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True stories of heroism, endurance & survivalMay 2020Stalin's Mountaineers
by Cédric Gras
The unpublished story of the Abalakov brothers, two mountaineers working for the glory of the Soviet regime. Vitali and Evgeni were Siberian orphans who enjoyed rock climbing before becoming expert mountaineers. They carried out many expeditions between Caucasus and Central Asia, culminating in the 1930s with their ascents of the impressive “Stalin Peak” and “Lenin Peak” in the name of power. In a culture where mountaineering was dictated by the ideology of a new world, by conquering new territories and war, Vitali Abalakov would still become a victim of the Great Terror and the purges in 1938. He was eventually released. Despite having lost several fingers to a high-altitude snowstorm, he returned to mountaineering and achieved elite status again, heading up Spartak. His brother Evgeni meanwhile was found dead in 1948 when he was preparing to climb Everest.
