UKC

After 7 years of organising our clubs annual trips (Alps, Dolomites, Norway, Morocco), we have decided to start upping our max height reached and head for Peru. It's a long way off (June 2010) but after just returning from Morocco we need something to plan and look forward to!
We are planning on Urus, Ishinca and maybe Tocllaraju which are all in the Cordillera Blanca.

I am in the early stages of the web research and have spoken with the BMC regarding the restrictions and current state of play out there.
Has anyone been out there for the 2008 season (June-Aug 2008) or is anyone booked to go in the 2009 season. Could really do with first hand knowledge on things. Particularly if you have gone without a guide or organised expedition.

If you think you may be able to assist – could you drop me a message and I will e-mail you directly.

Thanks
Spready

In reply to Spready: these guys are worth contacting

http://www.skyline-adventures.com/aboutus.asp

In reply to Spready:

Hi Spready, four of us from Leeds MC went last August, and had a bit of an adventure. We arranged it with a contact in Huaraz and didn't have a guide, just a local cook. Drop me a line for all the details.

In reply to KeithW:

PS Some pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/KeithWWaddell/Peru2008#

In reply to Keith:

Thats great - and the pics are fantastic.
I will be in touch!

Spready

Hi went there this summer without a guide, definitely a good decision. You may have an issue getting a permit for the national park without a guide, as a lot of shops you go in to will insist you need a guide, although this is not the case.... the only case this may be true for is Huascaran. In the end getting a permit was easy, although to get one you'll need to go to the National park office and show them proof that you're part of a climbing/mountaineering club.

Might be worth considering Vallunaraju for acclimatisation too... should be do-able in two days, and its not too serious, and gives you a good feel for the higher mountains. Drop me an email if theres anything you need to know

In reply to Spready:

Hi Spready,
I went this summer, 08 and in 06. I've climbed all the peaks in the Ishinca valley (Urus, Tocci, Ranrapalca and Ishinca). Been up that valley about 4 times so know it reasonably well. Its a cracking place!

Defo sort guides out when you get there - but to be fair - you don't need them if you've got some basic mountaineering skills. Give us a call if you want, happy to answer any questions about the place. I've emailed you my number.

Cheers, scott

In reply to Spready:
I've never been to the Cordillera Blanca, but since when has lack of knowledge stopped anyone contributing to a UKC debate?

But one general thought from my expeditions elsewhere - its worth getting a cook and a mess tent, and hiring mules / jeeps to carry it.

Having your meals ready when you get down off the hill is such a boost, especially so when your body is still getting used to the altitude. And a mess tent is so much more sociable in bad weather than everyone in their 2-man tents.

In reply to Spready: If you need any help with logistics e-mail Julio Olaza [julio.olaza@terra.com.pe]. He's based in Huaraz and was brilliant for everything we wanted a few years ago. You've probably already got Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca by Brad Johnson but the advice in the front of it is well worth reading if not.

In reply to Spready:
Hi,
have been going to Peru for the last 7 years and i am returning this year so if you have any questions i would be happy to answer them if i can.
The last i heard regarding access to the mountains was that if you were going without a guide you had to have an Alpine Club Card to get into the National Park. To get to Pisco Ishinca and Tocllaraju you would need to pass through a National Park Checkpoint.
I noticed someone had recommended hiring base camp services well i have used Montclimb (i organised and guided a trip for Adventure Peaks) and found them extremely good with great kit and Alfredo the owner speaks English however if you are used to doing your own thing it is possible to dispense with that and hire animals to get you to BC then take it yourself from there. In fact if Pisco and the Ishinca valley are where you really want to go there are refuges there and they are pretty plush. Never stayed there but someone told me it was $10 for the bed and $10 for dinner so not bad value really.
Anyhow that about does it for now,

Regards,

Tony.
The places you mention are the busiest in the Blanca Ishinca can have 50 tents in BC there are numerous alternatives with much fewer people and for me equally beautiful peaks.

In reply to bartony800:

Thanks for that Tony,
Some great help here as always...
Out of curiosity - what other valleys would you reccomend as BC for a number of peaks.
I only chose this one as it can cater for 2 at 5500 and 1 at 6000. We are tight on time so are hoping to get as much done as possible.

Cheers
Spready

In reply to Spready:

Ishinca Base camp is great for quick access like you want, Urus and Ushinca were Scottish grade II/III Tocclaraju was III when I was there. I was there two summers ago and am going back this summer. The quote of $10 for bed is correct and you can use the refuge for relaxing in if you buy meals or drinks there. There is also local stalls that sell biscuits, beer etc... at the Basecamp.
I wouldn't recommend mess tent or cook, there is a good supermarket in Huaraz and there is a muleteers association which has set the price for mule hire at $10 for a muleteer and $5 per mule. Be canny with who you speak to in Huaraz and they'll set one up for you free of charge.

