Ulaanbaatar. Tsagaan Sar (Mongolian Lunar New Year) with my guide, Gansukh’s family
The center of Khovd, capital of the aimag with the same name and also of entire Western Mongolia
Street in Khovd with Ulaan Uul (Red Mountain) in the background
Mosque in the town. A significant kazakh minority lives in the town, who are muslims
On the way to Sangiyn Dalai. Somewhere near Khar Us lake’s shore
After crossing the barren plateau between the basins of Khar Us and Khyargas lakes we approached the target, deviating from the Zavkhan road using the GPS (around 130-140 km’s from Khovd). The weather is excellent on the salt flats: sunny, cold and no wind. I am in time to explore a little and raise my tent before sunset
This nice lake was my biggest hope to found unfrozen brine with decent size, but now it was covered by a thick slush layer. I know this jewel from previous trips and saw it unfrozen at -23 degrees Celsius (!). Now the slush is above -20, maybe the last snowy days diluted a little the surface layer’s composition
A little farther I observed a smaller pond, which was only partially covered, with the salt formations on the bottom visible. This is what I am looking for. The temperature of the uppermost layer is below -20. Great
I found a good place for the tent on a slightly convex portion. For my surprise I can even secure it as the salty ground was just perfect (not too soft, not too hard) at these low temperatures
Just before sunset, after only a few minutes walk from my tent: What the heck is this? Oh yeah, it’s unfrozen!
And it’s VERY deep! At least 1.5, but rather 2 meters! Astonished to found this outstanding water body here. A really pleasant gift for the end of the day. Hmmm… Yep, I can do it. I felt huge amounts of dopamine invading my body
On the surface it was around -20 degrees Celsius, but for my big surprise the sensor set on the bottom showed +1.8 degrees! As outside air temperature was below -25, this is really weird. I don’t believe, that the solar radiation can cause this, it’s more likely caused by a strong spring under the salt bed. I will let the sensor here during the night to observe the fluctuation. Unfortunately this logger is said to work only above -30 degrees, so I have little chances to monitor the entire night. Certainly will be below -35
As I expected, a very cold night was waiting for me. One of the coldest I ever spent in tent. You need to be prepared here, no chances to survive without the proper equipment
This is outside near surface temperature beside the tent. I haven’t observed the conversion to Fahrenheit scale as at -40 the two are exactly the same. Probably I pressed some combinations of buttons, which caused this change
During the severely cold night even this special lake froze. Except for a small portion near the steepest side, the brine pond was covered with a thin crust (around 0.5 cm) of salty ice. Bad news for me: looks like my big plan can’t be realized… Then again, despite the extreme conditions the logger was constantly recording. The bottom of the pond cooled only very little from yesterday afternoon as the device showed +1.2 degrees in the morning
Even though, I have a lot to do here as the entire ecosystem is extraordinary. This dark colored salt crust can melt the snow cover even below -30 degrees. No other dry surface is capable of this
This matte-white substance is completely frozen brine, an eutectic mixture of pure salt and ice. Very shallow ponds can reach this state during exceptionally cold nights, like the previous one
A quite dangerous place to walk around as sometimes the salt crust is very thin and it can break under your weight
Measuring the temperature of a pond. Meanwhile I realized the Celsius to Fahrenheit scale change, but (as I never done it before) couldn’t figure out the button combination necessary for this action and left it like this. As a matter of fact my purpose was to explore/ monitor liquids with negative temperatures not only in Celsius (which can be attained even in the case of sea water), but also in Fahrenheit scale, which means below -17.8 degrees Celsius. Therefore this unexpected joke of the fate wasn’t really a problem for me
In many parts the salty surface reminds me of the spiky skin of the moloch, a weird australian reptile
There are also very tiny ponds, like small holes in the salt crust
Around noon I found the big pond unfrozen again. Even if the air temperature didn’t rise above -30 degrees, under the midday sun the hard crust of the morning has transformed into a thin layer of slush. No words. It’s dream-like. After all I can do The Dive (details in part 1). Note: This picture was made by the “self-timer/10 seconds” function of the camera, using the tripod
After the experiment: the equipment on the lake’s shore
The unperturbed midday sun and complete calm helped me to accomplish this performance safe at -30 degrees air temperature
Standing on the place from where I’ve done the plunge
Mission complete. Time to leave, the driver will come after me soon
The Seeriyn Nuuryn Ulaan range in the distance
This part is a little saggy. Not dangerous, but you can’t cross it without mocking your boots
