Chopicalqui, West-Northwest Spur. Our team was composed of Martine Rolland, the first women in France to be granted a guide’s license, her husband Jean-Jacques Rolland, Englishman Alan Roberts and me. We first climbed the southeast ridge of Pisco, the Bouchard route, a lovely ridge which allowed a fine chance to acclimatize. From June 29 to July 3 we climbed a very difficult new route, the west-northwest spur of Chopicalqui, which lies well to the right of the previously climbed northwest ridge. The route ascends the prominent 3000-foot-high spur which rises on the left side of the west face of Chopicalqui. The spur ends in an ice tower on the north ridge close to the summit (6356 meters, 20,854 feet). The principal difficulties are on ice with very steep and vertical passages, but there are also some pitches of often delicate mixed and rock climbing. The difficulties are sustained. We used ice screws and pitons. The climbing was beautiful, varied and never monotonous. On June 29 we ascended a boulder field and the glacier, crossed the bergschrund on the left side of the spur and ascended two rope-lengths. On the 30th we climbed 13 rope-lengths principally on ice, keeping on the left edge of the spur. We bivouacked at 18,750 feet. On July 1 we had delicate climbing, traversed right and kept on the crest of the spur to large snow slopes below the northwest ridge. We traversed right and bivouacked at 19,700 feet. We reached the northwest ridge in the morning of the 2nd and plowed through deep snow to the summit. We descended the south ridge with a bivouac on the moraine.

Henri Sigayret, Groupe de Haute Montagne