'Facing it, always facing it, that's the way to get through.' - Joseph Conrad.
Above: Tunc sets off on the first pitch of our climb (III,IV), which was to become the first ascent of Kursat Avci Tepe's north face (2,550m) overlooking the Emli Valley and Parmakkaya.
Ironically, it was the first and last thing we saw on our reconaissance hike the previous afternoon, as we scrambled up, and then back down, the loose, dry scree of the Emli Valley. A massive wall of limestone - unnamed, unclimbed, half a kilometre wide and as tall as it was broad - basked in the dimming sunlight which shone obtusely from the western end of the valley, where the forests were backlit by an orange hue. The face was therefore complex and inviting at the same time as we trained our eyes on it, seeking out possibilities that might prove to be continuous - over here, a crack line petered out into massive overhangs at half-height, while over there, an immense corner system rose up toward the summit tower, but there appeared to be no entry point, only steep, blank slabs rising up from the scree slopes. Subconsciously, we knew that no amount of speculation could profit our cause. We would have to face up to the wall and try to climb it in the morning.
Above: A perspective from below on the midsection of our route, containing several pitches of excellent climbing on generally sound, rough limestone. The third pitch provided us with the day's crux - a 40 metre overhanging chimney, just below the small triangular roof capping the initial slabs.
Above: Left-leaning. Leading the easy second pitch (IV+) towards a section of chimneys (visible L and R above) which split the face. Finished with the slabs, I went left, under-estimating the difficulties and found myself belaying from a small cave platform beneath an overhanging chimney that would require some tricky moves to enter, let alone exit...
Above: Stemming through the crux. Tunc deals with the tricky placement of runners as he moves over the belay and into the chimney which offered little in the way of good runners for 35 metres, and slanted at an awkward overhanging angle especially toward the top. I struggled to get through this section with the heavy rucksack threatening to overbalance me or get stuck under the overhangs. Above this, the rock quality did not improve and I could see why leading the pitch had been so tricky. In one place, I chiseled with the nut key into the chimney crack, removing three wires placed in quick succession as my arms began to feel drained. After this, the next serviceable runner - a small wire - was right at the exit point from the chimney four metres further up.
Above: Higher up the crux, more of the same. The route trended up R following a crack line and required a good deal of cleaning (and cold blood) to lead without mishap.
Above: Emerging from the chimney onto smooth water-worn rock. We thought this section was around VI+ but with poor quality protection making it quite a serious pitch.
Above: Leading the fourth pitch (V+) through another slab section which led to the base of another chimney and dihedral system which was much more sound that the lower one, and slightly easier (generally V+). This fifth pitch, which leads to a broad ledge dotted with small pine trees, contains an excellent yellow dihedral which was one of the highlights of the route.
Above: Leading the excellent flake on pitch five (V+) which gave access to a long section of generally easy slabs below the summit ridge and tower.
Above: A view from the penultimate belay just below the final summit tower. At this point we felt that bad weather and possibly a storm were about to overtake us, and therefore we took the faster route of scrambling to the summit via the north-east ridge. This involved about 150 metres of 'easy' soloing along a pleasant, exposed ridge overlooking Parmakkaya, and a final dash to the summit cairn, just as blue skies washed back in from the south!
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