Chopakalki and Ishinca Valley Expedition

Climb­ing expe­di­tions to Peru’s Cordillera Blan­ca Range offer chal­leng­ing ascents and a trip with incred­i­ble sum­mits that rival the Himalayas. Ele­gant cor­niced ridges, del­i­cate­ly flut­ed ice faces, emer­ald green lakes and invit­ing val­leys make the area a moun­taineer’s par­adise. Sharp­en your cram­pons and ice axes and get ready some trop­i­cal snow and ice. These moun­tains con­tain some of the great­est ver­ti­cal relief to be found out­side the Himalayas, and offer climb­ing chal­lenges equal to those found in the great ranges of the world — and Chopakal­ki is among the most beau­ti­ful in the range and goal wor­thy of any alpinist.

This clas­sic expe­di­tion is well suit­ed to advanced begin­ner and inter­me­di­ate climbers, espe­cial­ly those with future goals on big­ger peaks of the Himalayas. The climbs offer mod­er­ate glac­i­er climb­ing chal­lenges with occa­sion­al route find­ing dif­fi­cul­ties through crevassed areas, and just enough steep snow and ice sec­tions to keep things inter­est­ing for strong begin­ner-inter­me­di­ate lev­el climbers. And if you’re short on time, climb Urus and Ish­in­ca in a 12-day itin­er­ary that includes trav­el time.