Peru Expedition 2017

Expedition Mountaineering in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru

This year's Peruvian Expedition was a success in every sense. We planned to climb 3 mountains in the Cordillera Blanca and managed to summit one extra. Alpamayo, Tocllaraju, Ishinca and Urus Este became the podiums for our wide-grinned selfies of satisfaction and accomplishment. We were grateful acclimatization went smoothly and we steered clear of any gastrointestinal issues. The expedition was the culmination of planning and preparation beginning a year earlier. You might say we worked hard to make it look easy. In terms of personal growth and fulfillment it couldn’t have worked out any better. And the ultimate goal, coming home safely after a grand adventure, was the icing on the cake.

My client Penny Brothers has been climbing since before I was born. She had a 20 odd year hiatus from climbing when family and career needed all her attention, but she returned to climbing by a pretty circuitous route about 7 years ago. Since then she has climbed Mt Rolleston, Mt Aspiring (with her then 17 year old son), The Footstool and Aoraki Mt Cook all under the guidance of the late Marty Schmidt. And many adventures with friends into areas like the Olivines and the Sealy Range affirmed that her connection with the mountains was as strong as ever.

Last December we executed another grand adventure when we traversed the Southern Alps over 9 days, taking in features named after the founders of the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC). Penny just happens to be the current President of the NZAC and she felt that a challenge was in order to celebrate the clubs 125th year. Despite some characteristically tough New Zealand weather we managed to reach all 5 of our goals.

In the last few years Penny has also managed to fit in a hip replacement, maintain a reasonable level of fitness, a high level of enthusiasm for the sport, and continues to commit time to the Alpine Club as its highest ranking volunteer. She admits to having been more of the multi-pitch rock aficionado back in her heyday, with the major exception being the first ascent of Brigupanth (6772m) in the Garwhal Himalaya with an all female team in 1980. She is now keener on multi-day trans alpine journeys rather than the steep and bold Yosemite crack climbs she used to tackle.

Penny confesses her inability to say no to work commitments, volunteer organizations, board positions, mentoring and reviewing, and worked endlessly to arrive into Peru, work complete, and ready and enthusiastic to climb in an area she’d had in mind for many years. One of her bags, on the other hand, went off on an extended adventure but found its way back into her hands just before we headed up the Ishinca valley.

About Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca Region

Since I first discovered Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca region of the Andes I’ve returned there excitedly each time and enjoyed its peculiar mix of simplicity, practicality and its indistinct purpose. It’s not an obvious tourist destination. It’s a ‘city’ of half built 3 to 5 storey buildings, with about 75,000 residents and a sprawling marketplace.

Huaraz is 400km north of Lima, takes 8 hours by bus. I recommend taking one of the overnight services as this will get you into Huaraz with minimal fuss, especially if you arrive mid to late afternoon into Lima and are short on time, or don’t want to spend it checking into a Hotel in Lima to move on again first thing in the morning. You will climb up the mountain roads in relative luxury (almost flat or completely flat bus seats), and acclimatize as you sleep as the bus reaches over 4000m, about an hour before it arrives into Huaraz.

I still don’t understand why the town has so many unfinished buildings, the rooftops generally being flat with tufts of ironwork sprouting from the corners ready to be bound by concrete. Some say it’s a tax dodge, as an unfinished building won’t have an official sign off and attract the higher rates. But perhaps it’s centuries old nervousness due to earthquakes. The most severe in recent history occurred in 1970, when the tremors caused part of Huascaran Norte to collapse. The subsequent landslide wiped out the town of Yungay killing more than 20,000 inhabitants. Just 100 odd survivors escaped due to being on higher ground were in the cemetery and stadium. The death toll in Huaraz was also significant but paled in comparison to the losses in Yungay.

It is juxtaposed between two mountain ranges – the Cordillera Blanca (White Range) to the East, and the Cordillera Negra (Black Range) to the West. It’s part of the Andes, the longest unbroken mountain chain in the world, stretching 7,000 kilometers through seven countries. You’ll never run out of climbing objectives.

For the ‘first time expedition mountaineer’ it is perfectly set up to challenge all abilities, providing steep rock, ice and snow on its 25 mountains over 6000 metres and more than 50 peaks over 5500m. It isn’t overcommitting in terms of altitude and doesn’t require the average person to consider lengthy sieges or oxygen ferrying logistics.

