Tocllaraju is a spectacular glacial massif found in Cordillera Blanca. Almost pyramidal in shape, it reigns majestically over the Ishinca Valley , acquiring impressive colors at sunset. A famous and frequently climbed mountain, it has striking slopes and ridges and is crowned by a great ice mushroom. The term tocllaraju has an intimidating meaning in quechua, an indigenous language, denoting a "cheating mountain", which is why it may be thought to be a misleading or treacherous mountain in spite of its mysterious yet peaceful appearance. Although it is not the highest in the valley, it is the one which attracts the most climbers every year.
In terms of technique, the Tocllaraju summit, at 6,034 m. (19,792 ft.) , is characterized by not presenting a particularly complicated ascent. On the other hand, having unfavorable wind conditions and low temperatures is to be expected. Wind currents coming from the Peruvian Amazon rainforest reach this mountain from east to west. For this reason, even the normal route is not exempt from a certain degree of difficulty. It is necessary to be acclimatized and have knowledge of high mountain climbing techniques of medium difficulty. The MOUNTCLIMB TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE archives indicate that this mountain was first climbed in 1939, but it was approached, not through the valley that is currently used, but rather by the Honda Valley and subsequently the Cancahua Valley . The ascent was up the north glacier and northwestern ridge to then crown the summit. The route following this ridge was established by climbers W. Brecht and H. Schweiser and is currently the one usually taken.
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