Korzhenevskiy glacier is fully located on the southern slope of Ile Alatau. The upper reaches of the glacier are located in four circuses. The largest and most extensive branches of the glacier derive from the three circuses. The view of the glacier with bulks of surrounding ridges and mountains is the most majestic of all Ile Alatau.
Korzhenevskiy glacier
Right and left branches of Korzhenevskiy glacier Central and left branches of Korzhenevskiy glacier
The left branch of the glacier, having a length of 5.5 km and a width from 600 to 800 meters, goes from Glavnyi ridge between Intau, Kopr and Metallurg peaks. With the direction of the south-east, it merges into the main glacier under the slopes of Kokbulak pass.
The left middle branch is formed on the northern slopes of North Talgar peak. This is the shortest branch of glacier, the length of which is just 1.5 km and width is up to 250 m.
Korzhenevskiy glacier. Right and left branches of glacier
The longest branch of Korzhenevskiy glacier flows down from Surovyi pass (H-4455) in the direction from west to east, which lies parallel to Glavnyi ridge of Ile Alatau in the north. GUVVO spur (General Directorate of the Universal Military Training) is on the eastern side of the glacier. Glacier flows between Aktau (H-4860), Gorin (H-4686) vertices, as well as between Talgar peak on the left side and GUVVO (H-4694) and Bliznecy (Egiztau, H-4550) peaks on the right. The length of this branch till the confluence with the main glacier is about 6 km, width of branch averages 750 meters.
Central branch Central branch and surrounding peaks
Central Korzhenevskiy glacier. View to the north-east
should be noted that this glacier has a large number of cracks that impede passage through the glacier. In addition, a place, called the «Dolina gneva» (Valley of anger) is located at the top of the glacier between two snowy peaks Aktau, GUVVO and Surovyi pass.
GUVVO peak from “Dolina gneva”
Being in this place is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous on a bright sunny day when the light is reflected from the white slopes of the peaks and solar radiation considerably increases. Absence of wind and solar radiation create the effect of being in an oven, and a person literally brewed under these conditions and can lead to severe sunburn and heat stroke, which is a mortal danger in given great height of the valley.
Dolina gneva Aktau, Trud, South-eastern Talgar, Gorin peaks.View from the pass is Severe. The beginning of the "Valley of wrath"
The right branch of the glacier flows down the slopes of Issyktenchohu spur, separating Korzhenevskiy and Hercules glaciers. The length of this branch is approximately 4.7 kilometers, the width of the glacier in the circus is up to 2 kilometers away. And if the other branches of the glacier have a steeper slope and a lot of cracks, the right branch is flat, with a minimum number of cracks.
Right branch of Korzhenevskiy glacier Peaks of the right branch of Korzhenevskiy glacier
Vsevobuch peak. View from Korzhenevskiy glacier The tops of the right branch of glacier from Belaya Shapka peak
All four branches are merged in the vicinity of Vsevobuch summit, and the glacier, rounding Issyktenchohu spur, gently descends down the South Issyk gorge. The total length of the glacier reaches 10.5 km. Korzhenevskiy glacier tongue gives birth to Southern Issyk river.
South Issyk gorge from Kokbulak Down the South Issyk gorge view
Tongue (tongue – the lower extremity of the glacier, which is located between the mountains) of Korzhenevskiy glacier
В цирке ледника Корженевского находится 18 вершини и 10 классифицированных перевала.
