In the heart of the Huayhuash mountain range, a massive ice and rock formation rises, commanding respect from every angle: Yerupajá. This Andean colossus has been a revered peak for centuries and, in modern times, one of the most coveted mountains for experienced mountaineers. With its 6.617 metersIt is among the highest peaks in Peru—considered the second largest independent peak in the country if Huascarán is taken as a single massif, or the third if its North and South peaks are counted separately—and is famous for its technical nature and wild surroundings.
Beyond its height, Yerupajá stands out for its history, symbolism, and beauty. For the Andean peoples, and especially for the Yarowilca ethnic group, it was and is a sacred mountain, an Apu, a place where deities dwell according to the Quechua worldview. The etymology of its name, which alludes to the idea of "white dawn," is no coincidence: under the first rays of sunlight, the glacier gleams with a steely brilliance, an image that justifies the fame of iconic mountain that has been won in the Huayhuash.
Origin, meaning and cultural link
The toponym Yerupajá comes from Quechua: yuraq (white) and pajaj (dawn), so its meaning refers to that literal “white dawn” on its summit ridge. In the Andean world, Yerupajá was recognized as Apu and Pakarina of the Yarowilca nation, terms that refer to guardian mountains and sacred places of origin, linked to the ancestral Andean ritualsThis spiritual connection has not been lost: even today many inhabitants of the communities in the area attribute to it a protective and, at the same time, fearsome character.
Where is the massif located and what does it look like?
Yerupajá is located in the central part of the Huayhuash mountain range, the southern extension of the Cordillera Blanca. Administratively, it lies on the border of Lima, Ancash and Huánuco, with approximate coordinates 10°16′08″S, 76°54′19″W. It is about 15 km west of Llamac, and its visual domain reaches points as distant as Conococha, Chiquián, the heights of Mina Llipa, Cajamarquilla, Rondos and Queropalca; on clear days it can be observed from many hills at more than 4.000 m within a radius of 60 km.
Geographically, Yerupajá also marks a landmark: it is the highest point of the Amazon River basinIts western face, visible from Chiquián, is famous for its aesthetics: a ridge so sharp it resembles the edge of an axe, as if it were cleaving the sky in two. The eastern slope, mostly rocky and steeper, belongs to the district of Queropalca (Lauricocha province, Huánuco Region) and presents an irregular, almost chaotic appearance, with bastions and channels that exude difficulty.
Anatomy of the mountain: summits and ridges
The Yerupajá massif resembles a large sheet with two main faces, joined by a summit ridge running north to south. Three prominent peaks are aligned along this ridge: Yerupajá Norte (6.430 m), the culmination of an imposing triangular wall; the main summit or Yerupajá Grande (6.617 m), defended by glacial walls and airy ridges; and the Yerupajá Sur (6.515 m), which culminates the southern slope. To the north, after a pass, rises Yerupajá Chico (6.089 m) and the prominence of Toro (5.830 m); to the south the Siulá group dominates, with its four peaks, and to the east extends the Rasac system.
The Huayhuash, an amphitheater of six thousand
The Huayhuash mountain range, although more compact than the neighboring Cordillera Blanca, boasts an overwhelming array of features: twelve peaks above 6.000 m and more than 110 peaks exceeding 5.000 meters. The usual access to this mountain range is from the town of Chiquián (about 110 km south of Huaraz), the starting point for many treks heading towards the lagoons and base camps. The renowned Huayhuash trek, considered among the most beautiful in the world, offers the first complete panoramic view of the glacial amphitheater from its Llamac plain.
Approach routes and classic access points
To reach the base of Yerupajá there are three commonly used access routes: by the western slope from the Jahuacocha or Solteracocha lagoons; by the east from Carhuacocha; and for him north from SarapocochaHistorically, the Jahuacocha lagoon, at around 4.050 m, has served as a base camp for memorable expeditions, while Sarapococha offers a key approach to objectives on the north and northeast face of the massif.
