Last updated July 19, 2026
The Snow Leopard Peaks: Central Asia’s five 7,000m summits
Long before the Seven Summits went global, Soviet mountaineers had their own great challenge: climb all five 7,000m peaks of the USSR and earn the title of Snow Leopard. Those five summits still stand, scattered across the Pamir and the Tien Shan on the borders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and China. This guide covers the challenge as a whole: the award and its history, the five peaks and where they sit, the Pamir-versus-Tien-Shan logistics, the difficulty order, and the permits and short seasons that shape every attempt.
This page owns the challenge. The peak guides own the climbs.
Here you will find the Snow Leopard challenge as a whole: the award, the five peaks, the Pamir and Tien Shan logistics, the difficulty order, and the permits and seasons. For the route, camps, cost and detail of any single peak, follow the link to that mountain’s own guide, where the real planning lives.
Note that the Caucasus peaks such as Elbrus and Dykh-Tau are European, not Snow Leopard peaks; this challenge is the Central Asian five.
The Snow Leopard award
A Soviet-era title that remains one of mountaineering’s great regional challenges.
The Snow Leopard, or Snezhny Bars, is a mountaineering title dating to the Soviet era, its badge introduced in the 1960s, awarded to climbers who reach the summit of all five 7,000m peaks that lay within the former USSR. It was the Soviet answer to a life’s climbing ambition, a homegrown challenge every serious alpinist in the union aspired to, and it carries that prestige still, especially among climbers from the former Soviet republics. The five peaks sit in two great ranges, the Pamir and the Tien Shan, spread across the borders of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and China. Completing them all is a multi-season undertaking that combines high altitude, serious weather, and the logistics of some of the most remote mountain country on Earth.
The five peaks
From the highest to the lowest, and each linked to its full climbing guide.
| Peak | Elevation | Range / country | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ismoil Somoni Peak | 7,495 m (24,590 ft) | Pamir, Tajikistan | Ismoil Somoni guide |
| Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda) | 7,439 m (24,406 ft) | Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan-China | Pobeda guide |
| Ibn Sina Peak (Peak Lenin) | 7,134 m (23,406 ft) | Pamir, Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan | Peak Lenin guide |
| Peak Korzhenevskaya | 7,105 m (23,310 ft) | Pamir, Tajikistan | Korzhenevskaya guide |
| Khan Tengri | 7,010 m (23,000 ft) | Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan | Khan Tengri guide |
Ismoil Somoni Peak
The highest of the five and of the former USSR, in the Pamir, formerly Communism Peak. See the Ismoil Somoni guide.
Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda)
The hardest, the highest point of the Tien Shan, with a long ridge and fearsome weather. See the Pobeda guide.
Ibn Sina Peak (Peak Lenin)
The easiest and most-climbed, one of the most accessible 7,000ers in the world. See the Peak Lenin guide.
Peak Korzhenevskaya
Climbed from the same Pamir base camp as Ismoil Somoni, so the two are often paired. See the Korzhenevskaya guide.
Khan Tengri
The marble blood mountain that glows red at sunset, the world’s most northerly 7,000er. See the Khan Tengri guide.
Pamir vs Tien Shan
The five peaks split cleanly between two ranges, and that split shapes the entire challenge.
Three of the Snow Leopard peaks stand in the Pamir, on and around the borders of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: Ismoil Somoni and Peak Korzhenevskaya, which rise close together in the Academy of Sciences Range and share the Moskvina base camp, and Peak Lenin, on the Trans-Alay ridge to the north. The other two, Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda) and Khan Tengri, stand in the Tien Shan, the Celestial Mountains, on the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan-China borders, reached from the Inylchek Glacier. The practical consequence is that a Snow Leopard campaign is really two logistical problems: a Pamir trip and a Tien Shan trip, each with its own gateways, permits, base camps, and weather patterns. Few climbers tackle all five in a single season.
Difficulty & order
There is a natural progression through the five, and almost everyone follows it.
The peaks vary widely in difficulty, and the usual approach is to climb them roughly from easiest to hardest. Peak Lenin comes first for most aspirants, as one of the most accessible 7,000ers anywhere and an ideal introduction to the altitude. Peak Korzhenevskaya and Ismoil Somoni come next, often on the same Pamir expedition from the shared base camp, though Ismoil Somoni is a long and serious climb. The technical Khan Tengri follows, and Pobeda is almost always saved for last. Many climbers make four of the five and stall on Pobeda, which is the crux of the whole title. For how these grades compare across the world’s ranges, see our difficulty ratings guide.
Even the easiest of these, Peak Lenin, has seen major loss of life, and Pobeda is one of the most dangerous 7,000m peaks in the world, with avalanche risk, extreme cold, and a long, exposed summit ridge at the world’s most northerly high altitude. Every peak here demands full expedition preparation, strong acclimatisation, and genuine self-sufficiency in remote terrain.
Permits, access & season
Remote borders, helicopter approaches, and a narrow summer window.
