South America, Peru—Cordillera Blanca, Huandoy Norte and Cayesh

Publication Year: 1981.

Huandoy Norte and Cayesh. Geoff Creighton’s and my first objective was Huandoy Norte by a new route* that ascends the steep, broad apron of rock and ice below the west peak and then traverses west to the col between the north and west peaks. From Lake Parón we ascended moraine and broken glacier to the amphitheater at the head of the glacier and placed our tent at 18,500 feet. The following day, June 26, we enjoyed 13 pitches of steep rock and ice which led to the top of the apron, the crux being the initial vertical ice pitch at the bergschrund. A late-afternoon storm made route-finding impossible and caused us to spend an uncomfortable night in a crevasse at 20,000 feet. On June 27 in brilliant weather we reached the summit (20,980 feet, 6395 meters) without further difficulties by mid morning. Our descent was more direct and involved five rappels, one being an airy, overhanging one off the upper glacier below the col. On July 5 we placed our tent at the base of Cayesh on the unbroken glacier below the intimidating west face. We took a line which leads to the ridge just south of the peak. On July 6 we climbed 14 pitches of mixed difficulty, mostly on ice, to a wind-hollowed cave at the base of the ridge line. On July 7 the going was much slower as we encountered several pitches of unprotectable rock of moderate difficulty and unconsolidated snow on the ridge, where we had to back down because of unstable double cornices. On July 8 we avoided the summit ridge by traversing along the face, ascending intermittent couloirs to gain elevation. By midday we reached a point just below the summit (18,770 feet, 5721 meters) and did not climb a windslab mushroom on the very top. We descended more directly down the west face via rappels and down-climbing, spending the final night on a ledge 800 feet above the glacier. This was an excellent climb, though marked by such inconveniences as a broken crampon, a broken ice-axe and a broken tooth.

David Nettle, Unaffiliated

* This may actually have been the second ascent of this route since the description sounds like the one given by the Swiss R. Schatz and E. Reiss in 1959.