In late August 2019, IFMGA guide Henry Moya (Ecuador) and I guided Ted Mueser and Mark Yoder (both USA) up a new route on the west face of Nevado Palqay (5,422m; 13°17'23.40"S, 72°30'8.22"W) in the Cordillera Vilcabamba. This peak lies along the far end of the ridge extending east and then north from Salkantay. I made Palqay’s first ascent in May 2015 (AAJ 2016) via the mountain’s west buttress (looker’s left of the 2019 route).

Our ascent required a long day from a camp at 4,700m on the rock ledges below the west glacier. After ascending the heavily crevassed glacier, we climbed moderate snow slopes up the center of the west face. We finished the route at the highest point directly above this face (500m, AD), about 150m from the main summit. We decided to descend from there since the snow on the summit ridge had melted to expose unstable rock.

— Nathan Heald, Peru