Huayhuash Trek: how to, route and a lot of tips.


Publiziert von nprace , 7. September 2014 um 22:39.

Region: Welt » Peru
Tour Datum: 9 August 2014
Wandern Schwierigkeit: T5 - anspruchsvolles Alpinwandern
Hochtouren Schwierigkeit: ZS
Klettern Schwierigkeit: II (UIAA-Skala)
Wegpunkte:
Geo-Tags: PE 
Zeitbedarf: 13 Tage
Zufahrt zum Ausgangspunkt:Lima --> Huaraz --> Chiquilan --> Llamac --> Quertelain
Zufahrt zum Ankunftspunkt:Llamac --> Huaraz --> Lima
Kartennummer:Huayhaush 3c: Österreichische Alpenverein

The Huayhuash Trek is considered by many to be the best alpine trek in the world. Indeed the combination of altitude, proximity to massive ice faces, solitude, views, normally stable weather and numerous possibilities for interesting ascents give this trek many features of interest.  The Huayhuash massif is a relatively small group of limestone and volcanic mountains in central Peru roughly 100 km south of the Cordillera Blanca. The group of known  in the popular media for being the scene of the climbing drama recounted in Joe Simpson's excellent book 'Touching the Void' however it is also known for other very difficult and technical climbs on 6000m+ peaks like the Yerupaja, Jirischanca, Rasac and Suila Grande. It is a land of very steep ice faces, massive fractured glaciers, beautiful glaciers lakes, wide open plains and condors. We had the pleasure of seeing this spectacular massif for nearly two weeks and logged some of the most spectacular mountain days of our lives.

The purpose of this report is to provide information for others who may be interested in this doing this trek. We researched a lot before leaving but some key questions could only be answered onsite. I hope this helps future trekkers...or hikrs.... So without further delay: here's how to Huayhuash.

Type of trek: on your own or with the donkeys?
The first decision to make is where you wish to go on your own, in a group and unsupported or supported. This depends a lot on your philosophy, your budget and may depend a lot on your route.

  • Going with a group can save some money (not a lot however) and may mean that you are in a large group with people you may or may not like who may or may not have competence in the mountains. It is my strong recommendation to go with people with whom you WANT to share this experience with and not with a randomly assembled group.

  • Unsupported trekking means you carry everything yourself. This adds a great feeling of accomplishment, makes you completely independent, can camp wherever your want and lowers the costs significantly (assuming you have all the equipment). On the flipside, you will need to carry a huge, heavy bag for long days over high passes and at high altitude over sometimes difficult and tedious terrain. We met two such trekkers (known as 'mochilleros' in Peru). One of them was a big & strong Norwegian with a lot of experience in the outdoors. He was carrying for a 10 day conventional route a 95L backpack which weighed 36kg at the start. Another american girl was doing a 9 day conventional route with a 45L backpack and about 40L outside the backpack with a total weight of 40kg at the start. Needless to say, they were not fast, they were not doing a technically challenging route and they were not mountaineering. They were also not doing additional climbs from the passes to the small peaks. Further their menus were quite simple and they had spent a fair amount of time in Huaraz not acclimatizing but buying food and packing.

  • Supported trekking means that you start with a caravan of donkeys, a donkey driver ('arriero'), a cook and a guide. In good supported trekking the agencies provide a tent and mats and sleeping bags which may present and important cost point. This was our program. In this manner you walk with only a day pack (depending on the route), and are light and fast and have time to explore from the camps or do other climbs from the passes. You also have time to acclimatize properly when in Huaraz and enjoy sometimes surprising local food found by the cook or guide in the mountains such as trout and lake grapes. It  however makes the trek much more expensive and may lower the feeling of accomplishment. For me it took some time to get used to being served tea in the morning or having someone else set up our tent, but this is a philosophical question I will not debate here. I present more below to program and costs, but as a first reference we (2 people) paid 83$ / person / day for a 10 day fully supported Trek.

