In reply to UKC Articles:
Good article. I climbed Lenin in August 2012 and would add a few points:
- it's possible to camp in the col down and beyond main C2, which was crowded into the lee-side of that top. The col camp was windy, but had at least ten tents there, and I was glad of not having to climb up to the other camp on my descent from the summit. If you need that 6400m C3 you probably shouldn't be there.
- yes, too many groups don't allow enough time. This is common on all guided mountains now.
- many guided groups I saw were going up and down at least once too much, going to C2 but then descending back to ABC, wearing out clients and wasting time down low. I prefer to spend more time at mid-level camps.
- yes, C1 is atrocious, and gets worse as the season wears on and the snow melts. It's gets hellishly hot there. Definitely boil or sterilise water.
- most people leave ABC after breakfast, which I and my partner found crazy. We left around 2-3am and were in our tent at C1 by 8am. A massive avalanche came down and wiped the traverse track around 10am - nobody would have survived it. Half an hour later around 20 people walked across the debris on their way up...
- the 'Knife' ridge section had no fixed rope on it when I was there and I didn't feel it needed one. There were no ladders or ropes on the lower glacier either, but there are plenty of crevasses - small obvious ones at the beginning and bigger hidden ones with soft edges higher up, before you traverse right across to C1.
- trying to find the summit in poor visibility would be almost impossible, likewise the descent. Use a loaded GPS or only summit in clear conditions.