Alpamayo 2012: Final Report
What a climb! Standing on the summit of Peru’s Alpamayo was one of the highlights of my climbing career. No, it was not the highest, most famous or deadly but it was technically challenging, physical sustaining and incredibly rewarding. It was fun, simply fun … In my normal manner for all my climbs I have added a few pages to my site to document the expedition: Alpamayo 2012 Trip Report with videos Alpamayo FAQ I think what made this climb so special was the fact that once I saw the Southwest face of Alpamayo in person, my jaw dropped. It was high and steep in person. For a moment, I didn’t know if I had what it took to climb it. This was the type of face, young kids did, not 55 year-olds! But I did. The climb to the Col Camp at 18,000′ had been fun and my training had paid off but still, 1500 feet of non-stop technical ice climbing to 19,500′ was another level. Each step up the Face required total, uncompromised concentration. I focused on technique to the exclusion of any other thought. When I did look back where I just climbed, my stomach fluttered. The feeling on the summit was one of the reasons I climb. At the end of the summit video posted on the trip report you will hear an unfiltered reaction. This trip epitomized that “Memories are Everything”. You can read the trip report and see more pictures and videos at Alpamayo 2012 Trip Report Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Alpamayo 2012: Summit Audio Dispatch
I summited Alpamayo on July 3rd, > 2012 at 11:30 AM with Altitude Junkies teammates Samuli Mansikka and Mclean Smith. It was a great climb. Read the full trip report for all the details. I posted this audio dispatch after returning from the summit using a satellite phone. Click to listen: [audio:http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/audio/alpamayo2012.mp3|titles=Alpamayo Summit Audio Dispatch|artists=Alan Arnette] These climbs are to raise Alzheimer’s awareness and $1M for research. I lost my mom and two aunts to Alzheimer’s. Please join me to end Alzheimer’s by making a donation today. Read the details. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Alpamayo 2012: Taking an Extra Day
The winds picked up throughout the night clearing the clouds but making the summit a bit windy for an early start. Even though it has calmed now around noon we will wait until tomorrow morning for the climb. Also there seems to be more stomach issues …
Alpamayo 2012: Fantastic Climbing, Summit Tomorrow?
Hopefully we go for the summit of Alpamayo tomorrow, weather dependent. But it looks good.Today was spectacular climbing to the Col Camp at 18,000′. We climbed in two rope teams of three navigating glacier crevasses and the final 60 degree pitch before…
Alpamayo 2012:A Beautiful View
We are now on our third day at the Alpamayo Base Camp after taking a day and a half to trek here through the mountain valleys. Short spindly trees cover the area but it is the amphitheater of fluted snow covered peaks that attracts the eye.Our small Al…
Alpamayo 2012: The Simple Life of Huaraz
Hard to believe I am in Peru. The days in Lima were nice but driving up the Pacific coast on the legendary Pan American Highway was rewarding with clear views of the ocean and the sand covered stretches of coastline. We stopped for a good lunch in the costal town of Hauchu. The drive took us inland and along a narrow winding road that went from sea level to 12, 000. The views became ever more interesting as we gained altitude. The landscape turned from wind driven sand to grass and trees with the occasional corn crops. A few small villages dotted the countryside but it was the mountains that got my attention, cheap of course. The snow capped peaks reminded me of why we were here and stepping out of the small bus, ed the thin air served as an ever-present reminder of the mission ahead. Another fews turns and we were in the town of Huaraz, the gateway to the mountains. It was as expected with adobe buildings, dirt roads on the outskirts but developed into a nice town with an attractive plaza and multiple churches dotting the environment. And of course, mountain views. We found our hotel, Olzas, a small bed and breakfast used by climbers near the town center. The rooftop terrace served as the primary gathering place as we traded stories with other teams from around the world. The signature Peruvian music also kept us company. The wireless internet let me Skype back home! An American, Chris Benway who has lived in Huraz for over 15 years, had arranged our logistics and met us at the hotel. Nice guy with good connections, we were in good hands. We had dinner at his restaurant, Cafe Andino, that evening, another great place to wind down after the 7 hour drive. So, team in tact, we are enjoying an acclimatization day here at 10,000′ and will leave early tomorrow morning for a three hour drive to Cashapampa at 9,000′. We will trek that day to the camp at the Llama Corral at 11,500′. Thus another memory in the making of a mountain adventure. These are the stories my mom would have enjoyed hearing of strange far-away places from her simple roots of Western Kentucky. Knowing that people are nice to strangers in foreign lands, the food is good and I was safe. But as always she would say after my climb “I’m glad you got that out of your system.” Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Alpamayo 2012: Leaving Lima