  • A third option is to go supported but without a guide. In this manner you have a cook and an arriero, who take care of the heavy gear and you determine your own route.There were a couple of groups doing the conventional route in this manner.


Do you need a guide?
According to our agency, the guide cost us 50$ /person /day and was the highest cost item on this Trek. It is therefore reasonable to ask. I would answer this question in the following manner based on one of three options.
a) If you are doing the conventional route: NO. It is technically very easy and impossible to get lost and there are enough people on it to always ask a guide if you don't know where to go.
b) If you are doing a non conventional route (such as the one presented in this report) and are NOT experienced or comfortable with mountain travel on glaciers and without a trail: ABSOLUTELY.
c) This was our case: If you are doing a non conventional route (such as the one presented in this report) and ARE experienced in mountain travel on glaciers and without a trail: NICE TO HAVE. The main problem we found was the lack of pictures or route descriptions for the individual days (another reason why I am writing this report) and we decided for a guide.

Route 
The conventional Huayhuash route is used by the pack animals (donkeys and horses) of supported treks and thousands of people every year. It is in most places a 1-2m wide path with T1-T2 difficulty and impossible to lose. Due to the high volume of traffic when dry, the path consists typically of either very compact earth on flatter sections less prone to erosion. On steeper sections the trails is loose stones and centimeter deep dust when dry, or loose stones and centimeter deep mud when wet or snowy. The conventional route also is the most frequented by large groups.  It is therefore my recommendation that the conventional route be avoided if possible. The route which I describe here is not the conventional one. It is higher, more difficult, much wilder and involves mountaineering, glaciers passage and hiking in T5 (unmarked, not stabilized, exposed) terrain. This route also assumes that there has been sufficient (4) days MINIMUM acclimitization. If not, an extra night in Quartelhuain is recommended.


Day 1: 4-5 hours - Departure Huaraz 6am with our guide Jilmer, cook Herna. Arrival in Quartelhuain at 11am where we caught up with our 6 burros and our arriero Salano. Departure 11:30am. The ascent follows the conventional route (cir. T2) from Quaterhauin (4170) to the first pass Cacananpunta (4690) in a series of zigzags under large limestone cliffs which both Fabi and I deemed copies of the Swiss Alpstein. During the ascent we could inspect the climb for our last day - the NW ridge of Cerro Mexico (5052) and glimpsed the first steep ice faces of Rondoy and Ninishanca. Left and right of the trail are numerous possibilities for simple T4/T5 passages in limestone/karst which make the ascent more interesting. The last 80m are tedious when wet as the soil is composed of very slick mud and fine slate. From the Cacananpunta, one can ascend to the north an unnamed peak probably about 4850-4900m in T6/II terrain which can offer a nice high viewpoint. Here we also saw our first condors including a large male Condor Real. The plain to the west of the pass defined by the Quebrada (creek/small river) Caliente represents the type of high plains common to the Huayhuash and not found in the alps. Typically the soil is defined by bogs and grasses which attract numerous birds such as the Wachwa (andean goose), Caracas or various ducks. In the descent one passes down to an altitude or cir. 4560 before leaving the main route and continuing directly south. A slight trail in grass (cir T3+) an be distinguished here which generally passes to the west of the Cerro Chincana and follows closely the high limestone walls of the main Huayhuash ridge (in this portion known as the Cerros Paria). After about 4km one is able to descend to the northern end of the Mitucocha lake (4270) and then return to the campsite cir. 1.5 further north over the wide flat valley plain. During most the day, one has a great view towards the high ice peaks around Jirschanca and the view from the lake is beautiful. The campsite is clean, well equipped and has a lot of space to spread out. Water can be taken from the small river. For unsupported trekkers it is possible to camp at the edge of the lake as well.

