Mountain: Ausangate
Route: Northeast Ridge and East Face
Country: Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru
Height: 6384 meters/20,945 feet
Dates of Expedition: May, 1979
Overview of climb: Don and I were part of the 1979 Vilcanota Climber's Camp organized by Jack Miller, founder of Andean Outfitters. I had first explored Ausangate in 1977 with my teammates from Huesca, Spain's Peña Guara Mountain Club. At that time Lorenzo Ortas and I climbed what was probably the first ascent of the West Face of sub peak "Extremo Ausangate" ("Pt. 5800 meters" on the Peruvian military map), located at the extreme West end of the Ausangate massif. This sub peak may also be known as Huayna Ausangate, according to Nathan Heald. In addition, that year we explored the lower portion of a logical route towards the summit of the main peak of Ausangate. (We reached only the snow shoulder at the top of the headwall, (5800 meters) where we bivouacked in a snowstorm and descended). Knowing this descent (now used, I believe, as the Normal Route) gave me the confidence to attempt the very long traverse up the NE Ridge and descend the South side of Ausangate in 1979 with Don.
Team Members: Don Anderson Carlos Buhler
Lasting Impression:
Our nine-day round-trip, alpine style ascent from our BC at about 4800 meters was a watershed experience. Don was an amazing teammate although we had never climbed together before this trip. Exploring this lengthy and difficult route, with very little background information, was a highlight of my career. Records show that the NE Ridge had been climbed once or twice before. But we had not found any details and faced each difficulty as it arrived. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, our ascent and variation on the East Face, was never documented in the literature.
