Illimani, Deliver Me

South America, Bolivia, Cordillera Real
Author: Florian Hill & Robert Rauch. Climb Year: 2010. Publication Year: 2011.

At the end of July, Florian Hill (Austria and Germany) and Robert Rauch (Bolivia and Germany) began climbing new ice, rock, and mixed terrain below the gable- end of the southwest ridge of Illimani. The initial passages were threatened by large, broken seracs and had ice to 90°, difficult mixed climbing, and rotten 5th-class rock. Above, they joined much easier terrain on the Sanchez-Mesili southwest ridge route, and endured an unplanned bivy after 17+ hours and about 1,000m. Four days after beginning their climb they reached the main summit (south summit; Pico Sur, 6,439m). Their route gained approximately 1,600m vertical and 6km length. They descended the normal West Ridge route in another two days. The climbers’ individual accounts of the climb differ in many other aspects.



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