Pisco & Chopicalqui Climbs — 9 Days (or Yanapaccha & Chopicalqui, 7 Days)

We drive down the Callejón de Huaylas to Yungay and up into the Huascarán National Park past the Llanganuco lakes to Cebollapampa (3850m, 2½ hours). Our gear is loaded onto donkeys and we climb a good path for 2½ hours to Pisco Base Camp (4650m), where a refugio sells hot food.

A short but challenging day climbing to Morena Camp (4900m) over loose ground and large moraine rocks. Donkeys cannot follow, so you carry your personal climbing gear; porters carry tents, food and ropes. A steep climb over the moraine wall and a tricky descent precede mixed path and scrambling.

Summit day on Pisco — about 5 hours up for sunrise on mostly non-steep glacier (a 60° 30m slope guards the summit), with vast views of Huascarán, Chopicalqui and Chacraraju, then descent to Base Camp.

We load donkeys and walk down to Cebollapampa (1½ hours), then relocate 1½ to 2 hours more to Chopicalqui Base Camp (4430m).

A well-earned rest day at Base Camp, which can also serve as a bad-weather day, to recover before the tough climbing.

A demanding day carrying all equipment up a rocky ridge and over large moraine boulders to Moraine Camp (4820m).

A steady 1½ hour climb up loose moraine to the glacier — the first half hour crossed early and fast to avoid rockfall — then 3 to 4 hours on up to 30° crevassed snow slopes to High Camp on snow at 5380m.

Steady climbing to the summit shoulder avoiding crevasses and seracs, then mixed 45–55° ground with short ice walls. Halfway up, a demanding 120m of steep, technical pitches (65–85°) and, near the top, a 7m technical wall (75–85°) and a large crevasse to negotiate before the 6354m summit. We descend by climbing and abseiling.

We descend to Base Camp (5 to 6 hours), then return to the road head and drive back to Huaraz.