Huayana Potosi - Into Thin Air

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Huayana Potosi stands proud and daunting at 6,088 metres. It is regarded as one of the easiest 6,000 metre peaks in the world to summit, as it doesn't require any real technical climbing experience and so any old Johnny-tourist like myself can pay $100 odd to be guided up to the summit. We even took the easiest route up there, but I can assure you it was almost certainly the most physically demanding thing that I have ever done!!

Summiting this peak had been my ambition for quite a while now. Having got a taste for the heights in Nepal, it seemed an incredible opportunity to go even higher and test myself both mentally and physically. Understanding how tough it was going to be I had attempted to prepare as seriously as possible - laying off the alcohol since departing Sucre (well apart from the odd celebratory beer here and there), doing as much trekking as possible to build up my fitness and undertaking a serious programme of acclimatisation in order to give myself the best possible chance of making the summit.

Anyway, my acclimatisation trek completed I was met at the 4,700 metre Huayana Potosi base camp by my climbing guide Juan, and Brandon, a traveller from Canada, who would be attempting the summit with me.

Day 1 of our three day summit attempt involved us being trained in the ice-climbing techniques that we would need in order to tackle the two technical sections of the summit attempt, which would involve climbing rather than trekking. Thus we headed to the “Glaciar Viejo”, (old glacier), armed with ice axes, crampons and a belly full of excitement. The techniques Juan taught us seemed relatively easy to perform, and we found that we could scuttle up a 50 or 60 degree slope without too much bother. So far, so good - but we were only practicing at a lowly 5,000 metres in altitude!!!

To finish the day, Juan wanted to build our confidence and help us lose our fear by getting us to scale something far tougher than we would encounter on the actual summit attempt. Thus, we were issued with two ice axes and started climbing a wall made of ice rather than hardened snow, which was nearly vertical!!! Brandon and I both made it to the summit of the wall twice, and were able to practice our rappelling techniques on the way back down. Buoyed by our successful training session, we all headed back down to base camp and an early night before the summit attempt the following day.

The second day of the summit attempt saw us joined by a climbing assistant who would be able to take one of us back down should they be unable to continue, allowing the other to attempt the summit. The four of us headed up to the “Rock Camp”, which at 5,130 metres was the highest point on the mountain not covered in snow, and would be the staging point for our summit attempt. Heavily laden with all our climbing gear and supplies, I found the walk up to “Rock Camp” surprisingly straightforward and was hardly even breathing deeply, despite the altitude and the load I was carrying. All the trekking and high altitude preparation seemed to be paying off and I’m sure at one point I may have thought that “this is going to be a doddle”. Ooops!!

Bedtime on Day 2 was at 6 p.m. as we would be up that evening at 11.30pm in order to climb to the summit during the night when the weather conditions were apparently most suitable and the snow at its hardest. If all went well we would enjoy watching the sunrise from the peak of Huayana Potosi.

11.30 arrived, and after a hot drink and a bit of breakfast we donned our warm weather gear and prepared to leave. Given the fact that I am most definitely a warm-weather traveller and that anything chillier than scorching tropical heat has me reaching for the thermals, I wasn’t taking any chances here. Thus with the thermometer reading -9 C, I got the layers on: three pairs of thermal socks bought from the fine markets of La Paz for a quid should do the job for my tootsies, two sets of thermal long johns and a pair of waterproof trousers for my bottom half, eight, yes eight, layers on my upper body (thermal t-shirt, long sleeved t-shirt, 3 more t-shirts, fleece, bigger fleece and windstopper!!), rounded off with two pairs of gloves, scarf, balaclava and beanie. Surely I couldn’t get cold wearing all that. (hmmm!!!).

The path to the summit was relentlessly steep. There were no namby-pamby traverses to make it easy like for Volcan Villarica in Chile, but even so it seemed that all the trekking and acclimatisation work had paid off and we soon reached Campamento Argentino at 5,500 metres and I had had no problems at all. The temperature continued to drop as we increased in altitude and at this point it was minus twelve or so. Brandon, an oil rig worker from Alberta, I think tried to inspire me on the temperature front. “I’ve been left dangling on a rope for 3 hours in minus 30, don’t worry about this little chill”. Thanks mate, I thought, but my ambition was to summit Huayana Potosi rather than become a cold-hardened roughneck so surviving -12 was plenty good enough for me!!!