In reply to Spready:

Ishinca valley is OK, but I'd recommend heading to Quebrada Paron; very accessible from Huaraz but gives you a more remote experience. No mules, so carry your own gear. Artesonraju is a very striking peak. Toccla and Arteson are worthy goals, but there's also harder stuff up Paron way. We took a taxi directly from Huaraz.

In reply to Spready:

The Blanca is an excellent place, and easy to organise without a guide if you have some skills.

Not sure about the current permit business, but you could contact Alex Shipp, also on UK climbing, a friend of mine who now lives in Lima, and will know the score.

The Paron valley is excellent, as mentioned above. I was on Artesonraju in 2007, however A photo from end of last season revealed that the bottom third of the south face (normal route) is now just bare rock...things can change pretty quick out there.

You could also consider the Huaywash, about a day's journey from Huaraz. No permits needed when I was there recently, but all the peaks are fairly hard.

In reply to Spready:

Hi, I was out there soloing stuff the last two summers. The first time I had no trouble getting the Huascaran National Park ticket from the office in Huaraz - I just had to show my AC card. Last year though, I had to get a letter from the guides office saying they were ok with me to go climbing on my own, and then the park official went on at me saying how I was supposed to write to them weeks before telling them what I planned to climb during my trip. I was so amazed I forgot to buy the ticket, but I did finally get a letter from them saying they authorised me to climb without guides. Anyway, I went up to Ishinca armed with this letter, had absolutely no hassle from the people on the gate and never had to show the letter to buy the ticket. And I was on my own - I think you would be even less likely to be turned back at the gate if there was a group of you with camp staff, arrieros etc to be paid. So I wouldn't bother with the office in town if I were you.

Cheers,

Phil

In reply to Spready:
This whole situation seems to be very confused.
I am heading out there this summer and have no intention of climbing with a guide, I'd rather go and climb somewhere else than do that. I don't mind paying for a permit (within reason) but don't want to be tied down to an itinerary and want to climb independantly.
When I was last there (2001) I had to pay an National Park entrance fee for the Llanganuco valley (Pisco/Huandoy/Huascaran etc) but just went and climbed in other valleys without any formal process.
Can anybody answer the following questions?

1 Are you officially supposed to climb with a guide?
2 If yes to above, how do you get around this?
3 If I turn up at a valley with a National Park office without a guide/permit/letter from somebody (?) who has some authority to say its ok will I be turned back?
4 Can I pretend I'm not climbing, just backpacking to get let in?
5 If I do need a permit or letter, do I need to get it from Huaraz in advance and if so where?
6 Which valleys (apart from Llanganuco and Ishinca) have National Park Checkpoints?
7 Is a BMC membership card any use in obtaining a permit if one is needed?

I appreciate that no single persson may be able to answer all the above (by the sound of it, that would include whoever is in charge of the National Park!) but answers to any of the above wouls be useful. Thanks.

In reply to pec:
In answer to your question, there is NO requirement that you climb with a guide, although it makes getting a ticket to enter the national park a bit of a pain if you're trying to buy it in town. The only exception is if you want to climb Huascaran itself... although it is possible to blag that you are a guide.

I think you could easily pretend that you were just back packing... as the people who run the checkpoints dont seem to care too much, its the people in Huaraz who are more of a hassle to deal with.

When I was there we went through the hassle of getting a letter from the national park office... but when we showed the control point they seemed a bit confused as to what it actually was.

With regard to 6 the only other valley that i know of with a checkpoint is the santa cruz valley... and also the Huaripampa valley??? although this would probably be quite easy to get round.

A BMC card will definitely get you a permit... the person i was climbing with showed a card for an indoor climbing wall and got in... so definitely not a problem... but i think in all situations where you need to negotiate it is definitely an advantage to speak reasonable spanish.

In reply to Spready:
Did trips there in '06 and '07 self organised and no guides. Guides are available but not cheap. Huascaran and peaks of similar height were out of condition both visits but there are plenty of smaller peaks in the area.
Loads of info/ anecdotes if you want.

In reply to Andy_F1987: Thanks, that goes some way to clarifying things. I get the impression since these new rules were introduced the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing so to speak.

Am I correct in thinking that if I want to climb in an unmanned valley I can just do what I want and if I go to a valley with a checkpoint I can just tell them I'm a guide and waive my BMC card to get in?

In reply to pec: I think just having a BMC card and a national park ticket should allow you access... going in to most valleys all people wanted to see was the national park ticket.

In reply to Andy_F1987: Sorry if I'm being a bit dim here, but do you have to buy a park ticket in Huaraz or can you just turn up at the entrance to the valley and buy one or would this risk being turned back ?

In reply to pec: No you don't have to buy a ticket in Huaraz, although we did. You can buy your ticket on the gate, although you'll need to have your passport on you... as i think they need the passport number when issueing the ticket. For this reason its probably better to buy it in town.