The three most significant summits in the well-known Kuchu Mocoya valley of the Northern Araca are Saturno (ca 5,340m), Gran Muralla (ca 5,100m), and Cuernos del Diablo (5,270m). I planned to make first solo ascents of significant routes on each of these granite peaks.

In April, after the rainy season, I went to the southwest face of Gran Muralla (Grosse Mauer), and way over to the right found a great line on sound rock with lots of chickenheads. One of the pitches, up an offwidth and crackless face, was one of the most beautiful I’ve climbed on granite. I back-roped the climb using a Soloist, and called it Llegada de Bourne (Bourne Legacy, 6b).

The day before, I had made the first solo of Saturno’s northeast ridge, following the Callisaya-Pratt Route (6a). Above the lower rock pitches, where there should have been easy snow, I found ice for which I was completely unprepared. I had to use a stone to cut steps for my rock shoes. I couldn’t locate the descent in a snowstorm and thick cloud, so had to downclimb and rappel the route.

In preparation for a solo ascent of the Cuernos, I did two climbs of the northwest face with a talented Bolivian aspirant guide named Pacifico Machado Blanco. On May 9 I returned to solo Tyapi Khala (7 pitches, 6a/6a+), a line that appears to have been originally climbed in 1987 at 5+ A2. I self-belayed one pitch in the middle and the last two pitches.

Access to the Cuernos is five hours’ brisk walk from the standard Kuchu Mocoya base camp; getting back down takes around four hours. My hope is that as more information on this area is published, more climbers will be encouraged to visit. There is still much potential for new routes.

Robert Rauch, Bolivian Tours

Local climber Gregg Beisly has created and recently updated a very informative Google Map showing access routes and significant peaks and valleys in the Quimsa Cruz. Find it here.