Newspaper Report - 27.05.05

Team SA summits Huanyi Potosi (23.05.05 - 24.05.05)

written by pedro biggs


On Monday 23rd May, team SA set out to claim one of Bolivia´s highest peaks as their own - Huanyi Potosi at 6,088m or 19,974ft (26 ft below the magical 20,000ft). I managed to meet up with the pair whilst blockaded inside their hostel, watching the protests overwhelm La Paz.

When asked about the motivation for such an attempt, they simply replied, "Because it´s there". Both without any previous climbing experience, or detailed knowledge of the mountain, it seemed ticking off 6,000m was perhaps their primary objective.

Setting out Monday morning, team SA employed the use of Bolivian Mountaineering to provide a guide and the necessary equipment. While most passers by attempt the summit in the mandatory 3 days, they quickly opted to skip the 1 day of ice and glacier training, and rather employ the mindset of get there and get home. Trekking in Bolivia at this current political time is never simply the guidebook description of where to go and what to see - the public demand that Bolivia's natural gas riches be nationalized and its constitution rewritten has escalated to a breaking point, riots, tear gas and dynamite fill the air, supporting the blockades set up by the masses preventing all access into and out of La Paz.

This follows a week after Congress passed a law raising taxes and breaking existing contracts with foreign oil companies. Companies decried the measure as too drastic while leftist Indian groups called it too weak. Calls to rewrite the constitution have emerged since richer provinces in Bolivia's east and south began demanding more regional autonomy - which is seen as a threat by the poor Indian majority who already feel they don't benefit from the country's vast natural resources.

All of which are currently at a head in La Paz - team SA´s new obsticle of exit.

As Dave commented, luckily the driver seemed to moonlight as a UN negotiator, proving far too cunning for any of the haphazard blockades en route to the departure point.

To offer some background on the climb, and why the peak boasts denying 2 of of every 3 persons who attempt the summit, Peter went into brisk detail between breaths - still clearly a broken main 36hrs after cresting: "You leave the principle departure point in the early afternoon, normally a 2-3 hrs assent from 4,700m to base camp at 5,400m carrying your 15ks of gear or so. Unfortunately for us, whilst our transportation had successfully negotiated a particular blockade, our guides and crew in the public taxi behind had no such luck. Faced then with a solitary choice whilst uncertain of their success in making it through to us, we resolved we would have to camp at the the present spot, and instead of ascending to the base camp for day 1, attemp the summit in a solo effort without pause. Implying a 2500m climb starting at 11pm, with hopes of summitting near sunrise, before returning back down that morning. "

"As crazy as it seemed, without tents or cooking utensils we had little option, and woefully agreed to the change of plans - knowing our probability of success would drop way below 50% should that be the case"

"Thankfully for us, the guides emerged, actually running toward us. Proving as tough as they are, they abandoned as little gear as they could at the blockade and set out on foot to where we were waiting to commence - more than a good few kilometres away. We miraculously rented the gear the guides had to abandon, and continued with Plan A."

"Reaching base camp at 3pm, we had until 12 that night to rest. Obviously ill-prepared for the snow conditions and -15 degree temp, we donned all the clothing we had. 2 pairs of longs, 1 thermal shirt, 2 t-shirts, as many socks as we could find, beanies and the jacket and pants the agency lent us. And that was just to sleep in inside the tent."

"At 5,400m no period of substantial sleep is possible, and ones passes the time simply staring at the tent till midnight. Leaving at 1am after a basic breakfast of bread and tea, we set out by full moon. Never before in my life have I seen anything as beautiful as staring down at the Alti Plano, across all surrounding peaks of the Andes, in what seemed a full contrast of a black and white picture. Well almost, TLP always takes the number 1 spot without exception."

"The climb starts at the foot of a glacier, a good 200m or so immediate assent. And thats when we had the slightest feeling we were way out of our league - strapping crampons onto our boots, roping ourselves into bunches and having to utilise the needle point of the ice pick every step of the way."

"And such was the beginning of our 6 and a half hour summit, digging into glaciers, traversing the slopes, roping crevices, jumping over breaks in the ice, and praying for strength virtually every step of the way."

"Eventually, near exhaustion, completely drained and physically waivering, you reach the base of the summit, then faced with a further 100m or so of vertical assent. Its everything you´ve seen on the discovery channel, hand over hand above your head, you ice pick yourself up the face, kicking your toes in to lever your body a step higher."

"Seeing the sun rise at 6,000m above all the clouds, above the surrounding peaks, above the world, is truely something to take home. Of all the beauties of sunrises we´ve been blessed with so far, this certainly stands on its own."

Dave quiet until now, is quick to add that for every step up, "we had to traverse down - on top of all exhaustion, above all pain, and desperate to return to La Paz. A real danger when your body has reached its limit - reassured only by the ropes keeping you in tow."

No experience, no gear, its seems somewhat unfathomable that these committed Safas made it to the top.

"Surely there must have been some training involved in the preparation?"

Dave replies, "Its was much like anaconda hunting in the knee deep swamps of the jungle, if you fear the next step, you ´ll never have a chance of finding what you are looking for. To plaigerise Prime Circle, 'You have to release yourself from holding back, to ultimately realise your world isn´t flat.'"

Returning victorious on Tuesday, back in La Paz at 5pm proved a long day. Both were dehydrated (losing their water 2 hrs into the trek), exhausted and malnourished, crashing to bed for a mammoth 15hrs of catch up. Even the vehicle route home was troubled by blockades, at one time forcing the group out the car, resigned to walking on by foot, whilst the driver continued ahead to negotiate. There seemed to be no rest for the pair.

Prying as much as I could from Dave, quietly reflecting in the corner until now, I asked if he was conscious of whether the mountain emitted any particular energy that he sought to harness during the climb?

"The energy of the mountain was indeed strong... though this is perhaps because it saps so much of it from the 2 dodgy saffers that were climbing it.",

and curious as to which was a more satisfying summit, Huayni or the Alemanse chica,"... huayni was the only summit i made... therefore dud question."

HP ticked off, team sa look to break free of La Paz and wind their way south into Chile eventually - all beaches and beer from now on."