Huaraz, Peru beta
Alex Chiang
Yes -- there is rock climbing in Peru, although you might not
think so due to the deluge of posts about climbing ice and snow
in the Cordillera Blanca.
I have climbed at Monterrey, which is about 20 minutes by
colectivo (minibus) from Huaraz. The climbing is really only
good for something to do during a rest day, in my opinion.
There are two routes on the left side of the river. One is
about 5.11, and the other is about 5.7 or 5.8.
There are maybe five or six routes on the right side of the
river. I only climbed one of them, and it felt like 5.11a or so
to me. There may be more routes on the backside of this wall,
but I didn't look at them.
Everything here is bolted sport, and the cliff faces are about
60 ft. high.
Supposedly, there is better climbing (sport) in Chancos, but I
didn't get a chance to check it out.
I personally couldn't find any established trad crags, but that
doesn't mean that there aren't any. Some places will rent you
quickdraws (express, in Spanish), but good luck trying to rent
a rack.
Alpine:
This is the Cordillera Blanca. Common consensus is that Pisco,
Uruz, and Ishinca are the easiest peaks. Lots of beta should
already be out there floating around in Google.
Tons of guide services here, if that floats your boat.
Gear:
I have had good luck with Mountclimb. The shop is run by a nice
dude named Alfredo, and he speaks slow Spanish so your gringo
head can understand.
He has pretty modern gear, and the prices are reasonable. I was
able to rent everything I needed for a full day of sport
climbing from him (rope, shoes, harness, draws, belay device).
Obviously, he carries stuff for alpine too (gore-tex jackets,
sleeping bags, crampons, boots, etc.)
His shop is right next door to the Hostel Quintana, which is a
few blocks off the main street (Luzuriaga).
Skyline Adventures (nearby) is run by an American named Alex.
He's got lots of good beta and is very friendly.
Lodging:
Everyone has their favorite place. I only stayed at the Hostel
Quintana, mostly because I was too lazy to try and find
somewhere else to stay. I liked it though, so that's that.
Food:
My favorite place for lunch is Chifa Sam's. The portions are
huge, and the owner/cook is a real Chinese who cooks very well.
Thus, if you want Chinese food, go there, as opposed to some of
the other Chifa places.
I believe the address is 520 Juan de Morales, so it's very
close to Hostel Quintana. There's a Chifa Sam's on Luzuriaga
too, but that's not the same thing.
For dinner, there's a new place that just opened up called the
Baby Donkey. It's owned and run by an American named Jen, and
the theme is all you can eat, make your own burrito place. The
prices are on par with some of the more midrange-expensive
restaurants around town.
This is a great place to go after a long trek or alpine climb
to refill on valuable calories.
Internet:
The best place that I've found so far is a place close to
Hostel Quintana. From the hostel, you walk toward Luzuriaga,
and make a left at the corner (where Sabor y Salud restaurant
is). On that street, you'll see a yellow and blue sign for
Internet.
Everywhere else is SLOW. Plus, they play good music.
If you walk past the yellow and blue sign to the next street
and make a right, Chifa Sam's is right there.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Hopefully it's helpful
to some.
Be careful out there -- 4 Austrians died on Huascaran last week.
/Alex, headed to Cuzco tomorrow
Jason Perez
Alex Chiang <ach...@nyx.net> wrote:
>
>Be careful out there -- 4 Austrians died on Huascaran last week.
Do you have any info about what happened? Like if they were on the
Garganta route?
-Jason
--
Jason Perez | "Frodo Lives!" "Gig 'em!"
Austin, TX
Alex Chiang
> In article <slrnag1pa9....@nyx10.nyx.net>,
> Alex Chiang <ach...@nyx.net> wrote:
> >
> >Be careful out there -- 4 Austrians died on Huascaran last week.
>
> Do you have any info about what happened? Like if they were on the
> Garganta route?
No idea. It's just the local scuttlebutt flying around the
guideshops.
Sorry...
/Alex
Dagmar Wabnig
wrote:
>In article <slrnag1pa9....@nyx10.nyx.net>,
>Alex Chiang <ach...@nyx.net> wrote:
>>
>>Be careful out there -- 4 Austrians died on Huascaran last week.
>
>Do you have any info about what happened? Like if they were on the
>Garganta route?
yes, it was on the Gargante route, a short distance below the summit.
They came from the steep part near to the summit, when there broke a
snow board and they were swept in a glacier hole, about 40 m deep and
covered by snow. They could not be rescued, because of the snow.
dax
Ivica
to use liquid fuel (in the mountains)?
Thanks in advance!
Alex Chiang
> Are there any gas (Primus type) cartriges available there? Or
> one have to use liquid fuel (in the mountains)?
If by Primus type cartridge, you mean butane/propane mixture,
yeah -- lots of places carry them; I've seen lots of little blue
cartridges around.
However, since I don't use one, I don't know for sure whether
they are all for Gaz, or whether they would work for Primus too.
White gas (bencina) is readily available.
/Alex
Sparks
Alex Chiang <ach...@nyx.net> wrote:
> White gas (bencina) is readily available.
the place we always get ours has a guy who drinks the stuff...whatever
it was it worked great in our stoves.
interesting...you can not find white gas of any kind in Bolivia