SummitPost.org

Bad start of the season

Article in Spanish:

http://huarazinforma.pe/archives/5584

Despite being very popular it stays a serious route.

Sad - but isnt' still a little early in the season to be climbing the big Blanca peaks (due to avalanche hazard, etc.)?

Yes, it is a bit early, but not ridiculously so. The two primary routes on Alpamayo see an amazingly high number of fatalities, often due to soloists falling (and sometimes hitting roped parties on the way down) and, of course, serac fall

"The high mountain tourist season in the Callejon de Huaylas takes its first victim. When performing the conditioning equipment or "French Way" on Alpamayo (5,947 m) mountain two official guides of Peru (AGOMP) guiding a group of eight tourists Swiss national, were washed and buried by an avalanche recorded yesterday afternoon.

Milla Messiah is reported as deceased; Villanueva and Victor Sanchez Caldua as missing.

The families of those injured sought the intervention of members of the Association of Mountain Guides of Peru (AGMP) prepared for this type of incident, to initiate the search and rescue of the bodies are buried under snow since yesterday.

A team of four specialized rescue mountaineers set off to the accident area while waiting for the consent of the Attorney Shift Huaylas province-Caraz for errands of Law"

the high risk of falling debris on these two routes is well-known enough that CH had posted a warning and will not take anyone up there for the 2013 season. check it out:

http://www.cosleyhouston.com/alpamayo.htm