South America, Bolivia, Huayna Potosí, West Face

Publication Year: 1976.

Huayna Potosí, West Face. Jim States, John Roskelley and I climbed the west face of Huayna Potosí in two days with the second bivouac on the summit. The mountain has two west faces. The left one was climbed by Janney and party in 1970. The right one is a triangle of rock and ice ending on the south summit and is 3600 feet high. It was consistently steep with several difficult pitches in thin ice gullies which we followed to get through the rock bands. To acclimatize we did the Tres Picos above the Mina Fabulosa. The southernmost and lowest (about 16,400 feet) was done by Roskelley and States. The highest and northernmost (c. 16,725 feet) and the central peaks were climbed by all. These may be the first ascents of all three. The approach was made from the Zongo valley by way of the Estancia Coscapa.

Roman Laba