Lead guide Shayan Rohani set for expeditions to Cordillera Real!

Moun­tain Mad­ness is get­ting ready for Bolivia! We are hap­py to report that Shayan Rohani will be lead­ing the upcom­ing expe­di­tions to the Cordillera Real:

Bolivia Moun­taineer­ing School w/​Illi­mani Extension

Chopakal­ki Climb

Cordillera Blan­ca Adven­ture Trek and Climb

We want­ed MM blog read­ers to hear first hand what Shy’s thoughts were for these upcom­ing trips!

“For me, Bolivia is a place to take in the pow­er of the Inti (the Incan word for Sun). The wide open expanse of the Alti­plano and the intense high alti­tude sun gives me a chance to imag­ine one of the places the Incans and those before them got the pow­er to orga­nize such pow­er­ful and far reach­ing empires. The moun­tains on this trip are very diverse. Start­ing in the Con­doriri they feel close, crag­gy, and per­son­able. They are like the moun­tains of the Cana­di­an Rockies.

The base camp is very acces­si­ble and it is a great place to be intro­duced to climb­ing, high alti­tude, and become com­fort­able with the var­ied per­son­al­i­ties of the team. Huy­na Poto­si sneaks up on you. It hides its var­i­ous faces much of the time and just as you are becom­ing tired of this grand moun­tain you find your­self on its sum­mit! Illi­mani is proud, majes­tic, and a for­mi­da­ble undertaking.

Stand­ing all alone it gets your atten­tion over and over. It can be a intim­i­dat­ing moun­tain because of its sheer size. The camps are so dra­mat­ic giv­ing great chances to hear the crack­ing of ser­acs as they shift and erode. With patience and many delib­er­ate steps the sum­mit ridge comes into view and feels like no oth­er place you have ever been. I am real­ly psy­ched to share this great place and breathe the thin air of Bolivi­a’s alti­plano with a lit­tle Inti in every breath.”

The Chopicalqui/​Yanapacha itin­er­ary explores the very heart of Peru’s Cordillera Blan­ca. Part of the Huas­caran Mas­sif it is part of the rock that forms the worlds high­est point in the trop­ics. This makes for very dynam­ic weath­er and incred­i­ble sun­ris­es and sun­sets. June is a won­der­ful time to be in the Blan­ca while some of the val­leys are still green from the pre­vi­ous wet sea­son. The moun­tain lupine match the vio­let sky col­or of dawn in the high andes of Peru. The staff Moun­tain Mad­ness employs are so help­ful and casu­al they are real­ly fun to engage. Huaraz, often known as S. Amer­i­ca’s Cha­monix, has become a vibrant cen­ter for moun­tain cul­ture. Great food, shop­ping, danc­ing and drink­ing can be found here. We won’t miss one of Jean Patrick­’s ​“Coca Sour” a hybrid ver­sion of Peru’s nation­al drink only infused with coca leaf insur­ing a great night of danc­ing after­ward!

The Cordillera Blan­ca Adven­ture trek and Climb is tru­ly an adven­ture! Trav­el­ing through the qui­et parts of the range it sneaks its way through some of the wildest cor­ners of the Cordillera. Unpar­al­leled views abound. So much so you will prob­a­bly fill up your cam­era half way through the trip. This sneaky loop is not tech­ni­cal but by no means does that make it easy. Its a chal­leng­ing trek and a true accom­plish­ment when fin­ished. The diver­si­ty of the land­scape is sur­re­al. From nar­rows canyons to coral like lichen, from snow pass­es to gran­ite slabs, and lush flow­er­ing mead­ows to tow­er­ing flut­ed ice pin­na­cles it is the tour de force of the Cordillera Blan­ca. This is real­ly a trip of a life­time! Get ready for days of rubbernecking!

All aboard, let’s climb, dance and be merry!

Ciao,
Shy

If you want to get away and climb with Shy in Bolivia, it’s not too late-feel free to give the office a call and we will get you to the Cordillera Real this season!