The region of Central Tian-Shan is situated in a node formed by China, Kazakhstan and Kirguizia frontiers. Kirguizian-Chineese boundary follows Meridional Range and stretching in latitudinal direction Kok-Shaal-Tau Range, but also latitudinal Sary-Djas Range sets up the border between Kirguizia on the south and Kazakhstan on the north (see the map of Kirguizia, click it to zoom). It is between Sary-Djas and Kok-Shaal that two branches of the Inylchek glacier lie, north and south, separated by short but high Tengri-Tag Range. West of Tengri-Tag they join to born Inylchek mainstream (see the Inylchek region map, zoom it also). It is in this mountain and political node that two most northern seven-thousanders of the Earth are situated: Khan-Tengri dominates the Tengri-Tag Range and Pobeda stands 20km farther south, in the Kok-Shaal-Tau.

    

     Being 69km long together with its south branch, Inylchek turns out to be one of the world longest glaciers of alpine type. Unique creation of the nature, lake on the North Inylchek west from Khan-Tengri, discovered by G. Merzbacher in 1902-1903, bars any way along the glacier, stretching from board to board of the glacier bed. It may be overcome by walking on its bottom only during a short one-two day period after that the water has found out ways through crevasses in the bottom and has gone down underneath the ice glacier body.

     Mysterious mirage of the Central Tian-Shan mountains, shimmering on the distant horizon, excited during centures imagination of local nomadic nationalities. Local toponyms reflect this attitude: Tian-Shan means "Sky Mountains" in Chinese, Tengri-Tag is "Mountains of Spirits" and Khan-Tengri - "Lord of Spirits" in Turkic languages.

Flight helicopter schedule for 2010:

July 3, 10, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31

August 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28