Urus snowy mountain belongs to the Cordillera Blanca and is located in Ishinca canyon, this mountain is part of the Chinchey massif and has three summits (Urus East 5420 masl, Central 5495 masl and West 5450 masl).
This mountain is often chosen by many climbers to acclimatize before climbing a peak over 6000masl like Tocllaraju.
Urus, in Quechua language means «Brain or marrow», is the closest mountain to the valley of Ishinca, so there is no need for a long approach to the glacier, it’s enough to leave the tent to start the climb to the summit, for this reason many climbers, who go to climb snowy mountains such as Ishinca, Toclarraju or Ranrapalca, take advantage of the Urus peak as a previous climb for acclimatization.
One of the characteristics of this mountain is its constant change in the conditions of the normal route, due to the irregular shape of the snowy mountain that has a very disordered moraine, sometimes it can be quite complicated to climb it. This mountain offers an incredible view of the following snowy mountains: Palcaraju, Tocllaraju, Ranrapalca, Ocshapalca, Copa and Akilpo.
Huaraz (Google Map)
7:00 am (Pick up at your hotel)
Participants must be in excellent physical condition to join this climb. Andean Raju Expeditions recommends previous and constant preparation as a crucial factor to take on this challenge, then, the physical stress caused by the days of climbing will be minimized.
We strongly advise all participants to have an adequate training plan in gyms, outdoor sports, climbing peaks, bearing weight and long day hikes.
If you would like our advice, we can provide you a training plan after evaluation of your experience in hiking and sporting activity.
You must have knowledge of glacier progression, you must have a knowledge of mountain rescue, safety and equipment management. These skills allow you to optimize your safety and generate a collaborative work with our guides during the climb.
Participants should have experience in altitude the last week prior to the start the climbing Urus, which ensures adequate acclimatization and conditioning of the body to the altitude. It is recommended to stay above 4,000 masl before starting the climb.
We suggest an acclimatization program before your expedition, it can be mountains of the Cordillera Blanca with a minimum of 3 days of anticipation. We recommend acclimatization at Churup lake or previous climbing in Mateo peak.
Our expedition starts in Huaraz, we will pick you up at your hotel with private transportation. After pick up we will head north through the Huaylas valley to Paltay village, from this point we will turn off with the transport to the east side by a road towards Pashpa village. Our donkey driver and donkeys will be waiting for us to transfer the logistic equipment to the campsite. To get to Ishinca base camp we will hike through a plain all along the Ishinca canyon, we will be able to observe the vegetation and the glacier river on the trail. After 3 hours of walking we will be able to see the Palcaraju massif and its peaks, then we will continue along the trail until we reach the impressive Tocllaraju snowy mountain.
Finally, after a total of 4 hours of hiking, we will arrive at our campsite.
Lodging: Mountain tents.
Meals: Box lunch, lunch and dinner
Transfer by car: 2 hours
Estimated hiking time: 4 to 5 hours.
Elevation: +1250 (3100 masl to 4350 masl)
It’s the day of our climb to the summit. After breakfast, we will start our hike through a zigzag path and pass through a rocky area to the glacier, at this place we will equip ourselves, our guide will make an inspection of everything necessary for climbing and finally we will be roped to continue along the route. After approximately 3 hours we will reach the summit to enjoy a splendid view of the colossal snowy mountains of 6 thousand high that surrounds it: Ranrapalca, Palcaraju, Tocllaraju, Copa, and other 5 thousand as the Ishinca, Akillpo, Vicos and more.
We will stay at the summit for a while to rest, hydrate and take pictures. Finally we will make the return down by the same route of ascent, we will arrive to our camp, we will feed and rest.
Lodging: Mountain tents.
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch, lunch and dinner.
Estimated climbing time: 8 to 10 hours.
Elevation gain: +1070 (4350 masl to 5420 masl)
Our expedition has come to an end… After breakfast we dismantle the tent for the return down, the donkey driver and donkeys are ready to carry all the logistic equipment. We hike downhill through the Ishinca canyon until we reach Pashpa village. The transport will be waiting for us at this point to transfer us to Huaraz.
Lodging: Mountain tents.
Meals: Breakfast
Estimated hiking time: 4 hours
Transfer by car: 2 hours back to Huaraz.
Elevation: -1250 (4350 masl to 3100 masl)
