On August 13, Alex von Ungern (Swiss) and I established a route we believe was previously unclimbed on Wila Manquilizani, a summit between the Cumbre (the ca 4,650m pass on the main road over to the Yungas) and Chacaltaya. The route is best approached from Pampalarama, about an hour’s drive from La Paz. Park at the end of the road, at Albergue (Eco Lodge), and walk several hours up the broad valley, well to the left of the obvious main glacier of Wila Manquilizani, which faces the Eco Lodge. Before reaching the glacier at the head of the valley, the route is visible on the right.

We first climbed a fun thin strip of snow and ice for ca 200m to a hanging bowl. Above, we followed broken rock to a highpoint on the west ridge (total of 500m). We descended the way we came with several rappels, until it was possible to traverse from the bowl onto gentler slopes on descender’s right.

The name of the route, Los Llokallas (AD), means “young men who refuse to take on the responsibilities of adulthood.” It was intended as a bit of a joke, because Alex recently became a father and my first child just graduated from university. We made the climb in a day from La Paz.

Chris Clarke, Bolivia