Casiri, Cordillera Real, 1990. After being attacked twice by locals on the three-day hike from Achacachi to the southern base of Casiri, Jim Petroske and I camped below the icefall that tumbles down the southeast section of the glaciers that cover Casiri’s southern slopes. On August 13, 1990, we meandered for 500 meters through the icefall to the upper glacial bowl. We continued west up the bowl and up a 60° ice slope to the saddle beneath the striking granite finger a half-kilometer southwest of Casiri’s main summit. After traversing toward afalse summit, we retreated to find our camp frozen into a glacial pond that had formed during the day. On August 15, we retraced our steps to our previous high point and climbed the southwest ridge on mixed rock and ice over the false summit and along the corniced crest to the summit of Casiri (5857 meters, 19,216 feet). The round-trip took fifteen hours.

Billy Petroske