Pamir Sky

Paragliding in the Lenin Peak area of Pamir mountains

 

Country: Kyrgyzstan, Pamir mountains
Itinerary: Osh - Lenin Peak Base Camp - Osh
Tour duration: 15 days / 14 nights; 8 days / 7 nights

Paragliding in the Lenin Peak area

Paragliding is not for everyone. This project is for people strong in spirit, body and mind. If you do not expect special launching grounds scattered all over the slopes of the Trans-Alay Range and funiculars for transporting athletes to starting points, and if you are ready to walk up a mountain with a paraglider, harness, reserve parachute and, perhaps, mountaineering equipment behind your back, then this program is for you!

We want to unite paragliders and open this wonderful region for wings from all over the world!

  • 15 days itinerary
    995 USD
  • 8 days itinerary
    610 USD

 

  • Itinerary
    Services & Cost
  • Visa, permits
  • Useful Information

 

15 days itinerary:
Day 1 Arrival in Osh. Meeting at airport. Transfer to Mountain Yurt Camp (Base Camp) on Edelweiss Meadow at Lenin Peak foot (3,600 m).
Day 2 Acclimatization. Preparing equipment, taking instructions (mountaineering).   
Surveying the region and potential paragliding area.
Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 3 Surveying the region and potential paragliding area.
Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 4 Option 1. Acclimatization trip to the Puteshestvennikov Pass. Test starts in suitable aerological and meteorological conditions.
Climb to Camp 1 (4,400 m). Overnight in Camp 1.
The program below is for this option.  
Option 2 for days 4 to 13 of the program: Free program planned by paraglider pilots for themselves.  
Pilots that do not want to climb to Camp 1 and higher may follow their individual flying program honing their paragliding technique near Base Came or in the Kyzyl-Suu River area. Continuing flights. Overnight in Base Camp (3,600 m).   
Day 5 Climbing along the Lenin Peak ascent route to the traverse across the plateau (‘The Frying Pan’). Paragliding towards Camp 1 (4,400 m). 
Overnight in Camp 1 or returning to Base Camp to paraglide, if time permits, from the Puteshestvennikov Pass in the evening.
Day 6 Acclimatization climb to Camp 2 (5,300 m). Overnight in Camp 2 (5,300 m).
Day 7 Climbing onto the crest of Razdelnaya Peak in the morning.
Paragliding to Camp 2 (5,300 m) or Camp 1 (4,400 m) in suitable aerological and meteorological conditions.
Day 8 Returning to Base Camp (3,600 m) and, if possible, flying from the Puteshestvennikov Pass or one of the slopes near Base Camp. Overnight in Base Camp (3,600 m).
Day 9 Ascending Lenin Peak (7,134 m) for those who plan to do so or climbing to Camp 1/Camp 2 and paragliding from nearby crests and slopes. Overnight.
Day 10 Ascending Lenin Peak (7,134 m) for those who plan to do so or climbing to Camp 1/Camp 2 and paragliding from nearby crests and slopes. Overnight.
Day 11 Ascending Lenin Peak (7,134 m) for those who plan to do so or climbing to Camp 1/Camp 2 and paragliding from nearby crests and slopes. Overnight.
Day 12 Ascending Lenin Peak (7,134 m) for those who plan to do so or climbing to Camp 1/Camp 2 and paragliding from nearby crests and slopes. Overnight.
Day 13 Ascending Lenin Peak (7,134 m) for those who plan to do so or climbing to Camp 1/Camp 2 and paragliding from nearby crests and slopes. Overnight.
Day 14 Transfer Base Camp - Osh. Check-in at the hotel.
Day 15 Transfer to airport. Departure.

