Challenging the Cordillera Blanca: Climbers Conquer Dream House Amid Harsh Conditions

Despite dry and challenging conditions, climbing teams in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca have been busy this season, with some mixed routes turning into pure rock climbs.

“I may never be able to complete such a difficult and dangerous climb again in my life,” wrote Yudai Suzuki after returning safely—despite a 15-meter fall—from a new line on Quitaraju (6,036m). The ace Japanese climber has tackled many other highly difficult routes throughout his career. Just last year, he completed the formidable Moonflower Buttress on Alaska’s Mount Hunter, Ausangate’s North Face in the Andes, and the northwest ridge of Ghamubar Zom in Pakistan.

Now, Suzuki, along with partners Keisuke Ohkura and Kazumasa Ostubo, climbed Dream House, a 1,240-meter monster route they graded as M6, AI5+, A2, R/X, VI up the south face and the west ridge of the mountain.

“The route includes 30 pitches, and none of them were easy,” Suzuki admitted. “I thought we would be able to speed up once we crossed the technical south face on the first day,” said Suzuki. “But the crux of the climb happened to be the whole ridge beyond that, which looked like a White Godzilla’s back.”

Climbing on sight, the team eventually feared they might have reached a dead end. Miraculously, at the last moment, they found some ice funnels that allowed them to progress further.

“I took a 15-meter fall on a sketchy 90° snow-ice section at 5,900 meters, but we somehow passed that part,” Suzuki added.

“I am so filled with an indescribable feeling of having…been able to draw such a beautiful and adventurous big line in alpine style, with no trial attempt,” he said.

Suzuki noted that the southeast ridge of the peak, which the climbers eventually followed to the summit, was probably climbed about 40 years ago.

“We could find little information about it, and the conditions seem to have changed significantly since that time,” Suzuki said.

Source: https://explorersweb.com/climbers-adapt-to-drought-danger-for-new-routes-in-cordillera-blanca/

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