Rotator Placeholder Image
 
  • Mt. Bierstadt Group Summit - Front Range, Colorado
  • A rest before the summit push on Dallas Peak - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Broken Ankle + 6 Miles = Tired
  • The classic San Juan approach - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Overlooking Noname Basin from Twin Thumbs Pass - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Upper Noname Basin - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Nearing Noname Cabin - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Twin Thumbs Twins - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Nearing the summit of Pt. 13,736 - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • Blustery day on Iowa Peak - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • Morning snow at 15k, Cerro Ramada - Cordillera Ramada
  • Artesonraju from the summit of Nevado Pisco - Cordillera Blanca, Peru
  • February crowds on Gray's Peak - Front Range, Colorado
  • Kicking steps on Cerro Lliani - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • Final traverse to the summit of Wheeler Mountain - Ten Mile Range, Colorado
  • The long walk to Pachanta - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • banner31
    Afternoon at 17k on Cerro Ramada - Cordillera Ramada, Argentina
  • banner22
    The final ridge on Iowa Peak - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • Summer summit on Longs Peak - Front Range, Colorado
  • A rest day at the Pachanta Hot Springs - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • Mind over matter on Mt. Parnassas - Front Range, Colorado
  • Rest stop on Cerro Lliani - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • banner30
    Post nap surprise on Cerro Ramada - Cordiller Ramada, Argentina
  • Summit on Cerro Lliani - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • banner23
    Ridge walking on Grizzly Peak - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • Enroute the summit via the West Ridge on Pacific Peak - Ten Mile Range, Colorado
  • Mule train bound for Chilca - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • Taking in the view from Fletcher Peak - Ten Mile Range, Colorado
  • Hiking on Silverheels - Mosquito Range, Colorado
  • Traversing! Gladstone Peak - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • banner24
    The best of times at Willow Lake - Sangre de Christo Range, Colorado
  • banner29
    High Altitude Cerebral Edema? - Cordillera Ramada, Argentina
  • Bound for Chilca - Vilcanota Range, Peru
  • Going alpine light, Holy Cross Ridge - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • Cumbre! Campa I - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • Roadside lunch with the best of company - Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
  • banner25
    Long ridge walk to the summit of California Peak - Sangre de Christo Range, Colorado
  • banner28
    Crossing el Rio Colorado . . . in the afternoon - Cordillera Ramada, Argentina
  • banner37
    Dealing with Fall snows high on Casco Peak - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • Moonrise over Mercedario - Cordillera Ramada, Argentina
  • Still climbing at 20,900 on Cerro Ramada - Cordiller Ramada, Argentina
  • Talus on Halo Ridge, Mt. of the Holy Cross - Sawatch Range, Colorado
  • banner26
    Deteriorating conditions on Mt. Arkansas - Ten Mile Range, Colorado
  • banner27
    After the climb - Cordillera Ramada, Argentina
  • banner38
    Taking in the view from the summit of Crystal Peak - Tenmile Range, Colorado
  • Topping out on Mt. Arkansas' North Couloir - Mosquito Range, Colorado
  • Glissade on Mt. Arkansas - Mosquito Range, Colorado
  • Hard snow morning on Teakettle Mountain - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Spring snow announces the start of the climb on Dallas Peak - San Juan Range, Colorado
  • Crossing the Eolus Catwalk - San Juan Range, Colorado

Pequeno Alpamayo Route Photos

Photos of our route as climbed during the 2nd week of August 2007
 

View from Condoriri basecamp at eastern shore of Lago Chiar Kota. The route to the glacier departs the center of the camp and leads through the valley to the glacier. The route is mostly unmarked but traveled well enough to make following easy, even during the course of an early morning approach. Our approach to the toe of the glacier required about 50 minutes from the base camp. There is boulder at the terminus of the trail with red paint marks on it. That appears to be the "jumping on" point for the glacier at this time.

 

The route climbs the toe of the glacier, crossing bare ice for the first quarter mile, during our trip (remember it was August for us). The various herd paths came together when snow again covered the glacier, forming a well compacted and somewhat easy (in the dark) to childishly simple (daylight) to follow path up the glacier. The glacier has a number of rolls with terrain steeper than depicted on the photos. Though many climbers solo the route, the start of the glacier is the rope up point for anyone wishing to survive a crevasse fall.

 

The well trodden path led up to the saddle between Tarija on the right and Wyoming on the left. The beaten trail turned sharply left just below the saddle to traverse the base of a bergshrund and cross a major crevasse on the left. Above the crevasse the trail cut hard right and climbed the flank of Tarija. We took note on the way down that the shiny slope on Wyoming was shedding blocks of snow that might make it to the herd path if the volume of fall was significant.

 

Once atop Tarija, it is down the back side through class 4 terrain to the saddle connecting with Pequeno Alpamayo. The down climb had good hand holds and presented little challenge for us as we were used to similar terrain in our Rocky Mountains. After the down climb, we crossed a little bit of snow, down climbed a softening snow slope and traversed to the start of the climb proper up Pequeno Alpamayo. We kept in mind that the crossing was along a cornice and watched our footing along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once across the saddle it was a case of up and over two times before we took on more than a full 70m rope length of 60 degree blue glacier ice with thin neve cover. Some climbers are soloing, local guides seem to pitch it out and bring up their clients. Our style was simul-climbing with a screw to protect the start and two pickets following. Once atop, we enjoyed the briefly mellow slope and then completed the climb to the summit, again on blue ice with a tin neve cover. The use of fall protection is a matter of discretion but for us, protection was the better part of valor . . .the photos tells the story . . . there is some serious runout.