Camels grazing not far from the salt flats. I saw them every year in this grassy area
Some smaller dunes
Still no wind, hence I feel comfortable moderately clad below -25 degrees. But the hoarfrost don’t lie
The driver is punctual
Ganbold and his UAZ. This russian 4wd car is still common in Western Mongolia, but in the central and eastern part of the country the new korean and japanese jeeps have mostly displaced them. However the driver told me that those are not really good in the winter as diesel fuel is more sensitive to the extreme cold
Following our track on the way back to the road
This is the “main road” between Khovd town and Zavkhan sum. We haven’t seen a single car for about two hours
He is an experienced driver, which is a must in this harsh wilderness. Mongolian drivers are also good mechanics. The two profession is one single here. You must be able to repair your car if needed as localities/ car services are very far from each other
The final section on the new chinese-built asphalt road
Two days later I visited Khovd museum. Snow leopard skin and ibex. The former prey on the latter
Ibex and argali (Marco Polo sheep) horns. Both animals are very large and robust, considerable bigger than their european cousins
Stone heads of turkic origin. Before the mongols this region was ruled by turkic tribes. Kazakhs are also part of them and in the Altai mountains (especially in Bayan Ölgiy province) they are still the majority
Some war related artifacts
More mongolian ethnic groups are living in Khovd province. Each one has his own specific clothing
The brown ones are kazakh
Religious artifacts. Buddhism is the dominant religion of the country
After two days rest in Khovd we start the trip to the Altai Mountains, my second target. Herds of mixed sheep & goat are very common in Mongolia
Crossing Khashaat pass (2550 meters) on the border of Khovd and Bayan Ölgiy provinces. From now on we are on kazakh land
Tsast Uul (around 4200 meters) the highest peak of the Tsambagarav range is in front of us. Now we are heading to visit a kazakh family who are hunting with eagles, but tomorrow I will return to the mountain
Nice weather and is likely to be the same in the following days. The previous night was cloudy, the ground is covered with a thin layer of fresh snow
Yeah, this is the road…
Lonely tree near a frozen river. There were no others even in the bigger surroundings
This can happen here at any time, but Ganbold knows his profession
Meanwhile the mighty Tsast Uul is watching us
Approaching Altantsögts, the village where the “eagle family” lives
And here we are
After lunch we are heading to the nearby hills to hunt with the eagle. My host is the multiple national champion of the “eagle festival” held every year in Ulaanbaatar and also in other locations outside Mongolia
“Kran” is the kazakh name for eagle. They are trained to hunt foxes, rabbits, even wolves. This is an important local tradition
“Hmmm, what can I eat here? I can see only sheeps and goats…”
We move to another location. The master’s son is handling the big bird
I observe on a neighboring ledge another “eagle man” on horseback
“I’m too hungry, can’t wait more. I will eat this rival!”
Nope. We are friends and will continue the hunt together
As no wild meet is available, we are playing with what we have
Ganbold is not big a fan of hiking. At least not by foot 😉
No rabbits, but still wonderful here
Tsast Uul in the distance. We will meet tomorrow
For a lil’ while I became a kazakh. Or it’s maybe more? Many people say hungarians are related to kazakhs
The champion with his honours
Kran serving dinner. Our meal was also lots of meat, traditional kazakh style. They eat even the eye of the sheep (I admit I skipped that one). No place for vegans here
Next morning we start the way to the mountain
The night was starry, but now the clouds are invading the sky. The top of Tsambagarav is covered by altocumulus lenticularis
Stopping/ eating in an isolated mongol yurt. As I understood, kazakh yurts are bigger, hence more difficult to keep it warm during winters. Therefore kazakhs are living in houses in the cold season
This doesn’t looks very good. The forecast showed only partially cloudy for today
We reached close to 2500 meters elevation and soon I started the ascent. It’s noon now. My plan for today is to set my camp a little higher and do an acclimatization trip to 3000-3500 meters
The tent was raised at 2700 meters elevation. It wasn’t easy. No strong wind, but those frozen rocks…
The weather worsened as I climbed higher. The wind intensified and snow started to fall. Anyhow I reached above 3500 meters, that’s enough for today
Back to the camp. In the late afternoon the weather conditions improved and the night was completely starry. It was much more comfortable in the tent than at Sangiyn Dalai as it was about 10 degrees warmer. So I rested pretty well
As I expected (and hoped) the next morning the weather was good. I started the climb in dark. Temperatures in the -20s, but the windchill was quite strong. On the surface certainly was colder as my feet felt it soon. On the mountain, because of the steep terrain you are more predisposed to frostbites as the contact with the solid surface is much longer than when you walk on flat terrain. Altitude also worsens this
