Chopicalqui

After a successful summit of Pisco and an excellent effort on Chopicalqui, our team has some great memories of a few weeks in the Cordillera Blanca. As they arrive home, another team has arrived in Huaraz to begin their mission, beginning with an attempt of Alpamayo's French Direct Route. Stay tuned.

We just thought we'd post a snapshot of Mike Stone and Will Renner on the summit of Pisco. There will be more to come. Right now they are back in town enjoying a well-deserved breakfast after high winds turned them around on Chopicalqui.

After 3 days of rest and a bit of a storm in basecamp, the team began its move on Chopicalqui. Chopicalqui, at 20,848 feet is one of the biggest peaks in the Americas, and a true expedition peak. Climbing it entails placing three camps, carrying big loads on a big glacier with loads of crevasses, and wild summit day climbing on a knife-edge ridge, steep ice faces, and a double corniced finish. 

For the fourteenth year in a row, Alpenglow's guides will be leading groups on the peaks of the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. The season begins tomorrow with lead guide Jaime Avila meeting the Pisco and Chopicalqui group in Lima. These two peaks are a great next step to our introductory high altitude climbs. Each of the mountains require three camps as the team moves up from the green valleys to the moraines and ultimately onto huge crevassed glaciers. Pisco is first, famous for its stellar views of the entire Blanca range. Stay tuned for dispatches from the mountain!

Our team of recent Wharton grads have brought us good luck and great weather so far this year! The weather has been stunning during our past week in the mountains and it was culminated by a warm, cloudless, windless summit day on Pisco (19,200)ft. After four days of setting camps progressively higher on the peak (acclimatizing and reviewing skills), our two teams made a 2am start to go for the summit. Tom Frasier climbed with Jaime, while Amit Kapur and Vijay Mayadas shared a rope with Adrian.

Our team of recent Wharton grads have brought us good luck and great weather so far this year! The weather has been stunning during our past week in the mountains and it was culminated by a warm, cloudless, windless summit day on Pisco (19,200)ft. After four days of setting camps progressively higher on the peak (acclimatizing and reviewing skills), our two teams made a 2am start to go for the summit. Tom Frasier climbed with Jaime, while Amit Kapur and Vijay Mayadas shared a rope with Adrian.

First, a quick apology that this dispatch did not go up sooner. While we left the mountains two days ago, we have been keeping a hectic schedule of eating huge meals, drinking coffee, sleeping plenty, and celebrating our climbs of Pisco and Chopicalqui. Chopicalqui was a difficult climb, and only 2 of us (Tom and Adrian) stood on its true summit. But it was a proud day regardless. 3 more of our team (Vijay, Andrew, and Jaime) were stopped only 150 meters below the summit when a key snow bridge across a crevasse collapsed.