Climbing routes of Northern Tien Shan.

"Now the shadow settles
under the branch,
then again the sun and heat.
And the faster the wind,
the more lively the ancient game.
You throw your head back -
and the wind, having broken free, rings,
already hurries after the cloud,
like a horseman after a beauty.
Rustles the grass,
butts the mountains,
shags the fur coats of the clouds.
But then the thunders enter into disputes,
the voices of the ages rumble.
The slanting walls of rain rise,
the lightning burns to ashes,
changes are noticeable in everything...
And only a rock - always a rock."

Ilyas Dzhansugurov. "Rock". 1923.

Natural attractions of Southern Kazakhstan.

Zimin Stone is located at an altitude of 3205 meters above sea level, almost in middle of the path between Bolshoy Talgar Pass at an altitude of 3168 meters above sea level and Bogdanovich Glacier, in gorge that leads to Bogdanovich Glacier, on northern slope of Zailiysky Alatau ridge in Medeu district of Almaty.
With its massive part, the stone is on the ground, tilted towards the east, by about 30 degrees. The stone is a huge boulder that once rolled down from the Shkolnik peak, later named in honor of the famous figure in the field of mountaineering and tourism in Kazakhstan, Viktor Matveyevich Zimin.
In bad weather, you can take shelter under this stone. The stone is located in close proximity to the moraine of the Bogdanovich Glacier. 16 meters to the south of the stone there is a small moraine lake, half swampy. 870 meters to the southwest is Shkolnik Peak, 36,900 meters above sea level.
In 1937, a group of climbers led by Viktor Zimin climbed this peak. Most likely, they stopped for the night at this stone – a convenient place to spend the night under the rocky slopes of the peak. The path from the Talgar Pass goes in a southeast direction, making a barely noticeable descent to this small lake – this is where Zimin’s Stone is located.
Geographic coordinates of Zimin’s Stone are: N43°06'29 E77°06'39

Authority:
«Dictionary and Handbook of Mountaineering, Tourist and Local History Terms». Zhizdybaev T.K. Almaty, 2004.

Photos by
Vitaliy Isikov.