South America Day 91: Huayna Potosi Training

I was determined to summit a mountain in the Andes. I stopped in La Paz with the intention of spending three days to climb Huayna Potosí (6088m), as was recommended by previous trekking companions. This time I had spent much more time at altitude and felt well prepared and acclimatized so as not to repeat the previous failure. I booked the tour with Climbing South America¹ in the few days I spent in La Paz before the climb.

This is training day.

In the morning I had breakfast at the hostel, then a second breakfast at the market to be sure to prepare myself for the upcoming efforts. Getting breakfast at the market was surprisingly difficult: most of the stalls, including cafeterias, don’t open until 9. It’s surprising because with the coffee and juices and egg and avocado sandwiches, I think breakfast is what they do best.

At the agency the guides got our equipment packed onto the van and we took off for another ride through El Alto. The route was much more direct and less treacherous than the previous day. The group consisted of myself, a girl L. from Scotland, and a guy J. from Ireland who had also come on the hike the day before. We had two guides, one of whom we somehow lost and found again on the way out of La Paz.

We arrived at the base refuge for a pleasant surprise: beds, toilets, a kitchen serving a full almuerzo and a selection of teas, and even some decoration on the walls. Except for lack of showers, the accommodations approached an inexpensive hostel. I had expected a single room hut with a bare floor.

Geared up and ready for mountaineering attempt number two! Copyright 2015 All rights reserved.

After lunch, we took off for training. A short hike made difficult by the thin air and the full stomach brought us to the edge of the training glacier. We put the crampons on and the guides showed us the technique. Within a few minutes, up we went. The session made it seem easy. The hardest part was that my boots were loose. I had to stress my feet to climb up the steeper parts. The guide helped my trainee self tie my shoes properly, but they continued to be a problem in the next phase.

Setting up the ropes.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA

After we came down the ice came the treat of the day. The guides set up some ropes for ice climbing. No vertical climbing is necessary to summit Potosí, so this was really just for kicks.

Copyright 2015 All rights reserved.

Huayna Potosí Day 1 2 3

Costs

The trek cost 1500Bs.

Cost today: $218.57

¹ Disclaimer: no affiliation