Day 2 : 4-5 hours – Departure Mitucocha cir. 8 am and ascent into valley directly east of the lake between points 4516 and 4751. The ascent is a T3-T4 ascent over mainly grass without a trail. It is recommended to ascend to the peak of the 'mirador' 4516 over limestone slabs and very sharp karst (T4) to get a spectacular view of the lake and Jirschanca N face, Rondoy and Mituraju. Continuing south over grass fields the terrain begins to rise noticebly. One should stay in the roughly the middle of the valley in order to avoid possible rockfall. Shortly before the final rise, climb more on the east slopes to access the final rocky face (T4+/T5) which is composed of brittle sandstone and limestone and rises cir. 60m. Do not clime too far on the east faces as there are numerous small water channels. Do NOT climb under the western faces (the north ridge of Jirishanca Chico) as there is a very real danger of rockfall. After the short face, easy terrain over scree to the pass with no name at 4800 above the lake Alcaycocha. From this vantage point you get a great view towards the beautiful limestone tower or Jirishanca Chico (which to me looks a lot the Germann Rippe on the the Swiss Wildhorn). We built a large cairn on the pass and in the andean tradition left a small offering of coca leaves for future travellers. Descent towards the south east towards the south shore of the Alcaycocha lake and further along steep grass slopes with some cow and sheep trails to rejoin the normal route where it crosses the Quebrada Yanayana. Further along the conventional route to the Incahuain campsite above the Carhuacocha lake. This is one of the most beautiful spots we have ever seen anywhere. One has an absolutely incredible view on the insane Jirischanca East ridge, the Yerupaja and Yerupaja Chico along with the east faceor the Suila Grande...and all this above an azure lake. Splendid! These are mountains of a far different type that we have in the alps.

Day 3: 8 hours – Departure Incuhain 9 am and passage around the eastern shore or Carhuahcocha. Here there are dogs (see Dangers and Annoyances). Continue along southern shore and follow easy trail (T2) to the south past the three lakes Laguna Gangrajanca, Suila and Quesillococha. A small trail leads upto the very steep morain above the Gangrajanca from where impressive ice avalanches can be observed. Sadly, on the day we did this stage clouds covered the summits and we could only partly see the massive peaks above the glaciers. Further, the trail begins to climb steeps (T3+) and follows a very steep face for about 150m. We found the first snow at this point which made for a lot of mud. From this point the Sarapo and its huge glacier should have been visible. We saw the glacier but the Sarapo was covered. Further the trail continues to the east and enters a cirque where we could see the pass for the day Suila Punta (4830). The trail up the pass is quite easy but as this was still the highest we had been for a number of years, quite difficult conditionally. The last bit is quite steep but on a stabilized and easy surface. The clouds parted a little bit to offer us some views on the huge mountains, but not quite what we had expected. The descent passes first to the east and then over a second pass at 4750 west of the Cerro Pucacocha (which could be added on if desired) before crossing a large humid area with small bogs and grassy ridges. The east faces of the Nevados Juarau are visible throughout the entire descent and are the southern tips of the snowy Huayhuash summits. Passing east of the lake and the town of Carnicero, a small descent takes you to the campsite of Huayhuash at 4350.

Day 4: 5 hours – On this stage one follows the conventional route. On this day, we also had a crisis. It had been more of less cloudy sind we arrived in the Huayhuash and we found this to be particularly mean and bad luck. It had again rained and snowed almost all night, but the morning dawned clear so our hopes were high. However before we had eaten breakfast, the clouds came back and we could seen nothing again...not saying much we left and headed for the pass Portachuelo de Huayhuash (4780) on the normal route hoping we could get above the clouds. At the pass, I decided to go higher and made the first 5000m poing on a small heap or sand and rocks just west of the pass. From the top I could see south to the sunny Cordillera Raura and other snowy peaks. What a releif...finally sun! Running back down through sandy couloirs, I rejoined Fabi and Jilmer and we continued along the boring normal route to towards the Laguna Viconga passing the small waterfall from the lake and descending to the Auga Termal campsite at 4365. Here, the region is more vulcanic than further north which can be seen in the rocks, the sand and the sulfer hot springs squirting out of the mountain. The locals have built a couple of pools where one can plunge to wash and hang out. Directly above the campsite is the Nevado Pumarinri (5465) which is a popular mountain to ascend while doing the Trek. This was also on our program so we went to bed early.