Nice sunrise, but not (yet) for me. Since I climb from the west I am in the shadow of the mountain
Reaching a flatter portion above 3600 meters elevation. Now I can see what is waiting for me in the final part. More than I thought
Traversing an exposed, edgy section with some easy technical parts. No need for the crampons until now. The snow is small and has good consistence, the wind is mild to moderate
Finally, somewhere above 3800 meters the Sun found me. Or I found him. I climbed constantly for more than 3 hours, it’s time to eat something. That something is goji berries & pecan nuts
The steep rocky part soon is over. I feel the altitude. No sickness, but I’m sluggish
Definitely crampons time. At around 4000 meters
After 5 hours of strenuous effort from the camp I reached the top of Tsast Uul. The GPS shows between 4200-4210 meters. On the maps usually appears with 4193 m, so it’s pretty close. Ganbold told me no climbers are going to Tsambagarav in the winter, not even mongolians. Instead in the summer many, including westerners
Looking to the east (towards Khovd)
The top is very flat, more like a plateau
A zoom to the west: many other high peaks of the Mongol Altai
Now it’s almost noon, the temperature (still in Fahrenheit) is only slightly colder than my bath in Zavkhan sum (-22.3 in Celsius). Of course this is not a correct measurement, but when it’s windy solar radiation has little effect on the sensor
The steep slope of the glacier
There are some hidden crevasses under the snow on the ice cap. This hole was made by me, involuntary of course. Fortunately I had the luck and strength to pull myself out before disappearing completely. The driver told me that Khüiten Uul’s Potanin glacier is extremely dangerous because of these formations and according to his knowledge it was a single mongolian climber who reached the top of the 4374 meters peak (highest in Mongolia) in the winter, but he died on the descent
I will follow the same way back. When it’s steep on the ice is safer to step backwards
It’s warmer and the wind is light. The hard part is over. I forgot a thermos somewhere during the ascent, but I will recover it following my trails. Otherwise soon it will be tough for my kidneys…
On the last part the weather became really warm as the wind stopped completely and the early afternoon sun was doing his best. At a certain time I felt comfortable in a single blouse. Incredible how much difference between the windy morning and this abundance of radiation. Only rocks. Pretty tiring as the snow is small and your feet are constantly unstable on the steep slope
I saw the driver’s car coming while descending the mountain. He arrived much sooner this time, maybe he was a little worried. I packed everything in time (also have found the lost thermos) and started the last, easy part back to the meeting point
I’m okay, he’s okay, Khovd is waiting for us
It was my pleasure
Because of the snow drifts we must found another way through the rocks. It was on the limits, the car almost crashed at a certain point. Thanks to the drivers experience we managed to get out from the labyrinth
Last view of Tsambagarav. Or maybe not?
Back to the asphalt we stopped to eat beside the road, then helped another guy to start his frozen diesel engine. Here people always help each other as they know very well what it means to be blocked in the middle of nowhere
My hotel room in Khovd. See the picture? Its Tsambagarav
Giant mongolian boot (gutul) in the center of the town. Its match is on the other side of the road
Next day I go to a hike to Ulaan Uul sandstone mountain in the vicinity of the town. Frosty morning in Khovd. And back to Celsius 🙂
He has the teeth, I have the ice axe. But the contact remained only verbal
Ulaan Uul at sunrise
It’s colder than on the mountain. But without the windchill is not that bad
After about 10 km’s on the road I turned to the right and started to climb the mountain from the back side. Because of the new snow layer now is dangerous to try the rocky front side
Following goat trails between the sandstone boulders
On the top is much warmer and there is still no wind. The thermal inversion is very strong
Khökh Seeriyn mountains, another 4000er
Khovd in the mist. You can see the runway beside
And…Tsambagarav. Again
Descending on the same side. From the road I hitchhiked and reached the town by car. The traffic is rare, but the few cars will certainly stop for you. Often without waving
Restaurant in Khovd. Today is Sunday, many of them is closed, including this one. I can’t order my favorite soup…
Next day I have the flight back to UB
Approaching Ulaanbaatar. This winter is completely free of snow in the capital
With my buddy 🙂
The Government Palace on the Chinggis Square
The Giant Buddha statue of the Gandan monastery
Turquoise reflections on the streets of Ulaanbaatar. It’s almost spring here
Stone caravan on the way to the airport. I will certainly return here
