Yanapaccha, Peru 2007
5460m, AD
June 19-20, 2007

Taken from the trip report:

3:30am: we are on our way after a drink and some food. I got ready first at the base of the ice, and fired off the first pitch onto the glacier - it is quite steep for the first 10 meters, and then eased off. I pounded in a picket at about 40 meters, and belayed John up. The others followed and we formed a rope team of 4 for the glacier. Quite quickly we arrived at the face, and switched back to two teams of two. At one point John was leading and trying to find a place to cross the bergschrund on the right side, when he dropped his headlamp. He was almost directly above me and I heard something sliding on the snow - with two sideways steps, I reached with my ice tool and snagged it with a swing of my pick. It was one of those sweet moments. Our route didn't go, so we downclimbed to join the others at the spot they had found on the far left. Crossing the bergschrund was one of the scariest thing I've done - it was huge, and the bridge wasn't particularly well-travelled, but it supported us. To get onto the face, you had to plunge both tools' shafts and pull up, meanwhile trying to find a foothold that supported bodyweight - then you could move up. We pitched out the terrain, even though we originally intended on simulclimbing. Now we were in the clouds, and it was cold and very windy as well. Soon we were at the ridge. From there, one pitch (with a scary 70 degree step of snow onto the ridge) and we were onto the summit!

To descend, we did a combination of solo downclimbing and rappelling (nobody wanted to downclimb the bergschrund). I did a quick Abalakov to get off the steep lip of the glacier, too. We quickly made it back to camp, and me and John packed up our things, heading back to Cebollapampa. I was tired, but the thought of a Shower meal kept me going - and it was well justified, as it turned out! The two Toms stayed in camp for the night and joined us the next morning.

  Shower helping us carry a load to Yanapaccha moraine camp Tom hiking up the steep slopes to moraine camp  
  Shower helping us carry a load to Yanapaccha moraine camp Tom hiking up the steep slopes to moraine camp

  the broken up glacier as seen as we approach moraine camp  
  the broken up glacier as seen as we approach moraine camp

  John nearing moraine camp the lake where we camped the lake where we camped  
  John nearing moraine camp the lake where we camped the lake where we camped

  a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before) a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before)  
  a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before) a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before)

  a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before) a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before) Chopicalqui and the two Huascarans from the way up Yanapaccha at sunrise  
  a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before) a pitch of steep ice to get onto the glacier (scoping it out the day before) Chopicalqui and the two Huascarans from the way up Yanapaccha at sunrise

  Huandoys at sunrise as seen from partway up Yanapaccha Chopicalqui and the two Huascarans from the way up Yanapaccha at sunrise John leading up steep snow  
  Huandoys at sunrise as seen from partway up Yanapaccha Chopicalqui and the two Huascarans from the way up Yanapaccha at sunrise John leading up steep snow

  John leading up steep snow John belaying me as I find a way across the sketchy bergshrund John climbing steep snow after having crossed the bergshrund  
  John leading up steep snow John belaying me as I find a way across the sketchy bergshrund John climbing steep snow after having crossed the bergshrund

  John climbing steep snow after having crossed the bergshrund John climbing steep snow after having crossed the bergshrund John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha  
  John climbing steep snow after having crossed the bergshrund John climbing steep snow after having crossed the bergshrund John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha

  John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha  
  John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha John climbing steep snow to join me near the summit of Yanapaccha

  the summit John climbing John climbing  
  the summit John climbing John climbing

   
 

  me at the summit me at the summit downclimbing  
  me at the summit me at the summit downclimbing

  downclimbing downclimbing me posing  
  downclimbing downclimbing me posing

  soloing down the face after we rappelled the bergshrund rappelling the bergshrund  
  soloing down the face after we rappelled the bergshrund rappelling the bergshrund

  descending the glacier descending the glacier I quickly fired in an Abalakov and we rappelled off the steep lip of the glacier  
  descending the glacier descending the glacier I quickly fired in an Abalakov and we rappelled off the steep lip of the glacier

  John rappelling A Peruvian cairn Huascarans at sunset  
  John rappelling A Peruvian cairn Huascarans at sunset

  my 30kg backpack an amazing meal prepared by Shower as I rolled back into camp... waking up happy after a 12-hour sleep the next morning  
  my 30kg backpack an amazing meal prepared by Shower as I rolled back into camp... waking up happy after a 12-hour sleep the next morning

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