This document provides information about Siula Grande mountain in Peru, including its location, height, surrounding climate and villages. It then discusses the best months for climbing Siula Grande, noting the freezing nights but generally clear days from May to September. The document also includes a climate graph showing the average temperature and rainfall in Huaraz, Peru near the mountain. It describes two young British climbers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who attempted to climb Siula Grande via a new route in 1995 but met with disaster during their descent.

2. SIULA GRANDE
➤ A mountain in the Andes, found in Peru
at around 10°S, 76°W
➤ 6 344m high
➤ Second-highest peak in Peru’s most
famous mountain region, the Cordillera
Huayhuash
➤ Very little population in the region - a
few small villages, some mining
➤ Source of the Amazon is found nearby
➤ Best season for climbing is May-
September - freezing at night (down to
-15°) but days generally clear and dry
➤ The region features glaciers between
peaks and occasional hot springs
➤ A more detailed map

3. CLIMATE
➤ Before setting out on any expedition in a mountain region, it is
essential to understand the local climate and weather
conditions - why?
➤ Climate graphs show the average temperature and rainfall
experienced at a particular place throughout the year.
➤ They consist of a line graph showing average monthly
temperature and a simple column graph showing average
monthly rainfall figures.
➤ Climate graphs are constructed using data collected by
meteorologists.

4. CLIMATE GRAPHS

5. HOW TO MAKE A
CLIMATE GRAPH1. Plot on the rainfall as a bar chart
2. Plot on the temperature as a line
graph (in the middle of the column
for that month)
3. Finish it off by writing down the
following:
- The total rainfall for the year (add
all the bars together)
- The temperature range (the
difference between the highest
temperature and the lowest one).
- The name of the place that the
graph is for.

6. WEATHER FOR
HUARAZ, PERUAverage Temperature (°C)
Average Precipitation (mm)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
104 100 128 70 21 2 2 7 20 57 51 68
J F M A M J J A S O N D
13 12 13 12 12 11 11 11 12 13 14 14

8. QUESTIONS
➤ Based on your climate graph
for Huaraz . . .
➤ What would be the best
months in which to climb Siula
Grande? Why?
➤ Yates and Simpson, the most
famous climbers
➤ How would you describe the
climate of Huaraz? To answer
this question properly,
research the climatic regions
of the world and their
descriptions

9. MOUNTAIN
ECOSYSTEMS➤ What kinds of plants and animals
might Yates and Simpson have
encountered on their journey?
➤ Go to
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/an
des.htm and read about some of the
plants and animals found in the
Andes
➤ Then go to Padlet and create a
class wall summarising the flora and
fauna that Simpson and Yates may
have encountered
➤ Group plants and animals by
altitude - i.e. put the higher-altitude
plants and animals closer to the top

10. JOE SIMPSON AND
SIMON YATES
➤ Two young British
mountaineers that set out to
climb Siula Grande in 1995
➤ They were relatively
inexperienced and set out to
climb an entirely new route, up
the western face of the
mountain
➤ Watch the beginning of their
climb and answer the first two
questions

11. GEAR
➤ What would Yates and Simpson
have had to carry with them on
their climb to the summit?
➤ Read the extract on their gear
and restrictions on what to pack
➤ Use the extract and this gear list
to create a packing list for Yates
and Simpson, keeping in mind
the weight and size of their pack
➤ Do an online search to find some
food items that could also be
packed - consider search terms
like “climbing food” or “food for
high altitude trek”

12. THE SITUATION CHANGES
➤ On the descent, the situation
changed dramatically for Simpson
and Yates
➤ They ran out of fuel for their stove, so
they could not melt snow to drink
➤ Bad weather started descending on
them, and daylight was fading far
before they got close to their base
camp
➤ Watch the beginning of their descent
and answer the third question in the
video

14. DISASTER
➤ On the way down the
mountain, Yates and Simpson
met with disaster
➤ Watch the video and answer
the fourth and fifth questions to
learn what happened and how
they tried to get out of the
situation
➤ What is a crevasse and why
did it pose such a danger? Go
here to find out

15. “ Now read your second extract to find
out what happened next

16. Using this diagram of a glacier, find a way that Simpson could escape and su

18. WHAT DID SIMPSON DO?
➤ Skip forward in the video to
48 minutes and watch the
final stage of Simpson’s
journey off the mountain,
answering the final question

19. WHAT HAPPENED AFTER
➤ Once Simpson emerged from
the crevasse, he dragged
himself over the glacier and off
the mountain with his hands
➤ He found himself at his base
camp and encountered Simon
Yates after five days (you can
read about this in your extracts)
➤ He had lost 40% of his body
weight and was delirious, but
fully recovered from his ordeal
➤ He continued to climb and has
recently taken up paragliding

20. ALPINE STYLE
CLIMBING➤ Was the style of mountaineering
Simpson and Yates chose
responsible for the disaster?
➤ Go to this website and read about
the difference between alpine and
expedition style climbing.
➤ Take notes in your books outlining
alpine style climbing and how
Simpson and Yates’ journey fit
into this category
➤ Write a paragraph explaining how
they could have changed their
climb preparation and plan and
possibly avoided the disaster that
befell them