Peak 5,540m is located at 16°24'40.45"S, 67°56'50.31"W, between Serkhe Kollu and Hathi Kollu, and only 20km in a straight line from La Paz. It is unnamed on IGM Map 6044-IV and other sources. I had heard that locals refer to it as Khasiri, which is a little confusing, as a peak on the opposite side of the Unduavi Valley is named Picacho Kasiri.

I had previously climbed Peak 5,540m via the north face during a three-peaks traverse above the Serkhe Valley (see AAJ 2018). This time I wanted to try a different approach.

On March 7, Alice Huon and I drove to an altitude of 4,250m, above the village of Palcoma. A 4x4 is recommended for the last 30 minutes. We then walked up the valley that descends west and then southwest from Peak 5,540m. After three and a half hours, we reached a good bivouac spot close to 4,800m and spent the night.

In the morning, we reached the west-facing glacier below Peak 5,540m in one hour. From there we gained the south ridge of the peak at sunrise and simul-climbed hard-frozen snow slopes up to 50–55° before reaching the first rock section. Following a gully, we climbed a pitch of mixed ground before crossing one last short snowfield to reach the upper south ridge, which was now more like a broader face. Four pitches on dry, sometimes loose rock got us above the steepest section. We found the last of these pitches very demanding, and I had to resort to a move of A2 to get through. At the belay below this pitch, we saw two sun-bleached slings wrapped around a boulder on a ledge. Had previous parties turned around from this point?

Above this crux pitch, we continued up the ridge to the top. To descend, we followed the northwest ridge for about three-quarters of a kilometer (climbing over three subsidiary tops) to reach the glacier. We then headed south, traversing along the base of the west face to regain the point where we had accessed the glacier earlier. We continued down to the road, arriving approximately 12 hours after leaving our bivouac that morning. Overall, the route was about D, with several sections that were overhanging or had small roofs and went at 5c/6a.

– Alexander von Ungern, Andean Ascents, Bolivia