Cordillera Blanca, 6-day mountaineering course in Peru

We will depart Huaraz early in the morning and drive to the Yanapaqcha trailhead. Load up the porters and hike into basecamp (approx. 3 hours) to begin your course curriculum! Preliminary skills begin this day including an introduction to mountaineering & hazard management, equipment use and care, climbing knots and glacier travel.

Have breakfast, and get prepared for a day on the glacier. Hike about 30 minutes up to the ice and begin with practical skills including ice climbing, walking with crampons, kicking steps/following tracks, using an ice ax to walk and self-belay, self-arrest, team arrest, rope team travel techniques, and snow/ice anchors. Around 4.00 pm, wrap up for the day and descend back to camp for a delicious dinner and some sleep.

Breakfast is at 8:00 am and the class begins at 9:00 am. Spend the morning in the campsite learning belay systems, equalized anchors, and haul systems – all components of the crevasse rescue system. After thoroughly understanding the system on dry land (and some lunch), head out to the to put your new skills to the test on the snow. The entire afternoon is dedicated to the practice of this important skill, “crevasse rescue”, which is a common hazard of all glaciated climbs. Return to camp at about 5:30, have dinner and get to sleep.

Leave the campsite at 8.30 a.m. and head up to the ice to practice various techniques and scenarios of glacier travel. Participants take charge of their rope teams using the skills learned in the previous 2 days and are presented with problems to solve pertaining to terrain, hazards, group management, etc. You will wander through crevasse fields and up/down steep slopes where we will use both running and fixed belays. We will also perform another crevasse rescue. Afterward, head to an ice wall to learn a top-rope anchor system for ice climbing. The basic climbing technique will be discussed as well as lead climbing as there is interest. That afternoon a pre-summit discussion will take place and plans will begin for the following days climbing objective. Participants will determine what needs to be done in preparation for the climb (route recon, equipment prep, rope team divisions, food & water prep) and divide up the responsibilities amongst themselves. Dinner will be served around 5 pm and everyone will get to sleep early in anticipation of the next days climb.

Rise and shine about 3:00 am for breakfast and gearing up for the climb. Head up to the glacier and begin the summit attempt in your rope team(s). Depending upon snow conditions, weather, and team health/fitness, the summit can be reached in 4 to 5 hours. The descent will take 3-4 hours and you should be back in camp by midafternoon for a warm lunch and some rest. Those who wish to continue with skills will head back up to the glacier or to a location where the instructor(s) can work on anything participants still want to learn/practice.

Have Breakfast, pack up camp, and begin the hike out to the road where transport will be waiting for the return to Huaraz.