Mountain: Pumasillo (Sacsarayoc) and Mellizos
Route: East Face and Southeast Face
Country: Peru
Height: 5991 m and 5600 m
Dates of Expedition: August 1987
Overview of climb: The Pumasillo range of the Cordillera Vilcabamba was a very seldom visited area of Southern Peru. My desire was to explore the East flanks of this impressive and difficult peak along with its neighbors.
Team Members: Paul Harris, Carlos Buhler
Lasting Impression:
Paul and I climbed two pure ice routes in the huge cirque accessed from the town of Santa Teresa in the Urubamba Valley. We ascended the East Face of Pumasillo to it's North Ridge. Yet, after a scary fall on the ridge, we failed to reach the true summit and descended to the north. This led me to push hard on the Southeast Face of Mellizos a few days later. We did reach the summit after a scary, insecure ice pitch that Paul decided not to follow.