Day 5: 10 hours – It had again rained and snowed in the evening but when I woke up around 1am, it was super bright in the tent which told me the clouds were gone and the full moon as up! Indeed, the night outside was so bright I could actually read a book. On the ground a couple of centimeters of new snow. One hour later at 2am we were powering along with all our mountaineering gear up the conventional route towards the punta cuyoc (4950). At about 4am, north west of the summit at about 4780 we veered from the trail and started heading up a progressively steepening grass slope towards the south west which gradually yielded to rocks and sand above 4850. Climbing through a 40° sand couloir covered in 5 cm of snow we reached at 5000m, the east ridge of Pumarinri and traversed towards the west another scree and sand slope to reach the large rock fields beneath the glacier. It was not 5:30am and the sun was starting to come up and the moon was still in the sky. Superb. It was quite cold (maybe -10°C), but no wind could be felt. A steep polished rock face forced us into the snow off the glacier which as super deep and with two breakable crusts. After a tedious traverse we descended again about 20m and followed the rock slabs to the glacier at about 5150. We were roped up and ready to go just as the summit caught the first rays of sun. A magical moment every time! We continued up the compact glacier with Jilmer leading and arrived quickly under the steep face leading to the summit. The face is about 150m high and about 45° at most with compact and ankle deep snow. We could easily zig-zag up the face and arrived shortly before 7:30 we popped over the ridge on the pre summit and our jaws dropped as we saw for the first time the Huayhuash crown as which as it can be without a single cloud. A lot of pictures and a short climb later we stood on the summit at 8am with massive smiles and posing like the condors. We redescended at first along our tracks and then to about 5225 thorugh a small couloir and traversed quickly to the upper portion of the east ridge. Here we took off the whole glacier gear and descended through a massive field of loose rocks and sand, about 50m before traversing to the NE ridge. From there we could see the Punta Cuyoc and in a series of descents and traverses through a varied and interesting glacial/vulcanic/alpine landscape we finally arrived tired and happy at the pass under the immense hanging seracs of the Nevado Cuyoc. After a lengthy break we continued over the horrible loose scree and dust from the pass towards the NE finally arrriving at the campsite at 4492m at 1pm. It had been a long day we slept most of the afternoon. Difficulty globaly: PD+ - AD

Day 6: 6 hours – The conventional route for the animals follows the valley floor to pass into another valley. The conventional trekker route goes over the San Antonio pass 5020. There is another much less frequented pass without a name just east of the San Antonio which is higher (5065) and offers much better views and the possibility for an easy T5/II summit. From the campsite, one heads at first NE to pick up a cow path which developes into a trail (T2) leading into the mentioned valley. The first part is a bit steeper but gradually flattens out to steepen again before the pass. At the pass again our jaws dropped as we got the same view as from the Pumarinri just a lot closer and a lot bigger. Spontaneously we decided to climb (T5,II) the no named peak just west of the pass which tops out at about 5150m. On top we built a cairn and als always posed like condors. The descet follows a well visible trail along the eastern bank of the valley before veering towards the north east to avoid some large cliffs. A steep descent over grass leads to the moraine just above the lake Juraucocha. The campsite of Cutatambo (4265) is reached by descending a clear trail south of the morraine. Herna and Jilmer went fishing and came back with a number of trout.

The next two days were the most remote and involved no support from the animals as there was no way the donkeys could get over the passes. We (Jilmer, Herna, Fabi and I) therefore carried our tents, sleeping gear, mountaineering gear, food and clooking gear first over the Siera Punta and then over the glaciated Rasca pass while Salano took the two day long route via Huayllapa with the burros.

