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An Expedition to Alpamayo, Cordillera Blanca, Peru

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An Expedition to Alpamayo, Cordillera Blanca, Peru SUMMIT OF THE ALPAMAYO Expedition Report Thomas Skelhon, Chris Davis & Tim Slater The Lord Rootes Memorial Fund Sponsored Expedition Cordillera Blanca Range, Peru & Mont Blanc Massif, France Prepared for the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund Trustees in partial fulfilment of the conditions of receipt of an LRMF Award. July – August 2011 Lord Rootes Memorial Fund 2011 THIS PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF SAM BARNES. A GREAT FRIEND TO SOME OF THE TEAM MEMBERS WHO TRAGICALLY PASSED AWAY WHILST THIS EXPEDITION WAS BEING CONDUCTED 27TH JANUARY 1987 – 13TH AUGUST 2011 Page 1 Summit of the Alpamayo ABSTRACT This report details the intention and subsequent expedition of three students to climb Alpamayo (5947m), an extreme altitude summit within the Cordillera Blanca range of Peru without the use of guides, porters or any external aid. The aim of the project was to prove that individuals with the appropriate training and experience available from the University of Warwick can successfully climb extreme altitude, technical summits, usually reserved for those who climb with IFMGA qualified guides and recognised trekking companies. The execution of the project takes the three students from their home in Warwickshire to Chamonix in the French Alps for a training sortie and pre-acclimatisation, then to the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Northern Peru, South America. Several acclimatisation peaks were conquered before attacking the primary objective – “The World‟s Most Beautiful Mountain”: Alpamayo (5947m). Page 2 Lord Rootes Memorial Fund 2011 INDEX ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... 2 INDEX .................................................................................................................................. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... 4 THE AUTHORS ..................................................................................................................... 5 PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE ........................................................................... 6 What is the Report and it‟s intended audience .................................................................................. 6 Aims of the Project ................................................................................................................................... 6 Primary aims ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction to Alpamayo ....................................................................................................................... 9 PHASE I – PLANNING ........................................................................................................ 11 Planning for Alpine Training Mission to Chamonix, French Alps ................................................... 11 Planning for Main Expedition to Alpamayo, Peru .......................................................................... 11 PHASE II – TRAINING MISSION TO CHAMONIX, FRENCH ALPS ....................................... 13 Introduction to Chamonix training mission ......................................................................................... 13 PHASE III – MAIN EXPEDITION TO CORDILLERA BLANCA, PERU ..................................... 24 Introduction to the Main Expedition ................................................................................................... 24 Sortie I - Ascent of the Ishinca ............................................................................................................. 27 Sortie II – Ascent of the Pisco and Chopicalqui ............................................................................... 33 Sortie III – Ascent of Alpamayo .......................................................................................................... 43 The Final Week ...................................................................................................................................... 56 ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................... 61 REFLECTIONS ON THE TRIP ............................................................................................... 62 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................... 64 APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................... 65 Appendix A: Timetable/Summary ..................................................................................................... 65 Appendix B: Kit List ............................................................................................................................... 67 Appendix C: Team Financial Expenditure and an example of personal expenditure. ........... 68 Page 3 Summit of the Alpamayo ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Tom, Chris and Tim would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this project. Without their aid, this project would have not taken place. The Lord Rootes Memorial Fund Board of Trustees for their approval of the sponsorship and faith that we would successfully execute the project. Mr Colin Little MIA, Bear Rock Climbing Centre; for endorsing the project through his reference and for lending equipment vital to the trip‟s success. Dr. I.R. Stefan Bon, Department of Chemistry; for endorsing the project through his academic reference. David Fountain, Warwick graduate; for the loan of technical equipment. The Warwick Sport Team, for their continual support in helping the clubs down the years. The team would also like to thank the following people for their contribution to the team‟s experience through imparting time, experience and enthusiasm towards obtaining their objective: The family at Casa Maria „The Austrians‟ - Hans, Michael, Wolfy and Clemens Alfredo, MontClimb guiding company – for his useful advice. Page 4 Lord Rootes Memorial Fund 2011 THE AUTHORS Tom Skelhon MChem (hons) – Ex-president, social secretary and safety officer of Warwick University Climbing Club (WUCC). He is a current Ph.D. student in the department of Chemistry researching the synthesis and behaviour of anisotropic polymer particles. Tom has been climbing for 10 years, over which time he has been on numerous rock climbing trips around the UK and Europe. The type of rock climbing has varied from traditional climbing, to sport climbing (up to grade 7c) including many multi-pitch climbs. More recently, Tom has become more interested in Alpine and winter climbing, completing a Conville course (provided by the Johnathan Conville Memorial Trust) and several Alpine routes last summer (including Mont Blanc by the 3 Monts (PD+) and the Migot Spur (D-)), and winter climbing routes up to grade IV during a week in the Cairngorms in Scotland in January 2011. Chris Davis MEng (hons) – Graduating this summer with First Class Honours in Masters of Engineering, Chris has been climbing for 4 years now, and has been involved in the mountains for several years previous to taking up climbing. Since coming to university, he has been greatly involved in both Warwick Mountains and the Climbing Club, having held positions of President for Mountains and Captain for the Climbing Club. He has completed both the ML training and SPA training, using the skills gained in these courses to teach people climbing skills and lead others in the mountains. Chris has also been on many rock climbing trips around the UK, France, Spain and Greece plus has spent around 4 weeks in the Alps, and 3 weeks in the Canadian Rockies. This year also marked Chris‟ 4th week in Scotland in which he climbed up to Scottish IV. Tim Slater MMathPhys (hons) – A fully qualified Mountain Leader, Tim graduated this year as a Master of Maths and Physics First Class Honours. He has been heavily involved in Warwick Mountains since arriving at Warwick University, having previously gained experience in the mountains with family and on the way to achieving his Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. Now in his 4th year, Tim has held the position of Tour Officer for Warwick Mountains and been a Walk Leader for more than 2 years. He has also been climbing since his first year at university. In terms of larger mountain experience, this year marked Tim‟s 4th winter week in Scotland, climbing routes up to Scottish grade IV. He also attended a Conville course in Chamonix 2 years ago, completing several routes during that trip such as Cosmiques Arête (AD) and Aiguille du Tour (F). Page 5 Summit of the Alpamayo PROJECT INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE As a pretext, any person who intends to take actions based on this report should heed the following statement from the British Mountaineering Council. They should also note that the authors, the Lord Rootes Memorial Fund and the University of Warwick shall not be responsible for any adverse situations arising from persons following any part of this expedition report. The British Mountaineering Council recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions. What is the Report and it‟s intended audience This report details the proposal, planning and execution of a
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