Access is alpine in nature and is conditioned by the state of the glaciers, snow bridges, and exposure to seracs. Even in favorable seasons, carrying gear and acclimatization require fine-tuned logisticspatience and room for changes of plan, just as expeditions of all eras have learned.
From sacred mountain to mountaineering myth: an essential chronology
The sporting history of Yerupajá begins with the first attempts in the 1930s, when an Austro-German team (linked to the German-Austrian Club) explored access routes without reaching the summit. In 1951, the Austrian expedition of H. Kinzl, E. Schneider, and F. Ebster left valuable records and photographs of great historical value, but the big leap would come shortly before, in 1950.
That year, members of the Harvard University Mountaineering Club—among them David Harrah y James C. MaxwellThey established their base at Jahuacocha and set up successive high-altitude camps on the western slope. After weeks of acclimatization, changeable weather, and health problems within the climbing team, Harrah and Maxwell finally tackled the south-southwest ridge. On July 31, 1950, they reached the main summit of Yerupajá, opening the route that is now considered the Normal route up the west faceThe descent was dramatic: a cornice gave way, Harrah fell, and was stopped by Maxwell after traversing the length of the rope; the rescue and retreat were prolonged, marked by bivouacs and painful frostbite. The price was extremely high: Harrah lost all his toes and Maxwell some of his fingers, a cost that cemented the legend of the "Butcher of the Andes."
The second ascent to the main summit would come on July 12th. 1966When the Argentinian Jorge Peterek and the Norwegian-Canadian Leif Norman Patterson climbed the west face in six days via a highly difficult direct route, linking up with the SSW ridge towards the summit. During the descent, they also made the fifth ascent of Yerupajá Sur, in a retreat made difficult by the onset of frostbite.
Year 1968 It was doubly crucial: Chris Jones and Paul Dix climbed the northeast face to the main summit on July 30, while Roger Bates and Graeme Dingle established the route up the northwest face of Yerupajá North, a technical itinerary that would later become the benchmark for rapid ascents. 1969, the famous Tyrolean rope team formed by Reinhold Messner y Peter Habeler He traced a variant to the Dix-Jones line on the east face, consolidating the massif's renown on a global scale.
The evolution of the seventies brought two additional milestones: in 1977Eberhard and Götz solved the Direct route on the west face, a machine of ice and hanging flows threatened today by unstable seracs; and in 1979Frenchman Patrick Vallençant made the spectacular ski descent of the western face, a feat of extreme high-mountain skiing.
The decade of 1980 This brought with it a significant halt to activity due to political violence (the actions of Shining Path) and accelerated changes in the glacier that complicated or rendered unusable previously passable routes. nineties There have been almost no confirmed ascents to the main summit: in 1995, Austrians Stephan Hradil and Nikolaus Wallner reached the top but died during the descent, a tragedy that underlines the enormous commitment that Yerupajá demands.
With the new century, the mountain continued to show its elusive nature. July 4, 2001In 1968, Ecuadorian Santiago Quintero made a solo and extremely rapid ascent (17 hours) via the Bates–Dingle line on the northwest face, stopping just meters from the summit due to the instability of the snow on the summit mushrooms. 2003Slovenians Matevz Kramer, Matej Mejovsek (Teyko), and Tadej Zorman opened “Limitless Madness” on the northeast face, summiting on July 30. 11 September 2014The team of Nathan Heald and Luis Crispín made what for years was considered the last confirmed ascent to the main summit via the west face.
En 2018An Italian-Chilean team devised an ultra-fast approach from Llamac to Jahuacocha, aiming to climb a corridor between the Bates-Dingle (1968) and 1982 Polish routes. They reached the summit ridge on a clear night with a rising moon, but prudently chose to retreat due to creaking and signs of instability in the summit fungi, a decision that exemplifies the golden rule of Yerupajá: the summit is optional; the return, required.
