CLIMBING ALPAMAYO

After a 24-hour journey, Clément, Théophile and Alban arrive in Huaraz, a town in the central part of the Peruvian Andes, at an altitude of over 3,000 metres. This was the start of the acclimatisation phase required for this type of climb.

This took place over 8 days before the start of the climb.

Each day, the three Frenchmen travelled to different lakes at different altitudes (around 4400m) to spend the night, in order to acclimatise their bodies to the lack of oxygen. Sleeping in small huts or under the stars, their sleeping bags are systematically covered in frost. They return to the plains each day to replenish their supplies and prepare for their next acclimatisation phase.

The weather was generally favourable, apart from one afternoon when a thunderstorm broke out: "We were far from any shelter and only had a small tarpaulin to protect us. As soon as the hail started to fall, we spread the tarpaulin over us and waited for the weather to calm down while enjoying a delicious Beaufort French sausage. After a while, a lull in the weather allowed us to continue our journey to the next lake to spend the night. The showers came one after the other and the well-worn protocol was back in place: unfold the tarpaulin, take shelter, take out the sausage, wait for the lull, refold the tarpaulin and set off again, until the next downpour. We made very slow progress that day.

"During this adaptation phase, the altitude makes itself strongly felt; breathlessness is present from the slightest effort".

After 6 days of acclimatisation via their daily hikes, the French climbed their first "easy" summit, completing their acclimatisation in front of the snow-covered Cordillera Blanca.

Sometimes, it's not the walk that's the hardest... Finding the right collectivos (Peruvian public transport) to take them to the starting point of the approach hike without speaking a word of Spanish seems to be an ordeal. Despite the unexpected, on 30 July they climbed their first Peruvian peak, Ishinca (5530m), and were ready for the ascent of Alpamayo and Quitaraju.

For the two summits they plan to tame, the French are well supported: two porters, a cook, two guides and donkeys to carry the equipment. They drank matte de coca all day long, a tea made from coca leaves that hydrates and combats altitude sickness.

The approach to the summits takes place in several stages: Cashampa - Llamac and Llamac , respectively a base camp and a base camp - high camp. The rest of the adventure is devoted to climbing Alpamayo.

Waking up at midnight was almost a relief, as the wind kept buffeting the tent: "We set off quickly and quickly realised that the cold would be hard to bear. From the rimaye, we did pitches to the summit (8 or 9 pitches of 65m), and waiting at the relay station was an ordeal in the cold. It was around -15°C and the wind made it feel even colder. Fortunately we progressed quickly and by 7.30 we were all at the summit.

After a day's rest, Clément, Théophile and Alban set off on the final climb of the trip: Quitaraju. It was a repeat of the previous scenario: setting off in the middle of the night, the cold, one pitch after another, and finally the majestic sunrise as we reached the summit.

Unfortunately, the show was short-lived. As the face faces south, the snow softens quickly and the abseils (which are made on snow poles) become perilous. The eight abseils, each 70m long, seemed endless. So it was with relief that the French climbers reached the high camp and then the base camp.

During this expedition, the three Frenchmen were confronted with the fatal accident of another Frenchman, who had fallen while crossing the rimaye on the last abseil. Despite the intervention of the emergency services, the victim succumbed to his numerous fractures. For Clément, "this episode made us all think about the mountains and the risks we were prepared to take on this expedition".