Bishinei-Dzhenolshob

Archib is the nearest village. A path leads from Archib into the Risor valley, crossing the river by a stone bridge just above the Kirenkra confluence, then follows a path cut into rock and subalpine meadows past shepherds' huts to the mouth of the Bishiney river (about 1 hour from the bridge, bridged). Sheep tracks climb the steep left bank of the Bishiney to a spur above the Eyik confluence (50 minutes), where there are good camp sites. Turn north-west up the Eyik valley, often filled with old avalanche snow, and climb 25–30° scree onto a moraine terrace (about 2.5 hours). Cross the moraine ridges towards the Basalakhara pass to the eastern end of the glacier, where a 1988 party camped on the last flat ground at 3,315 m (about 4 hours from the Bishiney bridge). From the camp, cross the closed glacier (10–25°, occasional small crevasses) to below the Bishiney pass and climb a snow slope of up to 40° with a 50° cornice lip at the saddle, or, as the 1988 party did, a 45–50° glacier slope just south of the pass where they had to cut steps in water ice; about 1 hour 10 minutes. The crest beyond is a rock-and-scree ridge about 2 m wide, steepening to 35°. The 1988 group reckoned the summit to be about 4 hours there and back from the pass in good weather, and graded the ascent 1Б–2А; they were turned back by a thunderstorm. The Russian classifier lists 1Б by the south-east ridge and 2А by the north ridge, both first recorded by S. Gadzhiev's party in 1941. Descend the same way. The Bishiney ridge is one of the most thunderstorm-prone parts of Dagestan: storms can build even on good days, so start early and be off the crest by midday. In poor visibility the Bishiney pass is hard to find from the west (Oknob) side.