Day 7: 6 hours – We left the Cutatambo site at 9 am unfortunately under building clouds and began ascending to wide valley towards the Sarapocha lake. Roughly at the moraine before the lake we began climbing steeply the west slope of the valley, picking our way up the grass and bush slope along cow paths. The heavy bags made the walking more challenging. There is a weakly visible trail (T3+) which traverses the entire slope however it was more comfortable for us to first walk along the base of the valley before climbing. The traversing trail in the slope climbs gradually through grass and scree an is easy to confuse with the numerous cow tracks however as long as the Seria Punta (5060) is kept it sight it is easy to get to the goal. Unfortunately, the weather had again played a trick and instead of seeing the big ice faces up close we only saw clouds. Descending from the pass first in sand and then in scree we reached the campsite at Caramarca (4575) at about 3pm. Towards the evening the clouds thinned and finally the massive south face of the Rasac was bathed for a minute in red light before night fell. But it was a good omen! This part of the route is not visited by many groups in the season and is therefore highly recommended.

Day 8: 8 hours – We left Caramarca at 8 am and climed the steep moraine trail towards the Rasac pass. It was a brilliant day with no clounds and no wind and the morning cold was quickly replaced by heat under the the heavy bags. We were at the entry to the glacier at 5050m about 10am after numerous photos and wows and shortly thereafter at the pass and directly at the foot of the 600m west face of the Rasac Chico. On the north side of the pass enormous fractured glaciers descend steeply from the Rasac west face to the turquois lakes below. The first 400m were difficult walking (T4+) over massive boulders and loose rocks twice traversing a quite exposed cliff band before the usual sand and gravel and grass took over. Arriving on the plain of the valley and the Rasaqcocha we dipped our hot feet and then continued on cow tracks on the east slopes of the valley as indicated on the map. The final descent to the out of the valley was steep, bushy and dusty and it had been a long day, but we were able to inspect the Cerro Mexico NW ridge from the other side. We continued towards the Jahuacocha campsite on the western shore of the lake where we were greeted by our burros. Herna prepared an andean salad with lake grapes he had found in the Rasaqcocha.

Day 9: 8 hours – With the goal of seeing the massive Yerupaja and Jirishanca from up close we had previously decided to clime the rocky Cerro Mexico – a prominent rock mountain above the pass Sambuya-Punta (4740). We again took the north shore trail along the Juhuacocha and north of the moraine which holds the Solteracocha lake. And then climed steadily on the dusty trail to the Sambuya Punta. Unfortunately, clouds had closed in very early in the morning from the east, it was windy and it the big summits were not visible. But this was the only chance so we went ahead. The ridge begins at the pass with some T5/I climbing and then continues for nearly 1km and 300m vertical through every possible type of rock. The difficulty is nevery really more than T6/II although the exposure is serious and the rock of unpredictable quality. We followed the ridge as close as possible as the rock was best there and the rockfall chance the lowest. In one portion lower on the ridge, a very narrrow portion was bypassed due to the strong wind and the exposure. It is also virtually impossible to protect due to the layering and structure of the rock. We had therefore, despite my reservations not used the rope which required that I guide Fabi the whole way. All the same after a concentrated couple of hours we stood on flat and wide summit at 5025m and were STOKED despite the weather. On the summit a treat: 4 large condors flew close by us. Very cool. The descent began on the ridge but we quickly dropped down to a band on the north side of the ridge which offered flatter, less exposed terrain. There are a bunch of cairns on the mountain for previous ascents, but they are small and very easy to miss. I recommend simply going by what feels right. Back at the pass we were pretty tired and had a longer break before running down the 700m to the valley floor and then last 3km to the camp. This evening the sun gave us a spectacle by lighting up the big ice faces with red light during sunset.

