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2002
Mugs Stump Award Winners:
Frimer/Berube—Southeast
Face of Jirishanca
Jeremy
Frimer & Yanick Berube
Our
expedition began smoothly as we traveled from Canada by plane
to Lima, Peru and then onwards via bus to Huaraz (3000m) in
under 36 hours total. Within a few days, we had acclimatized
to 4600m at Churup Lake and were ready for an acclimatization
climb. With our focus strongly set on our main objective,
we chose the Cordillera Blanca's Nevado Chopicalqui (6354m)
because of its easy nature. This climb would allow us to focus
our energy on acclimatizing, rather than climbing. As it turned
out, Chopicalqui was a good choice because Yanik struggled
with acclimatization throughout. But after a week of headaches
and sleeplessness, we topped out. Having spent two nights
at 5600m and a day up to 6350m, we felt satisfied with our
acclimatization.
After gathering 3 week's provisions, we headed for our access
town of Queropalca with two friends (James and Fern), who
would be sharing a base camp in the Huayhuash. With Jeremy
suffering with Giardia and taking antibiotics, the 12-hours
of bus and taxi were rather draining. The next day, we hired
a mule driver and mules and began our approach to base camp
below the Southeast Face of Jirishanca (6126m). The face was
in excellent condition in the midst of an excellent dry season.
But that all changed quickly. A storm, unheard of in the Peruvian
dry season, hit the south of Peru, reportedly killing some
200 people in the country, more than 70 000 farm animals,
and dropping 5 feet of snow. The Huayhuash, being just on
the fringe of the storm was also struck and forced us to sit
and wait during 8 straight days of snow. During a calmer spell
in the middle of the storm system, James and Fern attempted
the south face of Jirishanca's neighbor, Jirishanca Chico
(trans. The Small Jirishanca). Near the bergschrund, they
released a class 2 slab avalanche, which carried them 100m
resulting in a complete burial of Fern. James was able to
follow the rope and dig her out, unharmed but shaken. At the
end of the storm, the face we had intended to climb was left
in an unstable and dangerous state. The snowfields on the
face were heavily loaded and any moderately-angled rock was
now snow-covered. Critical to us was the first few pitches
of our intended route, which were steep rock slabs... now
blanketed in several inches of powder. We began waiting for
the sun to stabilize the face. Within 4 days, we felt that
the face was in decent shape once again so we finally packed
up for an attempt the next morning. However, a worsening intestinal
parasite was readily weakening Yanik and he was suffering
terribly the next morning. We suspected that he had an E.
coli infection, which could be cleared up with the powerful
antibiotic Cipro (ciprofloxacin hydrochloride). However, during
the 5-day course, one is advised not to operate heavy machinery
or be exposed to direct sunlight. With enough time for only
a few more days of waiting, we realized that we could not
possibly have an attempt. Morally deflated, we retreated to
Huaraz.
However, a few days later, Yanik was improving steadily with
the antibiotics and we had 4 days available before beginning
the trip home. We chose to spend our time attempting a new
line on the beautiful 900-meter high northwest face of Nevado
Ulta (5875m) in the Cordillera Blanca. We chose this aspect
because of its steepness, mixed nature, and short approach.
A day later, we reached a bivy site at its base and spent
the afternoon debating over a line to attempt. We decided
that even the line of weakness on this aspect would provide
a very worthy challenge. From the top of the snowcone, the
line chosen would angle left up a ramp, then cut back right
on a second ramp. This would give access to a central ice
runnel cone with minimal exposure to rockfall from the major
gully system, lying to the right of the ramps. Above the ice
runnels, a solution to a steep rock band would have to be
worked out en route. From there, more ice runnels would lead
to the left skyline ridge, at another rock band, which would
be followed to the summit. We planned to rappel the 1977 Cheesmond
line on the WNW face.
