New Route in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

[Rodchester]

Got this from Carlos. Sounds like they tagged a new route in a remote area of the Blanca.

 

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To: Friends

From: Carlos Buhler, Lima, Peru, August 05, 2003:

 

Thaddeus Josephson (22 years old, of Bozeman, MT) and I, Carlos Buhler (48 years old, also of Bozeman, MT), have just come out of the Cordillera Blanca mountains Peru on 8-02-03.

 

We completed a twenty four year old dream of mine; a route on the beautiful peak here called Nevada Pucahirca Norte (6046 meters), by its Northwest (Safuna Lake) Face. This has been a serious effort for Thaddeus and I. We spent 6 grueling days on the climb, from July 22 to 28, beginning from our advanced camp at 4880 meters above Lake Safuna. Our base camp was located in the northeast corner of this Peruvian mountain range, 40 kms. from the village of Pomabamba.

 

We reached the summit at 8:25 A.M. on the morning of July 27, after spending 18 hours of storm digging, and finding protection in, a snow cave just one pitch beneath the top. We immediately began the long descent by rappeling the same route of ascent.

 

Thaddeus and I are both in good health, but tired, and extremely gratified to have succeeded on this very involved project. We studied the face for 8 days from Lake Safuna and the surrounding smaller peaks after a 4 day hike into the area in mid June, but my health was so poor during the entire month of June here in Peru that we could not attempt any climbing.

 

With a long rest and recuperation in other areas of the range, and after careful and prolonged consideration, we returned to the Pucahirca group again on July 18th for our attempt to approach, and ascend, this dangerous and difficult route. We believe it is the first time that any of the four Pucahirca Peaks has been successfully climbed from these Northwestern faces above Lake Safuna. Other people, more knowledgeable about these areas, will let us know in the next few weeks if this is, indeed, the case.

 

I had first seen these very remote and seldom visited flanks of the Pucahirca mountains in July, 1979 while with a trekking group I was helping to guide for Jack Miller, of Telluride, Colorado. I owe it to Jack for introducing this spectacular area to me back in my mid twenties.

 

All the best to you,

 

Carlos Buhler

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