Vitaly Mikhaylovich Abalakov

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originalpmac

Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 22, 2017 - 10:58am PT
Anyone out there have any stories about this man or his brother Yengeniy? There doesn't seem to be to much info on these guys on the internet. The mention of Vitaly in the LURP thread got me wondering.
TWP

Trad climber
Mancos, CO & Bend, OR
Oct 22, 2017 - 01:33pm PT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitaly_Abalakov
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Oct 22, 2017 - 02:42pm PT
He was Da Man! All my Rooskie homies worshiped the ground he trod but he was humble and unassuming. I have a set of OG Abalakov cams. Not made by him but by one of his disciples in the back of the MiG plant. Most Soviet workers were ‘strongly encouraged’ to show their love for the Motherland and socialist solidarity by ‘working’ one Saturday per month, gratis. Needless to say not much got done on those Saturdays, as if much got done any other day, but a lot of climbing gear got made! My titanium ice screws shoulda been stamped Mikoyan Gurevich (MiG). LOL

Слава Всех Совиетскых Строитель!
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Oct 22, 2017 - 02:42pm PT
I believe Jello has a few.....
TomCochrane

Trad climber
Cascade Mountains and Monterey Bay
Oct 22, 2017 - 07:52pm PT
i have a few of those titanium ice screws

also two finely machined models of their popular rockets, Proton and Soyuz
Alan Rubin

climber
Amherst,MA.
Oct 23, 2017 - 08:54am PT
Some place I have a photo I took of Vitaly Abalakov and Fritz Wiessner standing together at the Gunks in 1975 on the occasion of the first visit of Soviet climbers to the US as part of an AAC exchange program. They almost looked like they could be twins. Both were were then in their mid-70s and, as the photo made clear, incredibly fit and energetic and full of enthusiasm for climbing and the spirit of the exchange as a way to build bridges between the people of our 2 countries. The Gunks was the Soviet climber's first stop in this country and Abalakov was the head of the delegation, though he did no climbing, at least during that part of the visit. However it was very clear how much the others, much younger and Masters of Sport all, respected and deferred to him. I'll try to dig out that picture, though I know that a similar one was published in the now long defunct North American Climber magazine (and possibly other publications)that someone might have and be able to scan in.
Ian Parsons

climber
UK, England
Oct 23, 2017 - 01:11pm PT

From North American Climber - November 1975
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Oct 23, 2017 - 03:42pm PT
I was a guide for Exum during their visit in 1975.I remember climbing Guides Wall with some of the harder variations and the Snaz with them. One of their climbers talked me into doing the 5.9 thin hands variation on Guides Wall barefoot with the promise of some fruit flavored vodka as an analgesic when we got back to the valley.
Abalakov was their leader. I don’t recall him climbing but he exuded charisma. He was older but still well built with a glistening bald head and eyes that twinkled.
hamie

Social climber
Thekoots
Oct 25, 2017 - 08:32pm PT
Abalakov is mentioned several times in the book "Degrees of Difficulty" by Vladimir Shatayev. There is a photo of him on page 102. On one occasion he broke 4 or 5 ribs........playing soccer.

Unapologetic thread drift.
Shatayev, a Soviet Master of Sports, was married to Elvira Shatayeva, another strong mountaineer and Master of Sports. In 1974 she was the leader of the tragic all women's ascent of Pk. Lenin. As a result of a brutal storm (hurricane), and poor equipment, all 8 women died on the summit.

The last two radio messages:

"There are two of us left.......There's no more strength.......In fifteen or twenty minutes we won't be among the living."

"Now we are only two.........We tried, but we could not........We are sorry......We love you......Goodbye."

For me this is the saddest of all climbing stories.
Alan Rubin

climber
Amherst,MA.
Oct 27, 2017 - 05:38am PT
Vladimir Shateyev was also one of the participants in the 1975 Soviet visit to the US--another strong climber.
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
Oct 27, 2017 - 08:14am PT
Volodya Shataev is a good dude and not above a little silliness.

So, weather prevented our escape from the Pamirs by a week so when we got to Dushanbe we were told they had no rooms for us at the Intourist hotel. Shataev, then president of the Soviet Mountaineering Federation, was on his way from Moscow. Knowing how things worked there I told the other guys not to miss his arrival. Vladimir arrived and I followed him to the front desk. He’s not a big man and speaks rather softly, but I knew he brought his lumber. The desk clerk rudely and loudly proclaimed

“We already told you we have no rooms!”

Vlad calmly told the guy he wanted to talk to the manager. The clerk stormed off in a huff. We were left waiting for a minute or so even though the manager was just behind a curtain. She came out looking like she’d just set a new Soviet women’s weightlifting record and got in Vlad’s grill big time.

“WE DON’T HAVE ANY ROOMS YOU IDIOT!”

Vlad calmly pulled his wallet out (this is what I was waiting for) and started to pull a card out. The card wasn’t even halfway out when her eyes got REAL BIG and she suddenly stammered

“Uh, just a minute, we just might have a room or two, sir!”

She returns from behind the curtain after a face-saving 30 seconds and announced

“You know, I just found six rooms, sir!

BwaHaHaHa! The power of a senior Party card!
Alexey

climber
San Jose, CA
Oct 27, 2017 - 10:21am PT
Reilly, in the book about first Soviet expedition to Everest 1982 , they mentioned your name as a host who took care about group of Russian climbers during the visit to USA 1975.
Off White

climber
Tenino, WA
Oct 27, 2017 - 12:42pm PT

My friend Mike Layton scored an original Ablakov cam on the second ascent of the North Face of Inspiration in the Picket Range of the North Cascades.
originalpmac

Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
Topic Author's Reply - Oct 27, 2017 - 02:14pm PT
Good stuff yall!
Messages 1 - 14 of total 14 in this topic
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