Alpamayo
(possibly from
Quechua ''allpa'' earth, ''mayu'' river, "earth river") or Shuyturaju
(possibly from
Ancash Quechua
Ancash Quechua, or Huaylay (Waylay), is a Quechua variety spoken in the Peruvian department of Ancash by approximately 1,000,000 people. Like Wanka Quechua, it belongs to Quechua I (according to Alfredo Torero).
Classification
The Ancash Quech ...
''huytu, shuytu'' oblong, slim and long,
Quechua ''rahu'' snow, ice, mountain covered in snow) is one of the most conspicuous peaks in the
Cordillera Blanca of the
Peruvian
Andes.
Alpamayo Creek originates northwest of it.
The Alpamayo lies next to the slightly higher
Quitaraju.
In July 1966, the German magazine ''"Alpinismus"'', published a photo of Alpamayo taken by American photographer Leigh Ortenburger accompanied by an article on a survey among mountaineering experts, who chose Alpamayo as "The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World".
Climbing history and routes
Most popular routes start from the village of Caraz, on the north of the Cordillera Blanca. A French-Belgian expedition including George and
Claude Kogan
Claude Kogan (1919–1959) was a pioneering French mountaineer who, after climbing a number of peaks in South America, turned to the Himalayas. After notable feats such as the first ascent of Nun (7,135 m (23,409 ft)), she died in Octobe ...
claimed to have made the first ascent in 1951. After studying the photos in George Kogan's book ''The Ascent of Alpamayo'', the German team of G. Hauser, F. Knauss, B. Huhn & H. Wiedmann came to the conclusion that the 1951 team did not reach the actual summit, thereby making their ascent via the north ridge in 1957 the first.
The most common climbing route, known as the Ferrari route, is situated on the southwest face of the mountain. It was opened in 1975 by a group of Italian alpinists led by
Casimiro Ferrari Casimiro may refer to:
*Casimiro (given name) Casimiro is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Casimiro de Abreu (1839–1860), Brazilian poet, novelist and playwright
* Casimiro Alegre (1741–1825), Argentine militia officer a ...
. It is considered a difficult climb, demanding good
crampon and
ice climbing technique. There are incomparable views of steep ice faces, ''penitentes'', gigantic white walls and ridges like those of
Huandoy Norte,
Artesonraju and
Huascaran Norte, similar to the finest of the
Himalayan scenery. There are also at least six other alternative climbing routes, the second most popular being the Vasque-French route.
References
External links
Alpamayo on Summitpost
- numerous photographs
French Young Expedition to Alpamayo
- photographs and good topo
- An Australian climber's stunning photos of climbers on the Ferrari Route, and his 1987 ascent/descent of the more difficult French Route.
Climbing Alpamayo
2007 ascent of the French Direct route, including many photographs
French blog post on the ascent
- photographs and ascension story
{{Authority control
Mountains of Peru
Mountains of Ancash Region
Huascarán National Park
Five-thousanders of the Andes