Bolivia Backcountry Ski Expedition

Touch down at El Alto International Airport, the highest international airport in the world at 13,200 feet. After settling in to the Hotel Ritz, your guides lead a walking tour of La Paz, taking in the city’s dramatic canyon setting, vibrant markets, and the sharp skyline of mountains that surround it on every side.

We begin the morning with a visit to Tiwanaku, Bolivia’s most significant precolonial archaeological site and a window into the ancient Aymara civilization that once inhabited the altiplano. Exploring the ruins at 12,500 feet is also excellent acclimatization. In the afternoon we continue driving to the lakeside town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

A boat takes us to Isla del Sol, the Island of the Sun, the spiritual heart of the Inca world and one of the most beautiful places in South America. We spend the day walking its ancient stone paths, visiting Inca ruins, and taking in views across the highest navigable lake on earth. A second evening in Copacabana allows for rest and final gear preparation before the mountains begin.

We leave the lake behind and drive into the heart of the Cordillera Real. We establish camp at Tuni, a collection of alpaca herder’s huts on the edge of the altiplano. The air is thinner, the sky wider, and the mountains are suddenly very close. We take a short acclimatization trek this afternoon.

With llamas carrying the heavy loads, we trek up the valley to Condoriri Base Camp, perched on the shore of a glacial lake beneath six peaks over 17,000 feet. It is a stunning place. We set camp, eat well, and rest. Tomorrow the skiing begins.

Our first ski objective: Tarija at 15,000 feet. We skin up from base camp in the early morning, climbing onto the glaciated slopes above the lake. The summit offers spectacular views of the entire Condoriri massif, and the ski descent back to camp is a long, open run on Andean snow that will set the tone for everything that follows. Back at base camp by early afternoon.

A pre-dawn start takes us up the flanks of Pirámide Blanca, the striking pyramid that looms over the southern end of the Condoriri massif. The ski descent from its summit starts above the glacier and then opens up into long sweeping turns back toward camp. After our descent we strike camp and drive back to La Paz for a hot shower and a well-earned night in a comfortable bed.

A full rest day in La Paz. Sleep, eat, explore the city’s extraordinary markets and restaurants, and let your body absorb the work of the past four days. This is also a strategic recovery window before heading west to Sajama, where the biggest objectives of the expedition await.

We drive west across the altiplano toward the Chilean border, leaving the Cordillera Real behind and entering an entirely different landscape, the vast, wind-swept volcanic plateau of Sajama National Park. As we approach, the enormous cones of Sajama, Parinacota, and Pomerape emerge from the horizon, improbably large and perfectly formed. We settle into the Oasis guesthouse in Sajama village and begin preparing for the big objectives ahead.

At 19,860 feet / 6,052m, Acotango is our high-altitude opener in the Sajama zone and a serious ski mountaineering objective by any measure. We leave early, gaining altitude on firm volcanic snow as the sun rises over the altiplano. The summit views stretch from the Pacific coast to the distant peaks of the Cordillera Real. The ski descent is extraordinary: long, wide, sustained, and almost entirely untracked. We return to the Oasis in the evening for dinner and recovery.

A full rest day before our biggest objective. Sajama National Park is home to a cluster of natural hot springs,  a rare luxury at altitude. We spend the morning soaking, eating, and letting muscles recover. In the afternoon your guides brief the team on the Parinacota route, conditions, and what to expect on summit day.

At 20,850 feet / 6,348m, this is one of the highest skiable peaks in the world and the centerpiece of the expedition. We depart well before dawn, skinning by headlamp onto the volcano’s lower flanks as the stars fade above. The route ascends steadily on the volcano’s broad southwestern face, the altiplano shrinking below as we gain the exposed upper cone. The summit — one of the most breathtaking vantage points in the Americas — looks out over the Pacific ocean, the Atacama Desert, and a sea of Andean peaks stretching in every direction. The ski descent from 20,850 feet is something very few people in the world have experienced. We will take our time with it.

We make the long drive back east across the altiplano toward La Paz, passing through the extraordinary high-altitude landscape one final time. The evening is yours. Dinner in one of La Paz’s excellent restaurants is well-deserved.

Transfer to El Alto International Airport for your international departure.