In the austral summer of 2005A French team established two new routes in the region: “Furiosos, pero románticos” (1.100 m, ED-, 90°) on Yerupajá Sur, and “Toy's Band” (600 m, TD sup, V+/90°) on Nevado Ulta. The first, in particular, provided a highly technical account: after an initial section with sustained 80–90° slopes and a camp at around 5.550 m, they faced hard ice where new ice screws were incredibly difficult to insert; they had to use their ice axes as levers to drive them in. The following morning, beneath a serac that commanded silence, they continued up 85–90° sections, reaching the west ridge of Yerupajá Sur at around 6.300 m. After numerous rappels, they returned to their tent after 22:30 p.m. A pure alpine route, committed and as precise as a scalpel.
Already 2025, the Spanish rope team of Marc Toralles, Rubén Sanmartín and Bru Busom He announced the opening of a new route on the east face of Yerupajá, with a length exceeding 3.000 meters and a combined grade of 6c+, M6+, and 95°. It is a testament to the potential that the predominantly rocky east face retains and to the level of technical difficulty that the mountain demands in the 21st century.
Routes, difficulties and current state of the mountain
They are known around about twenty routes and variations on the flanks of Yerupajá, although many are now difficult or impossible to repeat due to accelerated glacial changes. The difficulty ranges from Very Difficult (MD) to Extremely Difficult (ED), with vertical or overhanging sections on ice, mixed terrain, and icy rock. The route of the first ascent—west face and continuation along the south-southwest ridge—is the one usually considered the “normal” route today, although the word “normal” here is almost a euphemism: the exposure to cornices, slabs and seracs It requires meticulous risk management.
Glacial deterioration, along with phenomena such as microseismsIt has altered couloirs, snow bridges, and key sections on the west and northeast faces. What is protected by ice flows one season can become a labyrinth of crevasses and boulder chaos the next. The summit cornices have proven especially treacherous: top-level climbers, from Messner and Habeler to Quintero, have preferred to stop rather than risk an unpredictable collapse. On Yerupajá, prudence is paramount. hard equipment.
Season, permits and on-site logistics
The optimal window for visiting and climbing in the Huayhuash ranges from May to SeptemberWhen the weather tends to be more stable, the community of Llamac manages tourism revenue in the Yerupajá area; access requires paying a fee and carrying the receipt along the route. The village offers basic services: small guesthouses, food options, horse rentals, and essential supplies. Huaraz serves as a large "urban base camp" with shops, guides, and logistical support; from there, hikers typically travel to Chiquián and then on to Llamac to begin their trek.
To ascend Yerupajá, a careful acclimatizationSolid technical skills on 60–90° ice, mixed climbing experience, and rope management on sharp ridges are essential. Exposure to icefall and the complexity of descents necessitate planning the withdrawal with the same care as the ascent. Hiring a UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide or joining established expeditions is a sensible option for most aspiring climbers.
Landscape, life and biodiversity at high altitude
The Huayhuash region is not only dazzling for its glaciers; it is also for the life it supports at high altitudes. In the ravines surrounding Yerupajá, small forests of quenuals And high-Andean species appear, such as quisuar, ichu, cuncush, and a string of local plants with sonorous names like awinchu, shupllac, wamanpinta, or taulli, among many others. This mosaic of vegetation, adapted to the cold and radiation, forms part of the high Andean ecosystemIt dots hillsides and moraines where the soil has some moisture.
Among animals it is relatively common to see vizcachas Leaping between boulders, Andean foxes watch the landscape, flocks of Andean gulls soar above the lagoons, small high-altitude rodents, and birds like thrushes and partridges roam freely. More elusive are the deer and, especially, the Andean cat, a jewel of South American fauna that is rarely seen. This natural balance is fragile, so responsible tourism and mountaineering management is key to the environment's survival.
