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Ascent to the summit of YUZHNAYA SIAM via the Northwest Wall, category 2B difficulty

The ascent to the summit is made from the base camp located in the upper reaches of the Siam River, or from a bivouac on the left moraine of the Eastern glacier of Belaya Piramida. In the first case, it takes two hours to reach the Pereval Chetyrekh.

From the pass, descend to the left onto the scree of the western slopes of the ridge and, bypassing the summit of Malyutki Siama, approach the summit of Yuzhnaya Siama. The northwest slopes of the summit are covered with snow and ice, and there is a characteristic rocky outcrop in the pre-summit area, which is accessed via a narrow couloir. The couloir is snow-ice with a slope of 30–40°.

Follow the firn slope to the base of the couloir and move up it. At the end of summer, the couloir is icy, so crampons are necessary! Continue moving up the couloir towards the rocky outcrop. The couloir ends with an ice wall 80–90 m long and 45–60° steep, and the rocky outcrop. Climb the rocks of the outcrop on the right side, and then the ice wall to reach the pre-summit snow ridge. To overcome the last 20 m of the ice wall (up to 70°), steps need to be cut. Belaying is with pitons!

The pre-summit snow ridge, which is not too steep, leads to the summit rocky ridge. The rocks are of medium difficulty. To the summit, 1–1.5 rope lengths.

The descent from the summit is to the southwest via a narrow couloir with a slope of 30–35°. After 100 m, traverse the couloir to the right. Then, across easy rocks with scree, cross three low, destroyed counter-forces and descend onto the scree (snow in early summer) and, bypassing the western slopes of Yuzhnaya Siama and then Malyutki Siama, reach Pereval Chetyrekh, and from there descend to the base camp.

Recommendations for Climbers

Group size – 6 people
Initial bivouac – base camp on Siama or moraine of the Eastern glacier of Belaya Piramida.
Departure time – not later than 4:00 from the base camp on Siama and not later than 6:00 from the camp on the moraine.
Equipment for a group of 6 people: crampons – 6 pairs, rock pitons – 3 pcs., ice pitons – 5 pcs., hammers – 2 pcs., carabiners – 6 pcs., main ropes 3×30 m.

Time Calculation

Base camp on Siama – Pereval Chetyrekh – 2 hours. Pereval Chetyrekh – base of the couloir – 1.5 hours. Ascent to the summit – 3 hours. Descent from the summit to Pereval Chetyrekh – 1.5 hours. Descent from Pereval Chetyrekh to the base camp – 1 hour.

Total: 9 hours