Huayna Potosí

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Huayna Potosí

Elevation	6,088 m (19,974 ft)
Location	Bolivia
Range	Andes
Coordinates	16°16′0″S, 68°01′0″W
First ascent	1919
Easiest route	glacier/snow

Huayna Potosí is a mountain in Bolivia, located about 25 km north of La Paz in the Cordillera Real. The ice-covered summit is one of the most beautiful and well-known mountains in the country.

The first ascent took place in 1919 by Germans Rudolf Dienst and Adolf Schulze. It is often misleadingly called the "easiest 6000er of the world"; however there are two very steep ice passages, and there are many 6000m mountains that are technically easier to climb. Huayna Potosí can be mounted in two daily stages.

The main reason that Huayna Potosi has been called the easiest 6000m climb is because height difference from base to top is much less than most others; also it is easily accessible from La Paz. Since La Paz lies at 3600 m, climbers who have spent time there will be more acclimatised, however no 6000 m peak can be regarded as easy - the very thin air makes progress extremely slow, even for fit climbers, and altitude sickeness a strong probability.

[edit] Climbing

Climbers generally take a 4x4 with their guide(s) up the valley on an unsealed road from El Alto, taking about two hours to reach base camp. From here it is a 1 - 2 h hike up to the high camp at 5200 m on the snow line. It consists of a number of areas of leveled rocks suitable for pitching tents on (although not comfortable or warm). As of 2006, there is a refuge at the high camp where it is possible to stay the night for around $10. Climbers get what sleep they can (very difficult at the altitude) until around 1-2 am, when they wake and prepare, usually starting for the summit around 2-3 am. Fast climbers can reach the summit in around 4 h, but regularly people take all day. The views on a clear morning from the summit are unbelievable - the mountain is far higher than anything else anywhere nearby, and the Cordillera Real, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, and part of the Altiplano they reside on are all visible. The last 100 vertical m are the most difficult, being very steep and icy, coming after many hours of climbing, and having the thinnest air of all.