Unless you live in Siberia or Canada's Arctic, you likely don't know cold like Maciej Berbeka, a Polish computer science specialist and traveler who has been undertaking solo climbs for over a decade in what he calls some of the coldest and most inaccessible mountain ranges and plateaus on Earth. Berbeka's latest expedition took place in February. It was the first winter solo ascent of https://summitx.info/ru/objects/peaks/12625907/about, and it perfectly illustrates his longstanding interest in extreme cold and autonomous travel.

The Coldest Mountain on the Planet?

Pobeda, the highest peak in Yakutia, was previously climbed in winter in 2018 by climbers Simone Moro and Tamara Lunger. Moro called it "the coldest climb in history, on the coldest mountain on the planet," as temperatures as low as -70˚C have been recorded in the region. Berbeka started his winter solo from the same point as Moro and Lunger. He ascended in a single day, tracing a line through deep, loose snow all the way. "Of all my solo winter ascents in North Siberia, this was definitely the most challenging," he said. "Others were just as cold, maybe even colder, but none were even close in terms of technical difficulties and snow conditions," he added. Berbeka reached the start of the route on skis, then switched to crampons and ascended via the south wall, repeating the route through the central couloir taken in 2018.

Summiting in the Dark

Report on the First Ascent of Mt. Afrodita (2060 m) via the Central Mirror of the Northeast Wall, Category 2A difficulty, by the team from the Federation of Alpinism and Rock Climbing of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

July 11, 2021

I. Ascent Passport

№	1. General Information
1.1	Full Name, Sports Rank of the Leader	Bogomolov Valery Alexandrovich, 1st sports rank
1.2	Full Name, Sports Rank of the Participants	Makarov Vasily Alexandrovich, 2nd sports rank Sayfulin Oleg Viktorovich, 2nd sports rank
1.3	Full Name of the Coach	Ivanov Vasily Ivanovich № 72
1.4	Organization	Federation of Alpinism and Rock Climbing of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
	2. Characteristics of the Ascent Object

Climbing Passport

1. Climbing area: Tas Kystabyt Ridge (Sarychev), southwestern part of Chersky Range — Sakha Republic (Yakutia), section 9.7
2. Peak, route: p. 2060 m (local name Aphrodite), Central Counterfort of the Eastern Ridge Peak coordinates: 64°28′719″ N, 143°14′297″ E according to GPS.
3. Estimated category of difficulty: 2B, first ascent
4. Route type: Rocky
5. Route characteristics:

• Height difference according to GPS — 490 m Route length — 950 m Section lengths:

Ascent Passport

1. Ascent area: Tas Kystabyt Ridge (Sarychev Ridge), section 9.7
2. Peak: peak 2060 m (local name: Aphrodite). Northwest edge (N 64° 28.719 E 143° 14.297)
3. Proposed: Category 2B difficulty, first ascent.
4. Route type: rock climbing.
5. Route description: Elevation gain according to GPS 490 m Distance 1400 m. Average slope 28° Section lengths:

• 1 — 950 m

Ascent Passport

1. Ascent area: Tas Kystabyt Ridge (Sarychev), southwestern part of Chersky Ridge, Sakha Republic (Yakutia) section 9.7
2. Peak, route: p. 2060 m (local name Aphrodite), E ridge from the pass. Peak coordinates 64°28′719″ N 143°14′297″ E by GPS.
3. Estimated category of difficulty 2A, first ascent.
4. Route type: Rocky.
5. Route characteristics: height difference by GPS — 470 m Route length — 1600 m Section lengths:

• 1 — 1100 m

Alpinism and Rock Climbing Federation of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia

Report

On the ascent to the summit of Semyon Mostakhov (proposed by the Yakut branch of the Russian Geographical Society) 2162 m, via the South-Eastern ridge, made during the training camp in Yakutsk in July 2016.

July 2016

Table of Contents

1. Ascent Passport
2. Photograph of the summit
3. Map of the area
4. Brief description of the area
5. Technical photo of the route