Korzhenevskaya Peak (7,105 m) is one of the five 7,000-metre peaks of the former Soviet Union and the third highest summit of the Pamirs in Tajikistan. It stands at the northern end of the Academy of Sciences Range, 13 km north of Ismoil Somoni Peak, above the deep valley of the Muksu river. The Russian geographer Nikolai Korzhenevsky discovered it in August 1910 and named it after his wife and expedition companion, Yevgenia Korzhenevskaya. In 2020 the government of Tajikistan officially renamed it Ozodi Peak, "Freedom Peak", but climbers still know it by the old name.
Among the Snow Leopard peaks it is usually called the second easiest after Lenin Peak, and it is the second most climbed major summit of the Pamirs. Expeditions start from the Moskvina glade, a base camp at about 4,100–4,350 m that it shares with Ismoil Somoni Peak, and many climbers combine the two mountains in one trip. By the early 1950s it was the only Soviet 7,000er still unclimbed, until eight climbers led by Alexei Ugarov reached the top on 22 August 1953.
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At 7,105 m Korzhenevskaya Peak is the fourth highest summit of the former Soviet Union and the third highest of the Tajik Pamirs, after Ismoil Somoni Peak and Lenin Peak. It is not a small mountain: because it rises straight from the low valley of the Muksu river, its height above the surrounding terrain rivals that of Ismoil Somoni itself, and its walls reach about 1,000 m.
For climbers it matters above all as one of the five peaks of the Snow Leopard (Snezhny Bars), the title introduced in 1967 for climbing all five 7,000-metre summits of the former USSR: Lenin Peak, Ismoil Somoni Peak, Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda), Khan Tengri and Korzhenevskaya Peak. In the usual ranking by difficulty it comes fourth, ahead only of Lenin Peak, which has its own article. Because of that, and because a base camp and helicopter access make it relatively easy to reach, it is after Lenin Peak the most frequently climbed major peak of the Pamirs, and it has been climbed from almost every direction.
It is unusual for a 7,000-metre peak to be named after a woman. Nikolai Korzhenevsky (1879–1958), a graduate of the Kyiv military school who served as an officer in Osh and became one of the leading geographers of the Pamirs and the Tian Shan, first saw the peak in August 1910 and named it after his wife, Yevgenia Sergeyevna Korzhenevskaya (née Topornina, around 1882–1969).
She was the daughter of Sergei Topornin, the first commander of the Russian garrison in Osh and Korzhenevsky's battalion commander there, and taught German and French at schools in Osh before her marriage. From 1905 she accompanied her husband on his long expeditions across the Pamirs and the Tian Shan and collected and processed the scientific results; later she worked as a geographer, geomorphologist and glaciologist in her own right. Because of transliteration and Russian grammar, the name appears in many forms: Korzhenevskaya, Korzhenevskoi, Korzhenevski.
By decree No. 282 of 27 May 2020 the government of Tajikistan renamed the mountain Ozodi Peak ("Freedom Peak"), to mark the country's independence; the lower peak that had carried the name Ozodi (6,230 m) became Sangtalak. In climbing circles, and in the Snow Leopard list, the old name is still widely used.
Korzhenevskaya Peak forms the end of the north-western branch of the Academy of Sciences Range, the north–south backbone of the Pamirs. It rises on the south side of the Muksu river, with the Fortambek glacier (renamed Faridunshah) to the west. Unlike most of the range, it lies a little outside Gorno-Badakhshan, in the Jirgatol district of the Region of Republican Subordination. Ismoil Somoni Peak stands 13 km to the south.
Expeditions use the Moskvina glade (Polyana Moskvina), a flat area on the shore of a lake near the confluence of the Moskvina and Walter glaciers, at about 4,100–4,360 m. In Soviet times a branch of the International Mountaineering Camp "Pamir" stood here; today the glade is the shared base camp for Korzhenevskaya and Ismoil Somoni, and climbers normally arrive by helicopter. The overland approach is long: in 1953 the first-ascent expedition had to build new crossings over the Muksu and other rivers because old bridges had been washed away, and its base camp stood by the Fortambek glacier at about 2,900 m.
There are 17 routes on the mountain: 14 graded in the 5th category of the Russian scale and three in the 6th.
The normal route from the south. The most common route today starts from the Moskvina glade and climbs the south side of the mountain, reaching the summit ridge from the west. Its classic version is the south rib, first climbed in 1966 by V. Tsetlin's team. From base camp at about 4,350 m to the summit the vertical gain is roughly 2,750 m, which teams split into several high camps on the rib after acclimatisation rotations. For comparison, Andrzej Bargiel climbed from the Moskvina base camp to the summit in 8 hours 40 minutes on 25 July 2016 and skied back down, but ordinary parties need several days for the push. Some teams, as Bargiel did, climb Korzhenevskaya first and then go on to Ismoil Somoni from the same base camp.