Cost includes:

  • Meeting/seeing off at the airport;
  • Transfer Osh - BC and BC - Osh;
  • All needed documents arrangement (permit to the border zone);
  • OVIR registration;
  • Lunch boxes during transfer Osh - Base camp - Osh;
  • Accommodation in hotels (double-room accommodation) with breakfast:
    • Osh (1 night);
  • Services in Base Camp (under the tour program) and Camp 1 (6 days) under Lenin Peak:
    • Accommodation in camping tents of Base Camp (tents are equipped with electrical outlets, heating, individual lighting - desk camp, wooden deck flooring, mattresses, and changeable bed linen: coverlet, pillowcases and linen);
    • Accommodation in camping tents of Camp 1 per 2 members (tents are equipped with wooden decks, thermal isolation, foam mattresses);
    • Full board of meals treatment (3 time of hot meals made by professional cookers, including vegetarian meals and meals for order);
    • Yurt - companion cabins (decorated in national style) with heat in Base Camp (3600m) and Camp 1 (4400m) for the rest and entertainments (music, guitar, table-top games, etc.);
    • Using washstand and toilet at BC and C1;
    • Electricity 220 В; 50 Hz;
    • Rescue party registration.

!!! FREE BONUSES on the package "Business" from Central Asia Travel

•   Sauna and shower facility in Base Camp (3600 m);
•   Using storage-yurt at BC and C1;
•   Renting of equipment for the time of ascent (against a deposit):
-    Portable radio station with 1 set of batteries (AAA, 4 pcs);
-    Gas burner;
-    Main rope ∅ 9 ÷ 11 mm;
-    Avalanche shovel;
-    Shared tinware for cooking at intermediate high mountain
     camps C2 and C3;
-    Sleeping pad.
•   Medical services in Base Camp (3600 m) and Camp 1 (4400 m);
•   Consultation concerning the route.

Cost of the packages does not include:

  • Visa invitations and visa fees; - for the citizens of countries outside the CIS;
  • Medical expenses and insurance (for minimum 30 000 $);
  • ICE fees (rescue team working, helicopter flights, medicines and medical service in Osh hospital, drawing of supporting documents, repatriation);
  • International airfare.

Additional services:

  • The full list of additional services of Base Camps of "Central Asia Travel", please, find here.

 

Visas and Permits

Kyrgyzstan allows visa-free entry for nationals of Russia and other SIC countries.

Since August 2012, nationals of another 44 countries have been allowed visa-free entry into and stay in Kyrgyzstan for the period of maximum 60 days, which makes a visit to the country easier and cheaper.

The 44 countries enjoying Kyrgyzstan visa-free regime are the following:

Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brunei Darussalam
Canada
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kuwait
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Vatican

The regulations require that any visitor has a pass to the border guard zone Lenin Peak is located in. In order to get it, you will have to send us a photocopy of your passport and the due dates of your visit at least 1 month prior to it.

 

Accomodation Goals and objectives of the program The region's geographic characteristics Recommendations for paragliding equipment

Accomodation

The program is organized in Lenin Peak camps owned by Central Asia Travel:

  • Base Camp (3,600 m) on the Edelweiss Glade. The camp’s location is optimal for flying along the Kyzyl-Suu River valley, while its infrastructure has all necessary for recreation after acclimatization trips and ascents.
  • Camp 1 (4,400 m) located on the moraine of the Lenin glacier.

Our company provides accommodation in our high-altitude tent camps, Camp 1 (4,400 m) and Camp 2 (5,300 m), to those who decide to paraglide from above the clouds and later ascend Lenin Peak (7,134 m).

Goals and objectives of the program

Project goals:

  • to study the Lenin Peak area with the purpose of the development of paragliding and paragliding mountaineering;
  • to organize flying and paragliding along Lenin Peak ascent routes;
  • to carry out free and route flights in the Alay valley.
  • to improve old high mountain flight tactics and develop new ones;
  • to test paragliding equipment, both traditional and mountaineering-specific;
  • to popularize the region as a one with potential for international training and competitions in paragliding;

To popularize paragliding it would be reasonable to organize within the framework of the program beginners’ training courses in basic launching, piloting and landing techniques and fundamental aerology for all comers. 

