In late June, Tim Sonnenberg, Trey Worley, and I climbed a possible new variation to the northwest ridge of Campa I (5,500m, 13°46'27"S, 71°10'55"W), which is sometimes called Vía Engañada (“Route of Deception”) for the many false summits it crosses.

While Vía Engañada begins from the upper glacier and snow ramp on the southwest side of the ridge, our variation accessed the ridge from the rocky northeast side and climbed the complete ridge via an enticing set of zigzagging snowfields separated by small rock steps (45° snow, 5.6). After joining the existing route, we encountered a tricky mixed step (M5).

We celebrated on the summit by practicing elk calls and then descended the standard route, which follows the low-angle glacier on the north and northeast side. With many fun, short alpine challenges along the ridge and spectacular views, it was a highlight of our trip (350m, 5.6 M5 45° snow).

— Jacob Oram, USA