Alpamayo Expedition

Long considered one of the world's most beautiful mountains, Alpamayo remains one of mountaineering's most coveted summits. Situated in the "Himalayas of South America," the Cordillera Blanca is much more accessible than its Asian counterpart, yet there are scores of peaks over 19,000 feet and 6000 meters. This expedition takes advantage of the rich Peruvian culture and the magnificent alpine terrain to climb the French Route on the Southwest Face of Alpamayo.

*In 2011 we will be climbing the French Route to avoid the more objectively hazardous Ferrari Route. Please view the video below for a detailed view of the route.

After arriving in Lima, we travel by bus to Huaraz (9,500'), at the very foot of the Cordillera Blanca. After spending a day in Huaraz checking and repacking gear, we drive north along the foot of the mountains to the trailhead of the beautiful Quebrada Santa Cruz, passing Huascaran on our way. We trek up the Santa Cruz valley for two days to Quebrada Arhuaycocha, below the rugged and majestic peaks of Taulliraju and Artesonraju. Here we will place our base camp in preparation for our climb of Alpamayo. After a day of rest at base camp, we begin by carrying up to an intermediate camp called "campo moraina" or moraine camp. From moraine camp, we catch a glimpse of the first steep snow climbing between high camp and the col between Alpamayo and Quitaraju. Once established at the col camp, we prepare for our summit bid.

The French Route is characterized by steep snow and ice climbing up to 70 degrees and is a more direct line to the summit on Alpamayo's SW face. After our summit climb, we carry our equipment back down to base camp, then retrace our route back to Cashapampa, Caraz, Huaraz and finally to Lima where we depart for home. Our trips are fully supported with burros, porters, and cooks. Pack weights are light to ease the adjustment to the altitude, and give us a greater chance for success.

Trip Highlights

• 16 day itinerary maximizes acclimatization and chance for success
• Bi-lingual guides ensure your trip runs smoothly
• Most favorable client-to-guide ratio in the industry
• Visit cultural sites around Huaraz
• Climb Alpamayo, often described as "the most beautiful mountain in the world"
• Satellite phone access and pulse oximeters on all trips

Sample Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Lima, Peru.
Day 2: Today we travel to the high mountain town of Huaraz (9,500 ft.).
Day 3: In Huaraz, we organize equipment and food for our expedition.
Day 4: Drive to Cashapampa. We begin our trek up the lovely Santa Cruz Valley to camp at Illma Corral.
Day 5: Another splendid day of trekking in the high Andes to reach our base camp for Alpamayo.
Day 6: We hike a load of equipment and supplies to camp 1 (moraine) and return to Base Camp.
Day 7: Today we hike to and stay at camp 1.
Day 8: A rest and acclimatization day at camp 1.
Day 9: Today we move to camp 2 also known as Col Camp.
Day 10: Summit day on Alpamayo.
Day 11: Extra summit day or rest day.
Day 12: Summit day on Quitaraju or extra summit day on Alpamayo.
Day 13: From the col camp we descend down to base camp.
Day 14: From base camp, we trek down valley to Cashapampa and continue on to Huaraz.
Day 15: Bus ride from Huaraz to Lima.
Day 16: Depart Lima on an evening flight.
Day 17: Arrive in the U.S.

Additional Information

Included in Cost: An AMGA Certified or Trained Alpine Guide, who also speaks Spanish. All ground transportation, hotels, tents, and food while on the mountain. All group climbing and camping equipment.

Not Included in Cost: Food and drinks in towns, personal climbing and camping equipment, and international air fare, costs of a personal nature, extra hotels or transportation due to illness, injury, or early return.

Prerequisites: Participants should have prior, basic mountaineering experience, glacier travel, and be comfortable climbing ice up to grade WI 3. They should be comfortable with self arrest, walking in crampons, and have multi-pitch ice and rock climbing experience. If you do not possess these skills, or need review, we recommend doing a skills course with us in Colorado prior to your Peru trip.

Registration and Cancellation: You will need to fill out an International Expedition Application, cancellation policy agreement, and liability waiver, and send it to us with a 50% deposit. Balance is due 30 days prior to trip departure date. Please click on our Registration/Travel link to access the required forms.