MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS Correspondent Nikolay Kochetkov/. Recently, one of the highest passes in the Khibiny mountain system in the Murmansk Region was given a name - the TASS Agency Pass. The Clean Arctic — Vostok-77 expedition initiated this idea: to mark the 120th anniversary of Russia's first state news agency and to remember its journalists who have actively participated in Arctic expeditions. Scientists Oksana Tolstykh, Dmitry Belov and TASS correspondent Nikolay Kochetkov climbed the pass to set the agency's flag there.

The beginning

900 m above sea level - is where the pass is located. The coordinates are 67°42'52.22" north latitude and 33°41'3.24" east longitude - this information will be of interest to those who care for statistics, to historians and scientists. Travelers and fans of snowboard and freeride, among who this pass is popular, know it as a convenient transition from the Voodyavryok Valley to the Tulyok Valley of the Khibiny mountain range.

My ascent to the TASS Pass began from the Apatity railway station, to where it took me 4.5 hours by a commuter train from Murmansk. This September the weather was absolutely untypical for the Far North. On the day when Oksana Tolstykh and Dmitry Belov of the Clean Arctic - Vostok-77 expedition met me at the station, the air temperature was plus 20 degrees. The warm autumn sun and almost complete calm prompted an enjoyable trip.

- Hi, Nikolay. We'll drive to Kirovsk by car, will get most close to the foot. From there we'll start climbing. We have about six hours for the return trip, so let's not waste time," Dmitry greeted me. It was he, Oksana and their colleagues who had suggested giving the name of TASS to that mountain pass.

Together with Alexander Koryakin, the Kirov center's rescuer, we began climbing near the bed of a dried-up river. The dried-up river in spring, when the snow melts, grows into a regular reservoir. The surrounding landscapes are fascinating: autumn-colored small golden birches, green grass and brown mountains, stretching into thick gray clouds. That's to where we were going.

The nature storage

The entire route was some 5-6 km. The mountain hiking was clearly difficult from the very beginning - we had to walk along a rocky riverbed, which is not easy, and only three things could add joy - the sunny weather, the tracking sticks that keep balance, and a crazy amount of mushrooms around us. "I'll bring them to Moscow," Oksana said, putting into her backpack one aspen mushroom after another. "They may be found only at markets, but here you don't even need to look for them, they are about to jump into your hands."

Picking the mushrooms, which began growing in the Murmansk Region after the past dry summer only in mid-September, could stir up even my interest. Nevertheless, I did remember to take pictures and videos of the surrounding beauty. Oksana and I were fascinated with the mushrooms, but the rest of the group wouldn't let us skip minding the main goal.

- Guys, first - the pass, and pictures, mushrooms - later on. On the way back, - Dmitry said cunningly.

- You say so because you know that we won't want to collect anything on the way back, - Oksana replied.

- Quite right! - Dmitry agreed, and everyone burst out laughing.

As we were walking, trees were retreating to stay below, the terrain got more rocky, spots of mushrooms gave way to spots of northern berries. Carpets of blueberry, cranberry and crowberry. "Crowberries - what are they? I've never tried them," Oksana said, tasting a handful. - They are truly tasty, very juicy, an immediate nutritious moisture. Surviving on this free food for days seems very realistic."

We approached a small mountain river, filled drinking bottles, though we still had a supply of water. In my case, a one-and-a-half-liter of Holy Spring (popular brand of bottled water) became a Khibiny Water bottle. Next to the river we found a former camping site, where other scientists could've studied the local nature.

As the climb was getting steeper, the stones underfoot were getting bigger. The air temperature was dropping, and the wind gusts were gaining strength. We put on jackets, hats and hoods. Four kilometers later, we could spot our goal - for just a few seconds the pass showed itself from behind the clouds.

- That's a good sign - if a mountain shows itself, then the hike will be successful, - Belov laughed. - The true reason is - we have Oksana here. When we were on the Kamchatka without her, we could never see volcanoes, they were hiding in the clouds, and later, as she was with us, we managed to see everything. Surprisingly, see, it works now as well.

The final ascent

All jokes faded away as we approached an almost sheer slope that we had to climb. The pass remained under a blanket of thick clouds. We decided to leave backpacks and to carry only most necessary things and, of course, the TASS flag. The ascent slowed down as we had to climb slippery moss-covered rocks, which there seemed to be even bigger and sharper. We feared they may fall down any movement. Tracking sticks and confidence helped us walk on.

After 1.5 km, that is in about an hour, the slope's angle was increasing, and from the seemingly endless stone wall we could see the pass and a narrow passage between mountains. We've made it!

The clouds disappeared. Was it again due to Oksana's superpower? A short rest, and we were picking a location to set the flag there. In a stone hiding place we found a note, which a group of tourists left on August 25. Notes are sort of a mountain messenger. People leave them on passes and peaks. We decided to leave ours:

"September 13, 2024. The Clean Arctic — Vostok-77 expedition and leader of the Kirovsk search and rescue unit Koryakin A.V., accompanied by a representative of the TASS Russian news agency Kochetkov N.V., climbed the pass, which used to be unnamed, in order to give it a name - the TASS Agency Pass," Oksana read out the message.

We signed the note and hid it inside the stone hiding place. Next to it, at 900 m above sea level in the Khibiny Mountains, we set up the TASS flag as a symbol showing the pass now had its name. Right now, formalities at the state registrar, Rosreestr, are underway.

The return from the pass to the valley seemed easier. Anyway, we had to descend slowly not to slip, not to step on a wrong stone or not to lose balance - the descend was more tricky than climbing, and we, of course, were well aware of that.

When back at the mushroom spots, we all got overwhelmed with hunting excitement. Result: I was given two large bags of aspen mushrooms - Oksana would have been unable to take them safely to Moscow. At the train station in Apatity, we agreed to meet at the pass again and again, and then we parted.