Check out the Way Inn if you decide to hike up to Churup. Nice place!

Iwantpnpback wrote:

Luciano136 wrote:

Iwantpnpback wrote:Still looking for an insurance for aconcagua ... Anyone who has an idea for belgian citizens?

Hijacker

I helped you with the cheapest insurance you will ever find and now you won't give me anything in return?

Haha, just kidding! I still need to check out all the links. Busy busy

Luciano136 wrote:

iechegar wrote:I live in Lima so that would be pretty much sea level although I usually go hiking in the Sierra of Lima around 15,000 once or twice a month

Cool! I'm up at elevation at least every other week (not 15k though).

It really doesn't matter that much as you tend to loose aclimatization fairly fast.

About altitude, even though Lima sits next to the ocean, we have quite high mountains closeby in the Cordillera Central

iechegar wrote:It really doesn't matter that much as you tend to loose aclimatization fairly fast.

True, although my body adjusts MUCH faster than when I first started going into the mountains. The very first time I went to 10k, I had a bad headache and felt like I had to puke. Now I can go to at least 13k before I notice anything at all.

I feel the benefit of acclimating for about a week.

Haliku wrote:I use the AAC for rescue insurance and for other general travel insurance needs I use a link I got from the SAE years ago. Cheers!

So, the SAE doesn't cover actual climbing?

The AAC seems like a good option, although I'm not sure if $5000 coverage is all that much?

Iwantpnpback wrote:You can take a kbf-insurance while living in the states ... (www.klimenbergsportfederatie.be)

I sent them an email to make sure I don't actually have to live in Belgium.

Sorry if I guide this interesting thread off-topic a bit. I was wondering if it is really necessary to have guides on Pisco and nearby peaks?

Define "necessary". Do you mean required by law (kind of, but not really enforced, especially if you are a member of an alpine club at home) or because of the difficulty of the climbs (depends on your skill level).

It is not necessary to have guides on Pisco, unless the law has changed recently. Last year in June there were a couple of parties that did not use guides. I had a guide due to lack of experience.

Garon Coriz wrote:Sorry if I guide this interesting thread off-topic a bit. I was wondering if it is really necessary to have guides on Pisco and nearby peaks?

You can probably do without a guide but when you check the prices, it is really worth it to me. It's cheap and you don't have to do the routefinding or cooking. Moreover, you help the local people living in a poor country.

Garon Coriz wrote:Sorry if I guide this interesting thread off-topic a bit. I was wondering if it is really necessary to have guides on Pisco and nearby peaks?

The regulations/pass requirement is explained here: http://www.summitpost.org/logistical-center/559932/Huaraz-Peru.html#chapter_24

In short, a guide is not required if you are a member of a UIAA affiliated club (i.e. the AAC).

Whether or not a guide is necessary depends on your skill level. For mountains such as Pisco, Ishinca, Urus, etc. you should (mostly obvious, but stated for clarity):

1. Be experienced in the backcountry (that includes a lot of stuff)
2. Know how your body reacts to altitude
3. Know crevasse rescue and glacier travel
4. Be comfortable traveling in a country where most don't speak English.

The mountains above don't require any technical climbing (i.e. belayed climbing), but they do require glacier travel and are at altitudes well above anything in the continental US. If you are in doubt, go with a guide. You can always go back without one later.