Mountaineering in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru

In 2002 we'll again be running an expedition to climb Huascaran 6768m, the highest peak in the Cordillera Blanca and the highest peak in Peru. We'll climb by the normal route up the west slopes from the village of Musho. It usually takes three days to reach the high camp in the col known as Garganta at 6000m. We will then attempt both the South and the North peaks before spending two days descending to Musho. The most difficult part of the ascent is usually passing through the large icefall to reach the Garganta camp. Both summits are approximately alpine PD in standard, but the difficulty of the crevasses can be very variable.

The expedition will be based in the town of Huaraz situated at a height of 3000m at the foot of the mountains and we will make two short acclimatisation trips into the Cordillera Blanca before attempting Huascaran. There will be opportunities to do some trekking and to climb one or two lower peaks (5500-6000m) during this first phase of the expedition.

For the more technically minded there's the unique opportunity to join our expedition to Alpamayo 5947m before the ascent of Huascaran. Alpamayo is in the north of the range - we climb by the beautifully sculpted southwest face on ice to 60º. Alpamayo is a difficult peak for those with experience of winter climbing to grade III, or Alpine climbing to AD. For details see our Alpamayo page. The combined expedition will give a trip of 30 days.

To view the full expedition dossier click here   

To view our booking conditions and form click here