Historical note and correction. Several historical references to this mountain contain mistakes. Although the Slovenian route appears similar to route 328 on Puscanturpa Este drawings 157, 159, and 160 in Jan Kielkowski’s impressive 1992 Cordillera Huayhuash guidebook (vol. 6, pp. 32-34; in Polish), this guidebook line is almost certainly misdrawn. The text accompanying route 328 refers to a climb on a different mountain: the June 20, 1963, climb of Puscanturpa Central (5,442m), by Julius Hensler and Pedro Baltazar (AAJ 1964). Perhaps line 328 drawn on Este was intended to represent what Kielkowski reports as an undescribed, unnamed British route established on August 12, 1985. This British ascent, however, is surely the August 11-13, 1986 (not 1985) Northwest Ridge route (Alpine Journal 1987, pp. 72-73), on the other side of the mountain. Plate 29 in the AJ 1987 may have created the confusion, as the caption refers to the successful British climb (incorrectly placing it), but the photo is from the southeast—the complete opposite aspect of the mountain. Kielkowski’s sketch is from virtually the same angle as this photo, and his line 328 matches the AJ caption mistake.

Regardless, Kielkowski’s 328 route line on Puscanturpa Este does not exist as a route, even today—the Kozjek-Kresaj 2007 line is farther east. Kielkowski’s 329 route line/arrow was likely intended to represent (though it’s drawn too steep) the approach taken by Brits John Nixon and “Ian” (no last name given in AJ 1987-, the pair was on the same trip as the Northwest Ridge Brits) on their August 11-12, 1986 attempt, which became the 2007 Slovenian route. Much of this history is accurately documented in Jeremy Frimer’s extensively researched 2005 guidebook, Climbs and Treks in the Cordillera Huayhuash of Peru.

Incomplete details and scant reporting in multiple languages often create difficulty in accurately deciphering information on climbs in this region. Thanks to Antonio Gomez Bohóquez, Jeremy Frimer, and Pavle Kozjek for this information and for translation help.