Its details could remain secret, if not for the radio station, thanks to which what was happening became known literally by the minute.
In the Soviet Union, gender equality was officially recognized even earlier than in many Western countries. Back in the 1930s, the image of a woman shock worker, a woman scientist, a woman pilot, a woman leader was widely promoted in Soviet culture.
It is not surprising that the weaker sex in the USSR confidently mastered various fields of activity. This process also touched upon mountaineering.
There were not so many women among Soviet mountain climbers as there were men, but they confidently gained prestige.
Family business
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By the early 1970s, one of the most famous mountain climbers in the USSR was Elvira Shataeva. A graduate of the Moscow Art School, a Komsomol member, an athlete, a beauty, Elvira worked as an instructor at the sports committee of the Kievsky district of Moscow in the "Spartak" DSO. Her passion for the mountains began with a passion for a man - mountaineering instructor Vladimir Shataev. Elvira fell in love with him, and with him the mountains.
They got married and mountaineering became their common business. Elvira progressed rapidly - she stormed the peaks of the Caucasus and the Pamirs - and in 1970 was awarded the title of Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering.
In 1971, as part of the men's team led by Vladimir Shataev, Elvira conquered the highest point of the USSR - the peak of Communism (7495 m), becoming the third woman at this peak.
In the Soviet Union, there was simply nowhere to go higher, and Soviet climbers first went to the Himalayas only in the 1980s. But Shataeva had a new idea - to conquer the seven-thousander by the forces of an exclusively female team.
Women's team
With all the equality of the sexes in extreme activities, men are always afraid to leave women alone. Perhaps this is due to the inherent nature of the male function to protect and protect his girlfriends. But Elvira Shataeva just wanted to get out of this tutelage and prove that the women's team will in no way be inferior to the men's team.
The first target was the peak of Evgenia Korzhenevskaya - this peak was named by its discoverer, Russian geographer Nikolai Korzhenevsky, after his wife. Peak Korzhenevskaya was one of five 7000 meters located on the territory of the USSR.
Galina Rozhalskaya, Ilsiar Mukhamedova and Antonina Son took part in this expedition, which took place in 1972, together with Elvira Shataeva. The ascent ended successfully and was highly appreciated - the members of the expedition were awarded medals "For Outstanding Sports Achievements".
A year later, Elvira Shataeva organizes a new women's expedition, this time to the North Caucasus. The goal is Mount Ushba, which in translation from Svan means “mountain bringing misfortune”. But the team leader is not afraid of superstitions - together with Ilsiar Mukhamedova and three other athletes, Shataeva successfully traverses Ushba. Traverse is the passage of two peaks at once, and the descent is not carried out along the ascent path. The women's team conquered the northern and southern peaks of the two-headed Ushba.
The peak of the name of the leader
In 1974, Elvira Shatayeva chooses Lenin Peak as a new target. It is planned that the women's team will climb the Lipkin Rock, climb to the top, and then descend through the Razdelnaya peak. In fact, another traverse was planned.
There was no recklessness on the part of the group leader. Shataeva was offered more difficult routes, but she rejected them with the words: "The quieter you go, the further you will be."
Lenin Peak, despite the height of 7134 meters, was considered almost the safest among the Soviet seven-thousanders. During the first 45 years of climbing this peak, more than one climber has not died there.
Elvira Shataeva's team included the already well-known and experienced Ilsiar Mukhamedova, as well as Nina Vasilyeva, Valentina Fateeva, Irina Lyubimtseva, Galina Pereduyuk, Tatyana Bardasheva and Lyudmila Manzharova.
The team gathered in full force in Osh on July 10, 1974. Joint trainings began, and two acclimatization hikes were carried out. Those who saw the work of Shataeva's team did not have any remarks or complaints: the girls worked with full dedication, did not conflict, and interacted well with each other.
