Archive For May 18, 2025
If our day on 5469m Mariposa Sur in the Cordillera Vilcanota were a play it would be written in classic dramatic form comprising five acts with no intermission.
Act I – our intrepid ski tourists ascend to the glacier accompanied by an arriero, his two children and a mule. The mule does the heavy lifting until it can go no further at which point the man and his children shoulder the burdens. Duration 3 ½ hours
Act II – Skins on and roped together the skiers wind their way upwards through heavily crevassed terrain in an afternoon snow and graupel storm. The suspense builds as thunder is heard and visibility reduces. Can they continue? Will they be forced to turn back? Duration 1 ½ hours
Act III – Through the cloud an almost impregnable wall of snow appears. There is no option but to don boot crampons and shoulder skis. Steeper and steeper the terrain becomes with the chances of success diminishing with every step. Just as hope is about to die the slope eases, the cloud lifts and the summit appears. Our skiers vanquish the final narrow ridge and the top is reached. What little breath they have is taken by the views. Skins off. Duration 1 hour
Act IV – An exhilarating descent of pure ski joy on five-star hero snow sees our skiers back at the bottom of the glacier. This is by far the shortest act in the play. Duration 17 minutes
Act V – The Walk Out. A long, tedious descent back to camp with very heavy packs. The play ends with tired but happy skiers dining on chicken and rice before collapsing into sleeping bags. Duration 2 ¼ hours
The ratio of down to up is never great in ski touring with places such as Peru at the extreme end of the scale. However, as we all know, it’s not just about the skiing. Taking skis to Peru and skiing four 5400 – 5500m peaks and some subsidiary summits was part of a fabulous adventure.