South America, Peru—Cordillera Blanca, Huandoy Traverse

Publication Year: 1981.

Huandoy Traverse. After acclimatization and training climbs on Pisco, Chopicalqui and Yanapaccha, on May 29 we started on our main objective, a traverse of the Huandoy group. We left our Base Camp on the Llanganuco Lakes and bivouacked at the foot of the Pisco Glacier. On the 30th we climbed the north ridge of Huandoy Este. The first part on rotten rock had numerous pitches of UIAA IV and a few of V. The second part was snow and ice, not too steep but a delicate ridge with rotten snow. We bivouacked at 18,700 feet and continued over some difficult ice on the 31st to the summit of Huandoy Este. Our third bivouac was in the col also at 18,700 feet. On June 1 we ascended 55° to 60° ice on the east face of the main peak of Huandoy, which we reached at seven P.M. We bivouacked 150 feet beyond the summit. The weather was bad on June 2 and so we continued no farther but descended to Base Camp. The members of the group making the traverse were Patrice Bassand, Giles Burdin, André Chariglione, Michel Delorme, Jean-Marc Massonnat, Dominique Ridoll and I.

Marc D’Anglesan, Club Alpin Français