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iceisnice
Jan 25, 2005, 6:23 PM
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Hey, we are going to Peru to do some climbing in the Cordillera Blanca at the end of June. Just looking for info on some good routes that people have been on. Definitely more interested in technical rock/ice routes. Planning on being there for 2 1/2 weeks.
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climbingbetty22
Jan 26, 2005, 12:27 AM
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Can I come???
:lol: :lol:
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akicebum
Jan 26, 2005, 5:01 AM
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There is a guide book/historical reference that got publihsed last year, you might want to give that a look. Beyond that I don't know any real specifics. If that falls through for you, I am going to be in the AK range for most of May and almost all of June. I only have partners lined up for two weeks worth of climbing. Hope you can get the info you need and that you have a sick trip. Check out the Fowler route on Taulliraju. I have had a hard-on for that route for several years, just haven't snuck down there yet.
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iceisnice
Jan 26, 2005, 5:23 AM
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i have a guide book by brad johnson. it has a lot of great info. i was just wondering if there was any other ones out there and what other people's experience has been (ie. any helpful "hands-on" info). this trip is pretty solid though, but thanks for the offer. i'm pretty stoked, it looks like some sweet ice routes.
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michael crowder
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Jan 31, 2005, 11:53 PM
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i have spent four months in the cordelerra. my first advice is that 2.5 weeks is not long enough to properly acclimate and do anything really tall. remember that your starting point in lima is sea level. i generally get to huaraz as quickly as possible, spend two or three days just kicking around town then do a trek. i like to do the santa cruz because it goes over a 15,500 ft pass on the third day and it ends very close to pisco which is a wonderful acclimitization peak. by the time you get back to huaraz you have 10 to 12 days in country. with needing time to get home that leaves a 2.5 week trip tight on time. the difficulty of climbing technical rock or ice at 5,000 to 6,000 meters cannot be accurately described. you best chance at something technical would be the west face of toqlaraju in the ishinka valley with your time restraints. you could go into the valley and knock out uros and ishinka for acclimitization and then rest few days in the valley then go to high camp for toqlaraju. the west face is the most direct way to the summit and is about ten pitches of 60 to 70 degree ice. last year 9 out of 10 parties failed on this route so i say it is technical enough for most. my best advice is not to overextend yourself on your first trip to the andes. although i have seen folks go down there and knock out the huscuran or alpamayo with your time constraints and on their first trip but this is pretty rare. brads book is good and john biggers(sp) is good. i recommend you buy both, take photo copies of the pages in brads you are interested in and take johns book with you everywhere you wander.
michael
http://www.coolclimbing.com
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csproul
Feb 1, 2005, 12:29 AM
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I'd say michael crowder has some good advice and probably knows the area and it's climbs better than I do...but that being said I can only relate my one trip there. I spent 22 days (including travel) and did manage to climb Alpamayo, Huascaran and Cashan in that amount of time. Not exactly real technical routes, and no rock. We went up to Alpamayo after going straight to Hauraz and left for base camp two days later. Not ideal coming from sea level, but I tried to do as many weekend trips in the Sierras as possible to try and prepare fro the altitude. I think it very possible to climb one or two routes in two and a half weeks as long as you know how you do at altitude and make sure the routes are well within your ability (ie you can move fast). Pick a few routes and check with the guide/rescue office (can't remember its real name) in Haurez for up to date conditions when you get there and then go with what is in the best conditions.
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michael crowder
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Feb 1, 2005, 12:40 AM
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good climbing is possible in 2.5 weeks but it is not easy. where you are originating from does have some bearing on your ability. csproul being able to go to the sierras faily often before getting to the andes is an important fact. i live near atlanta and the most altitude i can find to train at is about 5,000 ft. if you live in nederland or some other high point you will do much better. if you live in l.a. it will take longer to acclimate. if you have much time at altitude you should know how you acclimate. just remember that there is a night and day difference between a 14teener and a 6,000 meter peak. be careful and you will have a good time. if you can talk the boss out of a few more days. if you have any more questions let me know. my partner that i climb with down there has over twenty trips to peru under his belt. we offer a base camp service that supplies donkeys, cooks and porters at a very cheap price. all of the folks we work with are guaranteed. you don't lose any time trying to nail down the in-country details.
