Ranrapalca Northeast Face

At 20,218 feet (6162 m), Nevado Ranrapalca is the 3rd highest major summit in the Chinchey Massif and the 16th highest peak in Peru with 500+m of prominence. Its name comes from the Quechua word "Ranra" meaning rock, and "Palca" meaning branching. It is home to many lines of varying difficulty, the most popular of which is the North Face. The northeast face is the standard route of descent, but provides a great climb in itself. It is the easiest line to the summit of Ranrapalca, yet holds numerous pitches of good snow climbing, and an interesting rock pitch as the crux. Also of note, many of the ratings given to routes at their times of FA are now very sandbagged due to changes in the glacier. Most old sources call this route D- or D. I might make the argument for D+.

Other Considerations: The route has 3 distinct sections after the initial portion of easy climbing: the icefall, the headwall, and the summit plateau. Each is wildly different in character, which is part of what makes this route so engaging. Overall times for the route can range greatly based on a variety of factors. Beyond the obvious, also consider the condition of the icefall and the existence (or lack) of a broken in route or anchors. Typically this route is easier earlier in the season and gets progressively more difficult as crevasses open, snow turns to ice, and more rock is exposed. Our party of 3 made it to the summit in about 8 hours, and back down in about 5 more. Another party that climbed it a day earlier took about 18 hours round trip. Less than 10 hours round trip would be very fast, I wouldn't expect more than 20 for most competent teams. Like any high peak in the Blanca, high wind and subzero temps are to be expected and even during the dry season large amounts of snow can fall any day of the year. Daytime highs rarely breach 30° F. The northeast face gets sun immediately in the morning and keeps it into the afternoon. Watch for soft snow bridges and rockfall on the descent. There are crevasses at every step of the route from camp to the summit, and at no point did we deem it safe to unrope. Obviously have glacier travel gear and the knowledge of how to use it. My experience in the Cascades and Wind Rivers doesn't compare to the scale and frequency of crevasses and seracs present on this route (or any other 6000ers in the Cordillera Blanca)

From Ishinca Base camp at 14,350 (info here) head southeast on one of many braided trails until a trail can be found switchbacking up to the south(right turn), about a quarter mile from the Refugio. This trail climbs steeply then continues more gradually through several meadows and basins to reach the tiny Vivaque Refugio and the vast Laguna Ishinca at 16,300 feet. It is about 3 miles and 2,000 vertical feet to the lake, taking probably <2 hours if you have mules, but easily 3+ if you need to haul all your own gear. This is a lovely place to camp, but if you are acclimated it makes far more sense to push on to high camp. 

From Laguna Ishinca, ascend a good trail up a long lateral moraine on the west side of the lake. When the moraine comes to an end, follow the braided trail up steep and loose ledges and gullies for about 200 feet. The trail then traverses out above a cliff to reach the edge of the glacier. Nothing is too difficult but sand covers the ledges and there are a couple 3rd class moves that feel a little tricky with a full pack. A fall here would be at least 400 feet, probably fatal. After the ledges and traverse, the edge of the glacier is reached shortly, around 17,000 feet. For the north face route the standard camp is here, but for the northeast face route, a slightly higher camp is advisable. 

Ascending the glacier is easy, very low angle and continuous, with little crevasse threat and usually a good trail put in by the guided parties on Nevado Ishinca's easy but charming south ridge (which is a great 1.5 hour outing from high camp if you want a rest day before tackling Ranrapalca). Ascend the glacier on the path of least resistance trending east. A rope is a good idea but to be honest we didn't use one, felt really safe. Be sure to stay left as to be clear of any rock/icefall coming down Ranra's north face. Around 17,400 feet there is a level spot on the glacier that is safe (or as safe as one can get in the Cordillera Blanca anyway) from rock/ice/avalanche, has mind-blowing views, protection from the worst of the wind, and great positioning for an ascent of Ranra. In a month of climbing in Peru this was one of my very favorite spots. 

If you have some time to kill here there are many cornices or "walk-in" crevasses that are great for practicing crevasse rescue, and the minor ridge above camp has lots of fun features to practice various skills on, just a ten or fifteen minute walk from camp. The views from the ridge are also super cool.

From Ranrapalca high camp (see below under Location) ascend 100+ feet south to the minor Paso Ishinca at 17,520. The brief introduction is over, and this point is where the climb starts. The route begins with a 0.15 mile ascending traverse due south along the east side of the ridge well below the ridge crest. This section gains about 300 vertical feet. The snow here was shallow and brittle, and a couple steps on rocks were required even in June. By August I would expect that crampons need to be removed. At the end of this short section the nature of the route changes. The traverse places you in the bottom of a low angle ice chute. Climb it! 

