Nevado Pisco

Pisco is where people learn to climb in the Cordillera Blanca. At 5,752 metres it is high, but the route is a moderate glacier walk with crevasses rather than technical ground, and the standard trip is three days: in from Cebollapampa to the refuge or moraine camp, an acclimatisation day, then a pre-dawn start across the glacier to the summit. The reason it is climbed so much is the summit view - Pisco sits in the middle of a ring of the biggest peaks in the range, with Huascarán, Chopicalqui, Chacraraju, Huandoy and Artesonraju all around it, and few 5,700-metre summits anywhere are as accessible. The name is said to come from a bottle of pisco left at the top by the first ascent party in 1951. It still requires rope, crampons, ice axe and a guide: crevasse falls happen, and the glacier has changed as the ice retreats, with the approach to it lengthening year by year.

What you'll find

• The summit panorama - Huascarán, Chopicalqui, Chacraraju, Huandoy and Artesonraju in a ring.
• The glacier route - a moderate crevassed walk rather than technical climbing.
• The refuge - the hut on the moraine used as the launching point.
• The name - reputedly from a bottle left at the top in 1951.

When to go

June to August. Three days including an acclimatisation day, after several days spent acclimatising in Huaraz first. Guides, rope and crampons are required.

Practical notes

Beginner-friendly does not mean safe - crevasse falls occur and the glacier approach has grown longer and looser with retreat. Summit day starts around one in the morning in severe cold. Failure rates are high, mostly from altitude rather than technique.

Nearby

The Llanganuco lakes and the Laguna 69 trailhead are in the same valley.

Key facts