It would be excellent if this program resulted in a dataset on the region based on reports from the program’s participants and the analysis of meteorological and aerological data collected during ascents to the nearby peaks of the Trans-Alay Range; specifying launching and landing sites.

The region's geographic characteristics

Geographically the area is a wide mountain river valley situated at an average of 2,000 m above sea level and stretching for 100 km from north to south, with an average width of 25 km. The valley is bordered by the Alay Range from the north and Trans-Alay Range from the south, with the Kyzyl-Suu River flowing on its bottom.

The regional climate is sharply continental. In warm seasons the portion of sunny days is 70-80%, while the average temperature is plus 28°C during the day and plus 5-8°C in the nighttime, which indicates an express thermal activity.

The southern portion of the valley (from the Kyzyl-Suu to the spurs of the Trans-Alay Range) is broader and features a hilly landscape intersected with small streams. The average height of the Trans-Alay Range is 6,000-6,500 m; its highest point is Lenin Peak. The areas near the range’s axis feature high-altitude landscapes with narrow valleys clad in glaciers and high and rocky mountains.

Recommendations for paragliding equipment

Requirements for paragliding in a mountainous area are strongly centred on flying safety and can provisionally be divided into equipment passive safety requirements and rescue facilities requirements.

Technologies have achieved great heights today. Paragliders’ flying and safety parameters have reached an entirely new level, which widens the spectrum of objectives and range of weather conditions suitable for safe flying.

However, in high mountains aerology turns quite unpredictable, which results in additional requirements for equipment.

If you are accustomed to paragliding over flat land using broad and smooth thermal up-currents, you will find it very discomforting to feel narrow and strong upward streams of air blowing into one half of your wing. In this case it would be more reasonable for you to pilot a paraglider which is safer and more controllable. Importantly, pilots used to turbulent mountain air also find it more interesting to fly a 'stiffer' aircraft.

The entire range of paragliders for flying in mountains can be divided into three classes according to their safety level: DHV1, DHV1/2 and DHV2 (standart). Classes 1 and ½ are more preferable, as they are characterized by a combination of a relatively high passive safety and good performance. However, in a pilot must be guided primarily by their goal:

  • If it is soaring in mountainous environment, they should find balance between maximal safety and performance. Sometimes flying safety may depend on performance - e.g. speed sufficient to ‘break through’ strong contrary wind.
  • If there is a task of descending after climbing a mountain, class DHV1 paragliders would be the best choice, because they are top safe and have sufficient performance.
  • We would like to put a special stress on the wings manufactured specifically for mountaineering and flying in mountains, but even those are divided into soaring and ‘descending’ aircraft, whose main characteristic is small weight.

It is best to have several types of paraplanes for various purposes. That would be quite costly, however, so each of you should have a clear idea of the geography and goals of the flights you are planning, which would help you select a safe and capable ‘friend’ to travel in the sky.

Passive safety also depends on the harness you use:

  • With or without the lumbar support.
  • The height of the suspended karabiners also impacts the pilot’s behaviour directly or psychologically. The shorter is the suspension line, the more sensible is the interaction between the pilot and the wing. This means that through a short line even the minutest changes in the wing’s shape would jerk the pilot, to say nothing of strong ones. The backward communication would be the same: the pilot’s every movement, even unintentional and haphazard, would be intensified and conveyed to the wing, which may result to instability and even a crash. So to make a right choice is crucial. The manufacturers do their best to meet pilots' needs, which resulted in a wide range of harnesses for mountain paragliding between 600 and 3 kg in weight and varying in level of comfort and passive safety.
  • Aircraft structure. Paragliders vary greatly in structure depending on the purpose. Light aircraft equipped with protective airbags are better for mountains.

Basic rescue system elements:  

  • Reserve parachute.

