UKH

Hi there,

After lots of all-season trekking on Dartmoor, some grade 3 scrambles and multi-pitch trad I'm getting the itch to try some low grade winter routes in the UK. However this season is coming to a close and I'm leaving the UK for a trip to South America before the next one will arrive. I know obviously the Andes, even in summer, is a completely different beast to Snowdonia or Scotland but I was wondering what anyone with experience would suggest if I wanted to gain some mountaineering skills in Peru or Bolivia? I've seen Huayna Potosi is a popular peak and widely considered quite easy in summer conditions but I wonder how much I'd actually learn about moving safely through mountainous terrain (things I could apply to Scottish winter routes or maybe one day Alpine routes) and how much I'd just be being shuttled up a mountain. Does anyone know of any courses in Peru or Bolivia that they recommend as worthwhile, or any other suggestions? Failing any options in the Andes I am considering taking a Glenmore Lodge (or similar) course on my return.

Cheers!

Huaraz in Peru is a good base for mountaineering. There are plenty of guides there who will happily tailor a few days (or weeks) for your requirements. No need to book in advance- just go to the guides' office and get some addresses. They spend a lot of time walking up peaks like Nevado Pisco with tourists who have no interest in learning about mountaineering, so the prospect of teaching some long term skills is pretty appealing for them. I'd highly recommend acclimatizing for a decent chunk of time in advance of guided time.

Sounds like it will be a lot of fun! Enjoy

That's great to hear, thank you!

I haven’t been in a long time but Skyline Adventures in Huaraz owned by an American fella called Ted used to run excellent mountaineering courses.
The Cordillera Blanca is an amazing place with so much to do. As the other poster mentioned, definitely get well acclimatized before your course to get the most out of it. 
Lots of reasonably accessible stuff from La Paz as well. 

Being taught mountaineering skills (as you might at eg Plas-y -Brenin) and being shepherded up something safely are completely different things. For teaching - be clear what you expect to learn and look for an international qualification. Remember English is unlikely to be their first language - shepherding won’t require good English but tuition will. And allow time for acclimatisation. 
have fun !

Thanks I'll check them out. Yeah I definitely need to do a bit more research about acclimatisation. It seems like in Peru especially it's easy to go from a nice seaside town to a 4000m plateau and then back down again in the space of 48 hours if you wanted which probably isn't very sensible. 

Ah yeah I hadn't thought about looking for IFMG. I'll definitely do that. Language shouldn't be a problem as I speak Spanish. Thanks for the advice!

Yeah exactly, and sometimes even unavoidable depending on the bus routes. I got sick as a dog on my first bus ride out of Lima, and then was overambitious in terms of acclimatisation in Huaraz and got absolutely trashed. There are plenty of acclimatisation schedules online if you search about. There's also acclimatisation walks like the Santa Cruz and Laguna 69 (lifetime adventures in their own right), and it's a fun time to space those out between days of climbing at Los Olivos or other nearby spots. Speaking Spanish will make everything way easier.

Check out John Biggar at Andes - http://www.andes.org.uk/who-we-are.asp

He is UK based, but has done a huge amount in the Andes.