Kainyda-Katta
In the Central Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan, extending west from the peak of the Red Army in the Inylchektau range, is the relatively low Kainyda-Katta ridge, which has a well-developed orography on its northern slopes and completely unbroken southern slopes. In the area of the Bulantor peak, the ridge branches into two parallel limbs.
It is located in the basin of the Saryjaz River, stretching south from the Kainyda Valley. The length of the ridge is about 65 km. The maximum height is 5784 m. The ridge is composed of metamorphic schists and limestones. It is covered by eternal snows and glaciers, especially in the eastern part. Between Kokshaaltau and Kainyda-Katta lies the powerful Kuyakap glacier, and between Kainyda-Katta and Inylchek-Tau is the huge Kainy glacier, about 30 kilometers long, a younger sibling of Inylchek, the second largest glacier in the area. Finally, south of the Kainyda-Katta ridge is a small Kuyakap glacier.
The slopes are dominated by rocks and debris, with a high mountain semi-desert at the foot in the west.
The Kainyda-Katta ridge has a group of complex passes, up to category ZB difficulty, in the eastern part and several simple passes in the area of Bulantor peak. The middle part of the ridge is little explored due to the deep canyon of the Terakty River, which flows from the Kuyakap glacier.
The complex snow-ice slopes, high aesthetic values of the high-mountain part, and valleys overgrown with Tien Shan firs and edelweiss always attract travel enthusiasts to this area.
