Alpamayo Climb 5947m — 7 Days

A 2½ hour drive from Huaraz to Cashapampa (2900m), where we meet our donkey drivers and catch our first view of the great pyramid of Santa Cruz. We climb through the valley beside the river; the first two hours through a steep, hot gorge before the valley opens onto cooler puna grassland and our camp at Llamacorral (3750m).

An easier walk up the open, U-shaped Quebrada Santa Cruz towards Taulliraju, passing the lakes of Ichiccocha and Jatuncocha. We leave the main trail and climb a steep 40-minute zig-zag into the hanging Quebrada Arhuaycocha, then hike on to Alpamayo Base Camp (4300m).

A rest day while porters carry equipment up to High Camp. You can take a short walk to the glacial Laguna Arhuaycocha at the base of Rinrijirca, often dotted with floating ice, or hold the day in reserve for bad weather.

The first three hours are a testing climb on steep, slippery moraine rock to the ice, then up a 45° ice gully to the foot of an ice cliff. Some years there is 150–200m of 70° ice to reach the top of the cliff. High Camp (5450m) sits between Alpamayo and Quitaraju.

An early start on steep soft snow to a bergschrund below the southwest face. The face to the summit is steep and technical — 7 or 8 pitches mixing good snow (55–65°) and harder ice (65–85°). Around 5 hours up; the descent is by the same route with 7 to 8 rappels back to High Camp.

A 150–200m rappel close to camp descends the ice cliff, then steep, slippery rock for the final 1½ hours to Base Camp, where a celebration dinner is waiting.

A long but easy walk down the Quebrada Santa Cruz back to Cashapampa, where our private van returns us to Huaraz.

An optional additional day to climb neighbouring Quitaraju from the same High Camp, for those wanting a second summit.