayan expeditions of the USSR, and then Kazakhstan, was based on the technical and functional training of athletes.  To determine the strongest, the practice of high-speed ascents was introduced as the best indicator of a person's working capacity in conditions of high mountains and oxygen deficiency.

The Kazakh School of Mountaineering has traditionally trained the strongest high-altitude climbers.  Sports camps and the selection of athletes for the national teams of the USSR, and then Kazakhstan, were held in the Tuyuk-Su alpine camp - a long-time forge of the highest qualification climbers.

Amangeldy Peak is one of the most accessible “four-thousandths” of the Maloalmaty gorge, it is not surprising that the race under its top tower has become a training route for many generations of athletes.

The race is held in two distances:

SkyRace: start - from Tuyuk Su alpine camp (2450m), finish - bastion of Amangeldy peak (3950m).  The length of 5.5 km, the difference - 1500m.

Vertical kilometer: start - from Tuyuk Su alpine camp (2450m), finish - at Alpingrad site (3450m).  The length of 4.5 km, Delta - 1000m.

3rd year students of AlmaU Seryakov Ruslan (Accounting and Audit) and Shahmuratov Ramil (RDiGB) also took part in the international competition.

It should be noted that both fulfilled the qualification standard with the following time:

 • Seryakov Ruslan - 3:07:48

 • Shakhmuratov Ramil - 3:26:53

Unfortunately, we could not predict in advance which of us would show the best result.  The assigned responsibility in the form of the flag that I carried gave me an additional incentive to get to the finish line, keeping within the qualifying time, despite the incredible pain and fatigue.