Jindon Pass

Elevation and difficulty rating: 4100 meters, 1B on the Russian/Soviet alpine grading scale. I have seen it listed as a 2A pass, but that appears to be an optional long glacier trek further west over difficult terrain. The trail as marked on the map is the 1B Jindon Pass. Five Russian expeditions have gone through this Jindon Pass and they all rate it as a 1B.

Season: possible by beginning of July with crampons and an ice ax. In an average snowfall year you should be able to do the southern approach to the pass without crampons and an ice ax by late July. The north side is discussed below.

The Lake: it gets small and smaller later in the summer. The image above is from mid-July. By early September it is much smaller and no longer so colorful. The lake’s name? I forgot to ask, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just named “havz“ (“pond“ in Tajik). Not everything gets a name in the mountains.

Reports? There are several reports in Russian: Kikot 2013, Sergin 2007, Lukyanov 2017, Shvedov 2015, and Tsil 2013. All of these groups are climbing groups, not hikers/trekkers. Can it be hiked without crampons and an ice ax? Yes, once the southern side of the pass is snow free (that is to say, the very steep southern slopes) then you should be able to walk up to the pass from the south.

Camping: If approaching from the north, I’m not sure… If coming from the south, then definitely at the Duoba campsite, unless the shepherds are there and you don’t want company. Russian groups have found spots to pitch a tent closer to the pass (at about 3180 meters on the left bank). The photo below by Vita Ermilova (July 18) is taken from the south of the Duoba area, looking north. The Duoba confluence is in the distance at the foot of the mountain. Ti Shakh Pass is to the left (up the Kolicha River) and the Jindon Pass is to the right, up the South Jindon River.

A trekker and camouflaged sheep dog (image left/above) take a break in the sheep trail. Photo via Alturism.ru. Date unknown, but probably mid-July.

I had planned to go through Jindon Pass south-to-north in summer 2022. On June 29 I stood at the Duoba camp south of Jindon Pass and saw that there was still unmelted snow on the steep southern slopes leading up to the pass, particularly in the steep sections. A couple of donkey-drivers in my caravan who did not know the area well told me that it should be no problem to go through the pass. However, I eventually located the senior shepherd boss in the area who has decades of experience here, and he said that nobody had been through the pass (as of June 29th) and he estimated that it would be open in 20-30 days, so sometime between July 20th and July 30th. For reference, this was an average snowfall year, so in some years the pass may be open earlier or later.

Photos below by the Kikot expedition (19 July 2013), showing a still-significant amount of snow on both sides of the pass (left photo = south side, right photo = north side). Note that they are not roped up, but that they are using ice axes.

Photos below from the 2007 Sergin expedition, showing a dry south side of Jindon Pass (left photo, with red dots making the route to Jindon Pass), and the usual permanent snow field and glacier on the north side (11 August 2007).

All three of these photos below show the north side of Jindon Pass. Photo on the left by the Lukyanov 2017 expedition (August 18), photo on the top right by the 2013 Tsil expedition (August 25), and on the bottom right, showing fresh snow, is a photo by the 2015 Shvedov expedition (September 2). Note the steep drop at top. Shepherds do it with their shepherd sticks, but you should probably have an ice ax.

I have not been through Jindon Pass yet. But I can say that the south side should be safe once the snow is melted, but that the north side could be unpredictable and dangerous. The descent from the pass to the north needs to go in a very specific direction to avoid the bergschunds and crevasses. So my suggestion is to only go through this pass if accompanied by local shepherds, or if you have experience with glacier travel.

Is there a safe option to get back to the north (e.g., if you came north-to-south through Ti Shakh pass)? Probably/Maybe. That pass is nearby: Duoba-Dehmanora Pass.