The Snow Leopard award (Russian: Снежный барс) was a Soviet mountaineering award, given to highly skilled mountain climbers. It is still recognized in the Commonwealth of Independent States. To receive this award, a climber was required to summit all five peaks within the former Soviet Union with elevation greater than 7,000m (23,000ft).[1]
In the Tian Shan there are two Snow Leopard peaks, Jengish Chokusu (formerly Peak Pobeda) 7,439 metres (24,406ft) in Kyrgyzstan (divided by the border with China), and Khan Tengri7,010 metres (23,000ft) on the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border. Khan Tengri's geologic elevation is 6,995 metres (22,949ft) but its glacial cap rises to 7,010 metres (23,000ft). For this reason, it is considered a 7,000m (23,000ft) peak.[citation needed]
In order of difficulty, Peak Pobeda is by far the most difficult and dangerous, followed by Khan Tengri, Ismail Samani Peak, Peak Korzhenevskaya, and Lenin (Ibn Sina) Peak.[citation needed]
Recipients
There are more than 600 climbers, including 31 women, who have received this award between 1961 and 2012 (although not all of them completed the five peaks).[3]
Records
Boris Korshunov (Russia) – nine times Snow Leopard (1981 – 2004)
Boris Korshunov (Russia) – last award at the age of 69
Andrzej Bargiel (Poland) – all five ascents in 29 days 17 hours 5 minutes (time counted from leaving the Advanced Base Camp under Lenin Peak, 15 July 2016)
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