Other routes. The first-ascent route of 1953 follows the north ridge from the Korzhenevskaya glacier (5A). Other lines include the north-east ridge (5A, 1968), the east rib (5B, 1965), the south ridge from the Moskvina glacier (5B, 1961), the south face (5B, 1966) and the south-west ridge (5B, 1984). The hardest are on the west face: the left part (6A, 1974), the centre (6A, 1980) and its central buttress (6A, 1980).
Climbs are organised through licensed Tajik and Kyrgyz operators, who arrange registration, helicopter flights, base camp services and any permits needed. Most visitors need a Tajik visa or e-visa; travel in Gorno-Badakhshan requires a GBAO permit (up to 30 days, from embassies, the OVIR migration police or operators), so check with your operator whether your itinerary crosses into it. Rescue is paid by the climber, so take insurance that explicitly covers helicopter evacuation at high altitude. There are no published official climbing fees; package prices change each season, so ask operators for a full written breakdown.
The climbing season in the central Pamirs is short, essentially July and August. The first ascent was made in late August and Bargiel's record in late July. The climate is continental and dry, but snowstorms and strong winds can arrive at any time, and nights at the high camps are well below freezing even in midsummer. The mountain was first climbed in winter in the mid-1980s by a large Soviet expedition.
At the Moskvina glade water comes from streams and the lake by the camp; operators' kitchens boil it for drinking, and anything you collect yourself should be filtered or boiled because glacial water carries sediment. Above base camp there is no reliable running water, and all water on the route comes from melting snow on gas stoves. Plan for 3–4 litres of fluid per person per day and enough gas for every camp, and start the summit day with full insulated bottles.
There is no reliable mobile coverage at the Moskvina glade or on the mountain. Expeditions communicate by radio with base camp and use satellite phones; some operators offer paid internet in base camp. Agree on fixed radio schedules before leaving camp. Mobile networks work in Dushanbe and in the larger towns of the Rasht valley. The emergency number in Tajikistan is 112 (police 102, ambulance 103, fire 101), but rescue in the mountains is organised through your operator.
"Easier" here means less technical than its neighbours, not safe. The route spends days above 6,000 m, avalanches threaten the slopes after snowfall, the glaciers hide crevasses, and bad weather near the summit ridge can make route-finding on the way down difficult. In August 2008 the Polish climber Krzysztof Apanasewicz disappeared on the descent from the summit. Acclimatise properly, keep a strict turnaround time and descend at the first signs of cerebral or pulmonary oedema.
The first serious attempt came in 1937, during a Pamir expedition led by Nikolai Krylenko: on 23 August a group under Daniil Gushchin reached a fore-summit on the north ridge estimated at 6,910–6,990 m, but not the main top. By the early 1950s Korzhenevskaya was the only Soviet 7,000er still unclimbed. The 1953 Pamir expedition of the trade unions' sports council, led by Yevgeny Beletsky, struggled with river crossings and had to extend its schedule; Beletsky fell ill with pneumonia, and Alexei Ugarov led the summit team. On 17 August eight climbers left base camp, spent nights at about 4,400, 5,600, 6,100 and 6,500 m and in a fifth camp near the top, and on 22 August 1953 Ugarov, Alexander Gozhev, Boris Dmitriev, Anatoly Kovyrkov, Leonid Krasavin, Ergaly Ryspaev, Rostislav Selidzhanov and Pyotr Skorobogatov stood on the summit. The climb won the USSR championship in the high-altitude class, and a peak on the ridge leading to the summit is now called Peak Ugarov.
The first woman on top was Tamara Postnikova, in 1966, with the Kazakh Burevestnik team. The mountain was also the first Soviet 7,000er climbed by an all-women team, a group that included Elvira Shatayeva.
How high is Korzhenevskaya Peak? 7,105 m. It is the third highest peak of the Tajik Pamirs and the fourth highest of the former USSR.
Why is it now called Ozodi Peak? In 2020 Tajikistan renamed it "Freedom Peak" to mark its independence. The old name honours Yevgenia Korzhenevskaya, wife of the geographer who discovered the peak in 1910.
How long does it take to climb? Expect a trip of a few weeks including travel and acclimatisation; the summit push from the Moskvina glade takes several days. Some climbers then continue to Ismoil Somoni Peak from the same base camp.
How difficult is it? It is considered the second easiest Snow Leopard peak, but all its routes are 5th or 6th category on the Russian scale and involve several days above 6,000 m.
Where does the climb start? At the Moskvina glade, about 4,100–4,350 m, usually reached by helicopter.
Is there water on the route? Only at base camp; higher up you melt snow, so bring enough gas.
Is there mobile coverage? No reliable coverage. Teams use radios and satellite phones; the emergency number in Tajikistan is 112.
When is the best time to climb? July and August.
Who made the first ascent? Eight Soviet climbers led by Alexei Ugarov, on 22 August 1953.
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