Mammut presents Expedition Baikal

 The new documentary documenting the expedition of Swiss mountaineer Dani Arnold to Lake Baikal in the heart of Siberia

Climbing above the deepest lake in the world

Mammoth Pro Team athlete Dani Arnold has undertaken together with (Martin Echser, Alpinist – CH, Fredy Arnold, Father of Dani Arnold – CH, Thomas Monsorno , Photographer – IT, and Lukas Kusstatscher Director – IT) a very challenging expedition above the deepest lake on earth: Lake Baikal. The Siberian winter presented difficult and fascinating conditions, and the expedition, which involved moving from the lake’s expanse of ice to the vertical ice wall and opening ten new climbing routes, was successful.

In February 2020, on Lake Baikal, Mammut Pro Team athlete Dani Arnold found favourable conditions for a challenge in his favourite ice climbing area: cold temperatures and a deep Siberian winter. At this time of year, the conditions in the Lake Baikal area are truly extreme, with temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius: for this reason too, virtually no athlete has ever attempted ice climbing above the deepest lake in the world. After the success and the new free solo record achieved on the north face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo in summer 2019, Dani was attracted not only by the prohibitive aspects of Lake Baikal, but also by the potential offered by the area. “In the past, the classic destinations of mountaineering expeditions such as Patagonia, Nepal and Alaska fascinated me a lot. Today I am no longer only attracted by the mountains, but also by the place where they are located, the people and their culture,” the mountaineer said. “Of course, I know that I am an ambitious athlete, and I want to open new and difficult climbing routes. Challenging projects like free solo records require a lot of energy, especially mental energy, to the point of having to change the focus of other projects,” continued Dani. So the Swiss alpinist preferred to choose an adventure a little less risky than usual and, together with a team of four people, including his father Fredy who decided to join the group on his own, he went in search of wonderful icy routes.

Siberian winter extremes
The challenge proved to be tough from the very first days of the expedition: the cold temperatures, the poorly documented climbing area and the difficulty given by an unknown language made the search for climbing areas very demanding, requiring a lot of energy from the team, both mentally and physically. Since the group could only move around the frozen lake on a hovercraft, the search itself proved to be a unique adventure, with technical breakdowns at nightfall, exhaustion of fuel and heating. The first steps on the ice of the lake were impressive: “to see clearly through the thick ice of the deepest lake in the world was an extraordinary and absolutely unforgettable experience,” says Dani. Gradually the team got used to the continuous crevasses and cracks in the ice and the search for the most suitable climbing spots got better and better.

Ten new climbing routes
On one of the approximately 50 islands of Lake Baikal, the island of Olkohn, the goal of the expedition was achieved. Every day the new routes above the frozen lake became longer and more difficult. Dani Arnold managed to climb ten new routes between WI5 and M8 *, up to 40 m long, on the island’s famous cliffs. The toughest challenge, however, remained to face and withstand the cold. At such low temperatures, every movement of the climbers takes much longer than usual. Considering the prohibitive circumstances of the environment, the more technical aspect of climbing did not present great problems, while screwing the screws in that hard ice “has never been so difficult anywhere else in the world”, Dani recalled. However, it was definitely worth taking this long trip in the winter of Siberia: “It was an incredible time with fantastic people, in a wonderful place, with extreme conditions and unforgettable memories,” continued the Swiss athlete.