Reserve parachutes must meet the following requirements: reliability, fail-safe opening system and acceptable descending speed. The parachutes’ reliability is determined by manufacturers and deteriorated by operational conditions. So, if your parachute often remains damp or gets overheated through incorrect storing or exposure to direct sunlight, and you have operated it at least once and are continuing to use it, then it may have led to the loss of its initial strength properties. A pilot must know the history of their parachute and strictly follow the service instruction. The fail-safety of the opening system depends primarily on the correctness of its packing and the regularity of its re-packing. Obviously, the consequences that may follow when the parachute opens too slowly or fails to open at all need not special description. The pilot is responsible for the correct and regular re-packing of the parachute.

  • First-aid kit.

It is essential to have with you devices for immobilizing limbs, anti-shock and anaesthetic agents and medications necessary at high altitudes. Each pilot must also have medicines individually required for their organism.

  • Rope.  
  • Radio.

All the radio equipment must be tuned to the same frequency, while the radio communications must be held both on a pre-arranged schedule and in emergency cases between all involved, including support and local rescue services.

It would be great if you master knot tying techniques, are trained to overcome mountain obstacles and are able to operate in a rope team. That is, mountaineering experience would be an advantage.

 

  • Itinerary
    Services & Cost
  • Visa, permits
  • Useful Information

 

8 days itinerary:
Day 1 Arrival in Osh. Meeting at airport. Transfer to Mountain Yurt Camp (Base Camp) on Edelweiss Meadow at Lenin Peak foot (3,600 m).
Day 2 Acclimatization. Preparing equipment, taking instructions (mountaineering).   
Surveying the region and potential paragliding area. 
Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 3 Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 4 Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 5 Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 6 Paragliding from nearby slopes (free program).
Day 7 Transfer Base Camp - Osh. Check-in at the hotel.
Day 8 Transfer to airport. Departure.

Cost includes:

  • Meeting/seeing off at the airport;
  • Transfer Osh - BC and BC - Osh;
  • All needed documents arrangement (permit to the border zone);
  • OVIR registration;
  • Lunch boxes during transfer Osh - Base camp - Osh;
  • Accommodation in hotels (double-room accommodation) with breakfast:
    • Osh (1 night);
  • Services in Base Camp (under the tour program) and Camp 1 (6 days) under Lenin Peak:
    • Accommodation in camping tents of Base Camp (tents are equipped with electrical outlets, heating, individual lighting - desk camp, wooden deck flooring, mattresses, and changeable bed linen: coverlet, pillowcases and linen);
    • Accommodation in camping tents of Camp 1 per 2 members (tents are equipped with wooden decks, thermal isolation, foam mattresses);
    • Full board of meals treatment (3 time of hot meals made by professional cookers, including vegetarian meals and meals for order);
    • Yurt - companion cabins (decorated in national style) with heat in Base Camp (3600m) and Camp 1 (4400m) for the rest and entertainments (music, guitar, table-top games, etc.);
    • Electricity 220 В; 50 Hz;
    • Rescue party registration.

!!! FREE BONUSES on the package "Business" from Central Asia Travel

•   Sauna and shower facility in Base Camp (3600 m);
•   Using storage-yurt at BC and C1;
•   Renting of equipment for the time of ascent (against a deposit):
-    Portable radio station with 1 set of batteries (AAA, 4 pcs);
-    Gas burner;
-    Main rope ∅ 9 ÷ 11 mm;
-    Avalanche shovel;
-    Shared tinware for cooking at intermediate high mountain
     camps C2 and C3;
-    Sleeping pad.
•   Medical services in Base Camp (3600 m) and Camp 1 (4400 m);
•   Consultation concerning the route.

Cost of the packages does not include:

  • Visa invitations and visa fees; - for the citizens of countries outside the CIS;
  • Medical expenses and insurance (for minimum 30 000 $);
  • ICE fees (rescue team working, helicopter flights, medicines and medical service in Osh hospital, drawing of supporting documents, repatriation);
  • International airfare.

