Who was Slava Topol?
The Slava Topol Project is named after the late Slava Topol. (Vyacheslav Sheiko)
Slava was, in the very real sense of the word, a local legend on Lenin Peak. His athletic ability was evidenced by his participation in the Lenin Peak Sky Marathon (4,400 to 7,134m) and his 26 ascents of Lenin Peak and his ski-descents of the steepest lines on the mountain’s north face.
In addition, he had an astonishing capacity to porter huge loads to the mountain’s high camps and he invested his considerable earnings in establishing Topol Camp on the mountain in addition to a ski-mountaineering business located in Ak-Suu in the Terskey-Alatoo mountains near his home town of Karakol, Kyrgyzstan.
Slava Topol tragically died on the mountain in 2022 while guiding.
His family continue to own and operate Topol Camp and they are generously hosting the volunteer medics from the BMMS while they are on the mountain.
About the Slava Topol Project
The Slava Topol Project is a joint Anglo-American initiative between American ski-patroller Dave Wade and British mountaineer and academic Stephen Taylor.
The pair first met on Lenin Peak back in 2019 and teamed up in 2023 to revisit the mountain.
During their time on the mountain in 2023 they found themselves evacuating a dangerously ill climber with a cerebral oedema from the camp at 5,300m. While this proved successful, the experience underlined to them the inadequacies of current resources and practices on the mountain to respond to accidents and medical emergencies.
Following this incident, the pair resolved to try and improve the existing situation by introducing an appropriate PSAR system on Lenin Peak. To that end, they have established a non-profit organization to fund the development of the required rescue and medical supports to improve safety on the popular Central Asian mountain.
Dave Wade
Dave Wade is a Wyoming-based skier and mountaineer, with decades of experience guiding and climbing throughout the United States, including Denali in Alaska, as well as the Volcano Orizaba in Mexico. He has also made expeditions to central Asia, namely the Pamir and Tien Shan ranges, trekking and ski mountaineering above 6000 meters. Dave has worked as a guide and porter for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides since 2005, and works winters for the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol. In 2019, Dave participated in an international exchange to China, where he trained medical and rescue protocols to his Chinese colleagues, as well as providing support for a World Cup event.
Stephen Taylor
Stephen Taylor is an academic based in Scotland, with a doctorate in natural area governance. His main research interest concerns the development and governance of sustainable mountain tourism. Stephen started climbing in his native Scotland as a schoolboy and has been climbing mountains ever since. He has been visiting Kyrgyzstan every summer Since 2008 to explore unclimbed alpine summits across the Tien Shan and the Pamirs. Having first visited Lenin Peak in 2017, he subsequently became fascinated by the challenges of developing sustainable solutions to addressing the impacts of commercial tourism on this mountain and similar popular high peaks.
Jeremy Windsor
Jeremy Windsor is a Consultant in Anesthetics and Critical Care at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. He is also trustee of the British Mountain Medicine Society, (BMMS) and Director of the Center for mountain medicine at the University of Central Lancaster (UCLan). For many years he has taught on Diploma in Mountain Medicine courses, and more recently developed MSc and MD programs in Mountain medicine. He is a section editor for Wilderness and Environmental medicine and has more than 100 publications in the field of mountain medicine.
As an avid climber, cyclist, mountaineer, runner, and swimmer, Jeremy has explored much of the UK. Further a field he has visited mountain ranges across the world. From bouldering on small rocky outcrops to 8000 m peaks he has enjoyed every moment!
John Carr
John Carr is a paramedic with a diploma in Mountain Medicine and a winter mountain leader. Climbing for the last 25 years, John moved into the professional world of expeditions 15 years ago, working around the globe. He is the current president of the British Mountain Medicine Society.
Yasmin Down
Yasmin is a Registered Nurse who is training as a student doctor in the UK. After completing a Diploma in Mountain Medicine, she discovered The Slava Topol Project and has been involved since 2023. Her passion for all things mountain - ski touring, MTB, climbing, mountaineering, trail running, and more!, led her to teach skiing in Canada and Germany. She is thrilled to combine her love of the outdoors with her medical training. “I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this incredible project and cannot wait to see where the journey takes us in the future!”
Meredith June Edwards
Meredith is a professional endurance mountain athlete and research and development specialist with Vibram, an international leader in performance footwear. With over a decade exoerience with high altitude mountaineering and endurance sports, she combines athletic performance with technological innovation. In the summer of 2025, she assisted the Slava Topol Project with mountain safety operations. Her volunteer participation reflects a commitment to giving back to the mountain community by supporting climbers and contributing to safe, responsible mountaineering practices in Kyrgyzstan.
Vladimir Komissarov
Vladimir Komissarov has a PhD in Geology and Mineralogy and has been climbing since 1967. During this time, he has ascended over 500 Alpine peaks (with 12 above 7000 m) and he is a recipient of the "Snow Leopard "aw he has been a mountaineering instructor since 1976, and IMFGA mountain guide since 2012. Vladimir has been President of the Kyrgyz Alpine Club since 1998 and was President of the Kyrgyz Mountain Guides Association from 2007 until 2021. He is the founder-director (1996 to present) of the Kyrgyz Public foundation "rescue in the mountains”.
Anders Linn
Anders Linn hails from Jackson Hole, where his family has been farming and raising cattle for six generations. He grew up in the woods, helping his parents run a horseback riding outfitting business. He learned to ski at 2-years-old, about the same time he learned to walk. He started his first business at 6, lighting fires in the neighbors’ fireplaces before they got home from work each day.In university, Anders studied linguistics and Russian literature. After graduating, he took a trip to India, Keh and Kashmir, giving him his first taste of Central Asian life. An avid skier, climber and outdoorsman, he was delighted to combine all of his life and language skills to become a volunteer for the Slava Topol Project.
Dinara Aitmamat Kyzy
Dinara is a translator from Osh State University in Kyrgyzstan with a Masters Degree in linguistics from Germany and a passion for travel and literature. She works as a city guide in Osh, where she lives with her family eight, including her son. She has visited more than 46 countries working in the hospitality business. “I am proud of my team because they are very hardworking. It was especially nice to local people get medical treatment. They were very thankful.”