Hampaturi Group, Jati Khollu (5,421m), southeast ridge

Cordillera Real, Bolivia
Author: Janette Heung, AAC. Climb Year: 2012. Publication Year: 2013.

It takes less than 20 years for a new lake to be formed by a retreating glacier. Robert Rauch and I discovered this at Jati Khollu, a rarely climbed mountain for which the only map and photo we could find dated back to 1995. At that time there were only two lakes on the approach, with the glacier extending to the second lake. Now the glacier had retreated and given way to a third, unnamed lake. Jati Khollu, situated in the southern part of the Real, is little known but makes a great acclimatization climb for 6,000m peaks.

We left La Paz very early and took two hours to drive to Palcoma (3,850m), where we began our approach march. We followed llama paths to the second lake, Laguna Jachcha Khasiri, from where it used to be possible to climb direct to the summit (400m, AD, Yossi Brain–Jason Davis, 1995, see also AAJ 2012). We continued around the left side of the third lake over large boulders, and reached the glacier in a total of three and a half hours. We climbed the glacier (35-40°) and then headed right to the crest of the southeast ridge. This was broad and gentle, and it took us two and a half hours to reach the gully below the summit. Robert led this in two and a half pitches (M2/3 65-70°), and we arrived at the top as the clouds parted briefly to allow a view of Lake Titicaca to the northwest. The overall grade was PD/AD, and we reversed the route. By the time we got back, it had been a 15-hour day and we'd had the area to ourselves.

Janette Heung, AAC



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