Ascent To Pisco
-Day 01
Move to nevado Pisco Morrena camp (4,900m / 16075 ft). The walk to Pisco base camp can be steep and difficult in the warm mid-day sun, so an early start is advisable. The small trees and forests provide some cool shade until the altitude provides a coolness of its own. The path meanders from the valley floor, crossing several rivers, before ascending the mountain side. Finally, the sparse trees give way to an open valley at the head of which we will find the base camp and refuge "Peru." The head of the valley is dominated by a large moraine, which bounds the right flank of the Huandoy glacier. The path will now take us straight up the steep moraine. Once on the crest, we will walk along the top facing towards Huandoy before descending steeply down the other side and on to the boulder-covered glacier below. There are many footpaths marked by "hitos" that lead across the glacier to the far side. Morrena Camp is located amongst boulders beside a small mountain lake at the tip of the Pisco glacier. Time: 4 to 6 hours, from Cebollapampa.
-Day 02
3 AM. Start the ascent to the summit. We will reach the glacier just beyond the lake and follow it without difficulty to the Huandoy-Pisco Col (5,350m / 17,550 ft). From there, the route climbs broad slopes towards the summit. Although never too steep (up to 35°), we will need to be careful in picking our route through crevasses and over snow bridges before approaching the final summit section. Here we may encounter the steepest snow slope, a short pitch of 40°, before pulling on to the summit. Our ascent will be rewarded by absolutely brilliant views, especially of Chacraraju and Huascaran, our next objective. Return to the base camp
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Day 03
Descent to Cellopamapa and return to Huaraz
- Day 04
We will rest in Huaraz. |
