The air gets thinner - my first 6,000 meter climb of Huayna Potosi!

As much as I love doing activities on my own, without any tour, without a guide, just accepting the challenge and being alone with nature, when it came to climbing a 6,000 meter mountain with almost no mountaineering experience and without any equipment, it quickly became clear to me that I needed a mountain guide.

This time, I decided not to fight from tour provider to tour provider and search for the best offer, but simply trusted the advice of the two Tyroleans who had already done the tour. After a bit of negotiating, we agreed on a price of about €80 for a two-day tour with a mountain guide, accommodation, and meals. Can't complain, an unimaginable price in Austria.

Before we started, Adria and Mateu, our Catalan friends we met in Peru, wrote to me the night before. They had just arrived in La Paz and wanted to climb Huayna Potosi here, and asked if I wanted to join them. What a coincidence! I told them that I had already booked a tour for tomorrow, but that I could ask if there was still room for them. They immediately agreed, and half an hour after arriving in La Paz, they booked the tour to Huayna Potosi for the next day - brilliant!

The next day, we finally set off. At half past 7 in the morning, we met at the office to rent and check all the equipment. We could borrow mountaineering boots, gaiters, crampons, ice axe, helmet, climbing harness, gloves, Goretex jacket and pants. In addition to Adria, Mateu, and myself, there was an Argentine, a Swiss, and an Italian on board (unfortunately, I forgot the names of all three..)

The plan was as follows: on the first day, we would climb from the lower basecamp at 4,700m to the higher basecamp at 5,200m, comfortably. Then, it was time to go to sleep early because the next day we had to wake up at 00:30 and start the ascent to the summit at 6,088m at 1:30. If everything went smoothly, we should be at the summit around 6:00 for sunrise. So, that was the theory, now let's put it into practice.

We took a jeep to the lower basecamp at the foot of Huayna Potosi. Before we started, we had lunch there. We also met a group that had just come back. They had to turn back due to high avalanche risk in the steepest section, let's hope we have better luck!

Our goal: Huayna Potosi

The ascent to the higher basecamp was at a brisk pace, but still comfortable. It was only 500 meters of elevation gain, mostly on a trail. After registering with the 'mountain lord' at the foot of the glacier (and paying another 5 euros for it), we finally reached our refuge. It was a simple dormitory, but that's all we needed. We had great respect for one of our guides, who carried a huge gas cylinder and all the food up here - chapeau!

The path led through several scree fields

The weather wasn't the best on the first day..

The 'mountain lord'

For the perfect preparation for the summit day tomorrow, we first had tea and cake. It tastes even better at 5,200m! For dinner, we had chicken with rice, and around 6:00, we tried to sleep to get at least some rest. 

We're being well fed!

Time for some fun! (Adria on the left, Mateu on the right)

Our guide warned us not to think about the mountain before going to sleep because then we wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Unfortunately, our minds sometimes work exactly like that, when we're told not to do something, we do it even more. So, none of us could really sleep well or at all. However, it didn't change our motivation to conquer Huayna Potosi!

At 00:30, the alarm clock woke us up. Quick morning routine, packing our backpacks, and a small breakfast, and then we were ready to go. Our group of six was divided into three rope teams, each with a guide. The equipment was double-checked, and then we started taking one step at a time. 

Equipment check in the early morning

In the dark and light snowfall, we moved at a very slow pace so that everyone could find their own breathing rhythm. For me, it was like entering a trance-like state, simply focusing on my breathing, taking one step after another, and not really thinking about anything, just enjoying nature but also the physical challenge!

The only thing I didn't enjoy was that I had been having strong stomach problems since waking up, and it felt like my stomach was constantly turning. However, my desire to reach the summit today was just too strong for anything to stop me, so I tried to ignore it as much as possible. Only Adria, who was behind me on the rope, noticed because of the constant groans...

Other than that, I felt pretty fit and had no problems with the altitude so far. We also took short breaks to eat a bite of frozen chocolate and have a drink. (Our water turned into ice cubes after a while) 

The weather unfortunately did not improve, on the contrary, the snowfall became heavier. But since it was very cold the day before and the ground was frozen pretty well despite the new snow, avalanche danger was not an issue. After about 2.5 hours of climbing over the glacier and its crevasses, some of which looked pretty scary when you shine your light into them and just see a black void, we reached the most difficult part at 5,700m. It was a steep ice wall that we had to climb up with our crampons and ice axe. The first part was climbing sideways to the right, and then we went vertical. We were the first rope team, and our guide took the lead. I waited until the rope was almost tight because in case of a fall, the rope should be as tight as possible so that the others have a chance to catch you.

