In October 2014 I attempted the 900m west face of Seerdengpu (5,592m) with American Pat Goodman (AAJ 2015), but due to warm temperatures we found the gully line on the face to be a waterfall and the rock extremely loose (one of our ropes was cut in two places). In January, I made another attempt with Frenchman Enzo Oddo. Winter, I figured, would be favorable, with the gully well frozen. However, there was the little matter of steep rock, which comprises two-thirds of the face and needed to be climbed in rock shoes. Despite this we dove straight in.

We found the gully to be in excellent condition: cold, shaded, but still with a couple of overhanging mixed sections that had questionable protection. The last pitch had a steep crack filled with ice, a 2m roof, and a thin crack to finish. Exiting from the top of the gully, we were surprised to find a single bolt, most likely placed on a previous attempt by Russian climbers.

The pitch above the gully exit proved to be our last, and also most likely the high point of the Russian attempt. A series of fractured flakes filled the wall, and I managed to climb 30m before making the tough decision to retreat. I placed two marginal nuts and then downclimbed carefully to Enzo and the bolt, trying not to knock loose rock onto him. Concluding that the terrain was extremely dangerous, we retreated.

Marcos Costa, China