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Peru, advice and opinions.

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matnoo 25 Apr 2004
I have scottish (winter+summer), alpine (summer) and Norwegian (winter) experience, fit (but will be fitter!), and have the right kit. Ive lead a decent number of winter, mixed and ice routes as well as lots of mountaineering stuff.

I never considored any serious mountains until now. By 'serious' I mean a set of mountains where there is no mountain rescue of any kind, as this fact often seperates the big boy mountaineers from the amateurs!

I have a friend whos going to peru in about 6 months for an entire year, and I CANT miss that opportunity. With her there, Im going to have accomodation, a friendly face, an interpreter and local knowledge.

Im not there to climb anything special, or particularly remote, but something challenging would be fantastic. Although she says shes definately going to be by mountains, she doesnt know where shes stopping yet, so I cant decide on routes or set my sights on specific mountains til then, but suggestions would be nice!

I know about the general idea; its big, its dangerous and remote. But aside from these obvious but concerning points,

1.Whats good about the andes?
2.Whats bad?
3.How much is it going to cost? (just a general idea)
4.How long do i NEED out there?
5.Anything else I should know?

I can find out what season is best to go, what snow conditions are like and what to expect from wildlife from a text book.. I want opinions... What the place smells and feels like, is it worth it? What quirky bit of kit is good to take? What do you remember about your visit there? What would you have changed..etc etc.

Cheers in advance

Mat
Juki 25 Apr 2004
In reply to matnoo:
> 1.Whats good about the andes?
Cheap. Great place for the first expedition. Acclimatisation is not a big problem there IF you go slowly and don't rush. You can always return to Huaraz, have shower, have a beer, have a steak, get drunk and still staying at 3100 meters. You can take a taxi to 3.5k and usually you can find good paths. That are full of shit

There is a rescue service operating in Cordillera Blanca so you are not totally alone there. We saw few of them carrying a body two years ago.

> 2.Whats bad?
It's quite expensive to get there. It's not a western country so sometimes something MIGHT go wrong. When we were there, the road between Huaraz and Caraz was blocked because there were some riots. It lasted few days.

> 3.How much is it going to cost? (just a general idea)
I don't know about the flights but staying and living there is so cheap that it's not going to be a problem. If you can afford to fly there, you can afford to stay there.

> 4.How long do i NEED out there?
I'd say, at least a month. And that's just for the climbing. We stayed there about eight weeks but started to play tourist after the first four weeks.

> 5.Anything else I should know?
Just go there!

Generally, it's not very cold there. Medium weight down jacket and -20C sleeping bag are quite enough. Mules will carry your stuff for the first part so take some luxury items for the base camp.

If you take a non-stop flight your weight limit for the baggage is 20 kilos. If you fly through US, it's 64 kilos. Continental Airways does NOT give you free drinks during the flight from Europe to US
Owl 25 Apr 2004
In reply to matnoo:
I am going for my first mountaineering expedition to Peru this summer but I have been there before so heres my ha'pennys worth.

So far I have visited there, did some voluntary work, some travelling, trekking and some spanish lessons. All of which were fantastic experiences in a great, friendly country (more friendly out of touristy areas - but i think that goes for anywhere, doesn't it?).

It is cheap to live out there - I found (2 years ago) that you can get by on from as little as about £30 a week if you're careful (food and accomodation) though it is easy to spend more if you go to trendy/touristy bars where the beer is nearly UK prices!
As Juki said - if you can afford the flight you can probably afford to live out there!

It is definately worth knowing some spanish - it is nice not to be reliant on your friend all the time! and there are quite a few areas where spanish is peoples second language (after quechua) and they certainly dont speak any english.

Well, my idea would be to go, definately! It is an amazing, beautiful, varied country. Jungle, desert, mountains - it has it all.

I'll tell you more about the moutaineering when I get back in September, if I manage to get any done!
PJ 27 Apr 2004
> 1.Whats good about the andes?

Lack of people, we spent 9 days in a valley climbing really straight-forward routes and didn't see anyone. Being on a high snow covered mountain and knowning you are the ONLY 2 people on it is a very nice feeling.

> 2.Whats bad?

We're going back this year so nothings that bad. Would second the comment about learning Spanish. Having been to Nepal I foolishly thought it would be the same: i.e. they want to learn English so you can get by with that. However, this is not the case, you do need to know at least the basics.

> 3.How much is it going to cost? (just a general idea)

There were 4 of us in our group and our spending was between £700-£1000 (each) for a 3 week trip (excluding flights), but we didn't hold back: personal mini busses took us to the road heads and picked us up, we had a cook for base camp, hired mess tent & table / chairs / cooker / etc... Who says you have to slum it in the mountains?

> 4.How long do i NEED out there?

