Guided Climb of Peaks Manshuk Mametovoi (4,194 m) & Antikainena (4,144 m) – Two Summits via Mayakovskogo Gorge

A guided 2-day climb of Peak Manshuk Mametovoi (4,194 m) and Peak Antikainena (4,144 m) — two linked four-thousanders on the main ridge of the Maloe Almatinskoe spur in the Tuyuk-Su cirque. The route approaches via the Mayakovskogo Gorge (ущелье Маяковского), a dramatic side-valley of the upper Maloe Almatinskoe gorge that leads directly to the base of both peaks. The 1B route traverses Peak Antikainena first, then continues along the ridge to the higher Manshuk summit — passing through snow, ice, and rock terrain with fixed-rope sections on the final approach.

Peak Manshuk Mametovoi is named after Manshuk Mametova (1922–1943) — a Kazakh machine gunner who became the first Kazakh woman awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union during World War II. The name carries deep significance in Kazakhstan, and the peak, its glacier, and the famous Lake No. 6 at its base are all part of her memorial landscape. Peak Antikainena sits immediately south of it — notably, it was also the first summit climbed by Maksut Zhumayev, Kazakhstan’s most celebrated Himalayan mountaineer.

What to expect on the Manshuk Mametovoi climb

The route begins at Shymbulak/Chimbulak (2,300 m) and follows the well-known path up the Maloe Almatinskoe gorge through the Tuyuk-Su area. The approach passes several landmarks familiar from other Tuyuk-Su climbs: the Memorial to Fallen Mountaineers, the Mynzhylki plateau (3,000–3,300 m), and the Alpingrad basecamp (3,450 m) — the main staging area for climbs in the eastern Tuyuk-Su cirque.

Day 1: Shymbulak to Alpingrad / Lake No. 6 (~3,450–3,550 m)

From Shymbulak, ascend the gravel road past the mountaineering memorial and the Mynzhylki meteorological station to the Alpingrad basecamp — a spacious meadow at 3,450 m used by climbers for generations. From Alpingrad, a short climb (30 minutes) leads to Lake No. 6 (Озеро №6 / Lake Manshuk Mametovoi, 3,550 m) — a moraine-dammed glacial lake at the base of the Manshuk glacier. The lake is 280 m long, 140 m wide, and up to 21 m deep; it is monitored by glaciologists because a dam breach would send a mudflow down the Malaya Almatinka toward Almaty.

The “arena” of the lake is spectacular: surrounded by the walls of Peak Amangeldy (3,999 m), Peak Uchitel (4,045 m), Peak Pioneer (4,031 m), Peak Manshuk Mametovoi (4,194 m), and Peak Antikainena (4,144 m). Camp near the lake or at Alpingrad.

Day 2: Summit day — Antikainena (4,144 m) → Manshuk Mametovoi (4,194 m) and return

Early start. From the lake, the route enters Mayakovskogo Gorge — ascending the right lateral moraine of the Mayakovskogo Glacier to reach a couloir on the western ridge of Peak Antikainena. The couloir climbs through fine scree, then transitions to snow and ice; the upper section requires crampons and fixed rope (two rope-lengths from the couloir exit to the summit ridge). The couloir is approximately 70 m and exits onto exposed rock of moderate difficulty.

Peak Antikainena (4,144 m). The first summit. Views from here: Peaks Abaya, Amangeldy, and Pioneer to the north; the Manshuk glacier cirque and the Maloe Almatinskoe gorge below; the Almaty State Nature Reserve and Peak Talgar (5,017 m) on the horizon.

Traverse to Peak Manshuk Mametovoi (4,194 m). From Antikainena, the route follows the ridge north — a 50 m section of exposed ridge with a snow traverse (rope required in spring/early summer when the snow is soft). The final approach involves a brief snowfield crossing before the summit. The peak drops 300 m on its eastern face in a near-vertical wall — genuine exposure.

Descent retraces the route: ridge → couloir → Mayakovskogo moraine → Lake No. 6 → Alpingrad → Mynzhylki → Shymbulak. Total climbing time approximately 10–11 hours for the summit day (7–8 hours up, 2–3 hours down).