Huayna Potosi - Bolivia by Jaime Suárez
It was May 1996 and were in Bolivia Andinista Mendoza Club members, along with several friends from American federations and the English mountains.
La Paz - Bolivia. Foto Luis Mut
We
, although the altitude of La Paz 3650 m, had achieved an acclimatization climb the hills Chacaltaya 5300 m, where there is a beautiful and high ski slope, with increasing less glacier-and La Paloma (5390 m).
next day we would leave early, in an ancient micro, to tackle the climb to Huayna Potosi (in Aymara means young mountain) in an expedition that would require us two days. I had heard another definition would mean thundering young, perhaps in Quechua.
We arrived at the shelter at the base of Huayna Potosi, next to a beautiful lake thaw, where we received the Bolivian friend and a great climber, Hugo Berrios.
Soon after the usual indications, we start in a row weary India, crested a path to the edge of glaciers, and then over them, to which would be our first camp in Campo Argentino to 5,200 meters.
we set up our tents there. And prepare food and drinks to recharge. After a restful night's sleep, we left at dawn the next day, with the headlamps on, to tackle the summit. Gradually we became high. Overcome two steps a bit delicate after a long transit that surrounded some deep hollows in the ice, some of which showed overlapping layers and layers of ice in many past years, after five hours, and always on snow, using ropes and crampons, Many times, we reached the top.
Huayna Potosi climb ... There were some faces dissatisfied to see that there was "little" over ice into a sector higher. A long, narrow ledge projecting the summit into a sector of absolute vacuum. Do not hesitate to address it. Under the musical sound of our picks stuck, and screams in providing security to the rope, we reached the point where it could not continue to lower the fine ridge of ice to the opposite side.
The view of mountains in the 360 \u200b\u200b° and distant snowy mountains, was total. The passage of an airplane propeller in the valley, 5,000 meters high and from which we watched the roof, he continued to give us an idea of \u200b\u200bthe magnitude of height at which we were.
We were at the summit of Huayna Potosi, its 6,088 meters, but the hugs would be to return to the previous sector, a bit safer in terms of space. So we did with John, Joan, Tato, Daniel and several comrades.
Huayna Potosi Summit 6.o88 m - 1996
now back with as much care as the ascent.
do I want to know today, 12 years later, the state of the whole mass of ice and snow ridge! We're melting our beautiful planet!
Regret taken a few photos, but if I made a video of the whole ascent. Are more comments on it.
Jaime Suárez
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