csproul,
alpamayo, huascaran and cashan in thee weeks is moving pretty fast. good deal.
michael
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markguycan
Feb 1, 2005, 12:53 AM
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near Huaraz a peak called Churup. not terribly high, but said to be very technical mixed rock and ice. We backpacked to the lake below it- stunning! http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=Show&PhotoID=41424
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iceisnice
Feb 2, 2005, 1:39 AM
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thanks for the info. i live at 8,00ft and spend a great deal of time climbing from 10,000-12,000. also, i've been to 18,000 fairly rapidly with no problems. i realize that it is a short period of time (can't get anymore time off), but i think we can get at least two, maybe three peaks in which will be fine for me. i also realize that i'm not a pro at high altitude and this trip will be a learning experience more than anything. a guiding service in durango has been extremely helpful giving me some contacts there too. have any of you used diamox much? if so, have you found it to be helpful? i can get some pretty easily, but i've always been against the use of medications when not really needed. however, because of our rapid ascent time and the short period of time there, i'm considering using it. thanks
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vashie
Feb 2, 2005, 6:19 AM
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Hey iceisnice! Good luck on your trip and be careful.
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thewyseclimber
Feb 2, 2005, 6:34 AM
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I will also be in peru this summer, but unfortunately not climbing...I'm going to study for 3 months through goshen college, and I'm also pretty stoked. I would be the more so if I were going to be climbing, of course. But heck, any time spent in the Andes is time well spent. Good luck with your trip, and take lots of pictures to post up when you get back!
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michael crowder
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Feb 2, 2005, 4:21 PM
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i don't use diamox unless i am feeling really badly. i know lots of folks that tke it automatically for the first few days of the trip. i think this is a goofy practice but each individual knows his own body best. my last two trips to the andes i have taken zero diamox. i take a minimum of a month for the trip and that allows me to take my time acclimatizing. one of my early trips a buddy and i arrived in lima from atlanta, took the bus to huaraz the next morning, hiked into ishinka valley the next day, day four we went to toqlarau high camp at 17,500 and the following morning started climbing. at about 18,500 my partner started puking but continued and at 18,500 i thought my head was going to explode. we ended up turning around at that point. we learned that you can't go from sea level to 18,500 in 5 days though. it was actually quite comical. for altitude sickness lasiks (sp?) are beter than diamox but are diuretics so make sure and drink lots of fluids if you take them. i always have a vial of dexamethazone and a handfull of syrenges in case someone gets really sick but a shot of this means your going down and the trip is over. the worst affliction in south america is usually stomah related so be careful what you eat and drink and where it comes from.
michael
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iceisnice
Feb 2, 2005, 4:27 PM
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thanks a bunch. im not really fond of relying on meds except in emergencies. i'm a paramedic and familiar with lasix. definitely something i don't wanna use. what is the weather like there at the various altitudes?
Ray
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hmonteiro
Feb 2, 2005, 5:05 PM
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Hey,
I haven't climbed in Peru but I did in Chile quite a bit. You can get some information on many routes in Peru from a chilean website ( http://www.andeshandbook.cl). It is in spanish but it has very good information and even pictures so you can check it out. They also have stuff in Bolivia and Argentina as well. It is one of the best sites for info in the Andes.
good luck! And if you need someone to go with you in june-july dont hesitate to PM me!
cheers,
Hektor
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csproul
Feb 2, 2005, 5:21 PM
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I have been at altitude (>600m) both with and without Diamox and I am not sure about it's usefulness. The time I used it I was more poorly acclimated and had no experience at altitude. I also had food poisoning. When I climbed without it, I had more altitude experience and felt I didn't need it. Both times I felt ok up high, but in very different circumstances. It should be taken before you get to altitude by 24-48 hours, so it is not as useful to take after you have problems. It is also a diuretic and you need to take lots of fluids. Also be aware that it will have other side affects such as making your toes and fingers numb and/or tingle, and it will alter the taste of things, especially those that are carbonated (Beer!). Others have told me it helped them sleep better, which can be a problem for high altitudes. With such a short time there, I don’t think it would be a bad idea to use it but try it out before going to Peru (maybe on a 14’er) to make sure it doesn’t have adverse side affects.
