GUIDED EXPEDITION

Ishinca Valley Summits: Urus, Ishinca & Tocllaraju

The Ishinca Valley is home to four prominent high-altitude peaks; Urus, Ishinca, Tocllaraju, & Ranrapalca. Any single one of these summits makes for a worthy expedition, but climbing three peaks, makes for an incredible trip–and that is our teams objective.

Urus: We wake up and ascend the slopes of Urus by headlamp arriving at the glacier by day break. This climb helps to further our acclimatization and offers commanding views for our next objectives on Ishinca and Tocllaraju. The snow slopes rarely get steeper than 30 degrees on this ascent. We will review glacier travel skills and or introduce skills to party members refining the skills and travel techniques for our rope team on Ishinca and Tocllaraju.
Ishinca: Depending on group skill levels and acclimatization we will decide whether to move camp up to the lake below Ishinca (~16,000’) or stay in base camp. This will give us the chance to further acclimatize and to further practice glacier travel techniques if necessary. On summit day we start by headlamp eventually gaining Ishinca’s summit ridge-line around sunrise. We select one of two routes depending on conditions. We then descend back to base camp to rest and prepare for our next climb
Tocllaraju: Tocllaraju mandates moving up to a high camp to make for a shorter summit day. We spend a day ascending from basecamp to Tocllaraju’s Moraine at ~17,500’. We settle into the terraced rock platforms for the afternoon prepping our early morning start. Again we begin climbing at dark via the west ridge to then gain the south face. This objective is steeper, higher, and longer than our previous climbs, but at this point we are well acclimatized. We then descend back to camp, optionally bumping back down to basecamp.
This expedition is for climbers with glacier travel technique skills and experience traveling on glaciers as a rope team. The objectives are for those looking to get into high altitude mountaineering in one of the worlds most accessible and beautiful mountain ranges. We offer training seminars for those without glacier travel experience.
- Pick up from the Lima airport and drop off at the airport at the end of the trip.
- Bus transport from Lima to Huaraz, Huaraz to Lima
- Pick up at the Huaraz bus station and drop off at the end of the trip
- Lunch for acclimatization hikes
- Transport to and from acclimatization hikes and all other itinerary destinations
- All hotel accommodation for itinerary both in Lima and Huaraz except hotel in Lima on last day Park passes
- Donkeys for approaches when feasible. Porters to carry all group gear up to high camps (clients carry all their personal gear and stuff)
- Expedition cook to prepare all expedition meals and snacks
- Expedition Eating tent with tables and chairs
- Bathroom tent for all base camps
- Sleeping tents and foam mats
- High mountain stoves and gas
- Cook tent and stove, pots, plates and all eating utensils
- All group climbing gear
- In town food and drinks
- Gratuity to guides, porters, and donkey handlers
- Personal climbing gear – Ice axes, harnesses, crampons, helmets
- Personal warm clothes, and personal sleeping set up
- Anything not mentioned in itinerary
- Trip Insurance
Flights should be arranged to arrive the evening on Day 1 from our itinerary. Flights home should be scheduled for 10:00 pm or later on the last day of our itinerary or for the following morning. Travel insurance is highly recommended. MAG will arrange and cover your private airport pickup and transfers to the bus station on the front end of your trip. If you decide to stay overnight on the tail end of your trip you will need to cover that expense.
All gear on the list below is required for your trip unless listed as optional.
FEET
- Socks: 4-5 pairs, mid-weight to heavy-weight socks
- Gaiters: mid-calf high is sufficient for this climb
- Hiking boots: light-weight, designed for hiking on rugged terrain
- Hiking/comfortable shoes: comfortable shoes for in-camp use & travel
UPPER LAYERS
- Hiking shirt: synthetic material, a hooded base layer with built-in sun protection is a great option.
- Baselayer top: long sleeve made of wool or polyester. No Cotton!
- Midlayer top: worn over your base layer, this should be a light-weight fleece. Hoods are a nice option.
- Insulated mid-weight layer: ideal options are a light-weight puffy jacket made of synthetic materials that won’t sacrifice warmth if wet.
- Rain shell jacket: waterproof and breathable jacket with a hood, and no insulation.
- Insulated down parka: expedition style down-fill parka that extends below the waistline and has a hood. Look for total weight to range between 1.5-2.5lbs.
- Sports bra: synthetic or wool materials (no cotton)
BOTTOM LAYERS
- Underwear: 2-3 pairs of synthetic or wool materials (no cotton)
- Long underwear: light-weight, synthetic or wool materials (no cotton)
- Climbing soft-shell pant
- Rain pant: waterproof pant with full-length zippers for quick and easy layering adjustments
- Hiking shorts: should be very light-weight
HEAD & HANDS
- Gloves: light-weight fleece
- Gloves: mid-weight, with shell built-in and insulation
- Gloves: heavy-weight, can be a mitten or glove with waterproof exterior
- Sun hat: light-weight
- Insulated hat: fleece or wool
- Neck gaiter: Buff style
- Sunglasses: dark, polarized lenses for glaciers/altitude
- Headlamp
PERSONAL GEAR
- Trekking poles (collapsable in 3rds)
- Waterproof bag: 115-liter size or greater. Seal Line, Black Canyon Dry Pack, in 115 L. We use bags traditionally used on river trips. This keeps our belongings dry on the lower portions of the mountain where rain is frequent. Buy the item listed or something similar with shoulder and waist straps.
- Backpack: 35-liter, lightweight hiking pack
- Pack cover for your backpack
- Sleeping bag: 0-degree, down or synthetic
- Compression sack: for sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad
- Travel duffel: 110-liter or greater We will leave this bag at our hotel while on the mountain. No wheeled bags.
- Water bottles: (2-3) 1-liter bottles. No water bladder systems, the hoses will freeze.
- Water purification: bring both a Steripen & some chemical-based water treatment.
PERSONAL CARE/OTHER
- Pee bottle: nice option so you don’t have to get out of the tent at night. Should be clearly marked! Pee Funnel for Women (practice using pre-trip)
- Insect repellent
- Sunscreen
- Camera (optional)
- Lip balm with sunscreen
- Personal first aid kit: Moleskin (blister care), over the counter pain meds, band-aids, septic wipes. Guides will carry more severe med kits.
- Medications: any personal meds. Add in some safety nets for travelers stomach/diarrhea including Pepto Bismol, Immodium, Cipro (antibiotics), Diamox, Z Packs, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc.
- Earplugs: two pairs, store some in your sleeping bag.
- Hand & Footwarmers (2-4 sets)
- Toiletry items: toilet paper, hand sanitizer, tooth care, wet wipes, etc.
- Snacks: 8-12 energy packets (GU packer, Clif Shot Blocks, Energy Gels, or something similar). This will be for summit day. Also consider cough drops. All other meals & snacks are provided.
- Travel clothes: for before and after your trip. Consider bringing a swimsuit, 2-3 shirts, shorts, pants, long sleeve shirt.
- Luggage locks: TSA approved
TRAVEL ITEMS & DOCUMENTS
- Passport: must be valid 6 months from your return date
- Passport copies: leave one at home, bring the other to keep in a separate location
- Printed copy of flight itinerary
- Immunization records
- Cash & credit cards
Please see our Registration, Cancellation, and Refund Policies.