Last year in Nepal when I was sitting with injured knee in a coffee shop in Kathmandu, I got talking to Steffan, a Swiss alpinist, who had dedicated his life to the mountains. Every season he was in Nepal, climbing unclimbed mountains and setting new routes. The rest of the year, he was taking clients to different parts of the world. When I told him that I would be going to Bolivia, he wrote on a piece of paper different places I should go trekking and climbing. As it happens, the piece of paper got lost and the only name that stuck to my mind was Condoriri.
12 months later, I am in Bolivia, having already climbed Huayana Potosi, I wanted to do something special for my 33th Birthday, something memorable. It had to be Condoriri with its main summit La Cabeza del Condor (The Head of the Condor). It is named after the sacred bird of the Andes: the Condor. The main peak resembles the head and the adjacent peaks are called Las Alas (the wings).
It was very late in the climbing season, which finishes the end of September, and it was difficult to find agency willing to take me to this summit for a reasonable price, let alone finding other people wanting to climb it. Failing to find a group, I booked a personal guide (compared to Europe it is a real bargain).
On the 2nd October, we set out from La Paz. It took us 3 hours from La Paz to the small village of Tuni, where Julio hired mules to take our equipment to the Base Camp of Condoriri.
At around 3pm, we arrived at the Base Camp, which is right at the foot of the Cabeza del Condor. The summit seen from there was awe-inspiring. Looked like a black giant bird looming over us. As we were pitching the tents, I couldn’t take my eyes of the pyramid of the Cabeza.
At 6pm Julio prepared dinner and we sat in the kitchen tent. The conversation invariably hovered around climbing Condoriri and the surrounding mountains. La Cabeza del Condor was the most technical of all. On to top it, I could sense that my guide was quite skeptical about my chances of getting to the top. Six hours left until my 33th birthday and seven hours until we set out for one of the biggest challenge of my life. I couldn’t help but feeling quite scared.
At 1am, we got up, had the obligatory mate de coca and set out under the full moon, which was illuminating our path and the peak. It was so bright that there was no need to use our headlights. The peak looked even more majestic under the moonlight. All across the Andes the Condor is revered as a sacred bird. For the Maputches the condor is the ruler of the sky, reincarnation of the most noble spirits. For the Incas the condor was the "Messanger of the Gods", who flew to the higher level of the religeuos world (el Hanan Pacha) and took their requests to the Gods . I was praying and hoping it will be benevolent and would allow me to celebrate my birthday in his realms.
After 5 hours of walk on scree and glacier, we reached a huge crevasse. Julio said that unless we find a way to cross it, it would be the end of my Condoriri dream. As the crevasse was so long and there was no way to go around it, Julio found a spot where we could cross it by going down into the crevasse and then climbing up. We were advancing really slow, as Julio was making sure that there were no hollow parts under our feet. Eventually when we got down, all I could see around me were tones and tones of snow. I didn’t even want to think about it.
Out of the crevasse was the next challenge was awaiting for us: climbing through a chimney with 75 degree of inclination. Once out of it, we were on the ridge of the Cabeza. So close and so far away! Earlier in the season there would be ice and snow, so you could climb with axes, but at this time of year it was only rock, loose at times, because of the constant erosion of melting ice.I was lucky that Julio was very secure and confident climber. On both sides of the ridge there were precipices of hundreds of meters. No room for wrong steps…..
We reached the summit at around 9.30pm. The Condor, the keeper of the Andean sky, had allowed me to be there. I couldn’t get a better present.
12 months later, I am in Bolivia, having already climbed Huayana Potosi, I wanted to do something special for my 33th Birthday, something memorable. It had to be Condoriri with its main summit La Cabeza del Condor (The Head of the Condor). It is named after the sacred bird of the Andes: the Condor. The main peak resembles the head and the adjacent peaks are called Las Alas (the wings).
It was very late in the climbing season, which finishes the end of September, and it was difficult to find agency willing to take me to this summit for a reasonable price, let alone finding other people wanting to climb it. Failing to find a group, I booked a personal guide (compared to Europe it is a real bargain).
On the 2nd October, we set out from La Paz. It took us 3 hours from La Paz to the small village of Tuni, where Julio hired mules to take our equipment to the Base Camp of Condoriri.
At around 3pm, we arrived at the Base Camp, which is right at the foot of the Cabeza del Condor. The summit seen from there was awe-inspiring. Looked like a black giant bird looming over us. As we were pitching the tents, I couldn’t take my eyes of the pyramid of the Cabeza.
At 6pm Julio prepared dinner and we sat in the kitchen tent. The conversation invariably hovered around climbing Condoriri and the surrounding mountains. La Cabeza del Condor was the most technical of all. On to top it, I could sense that my guide was quite skeptical about my chances of getting to the top. Six hours left until my 33th birthday and seven hours until we set out for one of the biggest challenge of my life. I couldn’t help but feeling quite scared.At 1am, we got up, had the obligatory mate de coca and set out under the full moon, which was illuminating our path and the peak. It was so bright that there was no need to use our headlights. The peak looked even more majestic under the moonlight. All across the Andes the Condor is revered as a sacred bird. For the Maputches the condor is the ruler of the sky, reincarnation of the most noble spirits. For the Incas the condor was the "Messanger of the Gods", who flew to the higher level of the religeuos world (el Hanan Pacha) and took their requests to the Gods . I was praying and hoping it will be benevolent and would allow me to celebrate my birthday in his realms.
After 5 hours of walk on scree and glacier, we reached a huge crevasse. Julio said that unless we find a way to cross it, it would be the end of my Condoriri dream. As the crevasse was so long and there was no way to go around it, Julio found a spot where we could cross it by going down into the crevasse and then climbing up. We were advancing really slow, as Julio was making sure that there were no hollow parts under our feet. Eventually when we got down, all I could see around me were tones and tones of snow. I didn’t even want to think about it.
Out of the crevasse was the next challenge was awaiting for us: climbing through a chimney with 75 degree of inclination. Once out of it, we were on the ridge of the Cabeza. So close and so far away! Earlier in the season there would be ice and snow, so you could climb with axes, but at this time of year it was only rock, loose at times, because of the constant erosion of melting ice.I was lucky that Julio was very secure and confident climber. On both sides of the ridge there were precipices of hundreds of meters. No room for wrong steps…..
We reached the summit at around 9.30pm. The Condor, the keeper of the Andean sky, had allowed me to be there. I couldn’t get a better present. 
No comments:
Post a Comment