We stow the crampons in our ski bag, now it's certain: our HG Karwendler club trip can begin. After checking in our luggage at the airport, we fortify ourselves at the Air-Bräu, then we set off directly from Munich on our adventure to Azerbaijan. In Baku, our liaison officer Arzu welcomes us with deep black Azerbaijani tea - from now on, the evening tea should accompany us on our journey. Arzu introduces us to Babek: As a young mountain guide and member of the Azerbaijani extreme sports association FAIREX, he is to lead our ski expedition and ensure our safety. As it soon turns out, however, Babek neither speaks English nor does he own any ski touring equipment. Obviously, Arzu doesn't believe that we actually want to realise our idea: to be the first to ski up the highest mountain in Azerbaijan, the 4466-metre-high Bazardüzü. Arzu really just wants to make sure that we leave his country in one piece. He is constantly telling us: "1st: Safety, 2nd: Safety, 3rd: Safety!"
The next morning, we drive northwards from Baku along the Black Sea coast in our Disco Sprinter. Through a wild and deep gorge, we reach our accommodation in Xinaliq, the highest and most remote mountain village in Azerbaijan. A room in a family home is cleared out for us. We learn about Muslim customs, are served delicious meals and always a warm Azercay.
Ski touring without skis
With Babek, pen, notepad and basemap, we set off in search of an introductory tour and soon find what we are looking for. Our destination is Xinaliq Dagi - 3717 metres high. From the village of Xinaliq, it's a 1700 metre ascent. We start with skis on our backs, cross a river and soon find enough snow in gullies and hollows to strap on our skis. Babek, on the other hand, climbs up on foot on snow-free ridges. From an altitude of 3000 metres, we follow the exposed ridge. We soon leave our skis behind, as the rest of the route has been blown off and the steep firn flanks are already soaked due to the high temperatures. A strong wind greets us at the summit, from where our view sweeps over the wild mountain scenery with the rock bastions of Gyzil Gyaya and Shahdag. Babek is pleased with our form and marvels at how we conjure up our tracks in the snow. Finally, a large gorge with plenty of snow allows us to ski down to the foot of the slope.
Back at the accommodation and refreshed, we plan the rest of the day. However, the weather forecast does not bode well. We have one sunny day left, followed by three days of snowfall with up to a metre of fresh snow. Another 17 kilometres lie ahead of us to the actual base camp for the ascent of Bazardüzü.
Between high mountains and bureaucracy
We decide to sacrifice the beautiful day for the transfer to the national park so that we can tackle the summit soon. However, when we call Baku to get authorisation to enter the national park, we are told that the road over the pass is not passable and may not be cleared until the following day - "safety first" sends its regards.
However, we are quickly comforted by the sun the next morning and set off on another ski tour from Xinaliq. In the mountain village, the locals watch us with interest - we are certainly a curious sight. We continue up the slope to the barracks to the north-west of the village. Here we have to wait, smile and show our passports. We are allowed to leave for today. However, we have to pay attention to the firing range on our way back and we are only allowed to stay in the region near the Russian border for one more day. We need our joker in Baku, Arzu, who is in favour of a longer stay. As on the previous day, we make our way up through white flanks and hollows, while Babek tries to keep up on snow-free ridges. We reach the summit at an altitude of 3150 metres and then enjoy the descent through the finest spring firn. The food at our accommodation also lifts our spirits, but the signs for our onward journey are less favourable. Closed roads and bad weather jeopardise our big plan. However, we persevere and after a few phone calls with Arzu, we are able to convince him of our plan. The next morning, we load most of our luggage onto horses. The entire 17 kilometres to the base camp - a meteorological station in Shahdag National Park - can be covered entirely on skis thanks to the fresh snow. Just behind the village we reach the entrance to the national park, where we have to go through formalities again. There is less bureaucracy at the nearby border post. Here we are impressed by the assault rifles and the numerous man-sized dogs. As the snow continues to fall, we climb over a pass into a high valley flanked by the highest mountains in the Eastern Caucasus. We spot the meteorological station from afar, but the mountains remain shrouded in cloud. At the station, we are surprised by the high standard of our own bungalow: it's a great place to stay! Unfortunately, the weather the next morning is less surprising. Low clouds and persistent snowfall make it impossible to set off into the unknown mountain slopes. At least we scout out a key section of the ascent to Bazardüzü, where 1000 metre high rock faces turn the valley into a narrow gorge. Avalanches inevitably end here on the opposite slope. We therefore christen this section the "Mousetrap". On the way, numerous fresh wolf tracks tell us that we are not alone here.
