Altar Massif, Monja Grande, First Communion

Ecuador, Andes
Author: Felipe Proaño. Climb Year: 2016. Publication Year: 2017.

In December, Nicolas Dávalos (Ecuador) and I climbed a new line up the southwest side of Monja Grande (5,316m), one of the major peaks comprising the Altar Massif. (Editor’s note: Monja Grande’s elevation is frequently stated as 5,160m, but the author’s GPS confirmed the 5,316m elevation, and the peak is not much lower than neighboring Obispo, generally given 5,319m.) We approached Altar on December 2 and acclimatized the following day. At 2 a.m. on December 4, we left the Italian Camp on El Altar’s south aspect and traversed the glacier toward Monja Grande. The approach was long but straightforward through several crevasse fields, with soft snow conditions (55°–65°) up to the Obispo–Monja Grande col.

From the col, we aimed straight for the summit, climbing three and a half new pitches up soft ice and snow (AI3), left of the 1968 south face route. We finished up a narrow ice gully to reach the summit. We descended our route by rappel from V-thread and piton anchors and reached the Italian Camp later that day. We named our route First Communion (700m, 250m of technical climbing, AI3), after Nico’s first time climbing Altar and also carrying on the Catholic naming tradition. On December 5 we summited Obispo and then descended to the trailhead on December 6.

– Felipe Proaño, Ecuador



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