Jirishanca

Jirishanca
Jirishanca, West Face, July 2010
Elevation	6,126 m (20,098 ft)
Location
Jirishanca Peru
Location	Ancash Region, Peru
Range	Andes, Waywash
Coordinates	10°14′12″S 76°54′18″W / 10.236593°S 76.905052°W / -10.236593; -76.905052Coordinates: 10°14′12″S 76°54′18″W / 10.236593°S 76.905052°W / -10.236593; -76.905052
Climbing
First ascent	12 July 1957

Jirishanca or Hirishanca (in hispanicized spellings) is a mountain of the Waywash mountain range in west central Peru, part of the Andes. At 6,126 metres (20,098 ft) (other sources: 6,094 m (19,993 ft))^[1] it is the tenth highest in Peru and the third in the Waywash mountain range (after Yerupajá and Siula Grande). Jirishanca translates as "hummingbird bill peak".

The mountain is notoriously difficult and has seen very few successful ascents. The first ascent in July 1957 by the Austrian mountaineers Toni Egger and Siegfried Jungmair over the (north)east face^[2] has been called "one of the boldest climbing feats ever performed in the Cordillera".^[3] Their route has only been repeated once.^[4] In 1964 Gary Colliver and Glen Denny of an American expedition climbed the north ridge to the slightly lower north summit, but a traverse over the "cockscomb of ice" connecting to the main summit has so far not been attempted.^[3] On July 6, 1969, an Italian team led by the 60-year old Riccardo Cassin forged the first route through the West face,^[5] in 1971 the Americans Dean Caldwell and Jon Bowlin first climbed the southwest face,^[6] and in 1973, a Japanese team led by Masayuki Shinohara succeeded in climbing the south east face for the first time, though it took them 49 days.^[3]

It is one of the hardest 6000 meter mountains of the Andes. The easier route to the summit is quoted TD but more difficult routes exist, many on them on vertical ice and with overhanging section of mixed terrain such as the Cassin route (70° ice and a pitch rated UIAA IV+).

The southeast face of Jirishanca

References