Pucahirca Central and Pucaranra, Cordillera Blanca. The Franco-Swiss Expedition to the Andes 1957—Mlle. Françoise Birkigt, Mlle. Renée Colliard, Mme. Annette Lambert and M. Raymond Lambert, of Geneva; Mme. Claude Kogan, of Nice; Jean Lamy, of Lyon; Dr. Félix Magnin, of Hauteville; Roger Merle, of Cannes; Víctor Moreno, of Quito, Ecuador; and Mlle. Claudine van der Straten, of Belgium—had for its objective South America, especially Ecuador and Peru. This expedition, in the field for six months, was in two parts, the first of which took it to Ecuador. (See above.)

The second phase of our expedition began at Huaraz on the Río Santa, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca, where our mountain team assembled. Our first objective was Pucahirca Central (ca. 20,000 feet). (The north peak was climbed by the Austrian Erwin Schneider, in 1936, and the south peak by the Americans Clinch, Kauffman, McMannis, and Sowles, in 1955.—Editor.) We reached Caras at 7235 feet by truck with all our equipment. Leaving Caras and ascending the Quebrada Santa Cruz, in two days we reached the foot of the Punta Unión pass, where at 13,500 feet we established Base Camp. We reconnoitered from there to find a route up the glacier and reach the col between the Pucahirca group and Taulliraju. After four days we reached this col, where we established Camp I. From there we crossed the immense snowfield south of Pucahirca to establish Camp II at 17,700 feet on the south face directly below the summit. Expecting to reach the east ridge easily, we attacked the south face directly, but after several days of attempts we gave this route up because of bad snow conditions and slow progress. A rocky spur that ran to the southeast gave access to the west ridge. After having climbed 2300 feet of badly pitched rock, and after a bivouac, we set foot on the west ridge, which at first seemed very easy. Unfortunately 150 feet from the summit we were cut off by a huge crevasse from the enormous block of ice that forms the highest point of the mountain. Pucahirca Central consists of huge séracs, like hanging glaciers placed on the summit. Two weeks earlier we should have been able to pass easily on a snow bridge that formed a link between the west ridge and the summit block.

From Huaraz we reconnoitered Cayesh (18,770 feet), a rocky summit at the end of the Quebrada Quilcayhuanca. During the reconnaissance we climbed an 18,375-foot peak from which we could see that Cayesh could be ascended from the Quebrada Rurec on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Blanca. Since this approach-march would be rather difficult and would necessitate rock climbing with complicated artificial aid, we returned, not having sufficient means for it at our disposal.

We descended the valley a little from Cayesh and established a new Base Camp at 13,125 feet, in the Quebrada Quilcayhuanca, to attempt Pucaranra (20,167 feet). From there we placed Camp I on the edge of a glacial lake, at 15,150 feet, at the foot of Pucaranra’s west face. By means of a glacier that dominates the lake, we climbed to a snowy saddle on the east ridge, where we set up Camp II at 17,700 feet. On August 18 we followed the east ridge to the summit. The summit party consisted of Mme. Lambert, Mme. Kogan, Mlle. Van der Straten, and Moreno and Lambert. This was the second ascent and the first feminine ascent. (The Swiss—Lauterberg, Marmillod, Schmid, and Sigrist—made the first ascent in 1948.—Editor.)

Raymond Lambert, Swiss Alpine Club