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

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