The Snow Leopard peaks lie in sensitive border country, so permits matter. The Tajik Pamir requires a GBAO permit and border-zone permits, arranged in advance through an operator, and the Tien Shan peaks require Kyrgyz or Kazakh permits and access arrangements. Getting to the mountains usually means flying into Osh, Bishkek, Almaty, or Dushanbe and then continuing by road or, for most base camps, by helicopter: to Moskvina in the Pamir for Ismoil Somoni and Korzhenevskaya, and to the Inylchek Glacier in the Tien Shan for Khan Tengri and Pobeda. Peak Lenin is the exception, reached overland from Osh to the Achik-Tash base camp. The season is short, roughly July and August, and the Tien Shan window is briefer still, from about mid-July to the end of August, because of the far-northern latitude of those peaks.
Planning a Snow Leopard campaign?
Start with the peak guides for the real detail: Peak Lenin as your introduction, then Ismoil Somoni, Korzhenevskaya, Khan Tengri, and Pobeda. For flights to Bishkek, Osh, Almaty, or Dushanbe and regional lodging, compare options through the Global Summit Guide Expedia travel shop.
Disclosure: the Expedia link is an affiliate link; we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and it never affects our recommendations.
Peak Lenin Guide All CollectionsSnow Leopard Peaks FAQ
The questions climbers ask most about the challenge.
What is the Snow Leopard award?
The Snow Leopard, or Snezhny Bars, is a mountaineering title dating to the Soviet era, awarded for summiting all five 7,000m peaks of the former USSR: Ismoil Somoni Peak, Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda), Ibn Sina Peak (Peak Lenin), Peak Korzhenevskaya, and Khan Tengri. It remains one of the most respected regional achievements in mountaineering.
Which five peaks make up the challenge?
Ismoil Somoni Peak (7,495 m, Tajikistan), Jengish Chokusu or Pobeda (7,439 m, Kyrgyzstan-China), Ibn Sina Peak or Peak Lenin (7,134 m, Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan), Peak Korzhenevskaya (7,105 m, Tajikistan), and Khan Tengri (7,010 m, Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan). Three lie in the Pamir and two in the Tien Shan.
What is the highest Snow Leopard peak?
Ismoil Somoni Peak in Tajikistan at 7,495 m (24,590 ft), formerly Communism Peak and the highest mountain in the former Soviet Union. It stands in the Pamir and is usually climbed from the Moskvina base camp shared with Peak Korzhenevskaya.
Which is easiest and which is hardest?
Peak Lenin is regarded as the easiest and one of the most accessible 7,000ers in the world, so it is the usual starting point. Pobeda is by consensus the hardest: the highest point of the Tien Shan, with a long summit ridge, severe weather, and avalanche danger, and is normally left for last.
What order should you climb them in?
A common progression runs easiest to hardest: Peak Lenin first, then Korzhenevskaya and Ismoil Somoni from their shared Pamir base camp, then the technical Khan Tengri, and finally Pobeda. The order is personal, but almost everyone saves Pobeda for last, and completing all five usually takes several seasons.
When is the climbing season?
A short summer window, roughly July and August. The Tien Shan peaks, Khan Tengri and Pobeda, have an especially brief season from about mid-July to the end of August. Access is largely by helicopter, and permits, including GBAO and border-zone permits for the Tajik Pamir, must be arranged in advance.
Methodology & sources
- Award history and the five-peak definition from Soviet and post-Soviet mountaineering records.
- Peak elevations and range assignments cross-checked across standard references; Khan Tengri’s height reflects the glacial cap at 7,010 m over a geological 6,995 m.
- Access, permit, and season detail from Central Asian operators and national regulations; confirm current permit rules before planning.
- Detailed route, camp, and cost planning lives on each peak’s own guide. Safety framing reviewed by Dawson Ludlow.
Published: July 18, 2026 · next review January 2027.
Confidence: High on the five peaks, elevations, and the award; Medium on exact permit rules and helicopter logistics, which change and should be confirmed with an operator.Global Summit Guide Editorial Team
This collection guide is maintained by the Global Summit Guide editorial team, which compiles and cross-checks the challenge history, elevations, and logistics from published mountaineering sources and working operators. Detailed planning for each peak lives on that mountain’s own guide. Safety framing reviewed by Dawson Ludlow.
Mountaineering’s great Central Asian challenge
The Snow Leopard peaks are demanding, remote, and steeped in the history of Soviet alpinism. Understand the challenge and the order here, then dive into each peak’s own guide to plan the climb.
Start With Peak Lenin All CollectionsWas this helpful?
Global Summit Guide is an independent mountaineering resource founded in 2026. The team combines first-hand trekking and climbing experience with in-depth research and professional health and nutrition review to help climbers choose objectives, prepare properly, and stay safe.
Health, altitude, and nutrition content is reviewed by Taylor Ludlow (Registered Nurse) and Brigg Hoopes (Nutritionist).
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