La Paz to 6088m to La Paz

This time my body has coped with the altitude, assisted by staying in a half decent hotel with cable TV and excellent views of the city.

We ended up staying in La Paz for a lot longer than planned by this is mainly due to having to need to aclimatise for a week to climb mount Huayna Potosi (6088m).


Meanwhile we have been visiting museums , watching films in the hotel and at the cinema. For those of you who have seen the new Indianna Jones film, the bit about the Incas deforming their skulls is true.



To assist our acclimatisation we also ventured up the worlds highest ski resort (5421m) on mount Chacaltaya, there is only one simple rope. Sadly as its their Winter there is not enough snow to ski? Yes you read that right, all they get in winter is clear blue skies, which is obviously good for us. At that altitude it is bloody hard to breathe, it took us 30mins to climb 300m, so I´m not sure how gnarly the dudes can be on their ski´s. The views from the top were totally breath taking, and got us in the mood for ice climbing up Huayna Potosi, fingers crossed we do better than Sir Ranulph.



Below drinking coca tea in the club house and view of the Cordillera Real with Huanya Potosi rising above.



Unfortunately, Hannah picked up some Salmonella, putting an end to her summit attempt. Once she´d recovered enough to look after herself, I´m obviously a great nurse (Big Claim, PK tm), I left for the mountain having had 9 days to acclimatise.

Huayna Potosi 6088m



Meet team Huayna Potosi: from left to right - Edmund (Israel), Vincent (Holland), Daniel (Spain), Julia (Germany), John (Israel), Me, Antonio (Spain)

Day 1
Arrival at bottom base camp (4750m), then off to a glacier for ice climbing practise. And a very struggled nights sleep - fuuking freezing, uber heartbeat, lack of breath and crazy dreams.



Day 2
After lunch, a breathless hike up to the top base camp (5350m), 11 people a simple tin hut with tent toilet, good views though. And another crazy nights sleep, I say night but probably evenings night sleep is a better description since we hit the sack at 6pm - fuuking boiling, stomach cramps and a fellow climber shouting "Huayna Potosi" in their sleep?



Day 3 - The Big Day
Wake up at midnightish, still with constant stomach cramps. Since the snow is harder at night this would assist our climb, leaving at just before 2am would mean arriving at the peak for sunrise. Putting on the following at 5350m is a very breathless task: Crampons, Plastic boots, 3 pairs of socks and my toes still went numb, Playboy thermal tights (bought from local market for $2), pair of combats, dungarees snow trousers, nut cracker harness, t-shirt, long sleeved t-shirt, alpaca jumper, fleece, snow jacket, alpaca gloves, more gloves, buff (neck scarf), hat.

We walked in groups of 3, one guide with 2 gringos attached to him by a rope. Walking in the dark was an amazing sight, and reminded me of the deep sea film The Abyss, as we waked across snowy plains, under star light, and in the distance the light from the head torches of each group searching for the snowy path.

I can´t say I enjoyed a single wheezy breathless step, and after arriving 4 hours later at 6000m and looking up at the peak it seemed an impossible task. Here there were 2 options, ice climb directly or traverse zigzagedly up perilous ridge. Being tired I opted for traversing, and reaching the ridge line at 6050ish the sun started to rise, accompanied by thunder and lightning below us on the amazon side of the mountain. Now turning to see the summit within reach and the sun having come up I was greeted by the stark realisation of how narrow the ridge was and by the fact that there was probably air somewhere below me. Each following step being taken after securing the ice axe to the top of the ridge on my right, however, as the axe passed through the icy snow to find air on the other side this was a slow and scary process.

I made it though, as if you ever doubted me, apparently only 80% of people can make it. Of us 7, 4 made it to the top in no particular order (no, I didn´t get to the top first): Me (play sound of trumpet blowing), Antonio, Daniel, Julia.

Below left, Venancio the guide that dragged me t´top.


Being completely drained was my first emotion as I lay face down at the summit, but was quickly recovered by getting up to see the view across the Cordillera Real. The altiplano to the west with La Paz and lake Titicaca, and the amazon basin to the east almost all cloud covered with various peaks breaking through under the rising sun.



Climax over, and after absailing back down to 6000m, the task of getting back to the lower base camp was ahead of us, all I can say is it took alot but at least breathing was easier on the way down. Also my stomach cramps reduced the further down I got, as did the wind my body had been producing from both ends on the way up.



Having arrived I was greeted by Hannah, who had arrived the day before to do some ice climbing obviously needing to add to her Indiannah skills .

That evening we met back up with the team for a well deserved steak (and copious amounts of protein, opting for the biggest steak possible) at an amazing Argentinian restaurant. Having had a couple of glasses of vino, Hannah and I continued on to a bar thoroughly destroying ourselves, but ensuring a long night´s sleep.

Sunday we leave for lake Titicaca?

Tx