Alpamayo and Quitaraju
Alpamayo (19,512 feet) is the gem of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. Ever since it was first climbed in 1951, alpinists have been flocking to attempt its fluted Southwest Face. Many fledgling high altitude climbers consider this peak a culmination of their early climbing careers. It has often been named by climbers, magazines, and trekkers, “the most beautiful mountain in the world”. Alpamayo deserves these accolades. Summit day consists of 1,500 feet of perfect two-tooled ice and neve (styrofoam-like snow) climbing on a flawless fluted face. You know you are close to reaching the top when you begin to see light through the face from the other side. And on a good year, you can actually top out on the summit ridge, with one foot dangling down each of its almost vertical faces.
Getting to this point requires hard work and solid mountaineering and ice climbing skills. Before reaching the famed summit face we must approach over 25 kilometers, place two lower camps, and carry heavy packs filled with climbing equipment and food over 4,000 feet of moraine, scree, and steep glaciated terrain. Alpamayo is the perfect place to integrate light alpine climbing techniques into your bag of tricks. It is ideal for combining previous high altitude climbing experience with steep ice climbing skills. When you leave Alpamayo you should feel ready to be a competent team-member on big alpine peaks around the world.
And there is an added bonus to this expedition. Alpamayo’s col camp is also an ideal high camp to attempt Quitaraju (19,820 feet). Quitaraju’s North Face hosts another long alpine two-tool ice and neve route. While it is not quite as steep as Alpamayo, it is longer, boasting over 12 rope-lengths of ice climbing to its summit. After climbing Alpamayo, we should have the efficiency necessary to complete this long route in a single push.
Our Alpamayo and Quitaraju Expedition will be guided by one or more of Alpenglow’s AMGA certified lead guides. AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) certification is the highest possible training available to guides, and only the most experienced and dedicated attain it. Our lead guides have also traveled and climbed extensively in South America and know the Peruvian Andes intimately. Their knowledge of Andean culture as well as the mountains, combined with their passion for teaching others to become competent mountaineers, guarantees that your experience will be one to remember!
We combine our guides’ experience with the local expertise of our close friend, expert Peruvian logistics operator, and incredible cook, Alfredo Ibarra. A highlight of your trip will be waking up each morning to Alfredo’s smile, hot coffee, and tasty pancakes. Our small team size and low ratio of climbers to guides (2:1) ensures that you stay healthy and strong, and are able to enjoy each component of your experience.
Day 1:
Leave USA for Peru (Saturday). Flights should arrive in Lima between 6pm and midnight.
Day 2:
Drive to Huaraz (8 hours) in our private van, where we base out of a small but beautiful hotel (10,000 feet).
Day 3:
An acclimatization and organization day in Huaraz.
Day 4:
Drive to our trailhead in the village of Cashapampa (9,000 feet). This 3 hour drive takes us through beautiful farming communities as we head between the spines of the Cordillera Negra and the Cordillera Blanca. After organizing our burros, we hike with daypacks to Llama Corral (11,500 feet), where we camp for the night.
Day 5:
Continue trekking past the Santa Cruz lakes until we turn up into the hanging valley that sits beneath Alpamayo. We place our base camp at treeline, approximately 13,500 feet.
Day 6:
Today we make a carry of equipment to moraine camp (16,000 feet), at the edge of the glacier. After stashing our gear we return to Base Camp for one of Alfredo’s famous feasts.
Day 7:
Rest day in Base Camp. We use the day to review advanced rope skills, organize gear and food for the climb, and eat all of Alfredo’s creations.
Day 8:
Move to Moraine Camp.
Day 9:
Today we step onto the glacier making our move to Col Camp (18,000 feet). Often one of the most challenging days of the expedition, we will be climbing on a broken glacier and then up as many as three two-tool ice and neve pitches, all with our full backpacks! Col Camp boasts one of the best views from a high camp in the entire world. The alpenglow that lights up the Southwest face is what inspired our company’s name!
Day 10:
If we are well acclimatized and strong, we will attempt the summit of Alpamayo (19,512 feet) today. The route to the summit has a 1-2 hour approach across a steep glacier before crossing the bergshrund onto the South-West Face. Then 6-9 pitches (depending on whether we climb the Ferrari or Italian Route) of two-tool (55-70 degrees) ice and neve take us to just below the summit ridge. Traditionally, a final hard, steep pitch puts us on top, where in a good year we can straddle the ridge (one foot on each side hanging over 2000 + foot faces) and work our way to the true summit. We rappel the route tom descend, and then return to our high camp.
Day 11:
Rest day in Col Camp.
Day 12:
Quitaraju (19, 820) Summit Day! If we have it in us, we will have the opportunity to attempt this second peak, which shares the same high camp as Alpamayo. A short trek across the glacier and we step onto the North Face. While the face is not quite as steep as Alpamayo, it is significantly longer. The route to the summit is often 12+ pitches of two-tool neve, with the upper pitches frequently consisting of soft sugar snow fins. Since we are in the Southern Hemisphere, this face gets early morning sun, and we will need to be descending before noon, back to our col camp.
Day 13:
Descend to Base Camp.
Day 14:
Sunrise in the Santa Cruz valley finds us riding horses out the 25 kilometers to Cashapampa. Once there, our van returns us to Huaraz, where we celebrate with hot showers, a great meal, and salsa dancing at the local discotheque.
Day 15:
Leave Huaraz by van. Catch an evening (8pm or later) flight from Lima (Saturday).
Day 16:
Arrive in the USA (Sunday).
