Get ready to learn mountaineering skills or upgrade your existing skills in the alpine!
Welcome to Lima! Upon landing in the capital Lima, you are free to explore this beautiful city as you wish. We will later meet at the bus station (or get a direct transport from the airport to the bus station) where we will take the first-class night bus to Huaraz (approximately an 8-hour journey) where we will spend a couple of days to acclimatize. Overnight in bus.
Today starts with an orientation meeting at your hotel in the morning to review your itinerary, answer questions, and finalize all the logistical details of the trip. After that, you head out on a 4-hour acclimatization hike to the Puka Ventana (“red window”) outside of tow, where you’ll get great views of the entire Cordillera Blanca range from North the South. You'll spend the night in your Huaraz hotel.
Today you'll have a day hike to the turquoise waters of Laguna Churup (4500 meters). The hike will be approximately 5 hours long in total. You'll spend one more night in your Huaraz hotel.
It's time to leave the hotel, pack your bags and go! Today you will be transported to Cebollapampa, the trailhead of a popular day hike destination called "Lake 69" with all of your equipment for the course. You’ll take one final acclimatization hike to the lake located at approximately 4750m, then return to where you started to camp in a nice meadow at 4000m.
You will wake up in Cebollapampa, have breakfast and pack-up camp while you wait for the vehicle to arrive with some other course participants who did not participate in the acclimatization hikes. Once both groups are united, you will load up the porters and hike to basecamp (approximately 3 hours) to begin your course curriculum! You'll be exposed to some preliminary skills, including introduction to mountaineering & hazard management, equipment use and care, climbing knots, and altitude physiology!
Today you will use crampons and ice-axe to hike for about 30 minutes on glaciers. Some of the practical skills you will learn today include walking with crampons, kicking steps/following tracks, using an ice axe to walk and self belay, self-arrest, team arrest, rope team travel techniques, and snow/ice anchors.
Things are starting to get more serious day by day! Class begins in the morning after breakfast just like yesterday. Today, you'll study belay systems, equalized anchors, and haul systems – all components of the crevasse rescue system. After thoroughly understanding the system on dry land, you will 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.
Class also begins in the morning. You will head up to glaciers to practice various techniques and scenarios of glacier travel. You and other course participants will take charge of their rope teams using the skills learned in the previous 2 days and will be presented with problems to solve pertaining to terrain, hazards, group management, etc… You will wander through crevasse fields and up/down steep slopes where both running and fixed belays will be used as well as another crevasse rescue will be performed. Afterwards, you will head to an ice wall to learn a top-rope anchor system for ice climbing. 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 day's climbing objective.
Today marks the crowning achievement of your course so far! You will apply all the skills you have learned and head up to the glacier to begin the summit attempt in your rope team(s). Depending upon snow conditions, weather, and team health/fitness, the summit can be reached in 4-6 hours. The descent will take 3-4 hours and you should be back in camp by mid afternoon 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.
After breakfast, you will pack up camp with everyone else, and begin the hike out to the road where your bus transport will be waiting for the return to Huaraz. Upon arrival at the base office where you got all your gear, gear will be unloaded from the vehicle and all equipment accounted for. The course ends here but your journey to Huaraz continues. You'll spend the night in your Huaraz hotel.
This is your final day in Huaraz so if you need to do some last minute shopping for family and friends, make sure you do so before departing for Lima at 11 AM by the morning bus. You should arrive at the airport or your hotel by 8 PM. You could also spend that day in Huaraz enjoying the alpine town then take the night bus back to Lima for a morning or afternoon flight the next day.
Between the months of May and September, Peru experiences their dry season. During these months, the climate stays surprisingly stable and predictable. In Huaraz, you can expect temperatures between 40º F (0º C) at night and 70 º F (20º C) during the day, with occasional rain. In the mountains and at higher altitude, it will be colder.
Mountaineering is physically demanding and require continuous physical effort. At a minimum, you should be able to run two mountain miles in 20 minutes or less and be able to walk 10 miles in one day. Embarking on a fitness regiment once you have signed up is imperative to your comfort and success on your trip.
Huaraz is located at 3100 meters (approx. 11,000 feet) above sea level. Most people who arrive from lower elevations experience some shortness of breath, dizziness, insomnia, and a loss of appetite as their bodies adjust during the first few days. All of our guided trips and courses allow for proper acclimatization prior to ascending to high altitudes. For more information, check www.high-altitude-medicine.com.
You can expect an arranged transport from the airport in Lima to Huaraz and back. If you are spending the night in Lima, you will have your hotel room arranged and transportation to and from the hotel, airport, and bus station set. Spanish speaking ability is not required as the driver will know your trip details and ensure you are well taken care of while in the city. You can expect English speaking staff in the hotels in Lima and Huaraz.
Overall Difficulty
Technical Skills
Days
Fitness level
Altitude
$2,300
