UKH

Kyrgyzstan has long been on my to-do list & a (non-climbing) friend has now moved to Bishkek, providing a landing pad.

We (my wife & regular climbing partner, & I) would have not more than four weeks total, & probably either May or September.  We are neither very accomplished rock climbers (HVS / E1 on a good day perhaps?) nor likely to go for the 7000m peaks.  Anything in between would be of interest though.

My thought was a couple of 10 day / 2 week forays from Bishkek, one focusing on easy-ish rock & the other on maybe an accessible, slightly technical & not too terrifying peak.

Has anyone here any ideas on this?  Specifically, is this a reasonable plan, where to go (& when) for something similar, any points of contact recommended for getting into the hills?  

Very grateful for any input!  Many thanks.

Damian

A friend of mine did a trip there a few years ago and he said that he contacted the Kyrgyzstan alpine club who were very helpful with his planning

Sorry I've no direct advice !

Something like this do you meen? https://itmc.travel/en/tours/excursions-ala-archa-nature-park-ascent-ratzek... anyway ITMC are based in Biskek you could send Margarita (assuming she still works there!) a mail or get you friend to have a chat with them. understand if you don't want a commercial company and want to go it alone, but there usually happy to give info for idea's at least!

there are commercial operators who can organise transport and logistics for you, even if you're not needing a mountaineerign / climbing guide. guides are also available.

I'v been on a trip with ISM/via ITMC where logistics, food and guides were all provided.

a friend has also been; wee bit more self organised with hired logistics: vehicle and driver. (I can't remember the organisation he used)

there's an absolute tone of rock climbign in and around son kul canyon; little if any topo. it's proper adventure climbing.

everythign revolves around Vladimir at the Kyrgys alpine club

Ala Archa is the closest mountain range to Bishkek and probably the best documented in terms of maps and topos. Literally an hour drive from the city and some lovely alpine objectives. You could spend a few days there before venturing further afield?

Ala Archa National Park

The Central Tian Shan is incredibly beautiful and would make a great couple of weeks. If the big peaks are not your thing there are plenty of smaller ones. I used Aksai travel for help with logistics and inspiration. Although their website looks to be heavily focussed on fully organised and guided trips, when I visited them they were happy to provide as little or as much support as I wanted. From selling gas canisters and maps, renting gear or  organising a taxi to the hills... right through to a fully guided trip if you want one. I can happily recommend them.

https://ak-sai.com/en/

If you haven't already seen it, watch "The Road from Karakol" for some inspiration and the areas Kyle rides through could be good spots to start reading up on.

Cheers

This is absolutely excellent - exactly what I was after!  Many thanks to you all!

Damian