Trip Report: Ishinca Valley Expedition with SIET
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Ishinca Valley Expedition with SIET By Nathan C |
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| CLIMBING | 05/18/2026 | ALL |
| Although this wasn't an "official" calendar event, I wanted to share this because the WMC made it come together. Two avid club mountaineers, David Baumann and I, spent a few weeks in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru with Josh Beckner from the School for International Expedition Training (SIET). David pitched the idea in 2025 - a combined expedition and class in mountain leadership. In contrast to simply being guided up a mountain, or just taking a skills class, this trip was about developing skills in technical alpinism and "graduating" into leading the objectives ourselves. Our trip and acclimatization kicked off at 10k feet in the town of Huaraz, where we hit the climbing wall right away. Between fun laps, we drilled crevasse self-rescue (to a <1 min transition!) and honed our movement skills on overhanging 5.10 rock. We'd continue this work another day at Hatun Machay, a crag of pumpy and sandbagged 10's and 11's. Josh's excellent coaching on moving shoulders, hips, and center of gravity felt like unlocking a cheat code for this "very square, obvious trad climber." In town, we went "behind the scenes" of an expedition. Negotiating rides, planning and purchasing rations, scheduling arrieros, navigating permit bureaucracy. In contrast to guided packages where such things are taken care of, logistics are essential for the self-sufficient climber. Atop this, we had ourselves to manage - hydration, self-care, and avoiding illness were key priorities. When it was time for the field, we met our arrieros and camp chef, Cirillo, for the 2-hour hike into Ishinca Valley base camp. Immersed in the beauty of the Blanca, we began to understand what "big" terrain really was - waterfalls cascading thousands of feet, towering granite spires, and a scale that messes with your senses. "It's called mountain-near-ing because it always feels like you're just nearing the mountain!" Josh joked with us. In that same vein, our acclimatation continued at 14k feet. A short rock wall at camp doubled as a venue for an impromptu footwork clinic, and also where we'd learn modern skills like the drop-loop 6:1 for crevasse rescue. Trouble would soon come, however, when a thunderous roar across the valley disturbed our morning dose of ham, eggs, and risk management. Tocllaraju, our 6000m objective, had let loose a massive D4 avalanche across its Western face. An ominous sign, but we remained hopeful it was a one-off... Soon after, we made for Ishinca high camp at 16k feet and got to work on the glacier honing our steps, rope team, hazard belay, and arrest. I even managed to sneak away for an ice bouldering session before darkness set upon us. 3AM came early, but Ishinca was waiting for us, and we'd soon gain the 18k foot summit via. the Northwest Slopes - David and I sharing leads and each getting at least a pitch of the steep stuff. The mellow walk down the Southwest ridge offered a cherry on top: Ranrapalca's glorious North aspects on full display. Back at base camp, we'd found the one-off avalanche on Tocllaraju was now an almost hourly affair, with parties across the valley pulling out. We made the same choice and prepared a tactical retreat. We spent our last days in the Ishinca Valley sport climbing, scarfing the best food Cirillo could cook with our remaining rations (hint: it's the pizza!) and running the AMGA Rock Rescue Drill on our beloved practice boulder. In town - a quick regroup had us aiming further North for a technical ascent of Yanapacca, just shy of 18k feet. A four-hour car ride up the switch-backiest road on earth dropped us off in the rain at 16k feet. After a short walk to camp the clouds fortunately broke enough to get on the glacier. We practiced ice anchoring, climbed into (and out of) crevasses, and pushed our limits with steep French technique. After a good night's rest, it was full speed up Yanapacca's West Face. A tricky double-crevasse presented a technical challenge, but the crux was the imposingly steep headwall. Josh gave me the nod, and I fired it in two long pitches. David took lead on the corniced summit, and we boogied back down leaving our pickets for the rappels. Even as an experienced climber and mountaineer, this trip was as humbling as it was educational. I would highly recommend it to the club's aspiring alpinists, and especially those wanting to take a leadership role for themselves or for others in technical mountain endeavors. More information about the Ishinca Valley Expedition / Course can be found on the SIET website: expeditiontraining.org |
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