Ishinca 5530m – Success!

30 Apr 14. After completing the acclimatisation phase based from Huaraz, the team set off for Pashpa, the start of the walk into the Ishinca valley. Copa (the next mountain phase) dominated the landscape as we turned into the deep sided valley which had a mystical Lord of the Rings feel to it with the drooping trees and swirling mist. We adopted a steady pace as we were moving to a sleeping height of over 4300m, the highest we would have slept at, but lower than the team’s highest altitude reached so far (4618m). On reaching the base camp we sorted kit and sheltered from the heavy rain storm that had been chasing us up the valley. 
 

1 May 14 - Skills Day. To enhance the skills learnt on the winter mountain foundation course, the team completed a series of alpine skills lessons. They included a central roping up brief and then a round robin of crevasse rescue, abseiling, belaying and using prussic loops to ascend a fixed rope. The base camp was set in impressive scenery with Tocllaraju (6034m) towering over us. The afternoon soon passed with kit packing and final team equipment checks taking place.

2 May 14 – Ishinca Summit Day. Reveille was at 0145hrs ready for breakfast at 0200hrs with a departure for Ishinca at 0300hrs. We headed off with head torches shining into the black night and zig-zagged up a small track until about 4900m where we stopped to put our crampons on and rope up. Dawn was already upon us revealing magnificent views of the Cordillera Blanca and the 6000m beast; Ranrapalca (see below). The team, divided into 4 rope groups, set off across the glacier winding through crevasse fields and steep ice cliffs. After about 3hrs of moving up the snow slops we reached a col where the sun provided some warmth and paused for water and food. The views were spectacular but with some cloud building on the eastern flanks due to the warm air rising from the amazon jungle many miles below. Each rope group set off up to the final summit pyramid. This was a steep snow slope but in very good condition (well banked out with lots of snow). The teams ascended one at a time to reach the summit of Ishinca (5530m) at 1130hrs.  Every expedition member reached the summit, many digging in hard mentally to get there but all making it. After a few photos the rope groups returned over the snow slopes, now much softer having been warmed by the midday sun. All of the teams were back to the roping up point by 1400hrs and soon back to base camp just as the rain started.



It was an incredible success for the team, many having just one week’s winter training in Scotland to prepare for a 5000m peak in the Peruvian Andes. To put it into perspective Mount Blanc, the highest peak in the European Alps is 4810m, so to have all summited Ishinca, 700m higher, just 9-days after arrival in Peru is fantastic.

Spr Wagstaff getting to grips with abseiling techniques at base camp.

 

Spr McDonagh taking a brief pause on the walk into Ishinca.

Spr Roslyn navigating by headtorch at 0452hrs for the route into Ishinca.

Views to Ranrapalca (6162m) before the cloud arrives.

Front to back: Spr Hill, Spr McDonagh and LCpl Bayliss moving up the snow slopes.

Capt Warren approaching the col with Spr Hill behind.

Food and water stop – the teams take 5 minutes to get some energy on board.




Maj Tolan pointing out the route to Spr Sheldon while pausing at the col.

Summit success – the team on the summit of Ishinca (5530m).

LCpl Eaves posing on Ishinca summit.

Cpl Berry getting the obligatory summit shot.

Views to the north, Copa is in there somewhere!

Descending from the summit of Ishinca, front to back: Spr Hill, Spr McDonagh and LCpl Bayliss. The dots below and right are the reminder of the team giving the scale and gradient of the descent!