That season, the Pamirs seemed to be angry with the climbers for something. On July 25, one of America's strongest climbers, Harry Ulin, died in an avalanche. This was the first athlete to die at Lenin Peak. Eva Isenschmidt, a Swiss woman, died in early August. The weather conditions were extremely unfavorable. Nevertheless, Shataeva's team did not abandon the ascent plans.
"So far, everything is so good that we are even disappointed in the route …"
On August 2, Elvira Shatayeva transmitted by radio to the base camp: “About an hour left before reaching the ridge. Everything is fine, the weather is good, the breeze is light. The path is simple. Everybody feels good. So far, everything is so good that we are even disappointed in the route …"
At this time, at the peak of Communism, several male teams were working. Subsequently, a version arose that the legendary Soviet climber Vitaly Abalakov, who was in charge of the base camp, specifically asked the men's teams to stay closer to the top for a longer time to insure Shataeva's team. But the girls, in turn, believed that such care would negate the significance of their ascent, so they delayed their assault on the summit, taking a day of rest.
On 4 August at about 17:00 Elvira Shatayeva said during a radio communication: “The weather is getting worse. Snowing. It's good - it will cover the tracks. So that there is no talk that we are following in the footsteps."
At that moment, one of the men's teams was right next to the place where the girls were staying. After asking the base for further actions, the men received the answer: Shataeva is doing well, you can continue the descent.
What happened next is known solely from radio data.
Captives of the summit
On August 5 at 17:00 Elvira Shatayeva announced: “We have reached the summit”. The base responded with congratulations and wished a successful descent. But with the descent, the women had serious problems.
From the radio message of Elvira Shataeva: “The visibility is bad - 20-30 meters. Doubt in the direction of the descent. We decided to put up tents, which we have already done. The tents were set up in tandem and settled down. We hope to see the descent path as the weather improves. " A little later she added: “I think we will not freeze. Hopefully the overnight stay will not be very serious. We feel good."
The news was received with alarm on the base. A night on the summit with a piercing wind and low temperature did not bode well. But the descent in the absence of visibility was also extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, the base did not consider the situation critical - Shataeva was an experienced climber and, it seemed, had everything under control.
On the morning of August 6, it became even more alarming. Shataeva said that visibility has not improved, the weather is only getting worse, and for the first time she turned to Abalakov with a direct question: "What will the base advise us, Vitaly Mikhailovich?"
The base conducted emergency consultations with other teams. However, it was impossible to work out a clear answer. The weather worsened so much that none of the teams moved towards the summit at that moment. There was no visibility, the traces of the previous groups were covered. It was only possible to advise girls to descend in such conditions under extreme circumstances. But it was extremely unsafe to stay further on the top.
Catastrophe
Negotiations and consultations continued until 17:00. During the next radio communication, Shataeva said: “We would like to go down from the top. We have already lost hope for the light … And we just want to start … in all likelihood, the descent … Because it's very cold at the top. Very strong wind. It blows very hard."
And then the girls requested a doctor's consultation by radio communication. It turned out that one of the athletes had been vomiting for about a day after eating. The physician Anatoly Lobusev, who was presented with the symptoms, was categorical: the group should begin an immediate descent.
“I am reprimanding you for not having informed earlier about the sick participant. It is urgent to follow the doctor's instructions - to give an injection - and immediately descend along the ascent path, along the Lipkin's route,”Vitaly Abalakov told Shataeva over the radio.
The most experienced Vitaly Mikhailovich Abalakov lost his temper at that moment. But he probably understood better than others that a mortal threat was hanging over the women's team.
The girls began their descent. But at about two o'clock in the morning on August 7, a hurricane broke out at Lenin Peak. A monstrous wind, dangerous and on the plain, here turned into a monster destroying everything in its path.
The morning message on August 7 from the women's team was terrible: the hurricane tore apart the tents, carried away things, including stoves. Irina Lyubimtseva died at night.
In fifteen - twenty minutes we will be dead …
Less than fifteen minutes after this message, a detachment of Soviet climbers left the base camp to help Shataeva's group. Without any order, voluntarily, the French, British, Austrians and Japanese, who were closest to the top, also went out. The men did not spare themselves, despite the fact that the visibility became almost zero, and the wind knocked down. But there was nothing they could do. The Japanese, who advanced further than others, were forced to retreat after members of the group received frostbite.
