Puscanturpa Norte and Nevado Cuyoc. In June a four-man Italian team climbed a new variant on the most imposing part of the northwest face of Puscanturpa Norte (5,652m), between the 2000 French routes (AAJ 2001, pp. 284–6) Pasta Religion and Macanacota. The Italians, Francesco Balzan, Bice Bones, Fabrizio Conforto, and Andrea Zanetti, appear to have climbed not far from Pasta Religion, with difficulties up to VII and A4. After they had covered 600m of new ground, the weather deteriorated, and the four were forced to finish on Pasta Religion.

The Italians also climbed the east spur of Nevado Cuyoc (5,500m), almost a subsidiary summit of the Puscanturpa Group. This may well have been a first ascent.

Lindsay Griffin, High Mountain INFO