Historical context, culture and sources
The history of ascents of Yerupajá and its satellite peaks (Jirishanca, Rasac, Siula…) has been recounted in yearbooks and reference works: publications of the Bariloche Andean Club from 1967, Jorge González's history of Argentine mountaineering, Fonrouge's accounts of Patagonia, Juanjo Tomé's guides to Huayhuash and Huallanca, Patrick Vallençant's monographs on extreme skiing, chronicles of the Mendoza Andean Club, articles in Desnivel magazine, and collections such as +6500, among others. modern cartography Maps of the area, such as those made by Felipe Díaz Bustos, and classic maps such as the one of the 20 mountain ranges of Peru by Salomón Núñez Melgar (1964) have allowed us to navigate with more discernment through this labyrinth of valleys and peaks.
Historical and recent photographic documentation, meticulously restored by cultural institutions, has preserved the memory of expeditions and landscapes: from the 1951 Austrian expedition—with its photographs of the Llamac pampa and the northeastern slope—to contemporary aerial projects over the Huayhuash. The aura of the place even permeates popular culture thanks to the history of the Siula Grande, the scene of the famous accident that inspired the book and film Touching the Void, a story that has led thousands of people to become interested in these mountains.
Overview of recent activity and summit tally
Counting only the last few decades, the main summit of Yerupajá has been reached very few times due to objective risks and changing conditions. In the 23 years prior to 2018, there were four successful ascents (including the fatal setback of 1995), in addition to expeditions that reached the summit ridge but decided to turn back before risking everything. It is striking that some of the most prestigious names in mountaineering deliberately stopped just meters from the summit to preserve their lives: a sobering lesson that defines the mountain ethics in the Huayhuash.
International interest has not waned: every season, climbing teams arrive to explore new routes, especially on the eastern face and on ice lines on the west face that evolve over the years. The Spanish first ascent of 2025 on the east face—with modern grades that combine free, mixed, and very steep ice climbing—is the most recent example that Yerupajá continues to set the technical standard in the Peruvian Andes.
Practical tips and safety
For those who have Yerupajá on their horizon, it's important to keep a few points in mind: begin acclimatization well in advance, practice climbing on hard ice at 70–90°, and train for crevasse rescue and long rappels with rope management. It's vital to read the mountain: if a snow bridge sounds hollow or a cornice creaks, the sensible thing to do is usually... turn aroundIn Yerupajá, a smart retreat is an investment in the future.
The weather in Huayhuash can be unpredictable even in the dry season; it's worth it. anticipate extra days on the calendar. Of course, trash is always taken down, campsites are set up in areas already used when possible, and local regulations and the instructions of the communities, who are guardians of the territory and its social and environmental balance, are respected.
The scenic setting: lagoons and emblematic walls
Jahuacocha and Solteracocha, at the foot of the western face, offer mirror-like pools that reflect an impeccable image of Jirishanca and Yerupajá itself. Carhuacocha, on the eastern slope, frames the classic view of the three giants (Siula, Yerupajá, and Jirishanca) at dawn. Sarapococha, more secluded, allows one to venture into the world of the glaciers in the northern sector. In all cases, the landscape is not only beautiful: it also speaks of... glacial retreat that reconfigures bergschrunds and corridors year after year.
From the plains of Llamac, the mountain range paints a horizon of white ridges and blue shadows. It's no wonder that chroniclers and photographersFrom the mid-20th century to the present day, the Huayhuash has become a recurring motif in exhibitions, books, and archives. The Yerupajá, with its sharp edge that seems to cut through the sky, is the undeniable star of the show.
It is clear that Yerupajá is not merely a high peak: it is a complete mountain. Its cultural significance, its sharp profile, its historical routes, the epic episodes, and the delicate nature of its environment compose a narrative greater than its mere altitude. The combination of overwhelming beauty and severe difficulty He explains why he continues to attract those who seek, in addition to a summit, a profound experience in high mountains.
