Two Russian climbers died on Kyrgyzstan’s Lenin Peak (7,134m), Kyrgyz news outlet has 24.kg reported. Based on other local reports, one of the climbers was the much-beloved guide Vyacheslav Sheiko, aka Slava Topol. The other was his client, Georgiy Veselovsky.
The two Russians had died at around 6,100m on Lenin Peak on August 28. The individuals were 38 and 41 years old, according to the site.
“The fact was registered, an investigation is underway,” the news outlet reported.
Lenin Peak (or Pik Lenin) sits on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in the Pamir mountain range. Slava Topol had built up substantial experience on the mountain, having placed third in the 2019 Lenin Peak Sky Marathon, which Ak-Sai Travel dubbed the “highest mountain race in the world.”
Slava Topol had his own tour business and was renowned for carrying heavier loads than anyone else.
Slava Topol doing his thing. Photo: Facebook
According to the Russian outlet mountain.ru, the pair likely died of carbon monoxide while using their stove in the tent. It was a strange demise, considering Slava Topol’s experience on the mountain. “He was a legend, the legend of Lenin Peak,” said one. He had climbed the peak 26 times.
