Branko Ivanek 21.07.2005 09:00 2417 0

Trapecio – 1st complete ascent of Lowe route (attempt)

Pavle Kozjek, Miha Lampreht, Branko Ivanek (all from Slovenia) and Aritza Monasterio (Basque, living in Peru) completed the central route in Trapecio (5644 m), Cordillera Huayhuash.

Trapecio – 1st complete ascent of Lowe route (attempt)

On Sunday 10.7.2005 a team of four climbers: Pavle Kozjek, Miha Lampreht, Branko Ivanek (all from Slovenia) and Aritza Monasterio (Basque, living in Peru) completed the central route in Trapecio (5644 m), Cordillera Huayhuash. The hardest part of the route was climbed by Jeff Lowe in 1985, but he returned after climbing the crux of the route some 250 m below the top. He graded his climb ED+, 700m and considered it as one of his hardest solo climbs.

The route

We began at 5 AM and immediately met the overhanging rock (A2, M5). There was much less ice in the wall than years ago (compare with photo from the new Huayhuash guide), and climbing conditions were varying. Easier middle part of the face leads us to a vertical headwall (AI5-6, 80-90 deg.). Due to bad ice conditions in the last steep pitch we traversed 30 m to the right and climbed an overhanging rock chimney (VI-) that opened the way to the upper snowfields. With two more steep pitches (AI 4-5, 60-75 deg.) we reached almost directly the top of Trapecio at 5 PM. We descended down the N face, using headlamps and reached base camp at 2:30 in the night.

At the top of Trapecio