The ice wall (Photo from the descent)

The sideways part was relatively easy, the important thing was to always find a secure foothold with the crampons. But our guide in front of me climbed pretty quickly, so I suddenly felt a strong tension on the rope, which almost pulled me forward. After a short shout to the guide to please climb slower, which he didn't hear, I just tried to move forward quickly to get rid of the tension. However, I forgot the most important thing, always looking for a secure footing, so I almost slipped twice and could only hold on with the ice axe. I was full of adrenaline and just tried to get over this ice wall. Adria saved me in this situation by shouting at me that I must not let myself be stressed, the guide has to wait, and I should just take two steps every time to make sure I have a secure footing. This simple advice, which I actually already knew, calmed me down a lot, I just stopped for a moment, the guide noticed he couldn't continue climbing and had to wait for a moment, and then I climbed slowly step by step to the top. I thrust the crampons forcefully two or three times into the same foothold, and immediately I felt secure, and the ice wall suddenly became a piece of cake!

Looking down, I felt a bit uneasy, because thinking about what would have happened if the guide had to catch me or if all three of us had fallen down was not a good feeling. Just thank the guardian angels and move on.

The further ascent to just before the summit went smoothly, I was in a good rhythm, and surprisingly, despite my stomach problems, I felt fitter with every step we took closer to the summit! 

Meter by meter, we're heading towards the summit

Just before the summit, we encountered another tricky section. We were already at 6,000m, but the last 88 meters to the summit led along a ridge that was challenging. When I saw the beginning of the ridge, I thought it was impossible to cross. The ridge itself was maybe a maximum of 40cm wide, but the layer of snow on which we could walk was only about 20cm wide, and on both sides of the ridge, there was a drop of hundreds of meters. In hindsight, I would have loved to take a photo of the ridge, but at that moment, the last thing on my mind was taking a photo! Fortunately, the snow held us, and with full concentration on every step, we managed to overcome this section! There was still another tricky section where we had to climb a side wall briefly to reach the next ridge, but then we made it! We were at the summit of Huayna Potosi at 6,088m! Unfortunately, the view was limited, we were still in a white fog, but somehow this weather had something mystical about it, and I didn't care at all that we didn't have a view. I couldn't feel the pure joy at that moment yet because I knew that reaching the summit is only half the way. A mountain is only conquered when you're back down. In front of the fog, we quickly took a summit photo and then started going down.

Summit photo with Adria - What a view!

As fit as I felt during the final meters to the summit, I felt tired and weak during the descent. But I knew I had to stay 100% focused. After crossing the ridge again, I felt relieved, but I knew that a difficult section was still to come, the ice wall!

On the way there, the guide proved that he knew the mountain inside out because the snowstorm got even stronger, and the visibility was reduced to just a meter. I could only see white, and everything looked the same, I have no idea how the guide managed to navigate without GPS, but he found the way to the ice wall.

Adria climbed downhill ahead, I found a secure position up top to hold onto in case he slips, and then it was my turn. I remembered Adria's words during the ascent and felt relatively safe as I climbed down step by step, but I didn't pay attention to how Adria was doing below me. Because in front of him was a Czech couple who took a bit longer, so he had to wait. Until he reminded me loudly, I didn't even notice, so now there were almost 4 meters of loose rope between me and him, if he were to fall, I wouldn't have any chance to catch him, so I tried to climb back up to bring the rope back on tension. However, in this situation, it would have been the guide's job to keep an overview and hold me back, after all, he still had a beginner on the rope.

Since the Czech couple took a while to make progress, the rope teams above us got stressed. Something that none of us understood because stress and rush on the mountain are unnecessary and just dangerous! Anyway, they just roped down next to us over the steep wall directly above the Czech couple and Adria. The result was that Adria, the Czechs, and I got a lot of snow thrown in our faces. I simply held myself as close to the wall as possible and waited until the chaos was over. From below, I could only hear shouting and insults about who was the bigger idiot. According to my opinion, Adria and the Czech couple were more than justified to be angry because it doesn't matter if they take a little longer, but then pretending that it's a race and starting such an action is, as I said, simply dangerous and unnecessary!

I was just glad when I was finally down from this ice wall! Now we only had to go down over the glacier and its crevasses, the most difficult part was done, and the weather also improved, the clouds cleared!

Almost there, can't hide the grin.

After 4.5 hours of ascent and about 3.5 hours of descent, we finally reached our basecamp again, and this was the moment when pure joy and relief spread. I looked up at the mountain, thanked my guardian angels again, and couldn't help but laugh. Despite the bad weather, it was an amazing experience, we hugged each other and celebrated together! It was my first real mountaineering experience, but certainly not my last. The feeling when you're back down from a mountain is simply unique, and once again, I rediscovered my love for the mountains here!

In the basecamp, we had soup before going back down to the lower basecamp. The jeep was already waiting for us there and took us back to La Paz. In the car, it quickly became apparent that we were all pretty exhausted, it didn't take 10 minutes and we were all asleep. I fell asleep more than well and was also a bit proud because I had once again stepped out of my comfort zone, sought a new challenge, and achieved it! Climbing my first 6,000 meter mountain in Bolivia at the age of 20 sounds pretty cool! I definitely won't stop seeking challenges!

Author: Andreas