Students of the University «Turan» at the opening of the monument Anatoly Nikolaevich Bukreev

On January 18, 2023, in Almaty, near the Medeo high-mountain skating rink, a monument was opened in honor of the outstanding Soviet and Kazakh high-altitude mountaineer, Anatoly Bukreev. The sculpture was installed on the initiative of the Nurlan Smagulov Foundation and is part of a series of monuments dedicated to prominent Almaty residents. Anatoly Boukreev is a world-famous high-altitude climber. Many professional climbers recognize Bukreev as the strongest high-altitude climber of the 20th century. Bukreev was famous for his fast ascents, he was also the first in Kazakhstan to practice high-speed races to the top. Honored Master of Sports, holder of the title “Snow Leopard”, conqueror of 11 of the 14 mountains of the eight-thousanders of the planet and four times of Everest. One of his ascents of Everest became the idea for the Hollywood film “Everest” by Balthazar Kormakur. Anatoly Bukreev, holder of the Order for Personal Courage, was awarded the highest award of the American Alpine Club – the David Souls medal, awarded to climbers who saved people in the mountains at the risk of their own lives, and was posthumously awarded the Kazakh medal “For Courage”.

The opening was attended by friends, comrades and colleagues of Bukreev, many sports and tourism figures of Kazakhstan, students of the educational program “Tourism” of the 4th year (supervisor Vukolov V.N.). The grand opening of the monument was held by the chief mountaineering coach of Kazakhstan, who raised Bukreev as a climber, Yervand Ilyinsky and the deputy akim of Almaty Arman Kyrykbaev. A close friend of Bukreev, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, holder of the title of “Snow Leopard” Rinat Khaibullin and journalist, author of a book about Bukreev “Above the Clouds”, based on the diaries of the legendary mountaineer, Galina Mulenkova, also delivered a speech.