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atg200
Feb 2, 2005, 5:49 PM
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i've used diamox once, and i got HAPE on that trip. every other high altitude trip i've taken i did fine with no meds. i think it made me overconfident and i went too high too fast, but i also really don't like taking meds unless i have to so i will not take diamox again.
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michael crowder
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Feb 2, 2005, 8:14 PM
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looks like the crowd goes for climb smart and use meds as a last resort... i am not anti med just anti short cut. short cuts usually cost in the long run. at high camps above 17,000 i have trouble sleeping so i will often take an ambien to help me sleep. some people have blurry vision the next morning after taking ambien so do a test run before hitting altitude. although i have one friend that claims blurry vision beats not sleeping. i am working on a section for my website on high altitude medicine but it is not done yet. i guess i need to get busy on it. you can see what i have on first aid for mountaineering at http://www.coolclimbing.com/firstaid1.htm
michael
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jackscoldsweat
Feb 2, 2005, 9:13 PM
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In reply to: we learned that you can't go from sea level to 18,500 in 5 days though.
agreed.
I went from sea level to 17,500+ in a little under 3.5 days.
Not exactly what I would call fun. But it was an experience in which I learned alot about how I personally react to such enviroments/situations. Which all in all is not that bad considering.
Being in excellent physical shape and learning to listen to your body is the difference. Each one of us reacts differently to thin air. A strong cardio system is essential for higher altitudes.
JCS
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iceisnice
Feb 3, 2005, 2:23 AM
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well, this is turning into a high altitude thread.....hehe....just kidding. i agree with mc, short cuts are what cause most accidents in all aspects of climbing. the largest short cut mistake seems to be not accumulating experience and knowledge slowly. anyhow, thanks for the info on the website mentioned above. it does have some pretty sweet pics and info, however, i don't know a bit of spanish. has anyone been up the Ishinca Valley? More specifically, has anyone climbed the West Face Direct of Tocllaraju or the North Face of Ranrapalca? They look like some very interesting routes and according to Brad Johnson's guide book the Ishnica Valley is a good place to go if you are short on time.
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iceisnice
Nov 16, 2005, 6:27 PM
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the trip went well. learned a lot. got pretty sick. turns out i have an excersice induced asthma. it has never been a problem for me at lower altitudes cuz i'm able to recover. but at high elevations i don't seem to be able to recover at all. looks like i have to use an inhaler for climbs at higher elevations. anyway, the climbing is amazing. don't have too many good pics. most of them turned out to be shit and the only day of great climbing, my camera froze up. anyway, phenominal area with some of the best climbing i've seen. i hope the restrictions they are talking about imposing aren't as severe as they seem. although, they do need some regulation there.
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theledge
Nov 16, 2005, 10:12 PM
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Which peaks did you guys get in? It looks like Urus and Ishinca for sure. Did you get Tocllaraju or Ranranpalca? I was down there in may for a month. I cant wait to go back, especially cause I did not get any of the more technical peaks. The people down there where awesome as well.
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agrauch
Nov 16, 2005, 11:26 PM
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We walked up Urus, tried Tocllaraju, climbed the N. Face of Ranrapalca, then went and had a look at Cayesh. 2 1/2 weeks was definitely not enough time. I definitely want to go back, hopefully the glaciers won't melt too much more in the next few years.
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aw1123
Sep 16, 2010, 4:43 PM
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Hey how's it going? I thought you had some very solid advice and I was wondering if you could help me out a little too. I am going to be staying in Pisco for a couple months to volunteer. I have basically only been climbing for a couple months, but I am already addicted and I don't want to take those months off. I would consider myself a pretty solid 5' 9 - 10 climber. I have only been climbing on routes that have already been bolted. Do you know of any walls in the surrounding areas that are already bolted?
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