Bolivia Summer '20 Partner (+acclimatization Q)

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Removed User 08 Feb 2021

I am looking for climbing/expedition partners for a trip to Boilvia roughly July/August. Rough plan is to climb Huyana Potosi and Sajama. Very happy to chat further with interested parties!

Q. Landing in La Paz (airport c.4000m) from a sea level country: my plan is to find accommodation in the lower part of the city (Zona Sur) around 3300m, and after a rest day, climb gradually higher each day (working up to c.5400m), and sleep back at 3300m. I plan to spend 5-6 days in La Paz before leaving for Huyana Potosi. Is this enough/about right? Should I sleep at 3300m for those 5-6 nights, or spend around 3-4 nights at 3300m, and then the final 3 at 3700m+ in another part of the city, before my first night on the Huyana Potosi trail at 4700m? I understand any schedule should be flexible with updates made to reflect how acclimisation ends up going. Thanks!

 L.A. 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator: You're too late. 

Post edited at 09:53
 Jim blackford 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator

There's conflicting opinions about acclimatisation but generally spend your first night below /at 3500. Having said that some would go straight to 3700. 

Ans the rate you increase it by should average around 300 per night. So 3-6 nights in the city would be enough. Depends on lots of factors though. Spending some time at 3700 rather than 3300 before sleeping at 4700 could be good too. 

Post edited at 10:21
Removed User 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Jim blackford:

Thank you Jim. Very useful comment.

 earlsdonwhu 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

My advice would partly depend on how long you want to be away for. There's loads of interesting stuff to do and see for a week plus.... before you actually head up! Then you could be more confident in your acclimatisation foundation. Many find it tough for a good few days just flying straight into La Paz.

In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

I think your plan to spend a few nights at 3300 is good, and I think it would be worthwhile to spend a couple nights at >4000 if you can - assuming you feel like you were acclimatising ok.  ie No headaches, HR not too elevated.  It isn't clear from your post how you plan on progressing your acclimatisation hikes - but I think after a rest day in La Paz, you can make your first hike to high 4000s, and progress from there depending on how you feel.

I have done one climbing trip to Peru, and we spent 6 days based in Huaraz (3100m ish) with 2 day hikes up to about 4600m, then camped at 4900 and climbed a 5700m peak the next day.  I felt ok (although resting HR was about 25 beats higher than at home) but I felt a lot better a few days later on the next peak, and my resting HR had dropped down to a more normal number.  Acclimatising does take time so if it was me, I would try and get another couple of days to acclimatize/ climb a smaller peak prior to the Huyanna Potosi climb itself, but I recognise you may have time limits.

And of course, everyone is a bit different -hard to tell how you will fair until you get there!

 earlsdonwhu 08 Feb 2021

You mention the H P trail..... you can get a vehicle up to the col where the hut is. We stayed a night and then camped on the glacier where we were joined by Bolivia's elite high altitude troops.... they were a complete shambles. Tents blowing away while junior ranks cleaned the boots of the guy in charge as he phoned his wife down in La Paz. Crampons literally held on by string.

From the col/ hut you can do a great trek all the way down to the jungle and then get a bus back up the Road of Death!


 Red Rover 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

Off topic but getting off a plane at a 4,000 m a.s.l. airport would be grim! I'd want to get straight in a taxi for somewhere lower. 

 summo 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

Staying at 3200 or 3600 etc in town won't really feel any different, you be blowing either way! Just give yourself a day or two to get over air travel and initial acclimatisation. 

Instead going in an out of town daily, after a few days go camp in Condoriri Valley, a big U valley with around a dozen straight forward 5000m peaks. Some these alone are classics. 

Look online at the programmes the commercial operators have for ideas in terms of times and best lines. 

 sheffieldchris 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

Like Summo said go visit the Condoriri valley, even if you do not climb it is well worth the effort just for the views.

At the head of lake there is a little shack you can stay in. Local family will look after you with food, or organize a donkey with supply. la Paz is a amazing place to spend time and a couple of days there just drinking coffee in the swanky diners with a bit of mooching around is perfect. You could also use this time to sort out all of your expedition/trip requirements. Most of the agents are in the same area, forgot the name of the road but up the hill from the cathedral, good luck with that hill on your first acquaintance.
Getting off that plane is a big shock, you seem to have a good grasp of what books say about acclimatizing. I doubt your body has read any books and may have a different idea of how long or if you can cope with the altitude.
You do not say how long you have there but going with a very flexible approach would be my advice. Do a bit see how you are then do more or less based on this. Try not to get too fixed on doing this or that mountain because it is this or that height.

Sajama is a bit lump in the middle of nowhere, it may be the highest in Bolivia but there are a lot prettier mountains a lot closer to La Paz.

Hope you get there,  lots of people on here will have been to Bolivia as it is sooooo good. 

 summo 08 Feb 2021
In reply to sheffieldchris:

>  You could also use this time to sort out all of your expedition/trip requirements. Most of the agents are in the same area, forgot the name of the road but up the hill from the cathedral, good luck with that hill on your first acquaintance.

Calle Illampu?

 Fat Bumbly2 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Red Rover:

Did that... lower was still 3500m. There was a small ramp into the terminal.. murder!

La Paz is a good place to acclimatise, weird being so urban and so high.

Post edited at 18:59
 unicycleboy 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

Obviously everything will be down to how the acclimatisation goes but I’ll outline what I did as it sounds similar.

