Huandoy Norte, Northwest Face, Solo Variation
Peru, Cordillera Blanca
Author: Erik Rieger.
Climb Year: 2017.
Publication Year: 2018.
On October 18–19, Nathan Heald (Peru) soloed a variation to the 1959 Swiss and 1985 Mexican routes on the west-northwest face of Huandoy Norte (6,395m). Starting at 10:15 p.m., he took a direct line up the snow and ice face leading to the broad summit plateau, left of the 1959/1985 routes and right of the rock rib that divides the northwest face. Heald reached the summit at around 8:30 a.m. Approximately one-third of the route is believed to be new, and he graded the 1,200m climb TD. He descended by the same line.
– Erik Rieger, with information from Sevi Bohorquez and Nathan Heald, Peru
Media Gallery
The 1985 Mexican route on Huandoy Norte’s west-northwest face.
Huandoy Norte (left) and Huandoy Oeste (right) from the Valle Parón. The routes shown are: (257) Slovenian route of 1987, (256) North American route of 1971, (258) North American route of 1954, (263) USA-UK route of 1985. The blue dotted lines are intended to indicate the route of the 1959 Swiss and 1985 Mexican routes (imagining several possibilities for the Swiss route). The line of red dots indicates Nathan Heald’s 2017 variation.