The best time to visit the region is between the drier months of April to November, with the climbing season generally from May to Sept. This period is known as the Andean summer although it is actually winter. Daytime temperatures in Huaraz (3090m) are actually quite pleasant, and shorts and a t-shirt are perfectly comfortable.

The Ishinca Valley

Each visit to the region has involved a number of warm up climbs in the Ishinca Valley. It’s proximity to Huaraz, the range of climbs available in the valley, the short trek to Base Camp and the broad open camping space make it a perfect place to get acclimatized.

In order to prepare for camping at 4300m in the Ishinca valley we made a couple of day trips to local features and returned each evening to sleep at 3090m in Huaraz.

Our first acclimatization hike to Laguna Wilcacocha (3750m) afforded great views of the Cordillera Blanca. The terrain is pretty simple and trails zig zag across the hillside. We turned around once the altimeter clocked just over 4000m.

The following day, a trip to Laguna Churup pushed this acclimatization up to 4450m. Penny took the plunge into the glacier waters at the foot of the mountain and we both enjoyed lunch and a rest at the lake before descending.

Once installed in the Ishinca valley we elected to use the following day to climb Urus Este (5350m) rather than install a higher camp at the foot of Ishinca. This objective would be a better use of energy and a more desirable outcome – an extra summit. It was a chance to test out technical gear, layering, and get our heart and lungs working up to 5350m without needing to carry heavy packs. As we got closer to the summit the temperature dropped, the wind increased and the cloud that had been looming to the East began to reach us. Some snow flurries added to a sense urgency but the conditions that would normally spell the onset of a storm in New Zealand didn’t progress into anything significant.

The evening back at Base Camp was windy, but the skies were clear and the beautiful array of stars stretched out before us on ‘Sky TV’. Within a short time the moon rose to light up the valley. It was this guiding light that set us up for an early start the following morning.

Nevado Ishinca ‘snow covered mountain' 5530m

The climb of Ishinca started at 4.15am from Base Camp, and despite this being the biggest summit day in terms of vertical metres (0ver 1200m), within just a few hours we had climbed to the edge of the glacier, just over half way to the top.

Ascending the North West slopes Penny broke the crunching of crampons with her occasional ‘Gollum’ noises. When the steepness or the pace became a little too swift the dry heaves came on very quickly but she was used to it signalling that she was moving too fast and within seconds she would readjust and continue uphill.

Enjoying the calm weather and the stunning views from the summit, we made the most of the opportunity to acclimatise and spent an hour hanging out. We opted to descend via the South Western slopes to complete a traverse of the massif, skirting under the steep and dominating North Face of Ranrapalca.

Taking a rest in the Ishinca valley is one of the most rewarding parts of the expedition. We had been active since the first day and this was the enforced break that we needed in order to gather our thoughts and gear up for Tocallaraju, the finale in the Ishinca Valley. It was a chance to check our gear and check our motivations to finish off in style. The weather was cloudy around the tops from early morning with what looked like reasonably strong winds.

Tocllaraju 6034m

We set off at midday from Base Camp and began the steep uphill climb. Until now the donkeys had done the carrying services, but now we were back to New Zealand style pack hauling with all our camp gear and food for our overnight stay at Glacier Camp. By 4pm we reached the soft snow on the glacier and set up our camp. I have never seen another team camp where I like to camp despite the fact that the sun lingers there for longer and it has better views of sunset on Tocllaraju. There are usually no other climbers around making noise, and there’s a plentiful supply of fresh snow for cooking.

We set off the following morning just before 3am and spotted 5 other parties higher up illuminating the trail with their head torches. Within a couple of hours two of the teams had retreated, and after a few more hours we found ourselves out the front, leading up the summit ice cap. The principle of slow and steady had paid off. The summit access changes shape every time I visit, and this was no exception. It was clear from the bottom that the bergschrund wasn’t climbable from the left, but it wasn’t clear exactly how we’d get through the summit cornice until I noticed some axe marks and steps leading 20m to the right. Someone had already done the hard work of excavating the cornice at its narrowest point. On the summit, the sense of space and loftiness is much greater than on either Ishinca or Urus. It was cold but very comfortable to be there.