Additional services:

  • The full list of additional services of Base Camps of "Central Asia Travel", please, find here.

 

Visas and Permits

Kyrgyzstan allows visa-free entry for nationals of Russia and other SIC countries.

Since August 2012, nationals of another 44 countries have been allowed visa-free entry into and stay in Kyrgyzstan for the period of maximum 60 days, which makes a visit to the country easier and cheaper.

The 44 countries enjoying Kyrgyzstan visa-free regime are the following:

Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brunei Darussalam
Canada
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Kuwait
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Vatican

The regulations require that any visitor has a pass to the border guard zone Lenin Peak is located in. In order to get it, you will have to send us a photocopy of your passport and the due dates of your visit at least 1 month prior to it.

 

Accomodation Goals and objectives of the program The region's geographic characteristics Recommendations for paragliding equipment

Accomodation

The program is organized in Lenin Peak camps owned by Central Asia Travel:

  • Base Camp (3,600 m) on the Edelweiss Glade. The camp’s location is optimal for flying along the Kyzyl-Suu River valley, while its infrastructure has all necessary for recreation after acclimatization trips and ascents.
  • Camp 1 (4,400 m) located on the moraine of the Lenin glacier.

Our company provides accommodation in our high-altitude tent camps, Camp 1 (4,400 m) and Camp 2 (5,300 m), to those who decide to paraglide from above the clouds and later ascend Lenin Peak (7,134 m).

Goals and objectives of the program

Project goals:

  • to study the Lenin Peak area with the purpose of the development of paragliding and paragliding mountaineering;
  • to organize flying and paragliding along Lenin Peak ascent routes;
  • to carry out free and route flights in the Alay valley.
  • to improve old high mountain flight tactics and develop new ones;
  • to test paragliding equipment, both traditional and mountaineering-specific;
  • to popularize the region as a one with potential for international training and competitions in paragliding;

To popularize paragliding it would be reasonable to organize within the framework of the program beginners’ training courses in basic launching, piloting and landing techniques and fundamental aerology for all comers. 

It would be excellent if this program resulted in a dataset on the region based on reports from the program’s participants and the analysis of meteorological and aerological data collected during ascents to the nearby peaks of the Trans-Alay Range; specifying launching and landing sites.

The region's geographic characteristics

Geographically the area is a wide mountain river valley situated at an average of 2,000 m above sea level and stretching for 100 km from north to south, with an average width of 25 km. The valley is bordered by the Alay Range from the north and Trans-Alay Range from the south, with the Kyzyl-Suu River flowing on its bottom.

The regional climate is sharply continental. In warm seasons the portion of sunny days is 70-80%, while the average temperature is plus 28°C during the day and plus 5-8°C in the nighttime, which indicates an express thermal activity.

The southern portion of the valley (from the Kyzyl-Suu to the spurs of the Trans-Alay Range) is broader and features a hilly landscape intersected with small streams. The average height of the Trans-Alay Range is 6,000-6,500 m; its highest point is Lenin Peak. The areas near the range’s axis feature high-altitude landscapes with narrow valleys clad in glaciers and high and rocky mountains.

Recommendations for paragliding equipment

Requirements for paragliding in a mountainous area are strongly centred on flying safety and can provisionally be divided into equipment passive safety requirements and rescue facilities requirements.

Technologies have achieved great heights today. Paragliders’ flying and safety parameters have reached an entirely new level, which widens the spectrum of objectives and range of weather conditions suitable for safe flying.

However, in high mountains aerology turns quite unpredictable, which results in additional requirements for equipment.

If you are accustomed to paragliding over flat land using broad and smooth thermal up-currents, you will find it very discomforting to feel narrow and strong upward streams of air blowing into one half of your wing. In this case it would be more reasonable for you to pilot a paraglider which is safer and more controllable. Importantly, pilots used to turbulent mountain air also find it more interesting to fly a 'stiffer' aircraft.