Our climb began well as we simul-climbed up low-angle ice
with short mixed steps on the first ramp. At the end of the
ramp, Yanik led a pitch of steep, delicate ice to put us at
the bottom of the second ramp (p2). The second ramp proved
to be more challenging with several traversing pitches up
rock and ice. Once again, the final pitch (p6) on the ramp
was the most difficult. After a delicate traverse and downclimb,
Yanik led through vertical to overhanging mixed climbing with
marginal protection. As the afternoon wore on, we climbed
several pitches up an ice fluting, characteristic of the region,
in search of a bivy site. However, the sustained steep nature
of the face was showing no sign of even a small ledge. As
the sun set, Jeremy led a steepening fluting pitch, culminating
in a 15-meter run out in bottomless near-vertical sugar snow
to a semi-cave (p9). The ice cave was arduously enlarged to
be 6 foot by 2 feet in size.
The next day saw us rappelling diagonally out of the cave
and continuing up the ice runnels towards the major rock band.
We decided to attempt a traversing line from the top of an
ice ramp towards a second ice ramp. The broken nature of the
rock allowed the first pitch to go quickly and free (p12).
But just 10 meters from the target ice ramp, the way was blocked
by steep, iced cracks. Jeremy put in a very exposed belay
below the cracks on marginal pegs and screws. Then Jeremy
led a short but critical aid pitch up the iced cracks, crossing
right into an icicled corner, to a thin horizontal crack,
penduluming right to a good belay (p13). Yanik then led up
the ice ramp to another steep mixed section on clean, broken
granite which led to a steep, sugary fluting and finally the
top of the major rock band (p14). As darkness fell, Yanik
led two more pitches in search of a bivy site. But once again,
there was little available. Just below the ridge and the final
rock band, we conceded to chopping off the crest of a fluting
as a bivy. The resulting site was even smaller and less sheltered
than the previous night.
Overnight, a storm blew in, dumping several inches of snow
on our heads and soaking us. In the morning, the storm was
showing no signs of abating and spindrift avalanches were
constantly raking the face. The rock above us, when we could
see it, was now coated in snow and more serious avalanche
conditions were building up. With soaked sleeping bags, little
food and fuel, several more unknown pitches above, followed
by a complex, unknown descent route, continuing up into the
storm was ruled out as an option. However, to reverse our
route would be very arduous due to its traversing nature.
Rappelling would funnel us into the major rock fall gully
we had been avoiding on the ascent. The situation seemed to
be quite committed, with no good solution; the focus was now
set on self-preservation. We decided to attempt an angling
rappel of the face, in hopes that we could stay out of the
gully. Our reasoning was that at least we knew what was awaiting
us on the face.
As anticipated, the retreat was very difficult and serious
with constant spindrift avalanches, rappels over massive,
often overhanging ice cliffs, high winds, and poor visibility.
To add to that, traversing the crests of a number of flutings
proved very difficult. Many anchors were placed in the midst
of spindrift avalanches, essentially rendering us blind in
the process. Near the top of the second ramp, we could not
recognize any features and figured that we had been drawn
into the gully despite our efforts. So, Yanik led an angling
pitch up mixed ground to try to gain the upper ramp again.
Still, our efforts to reach the ramp were to no avail so we
finally decided to go for the "Hail Mary" approach
and rap into the unknown. Two more rappels placed us in an
area of slabs and overhangs, atop what felt like a big cliff.
The next rappel will be remembered as the moment of truth
as Yanik stepped back to the edge, to see the ropes dangling
well clear of a large overhang, disappearing into the clouds.
After about 65m of rappelling, with knots jammed in his belay
device, Yanik swung slightly to touch down on a small ledge
adjacent good cracks. One final rappel placed us in the middle
of the first ramp. However, with the snow loading above, frequent
avalanches were pouring down onto the snow cone we had used
to access the ramp. Hence we rappelled on the adjacent ice
over rock cliffs to reach the middle portion of the snow cone.
Lower down, we were hit by a wet-snow avalanche just as we
completed the final rappel but finally escaped, more or less
unharmed.
This adventure was a great learning experience for the both
of us. We were challenged emotionally during the long wait
in the Cordillera Huayhuash for good conditions on our proposed
objective and were physically and mentally pushed to our limits
during our failed attempt on Nevado Ulta. We both consider
this experience to be a success because we did a lot of challenging
and spirited climbing on a beautiful mountain in good style
and came back alive.
Once again, we would like to thank the sponsors who have supported
the Mugs Stump Award for making this expedition possible.
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