Siula Grande

Siula Grande is a mountain in the Huayhuash mountain range in the Peruvian Andes. It is 6,344 metres (20,814 ft) high and has a subpeak, Siula Chico, 6,260 m (20,540 ft) high.[2]

Siula Grande
The west face of Siula Grande taken from the col with Yerupaja.
Highest point
Elevation6,344 m (20,814 ft)
ListingList of mountains in Peru
Coordinates10°17′S 76°53′W 
Geography
Siula Grande
Parent rangeAndes, Huayhuash
Climbing
First ascentAugust 1, 1936[1]
Easiest routeglacier/snow/ice climb

Touching the Void ascent

In 1985 Siula Grande was climbed by Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. Their ascent was made famous by Simpson's book Touching the Void, which describes the ascent and subsequent harrowing descent of the mountain. The book was made into a film of the same title in 2003 and a play in 2018. Although they ascended the West face, and thereby became the first to reach the summit by that route, they chose to descend the North Ridge, the route of the first ascent and descent in 1936. This was made almost impossible by severe weather which in turn caused Joe Simpson to fall and severely break his leg. All subsequent west face climbers have avoided the ridge and rappelled back down the face.

First ascents list

This is a partial list of first ascents by new routes made.

  • 28 July 1936 North Ridge by Arnold Awerzger and Erwin Schneider from Austria.[3][4]
  • 21 June 1966 fourth ascent, by Obster, Schulz and Manfred Sturm via the North ridge en route to Siula Chico[5]
  • 1985 West Face by Joe Simpson and Simon Yates[4]
  • 16 June 1999 Avoiding the Touch by Mark Price and Carlos Buhler.[4] Their route followed the Yates/Simpson ascent until approximately the middle of the face, at which point they climbed a narrow, technical gully above the initial ice face and then surmounted a short wall up and left into the ice gully that led directly to the main summit (total of 24 pitches).
  • 13 July 2001 "Southern Discomfort", south face by Michel van der Spek, Jay Burbee, and Jeremy Frimer
  • 17 July 2001 Noches de "Juerga", west face[4]
  • 3 July 2002 Northeast Face, Los Rapidos by Slovenes Marjan Kovač and Pavle Kozjek[6][7]
  • August 2002 Mammut Tracks, west face, by Rogier van Rijn and Eva Oomen

Siula Chico

Siula Chico is a subpeak about 6,260 m (20,540 ft) high separated from Siula Grande by an approximately 6,000-metre (20,000 ft) col. Mountaineers considered the easiest route to its summit was via Siula Grande's summit and it was so climbed by Manfred Sturm's 1966 expedition.[8] Spanish alpinists Jordi Corominas and Oriol Baro made the first ascent of Chico's west face, and second ascent of the peak, in May 2007.[2]

Glaciers

According to some researchers the glaciers between Siula Grande and Yerupaja show a broad increase in the number, size and frequency of crevasses, and bergschrunds. As a result, climbing routes used in the 70s are today considered impracticable.[9]

References
  1. "Siula Grande". Peakware.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  2. Lambert 2007.
  3. Sturm 1967, p. 322.
  4. "Title unknown". American Alpine Journal: 305. 2002.
  5. Sturm 1967, p. 325.
  6. Kojzek, Pavle (1 December 2002). "Siula Grande". alpinist.com. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  7. "Nueva ruta en la pared noreste del Siula Grande" (in Spanish). Vertimania. 2002. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  8. Sturm 1967, p. 324.
  9. Sergiujiduc.com. "Landscape Changes in the Andes – Peru". Retrieved January 16, 2016.

Further reading
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