Day 10: 5 hours – Our last day in Huayhuash was out of the picture books. Not a single cloud in the sky...too bad we weren't going to the Cerro Mexico...Our route out followed the conventional route along a buried water channel west of the Juhuacocha lake and was therefore largely flat and wide and pretty boring. Throughout the entire walk however we kept looking back to the massive ice faces which were simply spectacular. Finally around a corner they were hidden and we waved goodbye with a small pinge of sadness. The final descent was pretty aweful – mega dusty and super loose but we arrivied in Llama in good time and in good form from where we took the bus with all our gear back to Huaraz. I would recommend however exiting by crossing the Sambuya Punta and descending to the north and the huts of Rondy. This route is more interesting, the Cerro Mexico can be added as well (would be a long day: 9 hours most likely), the views from the pass are still quite impressive and the circuit can be closed.

Dangers and Annoyances and Emergencies
1) The Trek is wilder, higher and more difficult than an Inca Trail or Santa Cruz (in the Cordillera Blanca). All the same, there are a lot of people there who don't normally have anything to do with the mountains. For me such large groups were the most irritating as they normally cause a lot of noise and ruin the feeling of the spot. Typically these large groups stick in the conventional route and therefore can for the most part be avoided.
2) Water: Grazing animals in the Huayhuash live up to 4800m. All water must be boiled and/or chemically treated before drinking.
3) Garbage: As everywhere in Peru waste disposal means throwing it on the ground. Mainly campsites and zones close to small huts or villages are filthy. Fabi and I spent an afternoon gathering trash around a campsite, and I can hope this motivates others to do the same. Be sure your trek always carries out everything it carries in.
4) Dogs: In the huts in the Huayhuash there live some Andean families which always have dogs. These are typically not accustomed to other people and will come running towards you barking and growling. Fabi was bitten by one of these. Carry rocks to throw at them and wave your walking poles or branches to keep them away from you. There are also dogs at all the campsites, but they are used to people and are very peaceful and friendly.
5) In case of an emergency, there are numerous entries and exits from the Huayhuash and within one day you can get back to Huaraz. The villages typically have medical centers where antibiotics, pain killers and basic attention can be provided. My consultation regarding my throat infenction and fever with a good doctor in Queropalca cost me 10 Soles and the medication about 5 soles.

6) In terms of mountaineerin equipment there is virtually nothing available in Huaraz. All guides we talked to purchased their stuff from European or American mountaineers or on the internet. Certain local agencies rent equipment. If you go unsupported make sure you have everything you need and hope you don't break anything.

Prices, experiences with agencies, other costs & tipping
Agencies charge widely varying amounts for a trek. We had offers for two participants (Fabi and I) for between 135 $/person/day (including transport) up to 210 $/person/day. All agencies normally include acclimatization tours in their price. We did these tours on our own from Huaraz, but that's your decision. We ended up going with a Peruvia agency based in Huaraz because they offered the greatest flexibility, had the best and most timely communication and also happened to have the best price. We were very pleased – good food, good team, good organization, good guide and the owner and his wife were very helpful and very accomodating. I would recommended them. Please contact me directly to get their contacts.


Fees are collected for use of the campsites. The local communities have built the sites and toilets, collect garbage and remove human and animal waste from the sites. Most sites are good, but some have a fair bit of garbage around them. The campsite fees for the entire trek beginning in Llamac are 210 soles/person (in 2014) which you must bring in cash. As of 2014 there is not fee to enter the 'Reserva Natural de Huayhuash'.This may change...

There are enough Americans on the treks that tipping has become normal and expected. We ended up tipping each person about 10% (as we knew what they cost us per day). The guide recieved 45$, the cook 35$ and the arriero 25$. Other forums write something like 5$/participant/day, which quickly adds up to massive amounts in larger groups. Ultimately, if you're happy leave them something which you think is fair, if not don't. But don't do it out of charity!

Quality of the guide
On this forum I have seen several discussions – mainly negative - about the quality of the guides in south america. I can say that globally I was happy with our guide. He had good equipment which he knew how to use. He was patient and very flexible when we wanted to do something not on the program. He had a good knowledge of the area and had done a lot of things himself including some very serious routes in the cordillera blanca. He communicated well and I think he had fun with us doing this non conventional route with the two climbs.

