Cordillera Oriental

Although first climbed in 1957, Huaguruncho Chico (c.5300m) apparently still awaits a second ascent, so this team hoped to achieve that by completing a route on its South Face previously attempted by Barton and Houseman in 2006. On this, they reached approximately 5150m before being forced to retreat by poor weather and dangerous snow conditions. However, the expedition did record some success, as during the acclimatisation phase they climbed a new route on the South Face of Hurancayo Sur (c.5100m). The route, which they have called ‘Boys don’t cry’ (350m, Scottish V, 4) gave them the second ascent of the peak, but was followed by an epic descent in thick cloud and failing light that forced an unplanned snowhole bivouac 50m below the summit.