South America, Peru, Cordillera Huayhaush, Sarapo, Southwest Face

Publication Year: 1980.

Sarapo, Southwest Face. In Cajatambo an Italian expedition, led by Casimiro Ferrari, met a Swiss one returning from having unsuccessfully tried the southwest face of Sarapo. In two days, on August 4, the Italians were in Base Camp. After several days of reconnaissance in doubtful weather, on August 9 they climbed two rock bands and established Camp I below the southwest face at 16,000 feet. At three A.M. on August 12 Ferrari, Bruno Lombardini, Sandro Liati, Vittorio Meles, Maurizio Scaioli and Giuliano Maresi set out up the face and continued all day on the steep snow and ice to an uncomfortable bivouac hacked out of the wall. The next day they climbed only until just after noon when they found a flat space above a sérac. They rested and bivouacked there in comfort. On August 14 they continued upward, reaching the summit at 5:30 P.M. It took them until 10:30 to regain the bivouac site. They were back in Base Camp on the 15th.