After a couple of days in Lima, discount I leave tomorrow for Huaraz with the rest of our small team. We have 6 in total. We will drive the countryside of Peru heading north towards the gateway to the Andes Mountain, the Cordillera Blanca ranges and the city of Huraz located at 10, 000 feet. We will spend two nights there to begin our adjustment to the altitude. I have been told it will be one of the highlights of the climb as Huraz is known as a quiet spot to prepare for the high mountains. While in Lima I visited Huaca Pucllana, a giant adobe pyramid built around 500 AD. It was used as an administrative and ceremonial center of the Lima Culture, a society that developed at the Peruvian Central Coast between 200 AD and 700 AD. It is located right in the middle of a modern residential area in the district of Miraflores and surrounded by all the modern trappings of restaurants, souvenir shops and galleries. Of note, they used dirt brick but reinforced them with sea shells and pebbles but interestingly they arranged the bricks in columns of opposing V shapes to make them stronger. In the recent 6.0 earthquakes, Huaca Pucllana didn’t loose a brick built with this technique. Huaca Pucllana was used for sacrifices much in the same way the Egyptian did. While solid in structure, e.g. no tombs, there are small crypts used to store royalty’s bones. In 2010 archaeologists found four bundled mummies from the Wari culture. The mummies included what appeared to be an elite woman and three children who may have been sacrificed to accompany her into the afterlife. A couple of hairless dogs roamed the grounds said to be descendants of the dogs kept by royalty and often buried in the tombs with their owners. The entire complex was hidden underneath simple dirt and the locals used to climb to the top to fly kites, play and even motocross. In the mid 1980’s the underlying structure was discovered and today it is a World Heritage Site. OK, on to the mountains! Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Alpamayo for Alzheimer’s Begins
I leave this week to climb Peru’s Alpamayo, one of the world’s most beautiful peaks in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Peruvian Andes. This will be my first climbing trip to Peru. I was attracted by this climb due to the beauty of the Cordillera Blanca, the technical aspect of the summit climb and to do a serious climb in Peru. The fluted face is reminiscent of the Peruvian peak, Siula Grande, made famous in the movie Touching the Void – not a great reference if you have seen the film! 🙂 I will meet up Phil Crampton’s Altitude Junkies team in Lima, Peru then drive to Huaraz before driving to the trail head in the village of Cashapampa. Pack animal will carry our loads while we trek to the Llama Corral where we will camp that night. The next day we will move higher and establish our base camp at treeline -13,500′. Leaving the pack animals behind, We will begin to carry our own loads with a carry to the moraine camp at 16,000′, located at the edge of the glacier. After a rest day, we move up to the Moraine Camp. Our summit attempt will be from the Col Camp at 18,000′. If all goes well we will summit Alpamayo around July 4, 2012 then return to the Col camp for a rest day and then climb nearby Quitaraju at 19,803’/6036m. The climbing of Alpamayo is technical and we will use either the Ferrari or the French Direct route. The day requires 1500′ of 6-pitches of dual technical tool climbing on ice and neve from 50-70 degrees in angle to just below the summit ridge. Usually a steep final pitch involves topping out on a narrow ridge where we will make our way to the summit. Alpamayo has a dangerous reputation. In 2003 eight climbers were killed from an avalanche directly down the fluted Ferrari Route. That drove climbers to use the French Direct. We will see which route is on better shape once we arrive at the Col. I will post a full trip report after the climb and updates during the climb on my Blog. I hope you follow along. As usual, my climbs are to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer’s Disease. Please learn more at this link. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything