Member-only story
Climate Change in the Cordillera Blanca
Hello from Huaraz!
Back for my second season in the Cordillera Blanca. And none too soon it seems, as there has been significant glacial retreat even since I was last here 11 months ago.
Peru’s Cordillera Blanca is a tropical mountain range, making it especially vulnerable to the effects of a warming global climate. Whatever your political stance on the issue, it is impossible to deny that these glaciers are melting. Here’s just a few quick photo comparisons from the lower-elevation peaks around town:
Churup
Churup is a ~5,500 meter peak near Huaraz. The hike to Laguna Churup at the base of the peak’s West face is one of the most popular day hikes in the area. Brad Johnson’s 2003 guidebook, Classic Climbs of the Cordillera Blanca, contains a photo of the face and a route description. He describes two pitches of mixed rock and ice (~100 meters), the rest of the route on snow, and gives the route a grade of D+
