Climb to 6094m altitude on Huayna Potosi- closest high mountain from La Paz
Huayna Potosi is a beautiful mountain reaching the symbolic 6000m limit. It is among the very few of its kind, which can be climbed within 2 days from a big city. Here follows a brief description of an ascent on the normal route:
Day 1: Your mountain guide picks you up at the hotel around 9 a.m. Once you tried the climbing equipment in La Paz, the transfer to paso Zongo at 4800masl, takes approx 2 hours. There you will have lunch at the "casa blanca" refuge, run the by the Altamirano family. The hike in the afternoon takes you along the base of Zongo glacier before heading up along the moraine. At Andean Ascents, we chose the refuge "casa de guias" which is the newest and the less crowded. You will climb 480m altitude higher than the starting point which takes between 2h30 and 3h30. At the refuge, you have time to prepare the equipment, talk about the next day with your guide, drink tea and have an early dinner.
Day 2: The summit day, you will leave between 2 and 3 a.m., and the entire ascent takes between 5 to 7 hours. The normal route is technically not very demanding. There are 2 parts though, which are steeper and exposed. Crossing the first bergschrund, with often an open crevasse is approx 50m long and 50° steep. The second part is to reach the Summit where you will either follow the summit ridge which is very exposed but not complicated or go directly up to the summit which is approx 130m altitude difference in a 45° slope. The summit is far higher than anything else anywhere nearby, and the Cordillera Real, the Amazon Basin & Yungas forest, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, and part of the Altiplano are visible on this 360° Panorama. From the summit you will return the same day to LP where we leave you at your hotel in the middle of the afternoon.
Huayna Potosi is also the beloved play ground for mountaineers coming from la Paz, and offers many other possibilities:
Enjoy 50+ bolted rock climbing routes or multi-pitch trad climbing in the best granite the region has to offer.
Start with a glaciar course at Zongo glacier (1h hike) with an UIAGM mountain guide instructor.
Take the opportunity to climb lower satellite summits as Charkini 5392m, pico Milluni 5503m or pico Italia 5723m to acclimatize perfectly before attempting to cross the symbolic limit of 6000m altitude.
Charkini normal route: PD, slope up to 40°
Pico Italia: AD, slopes up to 50°
Normal route: PD, slopes up to 50°
French route: AD, avg. 55°
West face: D to TD variants, avg. slope 60°/70°
Have a look at the descent on skies ! The fourth time for 2015 ! due to the "el niño" year and its unstable weather, conditions where ideal for skiing very late in the season.
