Entries By Andy Bond

It's been a whirlwind of a last couple of days for us,

Once we arrived at basecamp of Illimani and saw the conditions up close, we realized how icy, firm and steep conditions were on the route.  Our local IFMGA guide Javier who has been guiding in Bolivia since 1982 said it was the worst conditions he's ever seen.  Climbing Illimani is a serious undertaking that has taken the lives of numerous climbers over the years.  With the conditions we were faced with, it was clear then that the risks associated with making a summit attempt were simply too high, and that Illimani would have to wait.

We decided as a group to not attempt the climb but take the next day to all climb to high camp at 17,800' (called the Condor's Nest). On our hike up the rocky ridge, we were graced by a rare sighting of an Andean Condor overhead. We enjoyed another beautiful night in basecamp next a peaceful creek, where llamas grazed in the fields around our tents.  

The next day we made the long trip back on the windy dirt roads to La Paz where we enjoyed some really good pizza and not so good beer (unless you like sours).  With the program drawing to a close a day early, it gave people an extra day to explore everything Bolivia had to offer.  Most of our time here had been spent in the high mountains and the highlands that are typically over 14,500'.  Yesterday we made the long descent some 3500m down into the rainforest and jungle on the eastern side of Bolivia, where we wound up at a wildlife refuge. Breathing the thick heavy air at 4000' and lush green jungle and coca farms it felt like we had entered a different country.  

Although we weren't able to summit our last peak, the group was able to climb Pequeno Alpamayo and Huayna Potosi, which are two impressive peaks in one of the most underrated parts of the Andes. Bolivia is home to some of the most amazing mountains and friendliest most welcoming people.  It was great to be back here after 5 years and to share it with such a great group of people.  We're looking forward to returning to Bolivia in 2025!

RMI Guides Henry and Andy

The group got a much-needed rest day in La Paz that included some shopping, laundry and good eating. We went to Ancestral restaurant for dinner, which is one of the top up and coming restaurants in Latin America. Most of us selected our own steaks and we enjoyed an amazing dinner.

The next morning, we loaded our van and headed to Illimani.  After several hours of driving on windy dirt roads we arrived in Another winding dirt road led us to basecamp where we slept next to a peaceful creek under a starry night.

RMI Guides Andy Bond, Henry Coppolillo & Team

Yesterday was our second summit of the trip, and the first time above 6000m for several members of the team! We had the luxury of being the only group in the refugio on Sunday night so it was easy to get to bed early in advance of our midnight wake up. 

We left the hut at 1 am under a beautiful starry sky. A short rock scramble brought us to the toe of the glacier, which started out as the loud, crunchy ice we’d become accustomed to on Tarija, but quickly transitioned to grippy neve. The night was cold but dead calm, and it was a really pleasant few hours of climbing in the darkness until we finally caught the first rays of sun at the base of the summit pyramid. 

The final few hundred feet to the summit made for the hardest climbing of the day. The challenge of steep, at times rocky and loose walking was compounded by the thin air at almost 20,000’! The team took it in stride and soon we were all on top, admiring the views of La Paz and the surrounding peaks. After high fives, photos and a brief rest we began making our way back down to the hut. Everyone moved well and we made it off the glacier well before noon. With showers, comfy beds and cold drinks in La Paz in mind we only spent about 45 minutes resting at the hut before continuing the descent all the way back to the road. A few hours later we were enjoying a delicious dinner at Hotel Mitru Sur before turning in early for a well deserved night of sleep. 

This morning everyone headed out to explore the city and do some site seeing and souvenir shopping. This afternoon we’ll pack up for Illimani and head south to Pinaya first thing tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Andy Bond & Team

Monday, August 12, 2024 - 3:57 AM PT

We are on the summit of Huayna Potosi, it's a calm, beautiful, sunny day.  Summited right at sunrise. We’ll send a longer dispatch tonight or tomorrow when we are back in La Paz when we have internet and can load photos. Everyone is doing well.

RMI Guide Andy Bond

Sunday, August 11, 2024 - 6:00 AM PT

We said goodbye to the Condoriri mountain range, and loaded our van to head to our second mountain Huayna Potosi which stands just over 6,000 meters. We arrived at our base hut, which is actually Adriam and Domilita house that they open up to climbers. Adriam is our head porter and we leisurely packed our packs and gear for our journey up to high hut (17,000’) where will spend a little bit of time before heading for the summit.  From their house we have amazing views of the route we’ll be climbing up Huayna. As the sun began to set the winds starting cranking and we were happy to be inside than out in the tents.  Adriam built us a fire and we enjoyed a big family dinner that included a cake for Katherine’s birthday. We awoke this morning to sunny skies and calm winds. We’ll be heading to high camp in the coming hours. We’ll take a short rest before starting our summit attempt early in the morning.  Fingers crossed that the winds co-operate for us!

