The Cordillera Huanzo, located 40km west-southwest of Santo Tomás, is one of the forgotten ranges of Peru’s Andes. Because of its isolation, only two expeditions have been recorded. In 1970, John Ricker and Sue Tatum made a long traverse between Santo Tomás and Antabamba, ascending Jatun Huaychahui (5,452m) by its northeast ridge as well as the north snow slopes and rock of Chancoaña (5,494m; 14°37'31"S, 72°27'55"W), the range’s highest summit (AAJ 1971). In 2015, John Biggar, et al, made the second ascent of Chancoaña by the same route as well as the first ascents of Condorillo (5,213m; called “Toro Rumi” by Biggar) and Huaytane (5,443m) by its north ridge.

In early May 2022, Marcelo Delvaux (Brazil) and Julieta Ferreri (Argentina) headed toward Huanzo, a peak in the northeast sector that contains the largest glaciers. After a complex five-day approach from Arequipa, they arrived at Laguna de Huanzo. From there, they climbed three peaks during their ensuing three-day traverse, walking, first, from the Quebrada Huanzo to a 5,221m pass between Huaytane and Calasaya, which they called Paso Huaytane, then into the Quebrada Huacullo and another 5,197m pass north of Cerro Chancoaña, which they called Paso Chacoaña, before descending into Quebrada Tirane and the villages of Quiriquiri and Paterio (50km in all), where they exited by car to Santo Tomás.

Their first summit was Huaytane, where the pair climbed a new route up the southwest face and northwest ridge. Their GPS recorded an elevation of 5,443m.

The next day, while Julieta rested, Marcelo went to a mountain that the IGN (National Geographic Institute) calls Cerro Huanzillo and the locals call Nevado de Huanzo. He approached by Quebrada de Huanzo up to a 5214m col between Huaytane and Huanzillo. From there, he continued up the northwest ridge on rock and snow, passing some false summits. He did not find any trace of activity on the summit, where his GPS recorded an elevation of 5,424m. He suggests calling it Huanzo, as the locals do and giving the name Huanzillo (meaning “little Huanzo”) to a secondary 5,385m summit due northwest.

The two also climbed a mountain south of Cerro Huaña, which they called Huaña Sur. The mountain has two summits, and they found cairns on both, their GPS recording elevations of 5,372m and 5,387m, respectively.

— Marcelo Scanu, Argentina