Cashan Este, Southwest Ridge. An Andes [commercial group] expedition, led by Martin Akhurst, was in the Cordillera Blanca in June. Between June 23-25 they made an ascent of Cashan Este (5,716m) by the southwest ridge (from the col with Shacsha). Apparently this route had not been recorded—the route of the first ascent in 1948 lies on the southwest glacier and west ridge. The group climbed from a base camp in the Quebrada Rurec, with higher camps at 4,700m and 5,000m. After a half-day scouting and trail-breaking, Peruvian guide Damian Aurelio, with David Galloway and Ray Tennant, reached the summit at 12 noon on June 25. The grade was about Alpine AD; the route involved complicated route-finding through crevasses and a steep pitch to gain the summit.

John Biggar, U.K.