Monday, July 21, 2014

Bolivia Update - Part 2

Greetings from Bolivia!

It has been a terrific trip so far. Five climbers and I (and our wonderful Bolivian guides and staff) have been having a great time seeing the mountains of this amazing country. This post will be admittedly brief, as we only have one day in town before heading out tomorrow to Illimani - one of the tallest peaks in the country!

Things that have been great so far include:
  • The food!
  • The weather
  • The company, both among the American climbing team, and among the Bolivians we have been privilidged to work with
  • The climbing conditions - super good snow, great travel conditions, good cravasse conditions
  • And many other things!
Enjoy these pictures I took from this last section (Part 2 of 3)


Chris smiling big on our first alpine climbing day

Nick, equally psyched

The beautiful ridge of Pequeño Alpamayo in the Condoriri Range. What a great climb!

Looking over At Huayna Potosi, where we would find ourselves later in the week

Rock (choss) section. Pequeño Alpamayo in the  background.

The beautiful Cordillera Real de  Bolivia

Practicing crevasse rescue at 16000 ft. on a rest day!

Hauling the backpacks out of the crevasse


As we finished our time in the Condoriri, we (mostly the Aymara-speaking Bolivian guides, Sabino and Mamerto) started chatting with a local lady, whose daughter was a happy, entertaining young lady!

Huayna Potosi at sunrise, from the base refugio and reservoir

On the summit of Huayna Potosí

Me and my Bolivian friend Willie (and his mom to the side). 
It has been a real treat making friend with people here.

I hope this blog entry finds you all well, and we´ll keep in touch as we  get back from our last stint in the mountains this weekend!

--Mike Pond, Instructor and Guide



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