In addition to the weather, the Azerbaijani bureaucracy throws another spanner in the works: we are not allowed to set up a high camp, which is customary on a climb of over 18 kilometres to the summit. After a moment's consideration, the plan to attempt the summit in one day - with little luggage and warm accommodation in the evening - doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
The forecast recommends waiting another day at the station for the perfect summit weather. We pass the time by teaching Babek how to search in case of an avalanche. Then we climb up the slope near our hut. The track is steep against the rock face and continues upwards through a gully for about 300 metres until we reach the cloud line. We enjoy fresh powder snow on the descent. Afterwards, Babek is also allowed to have a go, he is clearly having fun. Full of anticipation, we prepare for the summit day, which is due to start at around five in the morning. But once again, "safety first" almost scuppers our plan: Baku reports that the national park administration and the military have closed all summits due to the risk of avalanches. However, we categorise the situation as less dramatic. Hours of consultation and a few phone calls later, we solve the problem by declaring in writing that we recognise all warnings, will carry out the tour to the best of our conscience and accept all consequences. As soon as everyone had signed it, there was also a version in Azerbaijani - we still don't know what we signed there.
Off to the Bazardüzü
The alarm clock rings punctually after a deep sleep the next morning and we set off into the cold, Caucasian night. At dawn, we cross the Mausefalle quickly and with plenty of distance between us, stopping at the breakfast spot at 3100 metres. From here, the route leads over wide flanks and ridges to the Bazardüzü. Then we finally reach it: after 18.5 kilometres, 2000 metres in altitude and seven hours, we stand on the summit in sunshine and little wind and secretly thank Babek and Arzu for their willingness to compromise. The view of the surrounding gleaming white mountains and the sea of clouds behind them is magnificent.
Then we ski down close to the ascent track and enjoy the fantastic ski terrain. There are many more descents to discover, but with no local knowledge and lots of fresh snow, we prefer not to experiment. When we reach the high valley, we have to hike for another 1.5 hours before we are happily welcomed at the station - with steaming Azercay again, of course. The head of the meteorological station asks us to write in the guest book - our trip was probably the first ski ascent of the Bazardüzüzü.
The next sunny morning once again reveals the numerous opportunities for ski tours in the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, we are already on our way back. We reach Baku again in the evening of the same day. Arzu also wants to congratulate us personally and invites us to his new house. The next day we admire new and old palaces, the oil and gas industry and its darker side in Baku and the surrounding area. On the flight home, we reminisce about the journey: the tedious bureaucracy, the sunny descent from the highest mountain in the Eastern Caucasus, the magnificent landscape with its remote mountain villages and the helpful and cautious hosts with their motto: "Safety first".
Information:
Trip participants: Carmen Satori (Kiens, South Tyrol), Monika Deisenberger (Saalfelden, Salzburg), Andreas Aschaber (Kirchberg in Tirol), Gerhard Ehrenmüller (Innsbruck, Tirol), Robert Wiesner (Innsbruck, Tirol) and Kay Helfricht (Innbruck, Tirol) We would like to thank the following for supporting the trip: SALOMON, LEKI and the incredibly tasty Gonat's . The mountain trip was organised as part of the HG Karwendler club trip and took place from 25 March to 4 April 2016. For mountain ascents in the national park, it is best to contact the Azerbaijani extreme sports association FAIREX. Arzu Mustafayev was vice president of the association at the time of the trip, Babek Orabanli a sociable, persistent companion and capable cook. Lufthansa offers direct flights from Munich to Baku.
