Scott McIvor during one of his earlier climbing trips in the Andes Mountains

The iconic pyramid spire of Mount Alpamayo

Peru at 6768m , is also the fourth-highest in South America . On our summit day , there were no other climbers on our route , and we reached the top on a very cold , windy but sunny morning . The route was not as technical as Alpamayo , but there were sections where we had to cross crevasses , so we had to take extreme care .

Images : FrankR / Wikimedia , ZiaLater / Wikimedia & courtesy Scott McIvor & Wikimedia

The Andes are the longest continental mountain range and the world ’ s second highest mountain chain . They form a continuous highland along the western edge of South America , nearly 7000km long and between 200km and 700km wide . The average elevation is in the region of 4000m , and the range extends through seven South American countries : Venezuela ; Colombia ; Ecuador ; Peru ; Bolivia ; Chile and Argentina . The company that organised my climbing trips offered a climbing adventure in Peru with an ascent of two mountains : Alpamayo , and as a secondary objective , the highest mountain in the country , Huascaran , so in 2003 , I undertook my first visit to Peru .

First Summit Attempt

Alpamayo (“ Earth River ”) has an elevation of 5847m elevation and is exceedingly picturesque . It lies in the Cordillera Blanca Mountains in the northern part of Peru , and it has been described as the world ’ s most beautiful mountain , for its knife-edged , perfectly pyramidal northern silhouette . After several days trekking and climbing on the ice-covered slopes leading to our base camp , our team attempted the most common route to the summit , the Ferrari route , on the south-west face of the mountain . It is considered a difficult climb that requires good crampon and ice-climbing techniques , using two technical ice-axes . On the ascent , the views of the surrounding peaks , with steep ice faces , gigantic walls and ridges , and penitents ( high altitude snow formations ) are comparable to the finest Himalayan scenery .

Two weeks before our attempt , there had been an avalanche on our proposed route , and eight climbers had been killed . The authorities had then decided to close the route until they felt that the conditions were once again safe to climb . This restriction was lifted a few days before our arrival at base camp , but our ascent was still unsuccessful . Although we had a magnificent climbing day , we constantly had to dodge shards of hard ice that came cascading down from a climbing group slightly ahead of us .

That group was also slow , and our guide , who was concerned for our safety , did not want us to descend in the dark . We therefore retreated mid-afternoon , about 200m short of the summit , because it would have taken us at least two hours to complete the

climb , and we descended safely in the early evening . We were disappointed at not reaching the summit , but it was a wonderful technical climbing day in a superb setting , on a most gorgeous mountain to behold .

Successful Summit

About a week later , four of our team of 10 climbers , including myself , successfully summitted Huascaran , which in addition to being the highest mountain in

Awe-inspiring view of Mount Huascarán

Huascaran lies in the province of Yungay , in northern Peru , near to Huarez , the main town in the north . Unfortunately , there have been several severe earthquakes that have destroyed towns and villages on a massive scale in this area . In 1962 , a huge avalanche from Huascaran roared down its slopes and destroyed the town of Ranrahirca , killing about 4000 inhabitants . An even worse tragedy followed in May 1970 , when the massive Ancash earthquake devastated much of central Peru , killing an estimated 67,000 people . The earthquake caused a substantial part of the north side of the mountain to collapse , and unleashed a torrent of ice , mud , rocks and debris that obliterated the town of Yungay , killing almost its entire population of 20,000 !

The Peruvian government forbade excavation in the area where Yungay was buried , declared it a national cemetery , and pronounced 31 May , the day of the earthquake , as Natural Disaster Education and Reflection Day . It is a sobering reflection on the lives lost and devastation caused by natural disasters .

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