The climbing is easy, mostly around 45 degree neve. When we climbed it (2022) a couple harder moves were required to breach a ten foot high serac band (65° ice), but it was otherwise technically easy the whole way. Angling left yielded the easiest climbing, but that could change year to year. The first portion of climbing is subject to minor ice and rock fall so be quick. Luckily avalanche danger is usually low due to the aspect and firm snow, but later in the day a wet slide would be possible. After 500 feet the chute delivers you into a small, level basin (18,300) tucked between towering seracs to the east and a soaring ridge of cracked granite to the west. This basin provides a respite from the steeper terrain, but holds numerous (10+) crevasses that required a step-across even early in June on a high snow year (probably equivalent to late May conditions on a normal year). The basin dead-ends into a stunning grotto with overhanging rock and ice to the right and forward. 

The route then continues slightly left up over huge seracs and Dr. Suessian ice sculptures as the route enters the "canaleta", the icefall. 300 feet of excellent climbing break through the jumble of fractured ice (we climbed through it without gear but 2 pitches if belayed). The climbing was around 50 degrees but many reports from other years say it is steeper. It likely looks very different each year. Perfect neve weaves through gardens of ever-changing ice that rival the beauty of the sandstone artwork found in the Desert Southwest, yet they are more intricate and dynamic, glistening black in the cold starlight. Numerous crevasses lurk including two that were over 3 feet wide. On the steeper terrain these required leaning precariously across and then pulling yourself over on your tools. Scary in the dark – trust your partners or belay. The delightful climbing ends all too soon and the route turns south then traverses briefly through low angle terrain to a second basin at 18,800 feet. Make sure to take note of the topography as well as you can in the dark, missing this turn back to the north upon descent could be fatal. It took us under 3 hours to reach this point from camp.

This basin is tiny, only a hundred feet wide. To the left the mountain falls off more than 2,000 feet, to the right the northeast ridge shards precipitously. And ahead there is nothing but blackness, blackness so perfect and complete it devours the stars as it stretches for the dark heavens. Looking upon the upper headwall in the night is a humbling experience. This basin lies in a state of conflict. It is the only terrain between 18,800 and 19,900 where you can comfortably rest without danger of a deadly fall, yet it lies exposed to any debris-fall from the entire upper mountain. The highest (southernmost) side of the tiny basin seems to be the safest as most icefall drains north of it. Rest well, but rest quickly.

The climbing above this small basin (18,800) begins quite casually at around 30 degrees, but steepens gradually yet persistently to about 45 degrees until suddenly the smooth neve and cruiser climbing dead-ends into a massive bergshrund that slashes across the entire upper face, right at 19,000. There are two kinds of places in the world. There are places above that bergshrund, and places below that bergshrund. It is time to begin the truly technical climbing. Pull out your belay device and put your partner on the sharp end. 

P1: 65m Steep Snow AI2. Mount the bergshrund via whatever means are required. The 'shrund was at least 15 feet wide but choked with numerous crumbling snow bridges, some even formed by huge seracs that had toppled and caught in the giant gash. Once across a bridge an 8-10 foot near-vertical step with some tricky pulls over bulging ice regains the neve. This is one of the spots where a screw is the best pro. Above the 'shrund the neve disappears hundreds of feet into the darkness, ever steepening until it collides into the rockband far above. Continue the full ropelength past the bergshrund up 55-60 degree snow. The rock looks imminent and impossible.

P2: 65m Steep Snow AI2. Belay off pickets for another full pitch up 60-65 neve. The climbing is good but despairing. Dark, cold, and infinite. This pitch has another feisty bergshrund, easier than the first but still plenty challenging. The rock is close enough to touch, yet it still lies out of reach on the horizon. We messed up the rope work and pitching here, but I will describe what we should have done. 

P3: 30m Steep Snow AI2. Climb a half pitch trending to the right on incredibly steep neve (65°?). At this point the rock is close enough to make out the gully that will be your route through it. It takes 3 pitches to get here, obviously the lengths of those pitches and locations of belays is entirely up to you. Note: Make sure to set the anchor far to the right of the gully's base. Rock and ice fall are inevitable once you enter the rock pitch. Our leader knocked down several large rocks. The big ones missed us but a smaller one broke my climbing partners helmet. It could have ended less well. 

