South America, Peru, Cordillera Blanca, Huandoy, Peruvian Expedition

Publication Year: 1970.

Huandoy, Peruvian Expedition. Our expedition was made up of Benjamín Morales Arnao, glaciologist, Alcides Ames M. and Wenceslao Gambini I., topographers, Marcelino Morales, Justiniano Huamán, Eugenio Angeles, Pablo Evangelista, Nemesio Figueroa, and on the second part César Morales Arnao, Floriano Solano and Hilario Aranda. We had two kinds of objectives, glaciological investigations and mountaineering in the Huandoy group. From June 27 to July 12 we carried out studies related to topographical control of the glaciers and sounded the lake south of and at the foot of Chacraraju. We surveyed the small glacier that descends from between Chacraraju and Yanapaccha, which we named Broggi Glacier in honor of Peru’s famous geologist who did the first glaciology here. We set up movement and ablation measurements. We then surveyed the glacier that descends to the east from Huandoy, in order to study the periodic formation of lakes in its tongue. Then the climbing activities began. We climbed Nevado Pisco as follows: César Morales Arnao, Aranda and Solano on July 12; Marcelino Morales, Huamán, Evangelista and me on July 13; Benjamín Morales Arnao, Gambini and Angeles on July 14. On these three ascents of Pisco our altimeters registered an average of 5780 meters (18,964 feet) and not the 6000 meters as appears on the map. The attempt on Huandoy was made by Marcelino Morales, Angeles, Huamán, Evangelista and me joined by the Swiss Edmund Haas, whose companion, Emil Meier, had dislocated his ankle. We left Camp I at 17,725 feet on July 16, Haas and I as the attack team supported by the rest. We two were to finish fixing ropes to the col (a job the Swiss had begun), while the others would bring up the supplies. Unfortunately, as we were in the middle of the wall, a colossal avalanche crashed down just beside us from above and swept out the bottom part of the route. We gave up the attempt.

Alcides Ames M., Club Andino Peruano