Nevado Jatunhuma, East Face

Peru, Cordillera Vilcanota
Author: Derek Field. Climb Year: 2016. Publication Year: 2017.

On June 1, Nathan Heald (Peru) and I climbed a new route on the east face (700m, D+) of Nevado Jatunhuma (6,141m, a.k.a. Tres Picos). This is the only known ascent of the east face since a Yugoslavian team visited in 1980 (see AAJ 1981) and climbed a direct route on the east face, just right of ours. [Editor’s note: Jatunhuma is a triple-summited peak first climbed by a German expedition in 1957; the three summits have seen a number of ascents by various routes over the years. Search “Jatunhuma” at the AAJ website for other reports.]

Starting in the vicinity of Laguna Singrenacocha, this trip took us five days in total. On day four, we established a high camp in the moraine at ca 5,300m and departed our tent just past midnight for the final climb. Reaching the base of the main wall at sunrise, we cruised several hundred meters of 70° snow to the summit ridge. We carefully balanced our way northward along the outrageous knife-edge cornice to the summit. Nathan’s GPS recorded the height at 6,127m, close to the stated elevation.

–­ Derek Field, Canada



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