Behind the Image
Local guide, Teo metres way from the summit of Huayna Potosi (6,088m)
This incredible tall peak, Huayna Potosi sits at 6,088m in the sub-range of the Bolivian Andes. The mountain requires a basic level of mountaineering and a great fitness level to reach the summit.
The night of the ascent…
It’s been 2 days of hiking, starting at lower base camp (4800m) and hiking through to advanced base camp (5200m). Along the way, we gained experience ice climbing and rope safety, crucial to any large peak with snow and ice. Arriving at advanced base camp in the early afternoon it was time for a debrief with our mountain guides.
The rule is 1 guide to 2 climbers, so we all arranged ourselves into pairs, trying to match fitness levels and confidence. We were given the plan for reaching the summit; go to sleep at 18:00, wake up at 12:00am, eat something light before putting our gear on and ascending for 6 hours, hoping to reach the summit by 6:30am for sunrise. The room was filled with excitement and nerves. For the rest of the afternoon as the sun set we played cards, drunk coca tea (local tea believed to help with high altitude) and tried to create a mental game-plan for the ascent.
As the sun set, I laid my harness gear and photography equipment beside my bunk bed, ready for the ascent. Setting my alarm for 12:00am, I put my eye mask on tried to get some much needed sleep.
Luckily for me, I managed to get a few hours of light sleep, unlike most of the group who was too excited, nervous or feeling some side effects from the high altitude. We were given a hot bowl of soup and some cake for “breakfast” although it being midnight. Teams begun ascending at various time points to minimise congestion on the route. Myself, and a fellow Australian, Sean, were the final team to leave advanced base camp. With our crampons on, rope harnessed to our lead guide, Teo, we ascended for the next 5 hours. Passing crevasses and large sheer faces. Stopping only for brief water and snack breaks, (there’s a mountain rule that teams can not stop for more than 15 minutes) it was a tough ascent in the early hours of the morning.
Walking the final 200m on the ridge, with the summit finally in reach was a view I had hoped for, for a long time. As we stepped on to the summit of Huayna Potosi, it was an incredible feeling of elation and exhaustion. The above image I photographed of our lead guide, Teo was moments before we descended. We had spent 30 minutes at the summit taking in the view before Teo told us in Spanish we had to go. So in awe of the view I turned around one last time to photograph the summit and managed to capture Teo peering over the ridge face. It is one of my favourite photographs of my trip and sheds a light on the local Bolivian mountaineers which make this mountain accessible and safe for travellers to experience.