August 16, 2013
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- The summit ridge. (Roberto Gomez)
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- On the summit of Huayna Potosi. (Roberto Gomez)
From: Greg Vernovage
Sent: Friday, August 16, 2013 1:53 PM
To: Eric Simonson; tye.chapman
Subject: Bolivia Update
The team is back in La Paz for a well deserved rest after climbing Pequeno Alpamayo and Huayna Potosi. Â We had great days on both peaks with temps a little below normal for this time of year. Â Conditions on both mountains were fantastic. Â We had great snow conditions and on Huayna Potosi. We spent the entire day on snow which is not normal for this peak. Â For our extra acclimatization day on Pico Austria, we were rewarded with a Condor flying over head.
Pequeno Alpamayo was our first chance to put our training with technical skills to the test. Â We had it all, glacier travel, rock and some high angle fixed lines. Â We got it done, all at altitude.
Huayna Potosi is just a great climb! Â A cold night making the sun a welcome site. Â As the team climbed over the bergshrund, the sun seemingly came out from the jungle below us. Â Sweet. Â What was left for the team was one of my favorite summit ridge climbs in the world. Â A few “cat walks” and another view of Lake Titicaca and we were on the summit.
A couple days of rest here in La Paz and on to Illimani. Â A classic climb at high altitude!
 Greg