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KARMA DE LOS CONDORES - Quebrada Ishinca
Although I have been fortunate to have climbed and to have established first ascents all over the world, this climb is very special to me. Why is this so? It is because of a combination of the thrilling and challenging climbing itself, and the many wonderful aspects of the position and location of this climbing.

I have been climbing in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru for the last four years, both alpine snow and ice routes and rock routes. The climbing on Hatun Ulloc in the Quebrada Ishinca is simply some of the most spectacular and enjoyable climbing that I have ever done. It is difficult to express the challenge and enjoyment of climbing through huge horizontal roofs of rock, with hundreds and hundreds of meters of space below one’s feet,
overlooking the entire quebrada.
Hatun Ulloc is a rock climber’s wet dream. Four huge rock buttresses rise up out of the enchanting quenual forest, guarding the entrance to the quebrada Ishinca. Hatun Ulloc, with its narrow, tower-like profile and continuously overhanging south face is the most spectacular of these rock features. I am a traditional free-climber who prefers not to permanently alter the rock by placing bolts.

The gear that we use to protect ourselves as we climb in the cordillera is removable, and fits securely into the cracks and fissures of the rock, allowing us climbers to enjoy this unique vertical world, without permanently damaging the environment. And this is why Hatun Ulloc is so special from a climber’s perspective: the South face is spit by a single crack, that runs the length of the entire face from top to bottom, like a crack in the shell of an egg. Were it not for this crack, the face would probably be impossible to climb. Truly a unique and special rock tower, made to be climbed! I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to climb this wall, to share this wonderful alpine environment with the condors who regularly flew by while we were on the wall.

This valley is very special. I hope that more climbers, trekers, and tourists will visit the Ishinca, but everyone who visits here and elsewhere in the Cordillera Blanca needs to be aware of how special and fragile the environment is. The quenual forest that surrounds and snakes between the base of these walls is the nicest and most pristine that I have seen in Peru. Truly magical, it is lush, dense, and filled with life.

This valley is a true gem of the cordillera, a precious gift for the local peoples, for peruvians, and for people from around the globe to cherish and enjoy. I just hope that as people enjoy this magnificent environment they will remember to respect it, to respect the local peoples and the local plants and animals, treating them all and cherishing them as one would their own mothers, brothers, or children; because that is what they are.
                                                                                                                                               Wayne Crill.
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