Depends on what you want to achieve. With our 3 weeks we did 3 routes but it was a first expedtion for any of us and we (or I at least) was chuffed with that. Once you are aclimatised you can knock off routes faster (i.e. there is an initial overhead). Also there is an overhead getting in to / out of valleys (say a day each way). This year we are planning on staying in 1 valley for the full 3 weeks.

> 5.Anything else I should know?

Guide Books:

The Andes - A guide for Climbers (1999) - John Biggar : Good overview of all of the Andes, decent no. of routes and descriptions are OK. Worth it if you are thinking of visiting other places at some point too.

Cordillera Blanca of Peru (1995) - David Sharman : Bit out of date now, good for it's time, but that time has past. I wouldn't reccomend it.

Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (2003) - Brad Johnson : Brand new, lots of pictures and good descriptions. A bit big to take with you so photocopy relevent bits. A MUST by for anyone visiting Peru IMHO.

There is another one that's in Spanish (friend of mine has it) that's very comprehensive: most mountains have photographs and there are more routes covered (rather than the "Clasic Climbs" covered by Brad J). Obviously being in Spanish can be a bit of a down side but it's good for gradings (we cross referenced it with the Sharman guide to get the latest grade & photo of route from the Spanish one, and text description from the English one

PJ
Norrie Muir 27 Apr 2004
In reply to matnoo:

Dear matoo

Don't underestimate them at football.

Best of luck any way.

Norrie
barleymow 27 Apr 2004
In reply to matnoo:

Mat..

If you want to climb in the cordillera blanca & environs (basically where most of the climbing is) you want to go in the Andean Summer, which somewhat counterintuitively is the same as the norther hemisphere summer.. so called because the weather is great ie

the weather is generally v. good & settled from June to August inclusive

UNLESS it's an el nino year in which case it's been known to be BAD

Huaraz is about 10-20 us$ on a coach from lima.. relatively cheap once you are there




PJ 17 May 2004
In reply to PJ: The Spanish guide book I mentioned was:

"Escaladas en los Andes. Guía de la Cordillera Blanca" by Juan josé Tomé (ISBN 8489969434)
OP Rye Gob 17 May 2004
In reply to matnoo:

Whats good about the andes?

They're big, steep, pointy, easily accessible and with loads of unclimbed lines. The weather is generally more stable than in other, similar sized mountain ranges. The combination of tropical sun and high altitude makes for good ice and mixed climbing. There's also loads of good rock climbing and bouldering. There's plenty of cheap Marching Powder. The lanyfolk are lovely.

2.Whats bad?

The ridges are often 'Out of Bounds' due to crenelated snow and quadruple cornicing, so it helps to be quite good at climbing down steep ground and making abseil descents on rock and ice. The locals AND the police are not always on your side.

3.How much is it going to cost? (just a general idea)

Depends on how long you go for and what you aim to climb when you get there. Anything from 'a little bit more than the Alps' to a lot more, but not any cheaper. Flights if I remember are always around £500 min.

4.How long do i NEED out there?

I'd say three weeks to get properly acclimatised and get some good (high) climbing in. You could go for a fortnight's rock climbing though.

5.Anything else I should know?

Don't go for a dander around the outskirts of Lima
Monkeytendon 17 May 2004
In reply to matnoo:

It is a briliant place and you will have a hell of a time.
Jarates (i think that is how it is spelt) in Ariquipa provide a moutain rescue service and also are very helpful. I advise you contact them if you want lots of information on what to take (i think they are listed in the lonely planet)
The temperature can change quite quick, when i was there even the alpaca were dying of the cold. You might want to make a little time to tour the country as it is great for travelling and meeting people. The south American Explorers association is on the internet and may be able to hook you up with some people. They also have a club house in Cusco were you can leave your stuff for as long as you like if you are a member (you get quite a cool magazine too).
Hope this helps a little
OP almost sane not logged in 20 May 2004
In reply to matnoo:
> 1.Whats good about the andes?
As has been said before, they are big; it is relatively easy to get access to some mountains while others are very remote; many of the locals are dead friendly; weather in our summer can be very stable; lots of exploration to be done if you fancy that sort of thing; range of routes from multi-day to afternoon; good cheap food.

> 2.Whats bad?
Occassional political unrest; sendero luminoso are rumoured to be making a comeback (make sure everyone knows you are not American); cacti - climbing a new route where the vegetation on handholds is covered in short spines is as painful as it sounds.

> 3.How much is it going to cost? (just a general idea)
You could live comfortably for £15 a day in a tourist area like Cusco. It is possible to spend a whole lot more.

> 4.How long do i NEED out there?
I suggest 3 week minimum to get acclimatised for the high mountains. More is better.