At 14:00 Elvira Shataeva reported: “Two of us died - Vasilyeva and Fateeva … They took our things … There were three sleeping bags for five … We are very cold, we are very cold. Four have severe frostbite hands …"
The base replied: “Move down. Do not lose heart. If you cannot walk, then move, you are in motion all the time. We ask you to get in touch every hour, if possible."
These tips were the only way the camp could help the girls at that moment.
Radio from the women's team at 15:15: “We are very cold … We cannot dig the cave … We have nothing to dig. We cannot move … The backpacks were blown away by the wind …"
At about 19:00, the base camp contacted one of the Soviet teams closer to the summit: “The tragedy ends at the top. In all likelihood, they will not last long. Tomorrow in the morning communication at 8 o'clock we will inform you what to do. Apparently, go up …"
To some, such a message may seem cynical - they talked about women still living as already dead. But the climbers are used to looking at things soberly: Elvira Shataeva's group had no chances.
The last message from the group came on August 7 at 21:12. The broadcast was no longer conducted by Elvira Shataeva, but by Galina Pereduyuk. Hardly spoken words were interrupted by crying. Finally Galina said with great difficulty: "There are two of us left … There is no more strength … In fifteen - twenty minutes we will not be alive …"
After that, at the base, they heard a button press twice on the air - someone tried to go on the air, but could not say anything. Everything was of course …
The last shelter at the "Glade of Edelweiss"
When the hurricane died down, the Japanese and American climbers were the first to reach the site of the tragedy. They made a map of the location of the bodies, marked their locations. At the same time, it turned out that the number of bodies did not coincide with the number of the group - one of the girls disappeared.
There was an insane hope - what if at least one managed to survive? A group of the most experienced climbers had to go upstairs and clarify the situation.
The search party was headed by Vladimir Shataev, Elvira's husband, who urgently arrived in the Pamirs. He left the area just days before the tragedy and returned after the death of a Swiss mountaineer. He was informed about what happened to the women's team on the spot.
When it was decided who would go upstairs, many opposed Shataev's candidacy. No one doubted his qualifications, but there were doubts that a person who has experienced terrible personal grief is able to curb emotions. Disputes were stopped by Vitaly Abalakov: "Shataev will go."
Vladimir Shataev proved himself to be a top-class professional in this situation too. Despite the difficult conditions and the hardest psychological stress, his group found all eight dead girls. The eighth, Nina Vasilyeva, was found in a torn up tent under the body of Valentina Fateeva - the Japanese simply did not notice her.
The climbers dug two graves in the snow. Nina Vasilyeva, Valentina Fateeva, Irina Lyubimtseva were buried in one of them. In the second Galina Pereduyuk, Tatyana Bardysheva, Lyudmila Manzharova, Elvira Shataeva, Ilsiar Mukhamedova.
As a rule, climbers who died high in the mountains stay there forever. The descent operation is extremely difficult, costly and dangerous. But in this case, the men considered that they had no right to leave the dead girls there, among the snow and ice.
A year later, Vladimir Shatayev submitted an application to the Sports Committee for an expedition to lower the bodies of Elvira Shataeva's team members. An experienced climber feared that they would not understand him, that they would think that he was trying to cope with personal grief in this way.
But the Sports Committee understood everything correctly and gave the go-ahead. Moreover, letters and telegrams from volunteers wishing to participate in the operation were sent to Shataev from all over the USSR.
The descent operation took 14 days and was perfect. Elvira Shataeva, Nina Vasilyeva, Valentina Fateeva, Irina Lyubimtseva, Galina Pereduyuk, Tatyana Bardasheva, Lyudmila Manzharova and Ilsiyar Mukhamedova were buried at the foot of Lenin Peak, in the Achik-tash tract, on the "Glade" of edelweiss.