Henry and Janna joined us shortly afterwards and we shared some summit shots before joining our ropes and beginning the long abseil over the bergschrund. We stopped at Glacier Camp for a brief rest before descending to Base Camp, a little tired, but every bit energized for the achievements we had in the valley.

The following morning we broke up camp and headed back to Huaraz after our week of climbs. One of the greatest things about the climbing in Peru is the ability to return to town quickly, rest, reorganize and set off into the hills again. The restaurants in town are great, but the ability to stock up on the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables is a real treat, not available in places like the Himalaya.

The Santa Cruz Valley – Alpamayo

For our final summit attempt we brought a porter with us from Huaraz. Hugo would be key to helping us get equipment and food up to Col Camp on Alpamayo and allow us to be there 3 nights to make multiple summit attempts if the weather or our energy levels weren’t right.

Some of the Quechuan farmers from the hillside villages had taken to work as porters not for any particular fondness for the mountains, but rather the financial reward. I noticed that their abilities on crampons were often pretty poor and their ability to take the expedition mood up or down with their own demeanor was an instant excuse to not ask for their return. I’d used Hugo’s services a number of years ago and his enthusiasm and ability to climb on with a heavy pack made him an obvious choice.

A delayed start from Cashapampa due to the tardiness and uncooperative nature of the Arriero (Donkey Driver) meant that we set off up the valley with a hiss and a roar, which is never good for the system. It’s a solid 8 hour walk from the road end to Alpamayo Base Camp, and we arrived in daylight to set up camp and eat well before settling down for the night.

Reaching Col Camp involved climbing up dusty trails, moraine and bedrock and a short steep glacier route culminating in a classic ice climb. I’ve seen it in easier condition but this time it was a fun challenge. Just on sunset we poked our heads over the col to catch the last of the evening light on our objective – the Southwest Face of Alpamayo 5947m.

We had squeezed 3 days effort into two solid days walk so we relished the opportunity to rest at Col Camp the following day, and admire the surroundings and the activity of other climbers. A Belgian team returned successfully in the late morning, declaring the experience as exceptionally cold. They were forewarning Penny, who shrugged it off by asking if they were normally ‘pretty hot’.

Alpamayo 5947m Southwest Face

We set off the following morning just after 2am. There was a team of 3 guides already on the face, fixing a rope for their 11 clients. Shortly after departure Penny started to heave up some breakfast, but continued on. For the next half hour our walk was slow and broken as the surges came to Penny. We decided to head back to camp and rest until we could figure out what was causing the nausea and vomiting.

Thankfully, a rest until after sunrise gave Penny the boost she needed and her appetite and enthusiasm to try again was just as strong.

Upon waking the following morning, Penny took an anti nausea tablet and once underway it was clear that it was doing everything it said it promised. Unfortunately though, two pitches up the face, it was also causing the sleepiness and dizziness it had predicted. Thankfully the effects were still manageable and we pressed on, enjoying the great climbing conditions on the face. The first signs of dawn appeared about 4 pitches up the face, and with it the ever-increasing optimism that we would reach our objective.

The climb was shared with 2 other independent parties, pitching their way up, and a party of 9 with 3 guides fixing a single rope for them to jumar their way to the top. I’m happy to say that they were under us for most of the day, and the only bottleneck their presence caused was just before we summited as their team were half up and half coming down on the same rope. It didn’t look pretty for about half an hour, but they managed it without incident.

I reached the summit at 8.15am and I could see in all directions except for the Southeast. There was an obvious change in the weather coming our way and it arrived just a few minutes before Penny arrived on top. Once again though, it was just cloud without wind or precipitation. This was the ultimate reward for persevering and a great result for us. We had the summit to ourselves for 20 minutes before beginning the abseils back to camp.

What I noticed more than anything during the trip was the power of mental stamina. On two mountains we were the last to leave camp, and the first to summit, despite following young and fit climbers. Penny’s experience shaped her ‘can-do’ attitude and made the best of every opportunity no matter how much grunt work or hours of effort were required. I’m pleased to say the result of 4 summits out of 3 is impressive and it’s a benchmark that’ll be hard to beat.

And that’s Peru. If you didn’t already have it in your sights as a mountaineering destination then I hope our adventure has inspired you to visit.