I landed in la Paz and stayed at one of the hostels in the tourist area, I’d guess 3500ish, not the bottom of town and not el alto. I spent I think it was 5 days hanging about and exploring the town including a day trip up to the old ski resort at 5200 I think. I just found some people at the hostel who wanted to climb it and just chose one of the tour operators (not the cheapest, think around 1000 bolivianos but that was close to 10 years ago). Did it over two nights which I think worked very well, I met some people doing it in one but seemed much less pleasant. 
 

overall was a great mountain and good fun but success seemed very dependent on luck with altitude sickness and weather.

Removed User 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Everyday Normal Guy:

Thank you for the detailed comment!

Re. altitude progression: after a rest day, I had thought to split the difference between 3500m ish and 5400m (Chacaltaya) roughly equally between 4-5 days. But I like your idea of pushing closer to high 4000's the day after resting. I have experience up to 5600m... I had the slightest of headaches for an hr or two above 5000 but otherwise appeared to manage very well. I understand I may see a similar pattern again, but with so many variables in play the word 'guarantee' has no place here!

So, just to summarise my itinery pre-Huyana P. : 

Travel day

Day 1:  Rest day, wander around town for an hour or so if I feel like it!

Days 2-5: starting with a hike to 4500m, then gradually walking higher each day while returning to 3300-4000m (depending on if I book all nights low in the city, or split my time between a low place and a high place for a few nights)

Day 6 (start of guide's itinery I'm looking to go with): Chacaltaya 5400m, sleep in La Paz

Day 7 Austria's Peak 5350m, sleep at 3500m, sleep in La Paz

Day 8: Leave for Huyana BC (sleep @ 4700)

Day 9: HP high camp 5130m

Day 10: Summit attempt 6088m, return to La Paz

Day 11: optional rest day

DAY 12: Departure to Sajama National Park, walk to base camp.
DAY 13  Sajama 5700m high camp.
DAY 14 Climbing to the summit of Sajama 6542m, return to base camp.
DAY 15 Return to the town of Sajama, visit the hot springs and return to La Paz.

It's bridging the gap between landing in La Paz and hiking to 5400m that concerned me - hence the extra days!

Removed User 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Red Rover:

No - very much on topic! Exactly my thoughts. A rapid exodus from the airport downwards is priority number one when landing!

Removed User 08 Feb 2021
In reply to summo:

Yes - I thought that could be the case... I see it as something not to stress over, but if two places came up all things similar I may as well opt for something lower for at least the first few nights.

Thanks for the info on the Condoriri Valley!

 summo 08 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

Not sure how you are going to do Austria Peak as a day trip, you need to travel out of town, walk into the valley etc..  it's a 3 day round trip. Better to go there for 4, 5, 7 days. 

Removed User 08 Feb 2021
In reply to sheffieldchris:

Thank you for the great detailed comment. I do have some experience up to 5600m (see reply to other post in thread) but I know enough to understand experience is only a suggestion of what to expect next time with so many variables at play! The point you make on flexibility has definitely been noted; I've seen first-hand how one rough hour can dictate the course of a whole trip!

I'll admit to having a slight fixation on Sajama - it's a volcano and I'm a geologist so maybe I get some leeway... although I have no doubt I am far from alone in knowing that region in particular is littered with other volcanoes! 

It will be my first experience of South America if I get there. I figured Aconcagua was a bit of a stretch into the unknown regarding altitude, and that a Boilvia trip to do some 6000ers should come first. 

Removed User 08 Feb 2021
In reply to unicycleboy:

Yes - that does sound very similar, great to hear of someone working their way through such a plan. 

 Damo 09 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

> It's bridging the gap between landing in La Paz and hiking to 5400m that concerned me - hence the extra days!

Yes, the first few days are important as they set the stage for later, when you can move faster, both logistically as well as physically. Many people rush the first bit and it wrecks the whole trip.

I spent a month or so in Bolivia back in June-July 1999, so I hesitate to provide much info as it's so long ago. But LaPaz was a great place to start acclimating as it's so high but with so much convenience in terms of food, water, rest, health etc. I think we spent the first three days there just relaxing, but doing higher walks is probably a good idea. Just err on the conservative/'lazy' side. Different people acclimatize differently, so beware of any rules or claims in either direction.

I concur with the comments above about Austria, maybe ditch that if necessary, make sure you get some exercise at Chacaltaya over more than a few hours, and focus on keeping healthy.

We spent several days at Condoriri, with summits of Pequeno Alpamayo and Condoriri (Tarija is not a peak, as often advertised, just a blip en route to Pequeno Alpamayo). So this meant we were very well acclimatised by the time we did HP.

HP is popular not just cos it's close to town but because of the claims that it is the easiest 6000m peak in the world, which is ridiculously untrue - it's not even the easiest 6000er in Bolivia (I soloed Parinacota after soloing Sajama and it was just a short basic non-glaciated walk). HP has crevasses and a summit ridge you could easily fall off.

Your optional rest day is a good idea and may be taken up with bad weather on HP, which doesn't give you much rest before Sajama, but if the guide is organised you should be able to be back in LaPaz by lunch after summiting, iirc.

I think Sajama is a beautiful mountain, with some interesting routes on it and a good height. The summit plateau is quite big - a week or so after I climbed it some park rangers did it and kicked a football around up there.

 JayW 09 Feb 2021
In reply to Removed Usercorbinator:

I climbed HP back in 2017. It was my first experience at "proper" altitude. After spending a few night in La Paz we booked onto one of the tours provided by the travel agencies down Sagarnaga. I think we paid around £120 GBP for a 3 day trip. Gear included. 

I think your acclimatisation plan sounds sensible. There were groups going up in two days but judging by the state they were in as they passed through the lower camp it was clear they weren't properly acclimatised. From my experience taking your time and giving your body enough time to acclimatise on the way in to the lower camp and higher camp will give you a greater chance of acclimatising properly. 

Enjoy it, it's a beautiful summit. 


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