Cordillera Blanca

[tlinn]

So I finally booked my ticket down to Lima from Vancouver for early July. Planning on heading straight to Huaraz to acclimatize.... Any recommendations on places to stay down there? Do you need to book ahead or just show up? It sounds like it gets pretty busy.

 

Thanks

[mounthay]

masternate 32 and I thought i'd be pretty crowded in early august but we showed up at 8pm w/out reservations and someone picked us out at the bus station. Turned out there were places to stay everywhere and only the most popular seemed filled (usually the cheapest). Some places are nice, but some really suck, so be discriminate. Look for hot showers. if you do try to make reservations, email seemed to work better than phones.

[Don_Serl]

i don't think the Blanca is as busy as it used to be before the whole Shining Path thing cut tourism in half, and there is tons of accomodation in Huaraz, but there are definitely places that are more climber-friendly than others. these places can provide help buying food for your mtn trips, arrange for burros and an arriero/camp guard, and help set up transportation to wherever you're headed. you can deal with all of this yourself, of course, especially if your Spanish is good, but it doesn't cost much for the various services and the results are often more satisfactory and more efficient. and - face it - we're rich compared to most of these people, and it's nice to spread that around just a little bit when we're abroad (personal opinion...)

 

Jim Elzinga and i stayed with a guy who specializes in hosting climbers/trekkers when we were down there in '96. the 'digs' were pleasant, the location was convenient, the food was good, and the service was brilliant. Jim guided groups in Peru many times, and always stayed at this particular hostel, called Edwards Inn.

 

i realize a decade is a while back for a recommendation, but there is info available on the web, and it sounds like the business hasn't changed. see:

http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/hotels/huaraz/edwardsinn.html

and others; search: edwards+huaraz.

 

enjoy your trip. the Blanca is going to totally blow you away - easily the most spectacular mountains i've encountered, and that includes the Himalaya. great country to walk thru, friendly people, cheap living, no restrictions. if you could only avoid getting the shits it'd be about perfect!

 

cheers,

[tlinn]

That's good news to hear, especially the part about the Blanca being so amazing.

 

I'll definetely enjoy!

 

A couple questions:

 

- wondering whether to bring a canister stove or a fuel bottle stove? Any difficulties getting canisters or white gas down there?

 

- are plastic boots the only thing to wear or can you get away with leathers?

[skyclimb]

Hey!

We are also heading to the blanca this season for a little snow, ice and rock...plus all the cool stuff that comes with it.

Did you find anywhere significantly cheaper for tix?

Thanks for the heads up,

Nick

[fern]

white gas is easy to get, canisters are available but very very expensive. ask for bencina. you will probably need to provide your own bottles (eg pop bottles). quality varies, so don't buy your whole expedition supply from one place.

 

I stayed at the Alburgue Churup, there's been lots of VOCers stay there over the years, almost a family feel though it is not the fanciest nor cheapest. But there's tons of accomodation in Huaraz (except when there is a national holiday - find out those dates and make reservations ahead).

[tlinn]

hey Nick,

 

We're flying down with continental on the July 2 which isn't the cheapest time to fly down. A friend of mine is going down in early May and found some insanely cheap fair with Travel Cuts, something like 900 CDN after tax, but she's also a student so that may be part of the reason it's so cheap. But check it out anyway. Our flight is $1090 plus tax but you can fly with American on July 4 for only $990 plus tax.

 

Anyway, have fun and maybe we'll cya down there!

[glen]

I'll throw in a second vote for Edwards In Huaraz. I also stayed there in July '96 and thought it was great. I stayed at a place called the Continental (translated) which was okay as well. At the time, Edward's was really helpful with strorage in their bodega while we were out in the hills for a week at a time.

 

Glen

[Thadsboner]

is there any place that you can get a locker or some kind of safe storage place for gear you wont need for a certain climb? i want to go as light as possible heading down there and stuff but i want to have a change of street clothes and a couple cases of cliff bars and such that i dont need to drag up some valley for days?

Edited March 14, 2005 by Thadsboner

[barkernews]

Your hotel should store it for you. Also, try the Vagamundo... they know lots of people for hookups like that.

It's downtown ont he Plaza de Armas...

[Thadsboner]

Just picked up tickets for 650.US. on American Airlines the whole way. watching the tickets frequently i noticed they jump around day to day almost. just have to be ready to by when you think they are lowest i guess.

 

 

as for storing your stuff at your hotel do you have to be paying for a room while you are gone on a trip or do they just stash it in the back for whenever you return and stay there again for a few days?

 

[Chopi]

Another good place to stay is Casa de Zarela. It seems to be a favorite of climbers from all over the world and can sometimes be booked solid. Zarela knows the mountains well and can help you arrange transportation and more. The place is a bit outside of the town center, but within easy walking distance. Or, just take a taxi.

Most hardware stores sell 'bencina blanca,' or just 'bencina.' This stuff is comparable to our white gas. Bring your own container.

The places we stayed last year were very willing to store stuff while we were out climbing. They didn't really care too much if we stayed there upon our return or not, but it is more convenient if you do.

[lummox]

the bolivian marching powder really helps with altitude.

[tlinn]

Your avatar helps with the altitude

[tlinn]

Have you guys planned some routes as "must do's"?

 

I just got Brad Johnson's book Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca and I'm having trouble narrowing it down but I'm definetely getting stoked.

 

I have Artesonraju, Quitaraju, and Tocclaraju on my "must do" list. I probably didn't spell those right, but oh well.

 

What are some other must do routes? Are there some great routes that have been overlooked in Brad Johsnon's book? We want to focus on snow/ice routes in the AD- to D+ range. Will be there for 4 to 6 weeks.

 

Cheers

[Kraken]

i'm toying with the idea of heading down there in about a year. I want to get more experience on big mountain stuff as well as lead ice and mixed, before throwing myself into a Mecca of climbing.