​The event programme of the Abalakovo Days – a Festival dedicated to the first conquest of the highest peak of the Soviet Union named Stalin Peak by Evgeny Abalakov from Krasnoyarsk – was started by Ginger Beard Day.

It is known that during the conquest of the mountain, the Krasnoyarsk climber drew a "Self-portrait with a ginger beard", therefore, in Surikov Park, barbers decorated beards for everyone free of charge.

Children created postcards with a self-portrait of the famous fellow countryman using linocut. Young poets recited poetry about mountains, and librarians played quiz games with the guests about the history of Krasnoyarsk mountaineering and shared biographical facts about the mountaineers Abalakov brothers. The younger brother Evgeny conquered more than 50 peaks, the eldest Vitaly led expeditions to Lenin Peak and the Tien Shan.

The Museum n.a. artist Boris Ryauzov opened the festival-dedicated exhibition "Ascent". The central place in the hall is given to the model of the conquered Stalin Peak. Now the mountain with a height of 7495 meters is called the Ismoil Somoni Peak. The work was done by a young Krasnoyarsk artist and decorator Daria Ryabchenko. The mountain was recreated from an archival photograph from the exact angle from which the ascent was going.

— The Abalakov Days Festival means a lot for the cultural sector specifically and for the city in general. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution of the Abalakov brothers to the development of mountaineering in our country and Krasnoyarsk stolbism phenomenon. In 2022, the city administration managed to obtain a collection of artifacts related to the Abalakov brothers. At the Festival, we talk about our legendary fellow countrymen in hopes to preserve their memory and introduce the citizens to the cultural heritage of Krasnoyarsk, – said Lyubov Sakharova, Head of the Main Department of Culture.

In addition to authentic items from the expedition, the visitors of the exhibition can look at climbing equipment: mountain "tricouni" boots, ice axes, ice hammers, etc.

The list of exhibits also includes Evgeny's watercolor sketches from the expedition. They are valuable not only as the work of Abalakov the artist, but also significant from the point of view of science. After all, the maps of the mountain peaks of the Pamir Mountains were subsequently compiled based on those sketches.

The next Festival event will be the concert of the Krasnoyarsk Brass Band "Portrait of a Hero". On August 25, the musicians will perform the story of the Abalakov brothers. Unique video frames, fragments of letters, diaries of Evgeny Abalakov and the selected from a personal archive family photographs will reveal the thoughts and feelings of those outstanding climbers.