His time planning was however lacking and when asked how long we would have for a given day, I had he impression he just said the first number that came to his head. What irritated me the most was that he suggested that we take our running shoes to the Cerro Mexico (T6/II in sharp rocks) 'because it's just rock'. On this tour he also didn't wear a helmet..although he wore one on the Pumarinri with no rock fall danger. My impression is that Andean Guides spend so much time climbing vertical ice that rock for them seems like an extension of hiking and therefore they take it much ligher...something an North American or European guide rightly would never do.

Weather
The trekking season takes place in the dry season between June and September. The weather in this period is typically clear in the night and the mornings with building clouds during the day. Just because it is the dry season does not mean that it will never rain or be cloudy and percipitation can fall both as snow and rain down to 4000m. Be prepared for both. At night temperatures can be below -5°C and in the day in the sun up to 25°C. A cold wind is common in the campsites in the afternoon and evening.

Equipment, maps and other stuff to bring
Trekking in the Huayhuash requires all the usual mountain gear you would use in the alps. A rule of thumb: 5000m there has a similar climate to 3000m in the Alps. A few points need special attention.

Shoes: where possible we walked in light gore-tex trail runners, but that's what we use in the Alps for hiking. Days with snow or completely unknown terrain ( as our guide had not done certain portions - Day 2, Day 6 summit, Day 10) and the days where we did not have the animals we walked in the mountaineering boots. If you're going unsupported, take sturdy hiking books because your pack will be heavy. Think also that you will need something light and comfortable for the campsites and sandals are quite cold in the evenings.

Tents: We had our 4 season tent with us. When it rained or snowed however it was not windy so a 3 season may be fine. Tents are typically offered by agencies if you don't have one. Due to the prevelant winds in the campsites a tent should offer options to be sufficiently pinned down.

Sleeping: A sleeping bag must be 4 season capable. Temperatures at night can fall at the higher campsites below -5°C. Recommended is a down bag against a synthetic to save space. I was using a -25°C which was on some nights too warm, but otherwise good. A good sleeping pad is recommended due to the number of nights that you will be spending on it. Certain agencies can offer sleeping bags and BASIC pads.

Mountaineering gear: If you go with a guide, everything can be arranged by the agency. If you have the material I would nevertheless bring the critical and personal items: harness, ice axe, crampons, boots, helmets. As always walking poles should be taken and used.

Food: I recommend strongly to purchase a large stash of typical trail food: bars, nuts, dried fruits, power gels etc to take with you on the trek. In our case, the food we got for the pack lunches was good but it was a) every day the same and b) in 2 cases too little. Most things you can buy in Huaraz, but the advanced stuff (gels or powerbars) bring from home.

Maps: The best map I saw was the one I finally bought from the Austrian Alpenverein from the year 2008. It is 1:50,000. It can be bought here: http://www.alpenverein.at/shop/shop/artikel.php?h_no=99033

That's all I can think of. If you still have questions feel free to contact me. Happy trails.



 


 




 


Tourengänger: nprace


Minimap
0Km
Klicke um zu zeichnen. Klicke auf den letzten Punkt um das Zeichnen zu beenden

Galerie


In einem neuen Fenster öffnen · Im gleichen Fenster öffnen


Kommentare (3)


Kommentar hinzufügen

MicheleK hat gesagt: big thanks
Gesendet am 8. September 2014 um 01:33
for this fantastic report! very useful information from a trustful source! yours is definitely a great way to complete this magical trek!

climb on!
michele

danski hat gesagt: Bienvenida en la Suiza
Gesendet am 8. September 2014 um 12:10
Great adventure, Buddy! :)

Keep on adventuring back in CH!

alpinos hat gesagt:
Gesendet am 9. September 2014 um 10:40
Very informative, thanks a lot for all the information .... and for the great and inspiring pictures too!

Cheers, A&R


Kommentar hinzufügen»