RMI Guide Andy Bond

Yesterday’s climb of Paqueño Alpamayo provided a full-value introduction to climbing in the Cordillera Real. A 2:30 AM and a short walk on trail brought us back to the toe of the glacier where we’d trained the day prior. We dawned our climbing gear and began working our way up the icy glacier. Each step sounded like shards of glass underfoot and required careful technique to move efficiently and securely. 

We reached the summit of Tarija shortly after sunrise, the first summit of the trip at 17,500’! The views of Huyana Potosi, our next objective, were excellent, and we could see the remainder of the route to Paqueño Alpamayo. This is where the challenge of Paqeño becomes apparent, the route really throws a little bit of everything at you! First, we descended several hundred feet of third- and fourth-class rock, followed shortly by two pitches of 45-60 degree ice up the west ridge. 

Sadly, the effects of climate change are painfully obvious in the Andes, and this peak was no different. What used to be a final pitch of steep neve below the summit is now entirely snow-free, so we removed our crampons and scrambled the final 200’ or so to the top. After a short celebration it was time to start making our way down, we still had a long day ahead of us before we could relax in camp! Some steep down climbing and a short rappel led back to the base of the east ridge of Tarija we’d descended earlier. The rock scramble back up to the summit effectively made for three summits over 5000m over the course of just a few hours! 

The descent back down the glacier was slow and a bit tedious at times given the icy conditions, but we were riding high from such an engaging and beautiful day of climbing. Everyone slept well last night after our big day. We are back at the trailhead now loading up the van to begin making our way to the base of Huyana Potosi. We’ll sleep in the base hut tonight and move up to a higher hut around 16,900’ tomorrow. After several nights sleeping up high and a big day of climbing yesterday the team is feeling stronger than ever in the thin air and we’re all looking forward to our next summit attempt on Monday! 

RMI Guides Andy Bond, Henry Coppolillo

Thursday, August 8, 2024

We had a chilly morning packing up camp and weighing out our loads for the donkeys, but were rewarded with ideal temperatures for the short hike from the trailhead to Condoriri basecamp. After setting up tents and a short rest we continued up the trail to the toe of the glacier where we spent a few hours reviewing the basics and practicing some more advanced skills for our attempt on Pequeño Alpamayo tomorrow.  We're back in basecamp at 15,400' now, packing and resting up in anticipation of an early start. We'll be in touch tomorrow when we're back in base camp, and will be sure to share some photos when we're back to civilization on Saturday.

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo

Wednesday, August 7, 2024 - 5:55 pm PT

Today we left our island paradise for the mountains! After a quick boat ride we made a quick stop in the famous town of Copacabana to walk around the local market. Then it was back on the road for a few hours which brought us to the base of the Condoriri group. It's nice to be back in the mountains meeting our local support crew that will help support our climb and get our gear up to base camp at 15,500'. The team is looking forward to stepping onto the glacier for the first time and attempting our first peak on Friday!

RMI Guide Henry Coppolillo

Our team enjoyed the sunrise at La Estancia Eco Lodge this morning. We then toured La Chincana (the Labyrinth) which dates to 800 AD and was a sacred place people traveled to from the Andean Region. Then a walk back to the harbor to catch a boat ride to lunch. It has been another great day here in Isle del Soul.

RMI Guide Andy Bond & Team

Monday, August 5, 2024 - 5:25 pm PT

It was an early start but not an early exit as we left La Paz this morning.  A gasoline shortage in Bolivia left us scrambling to find a spot to fill up our van as we headed to Isla del Sol.  After several hours of navigating La Paz and El Alto traffic we finally made it to the highlands with views of the Condoriri mountains and Huayna Potosi.  A quick ferry and a failed short cut down a dirt road eventually led us back to the standard route through the town of Copacabana which sits right on Lake Titicaca. Yet another curve ball was thrown our way as a fiesta in the town for the Bolivian independence day shut down our route to the boat that was awaiting us to bring us to the island.  After several detours and side roads we finally made it to our private boat that would bring us to the Island of the Sun. 

Isle del Sol is a special island for the Andean people as it is the center of creation for them.  On our walk from the boat to the Eco Lodge we passed by a pre-Incan Temple, and terraces built in the 1300's for farming.  The island itself does not have cars and provides spectacular views of 6,000m peaks that we'll be heading to shortly.  It is also a perfect place for us to acclimatize at 13,000' and enjoy the laid back island life compared to the hustle and bustle of La Paz. After an excellent dinner of fresh caught trout from the lake and local beef we are settling in for bed. As I write this we are being treated to views of a massive lightning storm over the mountains, feeling thankful to be here in our comfortable casitas and headed towards the high peaks in a few days when the weather is forecasted to improve. 

RMI Guide Andy Bond

PC: Andy Bond