The ascent continued onwards, and to be honest really wasn’t very interesting. We were simply plodding relentlessly along in the dark, not able to see anything of our surrounding, but for about an hour after Campamento Argentino we had views across to La Paz which appeared as a shimmering orange sea of lights and helped to break up the monotony.

The first technical section came upon us soon enough, and it involved climbing a 30 metre ice wall of around 55 degrees. Again I didn’t seem to have any problems with the obstacle and scooted up without any real difficulty. We were now at 5,700 metres, about 3 hours into the attempt and making great time.

However here the altitude and the cold really started to take effect and the final 400 or so metres of climbing proved incredibly tough. It was so cold that it was very uncomfortable to stop and rest (yep, even those 85 odd layers proved insufficient), but we were so high that the trekking was very tiring. Thus, I just went into a kind of auto-pilot mode, plodding along at a slow even pace, not really aware of time passing or what was going on around me. In this fashion we reached the final hurdle that stood between us and the summit. A 250 metre snow wall that stretched up to the peak at angles of about 50 to 70 degrees.

Again I started promisingly, having no problems at all scaling the wall and enjoying the hard snow that provided easy grip for the ice-axe. The Sun started to rise and I was watch the distant skies changing colours from purples and blues to reds and oranges - a really magical experience to be enjoying the sunrise from so high up.

Then suddenly, when Juan announced we were at 6,000 metres and entering the final straight, things started to get very tough. The altitude really started to hit me hard and all parts of my body and brain were on the wane. My muscles were burning, my breathing was ragged and I was starting to lose concept of what was going on around me and how long I had been climbing for. It became a relentless process of swing the ice axe, kick in the right foot, kick in the left foot, try to grab some air, swing in the ice axe….

By now the Sun was starting to rise and I somehow managed to pull my altitude-fuddled brain together long enough to take some sunrise pics. The climb continued, and although at no point I felt like I was not going to make it, it was just an unbelievably tough climb that didn’t feel like it was going to end. Some time later I hauled my exhausted body onto the summit and was able to rest!!! During my preparations I had found that my recovery rate had improved incredibly, and even after the toughest of climbs all I seemed to need was a couple of minutes and a few deep breathes and I’d be ready to go again. This was definitely not the case at 6,088 metres, as I simply lolled at the top absolutely exhausted and gasping for breath, trying to take in the sense of achievement and the stunning views.

It was minus 14 at the top, but the cold finally didn’t seem to bother me as I spent 15 or 20 minutes at the roof of the world taking in all that was around me. The views were spectacular, and the sunrise was definitely the most beautiful I have ever seen. It was an incredible feeling of achievement to have made the summit and will be something I know I will be forever proud of.

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Photos

Huayana Potosi Summit.
At the summit, a narrow ridge of snow with the most incredible views.

Huayana Potosi - 6,088 metres
The view from base camp in the early morning stun. Only 1,400 odd metres stood between me and the summit!!!

Ice Climbing
Taking on the almost vertical wall of ice as part of my preparations.

Ice Wall Summit
The confidence building exercise definately worked as I made the summit of the ice wall.

Rock Camp
The name is pretty self explanatory, and yes that was the best place we could find to pitch a tent. Unsurprisingly, sleeping wasn't the easiest!!!

Start of the climb
We are all roped in and in great spirits as we begin the summit attempt.

Sun rising on the final climb
Somehow manage to keep the camera straight and grab a photo of the rising Sun.

Roof of the World
I arrived at the summit exhausted but elated, with the Sun having just risen on the horizon.

View from the top.
The peaks of Huayana Potosi, and in the background Mount Illimani.

Not a bad little vista.
The Cordillera Real stretches out below me.

Final Climb
The final obstacle between me and the summit looks disappointingly weedy in the light of day. It was tough, honest!!!!!