P4: 40m  5.5 M3 R+/X-. The Main Event. From the belay station safely to the side, traverse back left to the base of the chimney. Ascend the right side of it, pulling a cruxy move over a wobbly chockstone near the base. If you knock the chockstone it may cut your rope. Continue up rotting rock and shallow brittle ice in the gully. Nothing is sufficiently solid for gear. An upper step cuts through, making a short overhanging wall. Sometimes icicles form here, slinging one of the larger ones is the only real protection on the route unless you can find a spot for a screw. Climb left on loose blocks and slick ledges to bypass the step. A few more easier mixed moves of dirt infested ice break clean from the band back onto solid neve beside a fixed anchor (several nuts and a slung block). You may want to back up the webbing. The elements are fierce out there. A note on the R/X rating. Idk here, I didn't lead this pitch, but my partner who did was really scared and following it I didn't see any gear that I thought would hold a lead fall. A fall at the top could surpass 200 feet onto concrete-hard neve. Maybe other gear existed that we didn't see. Maybe I'm just a wuss on mixed climbing (confirmed). Or maybe you just shouldn't fall on this one.

Your dues have been paid. Now comes your reward.

P5: 65m Class 4 M1 AI2+. Above the rock band climb a long left trending pitch up unbelievably steep and solid neve in a narrow couloir. Later in season this could melt out to mostly low 5th class rock. The exposure being above the big rock band is phenomenal. the views are mind-blowing. Occasional moves on solid granite make it all the more enjoyable. Gear is abundant with nuts or slung blocks to either side of the couloir or pickets anywhere you like. This might be my favorite pitch anywhere.

P6: 50m Class 4 M1 AI2+. A second pitch reaches the summit plateau. It is just as steep and spectacular, and the climbing ends all too soon. 

Final Summit: At 19,900 feet on the summit plateau, there is finally a place to safely regroup, take off your pack, breathe. You can't fall here, you can't drop anything. You can eat. Shed a layer. But the reprieve may only last so long and more climbing lies ahead. The summit plateau holds a unique challenge; it faces slightly northwest, which means it gets relatively little sun, and it windloads snow. Crossing the plateau requires pushing 0.2 miles through deep deep snow. The party the day prior had broken trail but it had still drifted back in several feet deep. Crossing the plateau brings you to over almost 20,000 feet, at the base of the delicate summit ridge. Breaking trail through deep snow at such an altitude turns a sad number of parties around. This is the universal finish for all north side routes, and there is no reasonable way to bypass it. Once across the snow, a massive bergshrund must be crossed on one of several iffy bridges. Once across the 'shrund, one of several snow gullies leads 150 to the ridge. Depending on where you are able to cross the 'shrund the snow encountered may be 45-60°. Because of its southeasterly aspect it tends to be (or at least was for us) horribly unconsolidated and felt rather exposed above the bergshrund. Now the highest gargoyle can be identified along the ridge. It is the middle of the 3 major point that were visible from the plateau below. Climb the 50 foot summit mushroom. Difficulties are sure to vary highly year to year but we encountered steep snow with a gaping 'shrund to gain the crest of the mushroom, then a wildly spectacular and exposed ridge right to the summit. To the right is a fifty foot drop off an overhanging cornice. To the left is the towering east face, with more than 3,500 feet of exposure. The summit is tiny and delicate. It may just be the result of years of accumulated rime rather than an actual piece of mountain. Summit views sweep from Huascaran to Huantsan, from the Cordillera Negra to the Cordillera Huayhuash, and from the Amazon Basin to the sands of the Pacific Coast. 

Descent: Downclimb or rappel to the summit plateau then follow your track back to the top of the northeast face. Complete 3 70m rappels from rock anchors to reach the snow beneath the rock band. Downclimb or rappel another 140m to get below the bergshrund and onto safer terrain. Be sure to turn left (north) at the base of the upper headwall and down climb or rappel the icefall (2 rappels if you choose to do so). We did 5 70m raps total but some parties may do up to 8 or 9. With only a single rope this would simply not be feasible, bring two 70s. From the base of the icefall, retrace your path back to camp, weary of soft snow bridges. 

Overall this is a really great route that combines the altitude and difficult climbing of many Cordillera Blanca peaks, yet avoids the astronomical objective risks carried by many of the more obscure ones. Of the popular and semi-popular objectives in the Blanca, it is my opinion that Ranra is one of the most elegant in appearance and quality in climbing, competing with far busier routes like Alpamayo, yet having easier access and few crowds. If you have the requisite experience, Ranra is worth the trip. 

Most of this route is steep neve, so the best protection you can place tends to be pickets. I would bring 8 or more, but 5 could be made to work for a very comfortable team. For the upper pitches where there is more exposed rock and ice, a couple of ice screws and a good number of stoppers is helpful. There are no permanent anchors on the mountain, so bring enough webbing and old nuts for rock anchors on the first 3 rappels, and enough leaver pickets for the next 2-3 unless you plan on down climbing the snow pitches or making use of various other snow anchor techniques. At the time of our ascent there was no ice available for a V-thread/0-thread. Bring two 70m ropes for rappels.