It is under review a law that will make climbing in the Cordillera Blanca highly restrictive. A link to the British Mountaineering Council describes all the changes that are on the air
<http://www.thebmc.co.uk/news_det.asp?item_id=877>
A more extensive artcle from THe American Alpine Club can be found at http://www.americanalpineclub.org/docs/2004_Winter_AAN.pdf
A brief look at the new regulations:
The key articles affecting climbers and trekkers are;
Article 7.1: Concerning the prohibition of "free entries" for the tourist activities which imply risk for the visitor: Entrance to the PNH for the practice of adventure tourism, rock/ice climbing or other forms of tourism which imply risk to the visitor shall be done through the use of tourist service providers, who are responsible for the safety and behaviour of the visitors during their stay inside the PNH, which cannot exceed thirty days.
Article 25: The Tourism and Recreation Use Plan classifies the mountains according to their degree of difficulty. This classification will be available to the public in the offices where entrance tickets to the PNH are sold. In the case of mountains designated ‘difficult’ due to circumstances of climatic variation, the guide may climb with only two people at a time. In any case it is the responsibility of the guide to ascertain the capacity of clients for this type of climb.
Please write to the following people to voice your opinion.
This is a matter of urgency, so please write now to:
Leoncio Alvarez Vasquez
Jefe de Instituto Nacional de Recursos Nacionales
Email - lalvarez@inrena.gob.pe
Messages should be copied to the secretary - jbarrios@inrena.gob.pe
and to the Head of Protected Areas - csalinas@inrena.gob.pe
FAX - (00) 51 1 224 3218