Mikhail Mikhailov

Mikhail Mikhailov (born 10 August 1972) is a Kyrgyz elite level technical alpinist, climber and mountaineering and climbing instructor. In 2004 he received the Piolet d' Or for the first ascent on Jannu North Face (Alexander Odintsov, Alexander Ruchkin, Sergey Borisov, Michail Mikhailov, Gennady Kirievsky, Michail Pershin, Nikolay Totmyanin, Alexey Bolotov, Eugeny Prilepa, Dmitry Pavlenko). In 2009 he received Russian Golden Ice Axe and American Golden Piton with Alexander Ruchkin for peak 6134m Minya Konga.

Early life Mikhail was born in Frunze (now Bishkek) in a modest family. His father, Master of sports of mountain tourism of USSR, brought him to the mountains since early age. He is a multiple championand medallist at the Kyrgyz SSR Climbing Championships. During this period he made ascents to peak Khan Tengri, Communism peak, Lenin peak and Pobeda West peak. In 2004, for the first ascent of Jannu Peak (7,710 m) (Himalayas, Nepal) via the spectacular north face, he was awarded the world's highest honour, the Piolet d’Or (France), for his achievements in mountaineering. Peak (5,842 m, Kyrgyzstan), he was awarded the ‘Best Ascent of the Year (Russia) for the first ascent of the south-east face. From 2007 to 2011, co-organiser of the mountaineering project ‘First Ascents in Inaccessible Mountain Regions of the World’. Climbed in a two-man team with Alexander Ruchkin on extremely difficult wall routes in alpine style. In 2008, for the first ascent of a 6,134-metre peak (Tibet, China), he was nominated for the world's highest honour, the Piolet d’Or (France), the prestigious Golden Piton award for the best climb of the year (USA), and the international ‘Golden Ice Axe of Russia’ award (Russia). In 2011, for his ascent of Shark Tooth (Greenland),

The Kyrgyz Mountaineering Federation has never recognized his achievement in alpinism.

List of ascents

Traverse from Peak 5100 to Lenin Peak (7,134 m) Communism Peak (7,495 m) Russian classification of difficulty 5B Tamm Pobeda West Peak (6,918 m) – 3 ascents Everest to an altitude of 8,200 m Khan Tengri Peak (7,010 m) 6A via the right side of the North Face (first ascent) Khan Tengri Peak (7,010 m) 6B direct route up the North Face (first ascent) Khan Tengri Peak (7,010 m) 5B Kuzmin. Left edge of the North Face. Khan Tengri Peak (7,010 m) via the classic routes from the north and south – 7 ascents. Prаvda Peak 5B (6,378 m) Free Korea Peak 6A Popenko Free Korea Peak 6A Bezzubkina Free Korea Peak 6B Semiletkina Free Korea Peak 6B via the centre of the North Face (first winter ascent) Free Korea Peak 5B Barber (5 times) Free Korea Peak 5B (Bagaeva) Corona Peak 5th Tower 6A (Balezina – second ascent) Corona Peak 5th Tower 5B via the left side of the SW Face (first ascent) Corona Peak 5th Tower 5B (Ruzhevsky) Corona Peak 5th Tower 5B Sadovsky Corona Peak 6th Tower 5B Glukhovtsev Semenov-Tianshansky Peak 5B Nikiforenko Semenov-Tianshansky Peak 5B Zakharov Talgar Peak 6A Akimenko Talgar Peak 5B Snesarev Talgar Peak 5B Pelevin Boks Peak 5B via the Bastion of the North Face (first ascent) Marble Wall Peak (6,400 m) 5B via the right bastion of the Marble Wall (first ascent). Mramornaya Stena Peak (6,400 m) 5A via the north face (first winter ascent). Mramornaya Stena Peak (6,400 m) – 6 ascents via various routes. RGO Peak (6,357 m) 5B via the West Ridge (Second ascent) Grudzinski Peak (6,400 m) 5B via the West Face (first ascent) Pobeda Peak East (7,060 m) 6A – attempt at the second ascent of the Forostyan route, 2/3 of the route Nansen Peak (5,697 m) 5B via the buttress of the north face (winter first ascent) Admiralteets Peak 6A via the pillar Kurumdy Peak (6,613 m) 5B via the buttress of the north slope (first ascent) Matterhorn (winter ascent) Uch-Chat Peak 5A (winter first ascent) Jannu Peak (7,710 m) 6B direct route up the north face (first ascent) – Piolet d’Or award (France). Masherbrum Peak (7,821 m) (first ascent attempt) Kyzyl-Asker Peak (5,832 m) 6B South-East Face (first ascent) – Best Climb of the Year (Russia) 13 May 2009 Peak 6,134 m, Minya Konka Range, Eastern Tibet, Sichuan Province, China 6B (first ascent) – Climbing with A. Ruchkin. Awards – Golden Piton (USA), Piolet d’Or shortlist of nominees, Golden Ice Axe (Russia). 5 May 2010 Shark Tooth Peak,Greenland 6B (first ascent) – Climbing with A. Ruchkin. Awards – Best Climb of the Year (Russia) Monte Rosa – Gran Paradiso – Mont Blanc (ski descent from three peaks in one week)