> 5.Anything else I should know?
There's plenty of hills beyond the more frequented areas like Huarez. I enjoyed Arequippa - big city at 2200metres with a lovely climate. The area around Chivay and Cabanaconde I thought was great, and the Colca Canyon too. Loads of big hills between there and Puno, many of which are unclimbed.
Fantastic beef.
A bad place to be a vegetarian.
If you can afford it, hire a good cook for basecamp.
Lots of abandoned Inca and pre-Inca cities around still unexcavated. Lots of Inca and pre-Inca paths through the hills.
I have coeliac disease, and have found both Bolivia and Peru fine for my special dietary needs. Far better than Canada.
OP Quosco 24 May 2004
In reply to matnoo:
> I have scottish (winter+summer), alpine (summer) and Norwegian (winter) experience, fit (but will be fitter!), and have the right kit. Ive lead a decent number of winter, mixed and ice routes as well as lots of mountaineering stuff.

In that case, you have far more experience than I had when I went to the Blanca. We spent 3 weeks there, and did 3 peaks, and had a great time.
>
> >
>
> 1.Whats good about the andes?

In addition to all that has been said above:

The Sharman book says the Cordiallera Blanca is 'as if the european alps had been liften up 1500 metres, with cable cars and overcrowding banished overnight'. I would add to this that the weather is generally more stable (during the Andean winter of May - August), and the whole trip makes for a much more interesting cultural experience.

> 2.Whats bad?

There is limited rescue (I saw no evidence of this at all, but I have heard rumours that a service exists) the mountains are more remote and higher and hence difficult to get to (ie take more time to get to) However, all this means that they are more rewarding and less busy when you do climb them, so I would be tempted to say there's nothing bad!
> 3.How much is it going to cost? (just a general idea)

I spent about £500 on flight and about another £500 while I was out there (6 weeks ish?, includng buying a bit of kit) but I wasn't particularly frugal!

> 4.How long do i NEED out there?
Like I said, We spent 3 weeks climbihg. We got avalanched on the way down from our last climb (a pretty rare occurance in the Andes) so we decided to do touristy stuff instead, but you may not. You could do some trekking peaks (eg Pisco, Urus, Ishinca) if you only had one or two weeks, but I reckon you need three to get acclimatised enough to do any real climbing.

> 5.Anything else I should know?
>
Fly in to Lima, get to Huaraz as quick as you can to start acclimatising. I know some guys who got a taxi from Lima airport to Huaraz (!) the night they flew in. They reckoned it was about the same price as a bus ticket each - but the amount of kit you have may be prohibitive!
Buy a couple of snow stakes once you get to Huaraz - they cost about $3 and it means you don't have to carry them or dead men on the plane (I found the snow conditions made stuff like this pretty useful).
When you get to Huaraz, take a day or two to acclimatise and buy supplies, then head straight up to base camp on one of the trekking peak areas (eg Ishinca). You'll meet loads of people who know about conditions etc.

Stay at Hostel Espana in Lima, and eat on their rooftop cafe. Stay at Hostel Churrup (cheap) or Edward's Inn (more expensive) in Huaraz. Edward is an experienced climber who speaks Englaish and gives good advice.

Definitely learn some Spanish. You can get by with sign language, but you'll get much more out of it if you can speak the lingo. I met an (Australian) gentleman while I was out there who had been travelling round S America for a year, and had only picked up "dos cervesas, por favor" and "donde esta la casa de putas", but for climbing it helps if you can at least ask about conditions etc!

Have a great time!
OP Graham B 26 May 2004
In reply to almost sane not logged in:

Agree with all thats been said. Watch out for the odd bit of political unrest. Make sure they know you're not an American (you may well have to explain to folk where the UK is and that everybody who speaks English isn't necessarily American !). Leave any t-shirts that might have 'I work for the DEA' written across them at home !

> I suggest 3 week minimum to get acclimatised for the high mountains. More is better.

Agreed entirely. No less than 3 weeks if you want to get anything in the mountains done.

> There's plenty of hills beyond the more frequented areas like Huarez. I enjoyed Arequippa - big city at 2200metres with a lovely climate. The area around Chivay and Cabanaconde I thought was great, and the Colca Canyon too. Loads of big hills between there and Puno, many of which are unclimbed.

Agreed again. Take the bus from Cabanaconde to Huambo and then spend a day walking down into the bottom of the Colca (Hacienda Canco). Camp, walk back. Or, if your paddling's up to it, kayak for 3 days down the Colca... Quite committing !

Definitely a bad place to be a veggie. Leave all veggie principles at home... they'll still be there when you come back.
OP Graham B 26 May 2004
In reply to Graham B:
Oh and, as others have said, learn some Spanish. Before you go.

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