Climbs in Southern Peru. In April, 1966 I made three first ascents in southern Peru solo. Though not challenging, the climbs in this region have the advantage of good weather when it is out of season for most Peruvian ranges. Though César Morales lists Nevado Mismi (18,363 feet) as the highest summit of the virgin Cordillera Chila, north of the Río Colca, actually it is likely that Cerro Chila (18,550 feet) is the highest. It was Mismi which I climbed in a three-day round trip from the town of Chivay. The route went through the town of Coporaque and north beyond Cerro Pumachiri to gain Mismi’s east ridge from the south. The ridge was rotten but not difficult. From the road which crosses Patapampa south of Chivay, I climbed Huarancante (17,678 feet) by its northwest ridge. A couple of days later I climbed easy Nevado Ananta, listed as unclimbed, but there was a large cairn on top. The highest summit of Cerro Sabancaya is probably the 19,817-foot peak on the massif’s northeast corner, though I traversed several others which looked as high. (The mountain is called Ampato by the locals of Río Colca.) I climbed the steep but not difficult southeast ice ridge of the 19,817-foot peak. I made the first ascent of the 20,000-foot peak between Sabancaya and Ampato from the northeast, finding active steam and sulphur vents in the summit icecap. This is apparently called Hualca-Hualca, although the map lists this an alternative name for Ampato. I approached Coropuna from Viraco. Dr. Parodi, teaching at present at the University of Arequipa, was a member of one of two Italian expeditions to Coropuna and has climbed one of its eastern peaks. He told me that the highest of the eastern summits (c. 20,500 feet) was unclimbed. I made the ascent from the south, going first to a col between my objective and P 6001 meters on the extreme east and then up the east ridge.

Richard R. Culbert