Trip Reports

Bolivian Climber 19th August - 9th September '12

Written by Leader Paul Donovan, September 2012

"Success - the Bolivian Climber team summit on three out of their four objectives: Peak Austria (5,300m), Pequeno Alpamayo (5,400m) & Huayna Potosi (6,088m)"

With all (except Neil, who was meeting us in La Paz) team members gathered together at Terminal 5, we checked in & made our way to the Gate & onto Madrid for a 4 hour wait for our next flight - a 13 hour night flight to Lima. After, yet another 4 hour wait in Lima Airport, it was a short 2 hour hop to La Paz, arriving some 27 hours after departing the UK. It was well worth it as we got our very first views of La Paz, El Alto & it's very unique nature. Our base for the next 2 days was the Ritz Apart Hotel - a five star hotel.

After a good meal & a good night's sleep, we were ready for our city tour with our guide, Eldy. This included visiting Killi Killi (a great viewpoint over the city), as well as the tourist areas of old & new La Paz. Our next stop was Copacabana, a well placed town on the shores of Lake Titikaka. Here we watched the sun go down from high above the town, visited Isla del Sol & it's many wonders before making our way to Tuni Condoriri & our first night under canvas.

Here we met one of our guides (Pablo) & cooks (Carla & Wesley) & together with our porters, we established camp, which was only for one night. The following morning, we made our way to Condoriri Base Camp where we would spend the next five days & nights. As we trekked in, the mountains opened up ahead of us, providing us with some spectacular views before the cloud & snow came in & spoilt the views. Our first objective was Point Austria, which sat at 5,300m. What a great route that led us gradually & well paced (thanks to Jesus, another one of our guides), to the summit. Not only were we blessed with great views across the Altiplano & Lake Titicaca but it was also possible to make a phone call!

A day on the Condoriri Glacier allowed us to refresh those previously learned skills as well as develop some new skills, including the opportunity to climb a short steep section of ice (Scottish Grade 4) on a top rope set up. All in all it was a great day. We were suitably prepared for our second objective. A rest day followed - well, if you can call a trek up to a 5,000m col, a rest! Here we gained views of Objective number 3 - Huayna Potosi & it's infamous west face. An afternoon of 'faffing' gave us the opportunity to organise our gear & clothing for an early start the next day!

The day began with a wake up call at 04:00, after which came breakfast & kitting up for our ascent. By 06:00 we were at the glacier & made steady progress in our four roped teams. By 09:00 we stood on top of Teria Peak, looking across at the summit ridge of Pequeno Alpamayo. A short rocky descent led us nicely to the base of Pequeno Alpamayo from where we attached ourselves to the fixed lines & continued steeply upwards until reaching the summit at 11:00 in glorious sunshine - what a route! After the customary summit photos, we retraced our steps back to Base Camp. The mountain was now complete & the team were elated! It was time for us to walk out to the Altiplano, which initially meant we needed to herd our Llamas for our equipment to be transported to our vehicle. That was an experience in itself! To round it all up, on arrival on the Altiplano, the local pizza delivery had dropped off a number of pizzas for our consumption, having been ordered for the top of Pequeno Alpamayo yesterday - how bizarre!

The team were now up for our next objective - Huayna Potosi. A brief stop in El Alto gave us a chance to stock up on supplies before driving to Cumbre Zongo for a night. A short steep trek led us to high camp, from where we made our attempt on Huayna Potosi. Summit day began at 00:30 with us slowly getting our things together & having breakfast before a 02:00 departure. We made good progress in the light of a full moon, reaching the base of the Northern Ridge in time for a fantastic sunrise. One hour later we were on the summit of Huayna Potosi (6,088m), having spent the last 30 minutes negotiating the summit ridge & the exposure it presented. The team stood in amazement of their achievement. Again, after the customary summit photos, it was a descent back to Cumbre Zongo, stopping only for a quick lunch at high camp. By 16:00, we were all back in La Paz & the luxuries of our hotel for the next two nights. Time to recover for our final objective - Illimani - bring it on!

When 4x4 vehicles arrived to pick us up today, we knew we were in for a treat. We weren't disappointed! Our 3.5 hour 'road' journey took us through a fantastic high sided conglomerate gorge (wow!) before eventually arriving at the foot of Illimani - she looks big! After an alfresco lunch we trekked into Base Camp, set up camp for the night & enjoyed a wonderful sunset. The morning brought a few surprises, mainly a reduced number of porters. After a quick reorganisation of kit we were ready for the 1,000m ascent to High Camp (5,478m). With High Camp established after a tough ascent, fatigue, lethargy & illness hit every member of team in some way, resulting in our only summit attempt having to be called off at the final hour. Whilst there was much disappointment, all agreed that it was the right decision, given everyone's predicament. As quickly as the illness etc. came on, it went, allowing us all to make a safe descent back down to Base Camp for a good night's sleep.

We retraced our steps back to La Paz for our final two nights before heading back to the UK. Here we had time to relax & reflect on all we had achieved over the past three weeks - what a journey! Just 11,500km & 16 hours flying time & we were back in the UK saying our farewells.

Many thanks to Grisell & Hector for their organisation & support throughout.

A big thank you to our Guide Team: Eldy (our city & cultural guide), Roberto, Pablo & Jesus (our climbing guides) our Kitchen Staff: Carla & Wesley & our many Porters, including all our Llamas, Mules & Donkeys - too many to name individually. Who said Llama herding was difficult!

Congratulations & thank you to the Climbing Team - Kerry, Alison, Claudette, Jessica, Neil, Rob, Sandy, Sean, Simon & Russ for their personal achievements & for putting up with me during the 22 day trip.

Llongyfarchiadau Pawb Paul Donovan Bolivian Climber Expedition Leader – August & September 2012 « Previous report | Next report »

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