Caullaraju Group, Cordillera Blanca. In July, I finished my systematic reconnaissance of this group which I had begun in 1960 and 1961, completing the ascents of the most important peak which had remained unclimbed and which included the highest of the group, Caullaraju Este (5686 m. or 18,655 feet). It was previously believed that this summit had been reached on March 13, 1952 by A. Vinci, G. Verganni and F. Anzio, but this appears to be disproved. Not only have the Peruvian experts arrived at this conclusion but also Hannes Gasser, guide from Innsbruck and leader of the Tyrolean expedition in 1959, who climbed Caullaraju Oeste or Cruz de Plata (5603 m. or 18,391 feet) and Caullaruju Norte (5420 m. or 17,782 feet). This appears evident from a comparison of photographs published in Vinci’s book Cordigliera with those I took in 1960 from the col between Yanahuanca and Caullaraju Norte as well as from the summit of Yanahuanca, looking south-southeast. The summit reached by Vinci is on the western side of Cruz de Plata. It is about 5500 meters (18,209 feet) and has been named Nevado Vinci by the Peruvian authorities. Perhaps clouds, which Vinci describes, prevented his seeing that to the east of this group and across the Quebrada Quellish lay the highest peak of the group. (See Editor’s note on page 86 and photographs in the Revista Peruana de Andinismo 1960-1, No. 5.) In 1962 we made the following first ascents: Queñuaracra (5353 m. or 17,563 feet), July 12, Giobbi, Eugenio Angeles; Caullaraju Este (5686 m. or 18,655 feet), Giobbi, Eugenio and Macario Angeles; Queñuaracra Chico (5147 m. or 16,897 feet), Giobbi and Macario Angeles; Carioca (5460 m. or 17,914 feet), all three. All three also made the second ascent of Nevado Vinci on July 19. The first three summits were ascended from the Quebrada Queñuaracra, while the other two, which are west of Cruz de Plata and do not appear on the DÖAV map (1:100,000), were climbed via the south-west face of that group. Their altitudes were determined by aneroid barometer corrected at known topographic points. The other altitudes correspond to altitudes on the above map.

Domingos Giobbi, Club Andino Paulista