EN Sajama – Heaven on the Earth

23.9.2004
admin

Autor: M&M

But we came here not just to enjoy the hot springs and chat with local people, but to climb the local mountains: Sajama(6542), Parinacota(6342) and Pomerape(6282). Cordillera Occidedntal is in the rain shadow of the Cordillera Real and so not even El Nino could make the snow conditions any better in this period. Sajama and Parinacota is covered by glaciers, but they are too much deestroyd and covered by “penitentes,” snow mens reaching up to 2 meters and make it impossible to ski the slopes. But nobody around can give us advice on the rarely visited Pomerape. So we becided to find out by our own.

After a night in the village of Sajama without electricity where the time seemes to be stopped we arrange a truck to bring us to the base camp. This camp we pass thanks the good aclimatization in La Paz and hit the path to the high camp in in 5150 meters and carry some of our material to the glacier in 5300. Before sleeping we bring the gifts to the spirit of the mountain.

We slept in a bit the other morning and leave the camp at 8 am. After some hour of walking we reach the snow line at abbt 53500 meters. We are on the south glacier, so we have snow in such low altitude. We do not use the skis for accending, crampoons are good enought for the crust on the snow. We can walk faster than using the skis. We can see no penitentes so far. Looks like a promissing ski down 😉  Last 100 meters become more and more vertical so we use the rope and snow ankers to secure us. At 3 pm the Slovak flag waves on the top of the south-east summit that is just some 50 meters lower than the main summit, but more interesting for skiing and we guess also more beautiful to see.

It´s time to get on the way back down. Some part are with great skiing in deep snow and the right angle, some part are icy and too vertical to enjoy fully. We have a smooth skiing apart of Martin´s crash, but he only got to scrach the snow for couple meters, luckilly nothing happened. At 5 pm we are already in our trecking shoes and walking down to our camp. It was a beautiful day that dreams of every lover of high mountains and skiing.

             
 

And what is next days plan? Hot springs of course. Untouched nature in the middle of the pampa full of lamas and alpacas. We watch the sky in the hot water, full of stars at an altitude of 4300 meters. All around the majestic mountains. Just impossible to discribe! You have to live it to realize how beautiful it is here. We relax our tired legs and already make the curvs in the next mountain – Huayna Potosi. 

                          

                            

As there is nothing more to ski in the Sajama region, we are bact to La Paz where we spend two night to hit to the Huayna Potosi(6088) where we still should find some good snow for skiing. So watch our next story abbout this adventure 😀

M&M

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