Alpine Mountaineering Course in the Cordillera Blanca Mountain Range, Huaraz, Peru

August 2012 (Exact Dates to Come)

The Cordillera Blanca (white mountain range) of Peru is Richard's all-time favorite place to climb. The peaks are distinctive and beautiful, with many reaching elevations over 20,000 feet. The weather tends to be very stable in the climbing season, and there is a great culture of climbing in Huaraz, our "base camp" town at the foot of the mountains.

The Ishinca Valley is surrounded by beautiful mountains that provide an ideal progression for acclimatizing and honing your climbing skills. Our climbing goals are to climb Urus Este, at 17,783' then Ishinca at 18,143', and finally the jewel of the valley, Tocllaraju, a captivating peak rising over 6,000 meters, to 19,800 feet!

In addition to being a great introduction to bigger mountain climbing, the trip is also a true mountaineering course. Under the guidance of a local UIAGM  certified guide you'll learn proper ice axe and crampon technique, self arrest, glacier travel,  establishing alpine camps, and roped travel and rapelling. Even experienced climbers will learn new techniques on this course.

Peru Trip Itinerary:

Day One-Two: Our trip starts in Lima, Peru where you'll be met at the airport. If you are arriving early we'll help you make arrangements in Lima. We'll spend a night in Lima and take a comfortable overnight bus to to the bustling little town of Huaraz, at 10,000'. Walking around Huaraz is an experience in itself. The town is a magnet for the best climbers in the world. It's not unusual to sit down for coffee and recognize the person next to you from a climbing magazine or Patagonia catalog. We'll spend two days in Huaraz, resting from traveling and taking hikes in the hills outside of town to acclimatize.

Day Three: We take an easy half day hike to work on our acclimatization, then return to Huaraz.

Day Four: Today is a full day of hiking to Laguna Churup. At 14,600' it's higher than any point in the contiguous United States, and is considered by many to be the most beautiful lake in the Andes. We'll return to Huaraz for our last night before the Ishinca Valley.

Day Five: From Huaraz, it's off to the Ishinca Valley. We'll have mules to carry our loads, giving us a pleasant hike up through fields and forest to reach our base camp at approximately 14,400 feet. From our camp in the grassy valley we can see all our objectives- Urus, Ishinca and Tocllaraju.

Day Six: Today we set off for the Ishinca Glacier, where we'll work on glacier travel skills and roped travel.

Day Seven: We set our sights on the summit of Ishinca! Our first peak will involve the glacier travel skills we worked on yesterday. There's steep snow and glacier traveling, and a full day's work to get to the top and back down. After our trip toIshinca we'll return to our base camp in the valley.

Day Eight: A well deserved rest day in camp. We'll use the rest day to review skills, and crevasse rescue practice.

Day Nine: An early start from camp as we set out to summit Urus, the second of our three objectives in the valley. It's a full day to make it to the summit and back to camp.

Day Ten: Rest day in camp.

Day Eleven: Move to Tocllaraju high camp- this is a full day, and the only day that involves carrying a full pack as we move camp. You'll learn the finer points of picking a high camp location, as well as campcraft on a mountain.

Day Twelve: Our third objective, the 6,000 meter summit of Tocllaraju! Our route crosses a glacier, and ascends steep snow as we approach the summit. We'll return to our high camp, pack up and descend to base camp.

Day Thirteen: We say good bye to the Ishinca Valley, and hike back to the small village of Collón. From there we drive back to Huaraz.

Day Fourteen: Today it's back to Lima by bus. Evening flights out of Lima are possible, or overnight in Lima.

Day Fifteen: Depart Lima

The summit of each peak rewards you with awesome views of the Cordillera Blanca, the Rio Santa Valley and the Cordillera Negra.

A detailed itinerary and gear list is available upon request.

Trip includes:

* This trip is led by a professional mountaineering guide, certified by the UIAGM
* Shared accommodations in Huaraz
* All meals while on the mountain
* Group camping gear- tents, kitchen tent and equipment, etc.
* Mules to carry gear to base camp.
* Bus transportation from Lima to Huaraz and back.

Please do not book airline tickets for this trip until you have been confirmed on the trip!

Pricing:
OAC Member: $2500
Non-member: $2600

Not included in the trip price is:

* Airfare to Lima
* Hotels in Lima
* Restaurant meals in Huaraz and Lima
* Personal climbing and camping gear

Let us know if you have any questions about trip. Please send inquiries to peru@OutdoorAdventureClub.com or call 415-377-1195.

Ready to sign up? Download our registration form and either scan and email it to us at peru@OutdoorAdventureClub.com, or fax it to 415 771 1891 ATTN: Richard