Next StoptEverest

Having conquered summits in the Soviet Union, Armenian mountaineers seek new challenges

By GURGEiI KHAZHAKIAII

All, YeEven Burcau

he first recorded event of modem Armenian mountaineering dates back to 1829, when Khachatour Abovian, considered to be the father of the Armenian Renaissance, climbed Mount Ararat (5,165 m.) along with Professor Friedrich Parrot.

For a country that has been blessed with a panoply of mountains such as Armenia, its history of mountaineering has for the most part been erratic and uncommitted. The main reason, according to Grigor Tatoulian, a veteran mountain climber and founder of the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute's Mountaineering Club, is the Armenian national character: a fierce individualism that has proven far more conducive to solo rather than group sports.

started with the establishment of several mountaineering clubs in Armenia. Members of these clubs have subsequently climbed all the highest and the majority of the mostcomplex (first-class of complexity as determined by international classification) peaks in the U.S.S.R., including the 7,650-meterPamir, the Elbrus, the Kazbek, and the Ushba, one of the most complicated peaks inthe world. Mountains withinArmenia, on the otherhand, have thus farbeen neglected by professional Armenian mountain climbers, whose numbers still remain unimpressive.

This year, however, a full-fledged revival of Armenian mountaineering seems to be in the offing, thanks to the vision and efforts of people such as Gagik Khachatrian. During a recent interview, Khachatrian unveiled an ambitious plan that, if realized, would place Armenian mountain climbers at the very forefront of international mountaineering.

"For us, mountaineering is of great significance because it is a survival technique," Khachatrian commented. "It also teaches people the way of achieving something remarkable by teamwork and the pooling of resources."

that would be conducted via a truck journey through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, culminating with.ascents to the Himalayas, stretching from India to Nepal. Armenian mountaineers from the republic, as well as Armenian sportsmen from both the intemal and extemal Diasporas, would take part in the expedition.

Chief among the organizors' problems is that of attaining entry visas to Nepal. However, Alexander Aghababian, another mountaineering veteran involved in the project, has expressed optimism.

Elbrus, 1990, left to right: Grigor Tatoulian, Georgia, Alexander Mayilian, Hayk Tonoyan

Since the time of Abovian, Armenian mountaineering has marked only occasional flashes of excellence. In 1935, Vahram Darian, among other Armenians, climbed Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus range-the highest peak in Europe (5,633 m.). And in the 1970s, a promising movement was

Khachatrian is a man of many achievements: a physicist by profession, he is an experienced mountaineer in his own right, and heads both the Federation of Mountaineering of the Republic of Armenia and the Res- cue Teams Association of Armenia (which has played a vital role in the aftermath of the 1 988 earthquake); he is also a deputy in Armenia's Parliament.

Khachatrian's project, scheduled for 1992, entails a massive mountain-climbing affair, a so-called Aryan Way

"We have contacted the world-renowned Russian mountaineer Sergey Bershov, who has climbed the 8,000-meter summits of the Himalayas and is one of the first Soviet sportsmen to have climbed Everest (8,848 m.)," Aghababian said. "And he has promised us to help make an arrangement with Nepalese officials."

The lack of hard currency is another potential obstacle. The Federation of Mountaineering projects an expedition budget of nearly $60,000, which it hopes to raise through Armenian and other international corporate sponsors. Moreover, it plans to make adocumentary film-afield in which it has had considerable experience--of the expedition.

"The Aryan Way project is certainly a unique and perhaps the first and last expedition of its kind that we may have the opportunity to attempt," said Alex Mailian, who has climbed three of the four 7,000-meter peaks in the U.S.S.R. "We have got to succeed."