Bolivia-2011

The Geckos are a La Paz-based climbing club. Two weeks ago, I went to Penas with them for a day of rock climbing.

Welcome to Penas:

Penas is a small historical village in the altiplano about an hour drive once you get out of El Alto's perpetual traffic jam. Here is the main square:

Like most altiplano villages, the church lies at the center of town:

A mighty eucalyptus stump:

Bolivian virgen:

And child:

Some of the climbing area is located right behind the Church and the priest wants to encourage climbing as a tourist activity to help the village:

He had copies of topos for the climbs waiting for us along with breakfast:

Soon we were exploring the crags. Roberto leads one of the routes:

Another enjoyable route:

Franco leads a hard route:

It goes directly out the big roof:

The same route from a different angle:

Some of the original fixed protection:

Getting crowded on top:

First day climbing and first lead for this ambitious young lady:

I made a new route with David, the local making most of the new routes. It was easy but fun. I think we graded it 6a. We called it Welcome to Penas:

With a decent forecast, we made another attempt to ski Bolivia. This time, we went to Chacaltaya, formerly the world's highest ski area at about 17,500'. Sadly, its glacier has melted so it's no longer actually a ski area:

The weather is looking good as we leave La Paz just after sunrise:

Here is the front side of Chacaltaya:

Huyana Potosi, of course:

And Illimani:

After a tedious, and a little scary, drive, the refugio appears:

These Japanese weather monitors abound:

The world's highest lift shack with the cable tow now nowhere near the ground:

The boiling clouds below will burn off:

We had a slight problem gaining the parking lot:

The former world's highest ski area is mostly devoid of snow although one could find a novelty turn or two:

Roberto sprouts antennae and I dance a jig:

We get our lift tickets for about $2.25:

And take the quad lift:

I spy some goods but the group nixes immediate satisfaction:

We have no idea where we are going or what we might find there. Time to put the skis on:

A clear path of snow to the ridge:

I wonder what that obvious pointy peak in the Hampaturi is:

Time to go up a bit:

Roberto looks for our first line:

Here it is:

The line below the initial steep headwall:

And the runout to a mining road, visible in the enlarged version, 1,000' below:

Roberto points out . . .

Tiquimani. The obvious steep snowy dihedral on the left is my main climbing goal this fall (spring to you in the northern hemisphere):

I meet Alex and Roberto at the end of the first run:

We take this mining road:

Past these ancient (or not) mine works:

Roberto poses by the one and only Bolivian igloo:

We go up to the col:

Thanks to Alex, we take a Swiss chocolate break:

Savoring the taste with Alex:

Here is our second line:

And here is how we have to attain the ridge to get back to Chacaltaya, eventually:

Another view of the second line on the left skyline:

Roberto points the way:

Alex shows how steep the hump was:

Roberto shares his feelings:

So I let him lead the way:

Almost back to the ridge:

Yet another view of our second line on the sun/shadow divide:

Alex and an Andean lake:

Our first line is where the snow connects, sort of:

Looking back at Huyana Potosi:

Roberto on another fine snowfield:

A technical but short section of the ridge traverse:

The Charquini glacier looking better than when Roberto and I skied it a few weeks ago in white out conditions:

Trying to bring it home but more climbing fun awaits:

And here's another view of our second descent of the day. At this point, we are starting to feel like we are racing the deteriorating conditions to the car: