Entries from Peru Seminar

Hello all, Life is great here in Huaraz! Hotel Andino is one the my all time favorite places to wake up due to the incredible sunrise views and the delicious breakfast buffet, both of which our team indulged in this morning. After our leisurely start, we spent some time checking over our climbing gear in advance of our upcoming trips into the mountains. We also took the opportunity in the afternoon to stimulate some acclimatization by going for a hike above town to ‘Puca Ventana’, or Red Window. The views of Huaraz from this high plateau are spectacular! And after two days of sedentary travel, getting outside and working the legs and lungs was just what this team needed. Cafe Andino did the trick for a big post-hike lunch and we were off to enjoy the city for the rest of our afternoon. Living our best lives down here in Huaraz. Tomorrow, we’ll take our hiking legs a little bit higher to Lake Churup at an altitude over 14,000’. We’ll send pics! RMI Guide Robby Young and Team Porch Life

Greetings all, The gangs all here and our adventure in Peru is officially underway! The first hurdle of the trip has passed; which is to make it to Peru with all of our climbers and all of their bags. We even made it out of the big chaotic city of Lima in excellent time yesterday morning and set our sites on the beautiful town of Huaraz. It took us about 8 hours to get here, but the ocean views, and then the mountain views keep us entertained for the long bus ride. As soon as we crest Conococha Pass at 12,600’, we’re treated to some incredible views of the glaciated peaks of the southern Cordillera Blanca as well as the Cordillera Huayhuash. What a site to get us pumped for some climbing! We’re now in Huaraz at my absolute favorite hotel in the world, Hotel Andino. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner here last night and got a great nights sleep. Today, it’s all about gear, an acclimatization hike above town, and some good eating. We’ll tell you all about it later. Thanks for checking in. RMI Guide Robby Young and Team Alpaca Steaks

Saturday, July 14, 2018 - 4:10 PM PT Hello world! We're back in Huaraz! The team is all safe and sound in the friendly, and bustling, city of Huaraz after a wonderful four days in the Llanganuco Valley. We saw amazing nights skies; we endured unusual Cordillera Blanca weather, and we summited an amazing mountain in Pisco Oeste, at 18,871'. The stars aligned for us during our last climbing objective here in Peru. For a while, it seemed that the weather wouldn't cooperate and would prohibit us from climbing to the highest summit of our trip. But with a bit of improvisation, and a little extra hard work by the team, we achieved our goal, climbed in good style, and snuck in Pisco's summit in the only 12-hour window of good weather the mountains would muster over the past four days. We're counting our lucky stars back here in the city, and we're prepping for our last celebratory dinner to share stories, lessons, and reflect on the past two weeks we've spent together in one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on Earth. Tonight is our team's last night to experience some of Peru's finest cuisine as the recovery stage of our climbing begins. Chances are some folks will indulge in the local favorite, Cuy, a.k.a. Guinea Pig. Don't worry, we won't send pictures. Meanwhile, enjoy some photos of our most recent climb! We're back to sea-level tomorrow as our team begins the long journey home. One more final post tomorrow, before you all see your loved ones once again! Until then, hasta luego! RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis, William, and Peru Team "Pisco"

Friday, July 13, 2018 - 8:07 PM PT Greetings! Today, around 7:45am, your ESS-Peru Team was standing on top of Pisco Oeste! Due to weather yesterday, we made the climb from Base Camp at 15,200’ rather than moving camp higher on the mountain. The ‘audible’ paid off, and we were lucky to spend most of our 12-hour day of climbing under clear skies! The views from Pisco are famous in the Cordillera Blanca, as you’re surrounded on all sides by some of the highest mountains in the range. We spent a good while on the summit today, just below 19,000’, enjoying our last summit of the trip to its fullest. The climbing was superb to boot. The unsettled weather over the past few days laid down a fresh coat of light snow throughout the range. What a treat it was to break trail above 18,000’! After our climb, most of us settled into our tents all afternoon, recovering from our long day. Tomorrow, the comforts of city living await in Huaraz. We’ll send pics when we arrive! Until then, buenos noches. RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis, William, and Peru Team ‘Cuy’

Thursday, July 12, 2018 - 4:44 PM PT Hello, It’s an incredibly rare event to be held down by weather here in the Cordillera Blanca in the months of July and August. The dry season here is wonderfully tranquil, for the most part, yet today, was a day the mountains were not their warm and welcoming selves. We had originally planned to move to high camp on Pisco today, but threatening clouds, wind, and snow showers kept us out here at Base Camp at 15,200’. Luckily, we’re acclimatized, and Pisco can be easily climbed from here at Base Camp in one day. We’re saving the energy of hauling heavy loads up high, and are going to make a go at it later tonight from Base Camp, if the weather allows, of course. We get really spoiled here with weather here in Peru for the most part, so is certainly out of the ordinary to need to improvise. Despite all that, we’re excited to go climb tonight, we’re well rested, and we just ate steak and French fries at 15,200’. Life is good! We’ll let you know how our climb goes tomorrow! Wish us luck! Robby, Alan, William, and team Papas Fritas

Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - 6:00PM PT Greetings! Our climb of 18,898’ Pisco Oeste has officially begun! We woke up in Huaraz this morning refreshed and ready to ‘tackle our day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.’ A beautiful 3-hour drive later, we were in the heart of the stunningly beautiful Quebrada Llanganuco, and made the short 2-hour hike to 15,200’ Pisco Base Camp. It didn’t take long to get camp built, and we even had time to check out the Refugio above camp on the hill. Naps and then a dinner of spiced chicken, rice, potatoes, and fresh pineapple hit the spot. We’re ready to keep this train rolling tomorrow with an anticipated move to 16,200’ moraine Camp. We’re hoping for good weather and continued good health! And as always, we’ll keep you up to date! RMI Guide Robby, RMI Guide Alan, William and Team

Hello world! We're back in the comfy confines of Hotel Andino in Huaraz City! We're indulging in the excellent cuisine here at the hotel, enjoying some clean clothes, and doing the "climbing gear shuffle" as we unpack and repack for our next adventure. Upcoming, Pisco Oeste, a nearly 19,000' peak located in the beautiful valley of Llanganuco. We've trained, we've acclimatized, we've climbed hard, and we've learned a lot this past week; and we're ready for the expedition ahead of us! The adventure begins tomorrow with a beautiful drive and a four-hour hike to Pisco Base Camp at 15,500', before a move to high camp the following day. It's been a wonderful stretch of climbing here in Peru so far, and we hope our good luck with weather will continue (fingers crossed!). For now, enjoy some photos from our last week in the Ishinca Valley. More to come! RMI Guides Robby Young, Alan Davis, William, and Peru Team "Cuy"

Greetings! This morning around 9am, your ESS-Peru Team stood on top of Nevado Urus Este! What a beautiful morning it was; light breeze, mostly sunny skies, and some high clouds over the neighboring giants made for some incredible morning light. With an unknown summit elevation somewhere between 17,600’ and 18,028’, Urus gave us a great taste of true Alpine climbing with some steep snow and a bit of rock scrambling. After a tranquil sun filled descent, we made it back to the comforts of the tents in time for lunch. We spent our afternoon eating the remaining delicacies from our cook, Raul, including pancake pizzas, more delicious soups, and the main course of Lomo Saltado and Jello. Our stomachs are full and our muscles are recovering from a weeks worth of great climbing here in the Ishinca Valley. Tomorrow morning, we bid this beautiful valley farewell and head back to the comforts of Huaraz City for a night of rest and recovery before our next Cordillera Blanca adventure. We’ll keep you in the loop! RMI Guides Robby, Alan, William and Peru Team

Sunday, July 8, 2018 - 4:00 PM PT Hello Loyal Blog Followers! Peru Expedition Skills Team here, enjoying a nice sunny day here in the Ishinca Valley. We slept in today; well deserved after our big climb of Nevado Ishinca yesterday! Per usual, we feasted for four meals today. You wouldn’t believe we’re at 14,400’ in the mountains of Peru given the fact that our diet today included fresh pineapple and melon with yogurt and cereal, yellow potato salad, dried corn and charcuterie, and pork chops for dinner! Oh boy, what a treat! It wasn’t just r+r today, however. We got a second chance to hike to the overlook of Tocllacoccha (Lake Toclla), this time without the wet weather. What a sight it was; with large glaciers pouring into turquoise water below the hulking mass that is Tocllaraju. We spent some time geeking out on crevasse rescue, and even practiced rigging rappels off the big boulders here at camp. A great day indeed! Tomorrow (tonight rather), we will make an attempt on Nevado Urus. Wish us luck! We’ll let you know how it goes! RMI Guide Robby Young, RMI Guide Alan Davis, William and team Peru.

Saturday, July 7, 2018 - 5:17 PM PT Ishinca Summit! We’re happy to report that our team stood on top of Nevado Ishinca this morning around 9 AM. At around 18,143’ high, we certainly had to put the work in, reaching the high point of our trip so far. Winds were light and skies were the brightest of blues for us today, and we sure felt lucky after some rare Cordillera Blanca snow earlier in the week. The team enjoyed pork chops tonight, and two rounds of lunch before that. We’re truly spoiled here in Peru, that’s for sure. We’re planning on resting here in the Ishinca Valley tomorrow, and getting into some crevasse rescue and a smattering of other technical skills as we continue our progression toward Nevado Urus in a few days. Thanks for following along! RMI Guide Robby Young