The entire range of paragliders for flying in mountains can be divided into three classes according to their safety level: DHV1, DHV1/2 and DHV2 (standart). Classes 1 and ½ are more preferable, as they are characterized by a combination of a relatively high passive safety and good performance. However, in a pilot must be guided primarily by their goal:

  • If it is soaring in mountainous environment, they should find balance between maximal safety and performance. Sometimes flying safety may depend on performance - e.g. speed sufficient to ‘break through’ strong contrary wind.
  • If there is a task of descending after climbing a mountain, class DHV1 paragliders would be the best choice, because they are top safe and have sufficient performance.
  • We would like to put a special stress on the wings manufactured specifically for mountaineering and flying in mountains, but even those are divided into soaring and ‘descending’ aircraft, whose main characteristic is small weight.

It is best to have several types of paraplanes for various purposes. That would be quite costly, however, so each of you should have a clear idea of the geography and goals of the flights you are planning, which would help you select a safe and capable ‘friend’ to travel in the sky.

Passive safety also depends on the harness you use:

  • With or without the lumbar support.
  • The height of the suspended karabiners also impacts the pilot’s behaviour directly or psychologically. The shorter is the suspension line, the more sensible is the interaction between the pilot and the wing. This means that through a short line even the minutest changes in the wing’s shape would jerk the pilot, to say nothing of strong ones. The backward communication would be the same: the pilot’s every movement, even unintentional and haphazard, would be intensified and conveyed to the wing, which may result to instability and even a crash. So to make a right choice is crucial. The manufacturers do their best to meet pilots' needs, which resulted in a wide range of harnesses for mountain paragliding between 600 and 3 kg in weight and varying in level of comfort and passive safety.
  • Aircraft structure. Paragliders vary greatly in structure depending on the purpose. Light aircraft equipped with protective airbags are better for mountains.

Basic rescue system elements:  

  • Reserve parachute.

Reserve parachutes must meet the following requirements: reliability, fail-safe opening system and acceptable descending speed. The parachutes’ reliability is determined by manufacturers and deteriorated by operational conditions. So, if your parachute often remains damp or gets overheated through incorrect storing or exposure to direct sunlight, and you have operated it at least once and are continuing to use it, then it may have led to the loss of its initial strength properties. A pilot must know the history of their parachute and strictly follow the service instruction. The fail-safety of the opening system depends primarily on the correctness of its packing and the regularity of its re-packing. Obviously, the consequences that may follow when the parachute opens too slowly or fails to open at all need not special description. The pilot is responsible for the correct and regular re-packing of the parachute.

  • First-aid kit.

It is essential to have with you devices for immobilizing limbs, anti-shock and anaesthetic agents and medications necessary at high altitudes. Each pilot must also have medicines individually required for their organism.

  • Rope.  
  • Radio.

All the radio equipment must be tuned to the same frequency, while the radio communications must be held both on a pre-arranged schedule and in emergency cases between all involved, including support and local rescue services.

It would be great if you master knot tying techniques, are trained to overcome mountain obstacles and are able to operate in a rope team. That is, mountaineering experience would be an advantage.

Photos of the tour:

Paragliding in the Lenin Peak area Paragliding in the Lenin Peak area Paragliding in the Lenin Peak area Paragliding in the Lenin Peak area

View all photos »»

Videos of the Lenin peak region:

Base Camp Surroundings (3600 M) On The Foot Of Lenin PeakBase Camp Surroundings
On The Foot Of Lenin Peak
Lenin PeakLenin Peak Slideshow Pamir Experience 2016Pamir Experience 2016 Descent to the glacier’s crevasse. Lenin Peak
Descent to the glacier’s crevasse. Lenin Peak

View all videos »»

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Copying and using all presented information and material is possible ONLY by authority of the originator.

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