And they'd ask to see your Peruvian guide?

We told them we were guides( in fact, we are not). I had a letter( very official looking) sent to me by Emily Kreis, membership cordinator stating I was a member of the AAC( which I am, for 25 years or so) and I had my AAC membership card. That's all they wanted, no problem. They recorded our passport number, ticket number, ect, and sent us on our way. I have always bought my park ticket, however this was the first time anyone ever asked to see it.
Change is coming, be it slowly and erractically enforced, to Park Huascaran and the Cordillera Blanca. Concern for the alpine environment, wages for arrieros, guides and other locals, is a transparent attempt to control and extract funds from visiting climbers and trekkers. As climbers( from around the globe ) who use this resource, we have an obligation to use it in a responsible manor. I don't want to see the institution of peak fees, manditory guides, and access issues become the norm. We can not give the goverment a reason to limit our ability to move freely in the mountains. The Peruvian goverment, like all goverments, will find enough reasons to shut us down on their own. In the Blanca there is a rich and long history of exploration and mountaineering, free of restrictive rules and red tape. To help ensure that it stays this way, we have to be beyond reproach in our behavior and respect for this wonderfull, fragil alpine environment. This is a must if we want to be able count on orginizations like the UIAA, Mountain Institue, AAC, BMC, DAV ect.. to represent our interests in striking a balence between environmental protectionism, greed,and resource use.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Tony

I have bought park permit for climbing today in Huaraz park office.I did show them my austrian alpine club membership card and I did not have any problems.

I paid 65 Soles (~$20) for one month pass a week ago. I had a copy of my passport as well as my letter of the AAC but they didn't even want to see both. They do have people at the Lake Churup trailhead to check. They also check at the station going to Ishinca Valley.

Can people in Huaraz continue to update this thread? I am heading down there in a more than a month and need to know the situation. Any info on personal experiences would be great. I was told two years ago about a recent rule about required guides, but when I got my national park pass they just wanted to know about my experience and they sent me on my way.
I hadn't heard much about again until now. One of the reasons why I continue returning to the Blanca is because the freedom of the hills is very much alive there and is void of the misguided practices that have infiltrated other of the world's great ranges. I hope the Blanca doesn't suffer a similar fate.

Just send an e-mail to Chris Benway at the Cafe Andino. Cafeandino@hotmail.com
He can give you the latest scoop.
Tony