Peru: Nevado Yanapancha Climbing & Mountaineering Course

06 Days/05 Nights   Season: April to November   Difficulty: Moderate

Highlights of the Cordillera Blanca. The highest tropical mountain range in the world, the Cordillera Blanca is part of the spectacular Andes that form the spine of South America. A mecca for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, the region boasts over 50 peaks that exceed 15,000 feet, 700 glaciers and 300 lakes.

The Nevado Yanapaccha: is located in the Ancash province of Yungay, strategically nestled between colossal mountains of five and six thousand meters of the famous Cordillera Blanca. From its top you can see a spectacular panoramic view and if it were not for the close vicinity of the Pisco mountain, perhaps the "Yana" would be, for that reason, the most frequented mountain in this area. Etymologically, the name of the snowy, Yanapaccha or Yanaphaqcha, derives from the Quechua toponymy. Yana, black and paccha, phajcha or paqcha which means waterfall, waterfall, waterfall, which would refer to "waterfall on a black hill". The mountain was promoted for the first time on June 23, 1954 by members of an American expedition that also reached for the first time the western peak of the Huandoy (at that time still several of the six thousand of the Cordillera Blanca were still virgins). Located almost in front of the frequented Pisco mountain, with which it shares the access ravine - Cebollapampa -, the Yanapaccha does not present, however, the same stalking that its neighbor receives. The adventure of its ascent begins in the city of Huaraz, from where there is public transport by the paved route Huaraz-Caraz to the famous town of Yungay * (58km, in combi ** duration estimated just over an hour). There it will be necessary to make a transfer to the transports that take to the towns of the "Callejón de Conchucos" demanding the 28km until Cebollapampa, around one hour more. There exists a beautiful camping area. However, lately, the groups no longer enter the Yanapaccha by that classic ravine, but, continuing on the road towards the Abra known as Portachuelo up to km42, take a small path that leads directly to the moraines Yanapaccha The mountain has the general characteristics of the peaks of the Cordillera Blanca: the climber must travel glaciers and slopes of ice and snow solving the difficulties and taking care of the risks that this type of ascent has. Although the peak of the Yanapaccha, 5460m, is almost 300m lower than the Pisco snow, the greater slope of its ice and snow slopes make it a more difficult target than its neighbor, being the first within the snowy ones "of easy ascent" and the second one a step above, with "moderate difficulty". The mountain is located within the Huascarán National Park, 340,000ha declared Biosphere Reserve and Natural Patrimony of Humanity, the fee for "adventure tourism" (150 Nuevos Soles) must be paid for the entrance.

We offer you mountain course: Avalanches, crevasse fall, exposed terrain, rock and icefall, cause fatalities and injuries within the climbing world. All too often, eager and under prepared adventurers strike off to the mountains believing that a "non-technical" difficulty rating implies that the mountain is free from the above-mentioned dangers. When storms blow in, problems arise or accidents happen, these climbers tend to be surprised and without means to effectively manage the situation. Truly understanding mountain hazards and learning to manage one’s own safety is the first step to becoming a responsible mountaineer. In our six-day classic mountaineering course, we deliver not only alpine skills, but also a clear and simple formula for making decisions in the mountains. Armed with the proper aptitude for mountain risk assessment, the technical savvy to protect yourself and your team as needed and proficiency in dealing with a crevasse fall or other mountain rescue situations, the doors to a fantastic world of safe alpine climbing will be open wide. Many students continue to climb in the Cordillera Blanca after their courses, with and without guides.

Our Course Objectives: Peru Expeditions School's mountaineering courses prepare participants with little to no mountaineering experience to be contributing members of a climbing team. Our courses aim to provide a thorough understanding of both objective & subjective alpine hazards, then systematically teach techniques to combat these dangers. A peak climb objective is included can be 3 day, 5 days or 6 days courses to offer participants a supervised summit experience, where they can take the lead (as appropriate) of the climb with instructor supervision and support.

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