Peru Climbing School
Peru Climbing School Expedition
Peru’s Cordillera Blanca is a captivating mountain range boasting an array of accessible five and six thousand meter peaks – there is no better place to learn the foundations of high altitude mountaineering!
Our Mountaineering School focuses on climbing two of the most classic peaks in the Cordillera Blanca: Yanapaccha (17,913’/5,460m) and Tocllaraju (19,797′/6,034 m). Additionally, the surrounding glaciers and mountains provide the perfect training ground to learn high-altitude skills, such as route assessment, roped glacier travel, crampon and ice axe use, and crevasse rescue. The primary goal of the Peru Climbing School is to use these two progressively challenging peaks to equip climbers with the skills necessary to climb higher and more complex mountains. Quick access to these formidable but attainable peaks makes Peru the perfect place to learn high altitude mountaineering skills.
Peru Climbing Expedition Itinerary
- Day 1
- Arrival Day
Arriving in Lima between 6pm and 12am, clients will be transported to their hotel for a good night’s sleep before departing for Huaraz the next day.
- Day 2
- Drive to Huaraz (10,013 feet/3,052 meters) 8 hours
Welcome to Huaraz, the climbing capital of South America! After an 8-hour bus ride from Lima to Huaraz, we will arrive at the small, beautiful Olaza’s Guest House hotel where we will rest and regroup.
- Day 3
- Organize and acclimatize!
We’ll spend this day going over gear and logistics for our expedition and making sure that everyone is ready to spend the next several days in the Cordillera Blanca before our first acclimatization hike. Proper acclimatization is everything in high-altitude spaces.
- Day 4
- Hike to Laguna Churup (14,700 feet/4,800 meters).
Today, we will hike up to Laguna Churup (14,700’/4800m), a beautiful alpine lake that will help us prepare our bodies for the mountains. We’ll also use today to make any last minute preparations.
- Day 5
- Drive to Llanganuco Valley to Base Camp
Time to head into the mountains. We’ll drive from Huaraz into the incredible Llanganuco Valley, surrounded by views of snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes. Once we establish Base Camp, we will begin to discuss and develop high-altitude mountaineering skills, such as hazard management, equipment use and care, basic climbing knots, route and weather assessment, and high-altitude physiology.
- Day 6
- Acclimatization Day at Laguna 69 (15,100’/4,602m)
A few hours spent at altitude and a few thousand feet of elevation gain do wonders for the acclimatization process.
- Day 7
- Move to Moraine Camp on Yanapaccha/ Skills Day
Today we will pick up Base Camp and hit the Yanapaccha trailhead, hiking to Moraine Camp (16,076’/4900m). Then, we’ll spend the afternoon learning basic glacier travel skills, including crampon and ice ax usage. This is also our first night spent at an on-trail camp.
- Day 8
- Skills Day on Glacier
Continued skills development on the glacier as we prepare for Yanapaccha. Today we will review the equipment and skills needed for moving over technical ground found on the mountain, including advanced crevasse rescue, self-arrest practice, glaciology, and basic avalanche awareness.
- Day 9
- Summit day Yanapaccha (17,913 feet/5,460 meters).
With an early morning start, we will go for the summit of Yanapaccha (17,913’/5,460m).
- Day 10
- Move back to Base Camp.
Today we move back to Base Camp to resupply food and gear, using the remainder of the day to rest and recover.
- Day 11
- Move to Ishinca Valley, Hike to BC
Next, we will hike to Tocllaraju Base Camp (14,107’/4,300m) at the foot of the glacier and prepare to summit.
- Day 12
- Move to Moraine Camp
Move from Base Camp (14,200’/4,350m) to Moraine Camp (17,300’/5,300m). Adding an extra camp on our ascent of Tocllaraju allows us to move methodically up the mountain and conserve our energy for summit day.
- Day 13
- Summit day on Tocllaraju (19,797′/6,034 m).
Today we’ll push for the summit of Tocllaraju. The day will be long and tiring, but we’ll get to put all of our new-found skills to the test as we climb to the summit of one of the most beautiful mountains in the Blanca. We’ll summit and then descend all the way back down to base camp.
- Day 14
- Hike down trailhead for pickup and return.
We will hike back down the trailhead for a van transport back down to Huaraz for a celebration dinner complete with Pisco sours (the local’s popular concoction).
- Day 15
- Return to Huaraz and Lima, depart from Peru
Today we’ll return to take our luxury bus ride back to Lima and catch our flights back home. All flights should depart after 11pm.
Our Mountaineering Course Guides
Peru Climbing School Equipment List
Peru Climbing School Questions
- 32.653179° S, 70.010868° W
- 39.34° N, 72.88° E
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