Huacshash, Pariauccro Chico and Other Peaks, Southern Cordillera Huayhuash, 1979. Our expedition from Friuli was composed of Rodolfo Sinuello, Giuseppe Bertolo, Ivano Baracchini, Alfonso Masotti, Andrea Camerotto, Rolando Zaghis and me. Our objective was to climb all the 5000-meter peaks at the head of the Quebrada Ularaga, which empties from the north into the Río Pumarinri. Base Camp was placed at the head of the valley 15,000 feet below the moraine near a small glacial lake. There were Polish expeditions in the region in 1974 and 1975. In most cases where it is noted that we made second or third ascents, the Poles preceded us. Otherwise we believe ours were first ascents. Peruvians claim the first ascent of Huacshash from the north in 1958. The second ascent was by Poles via the northwest ridge in 1975. On July 4, 1979 Baracchini, Bertolo and Masotti climbed Huacshash (5644 meters, 18,517 feet) via the southeast ridge. They climbed to the 16,800-foot notch in the ridge and then followed it to the top. We climbed all but one of the peaks at the head of the valley, listed here from west to east as follows: P 5090 (16,700 feet; 3rd ascent) on June 25, 1979 by Baracchini, Bertolo, Bulfoni, Sinuello. This peak lies northeast of Huacshash from which it is separated by a deep valley; P 5260 (17,257 feet; 2nd ascent) via northwest face on June 26 by Bulfoni, Camerotto, Masotti, Zaghis. From Base Camp we climbed the moraine and an ice couloir to a wide 16,470-foot col southwest of the peak. We did two rope-lengths on the snow ridge to a small plateau. Working left, we ascended a steep amphitheater for four pitches. Three rope-lengths of steep ice brought us to the rocky foresummit, from which mixed climbing took us to the top; P 5150 (16,897 feet) via the couloir to the west of the peak on June 27 by Bulfoni, Sinuello, Masotti, Baracchini, Bertolo and on July 3 by Bulfoni, Zaghis; P 5180 (16,995 feet) and P 5200 (17,061 feet) on July 3 by Bulfoni, Zaghis. We ascended the couloir on P 5150 but traversed east on the very steep south face of P 5150 to a hanging glacier that gave access to a plateau and the western summit ridge of P 5180. We returned to the plateau to traverse the south face of P 5180 to the western summit ridge of P 5200. (We did not climb the next summit.); P 5275 (17,306 feet) on July 5 by Bulfoni, Zaghis, Camerotto. We ascended moraine to the glacier that descends from P 5270, climbed steep ice bearing right to avoid crevasses and then up the east ridge to the summit; P 5270 (17,290 feet) on June 29 by Sinuello, Bertolo, Baracchini and on July 1 by Bulfoni, Zaghis, Camerotto. We ascended the moraine that ends at an ancient glacial lake bed, crossed the broad rock band to reach the glacier southwest of the peak. We then followed the glacier nearly to the top. A short vertical pitch brought us to the summit; Pariauccro Chico (5330 meters, 17,487 feet; 2nd ascent) via the south face and southeast ridge on June 22 by Bertolo, Masotti, Sinuello, Bulfoni, Baracchini. We traversed the south face diagonally to a rock face below the southeast ridge, which we attacked on the left up a snow-filled rock gully. This led to a 50-foot rock wall (UIAA IV), which took us to the southeast ridge only a few minutes below the summit. Jatuncuta (5150 meters, 16,897 feet; south of Pariauccro Chico; 2nd ascent) via a route crossing north of the peak to the east side on July 1 by Masotti, Sinuello.

Marcello Bulfoni, Club Alpino Italiano