Siberia is home to some of the coldest weather on the planet, extreme temperature changes, and unknown adventure. So, of course, it’s a great spot for a climbing expedition.
In 2016, Russian explorer Sergey Karpukhin became the first to visit a set of rock pillars in the Siberian hinterlands, which he named the Granite Cities of Ulakhan-Sis. In 2018, he returned with Austrian climber Kilian Fischhuber to become the first to climb the towers. Now the film recounting their trip is finally here.
The fact that no one reached these towers until 2016 means they are remote. Very remote. The team first took a plane to the far eastern Sakha Republic, traveled by river for 200 km, and then hiked through Siberia’s cold tundra for 3 days. And then they arrived at the base of spires of granite, not even knowing if climbs were possible.
“We had seen the pictures of Sergey and thought there might be possible climbs. But with this amount of effort to even get there, there are certainly moments where you start doubting things,” said Fischhuber.
Watch the full film here.
