OWA vets have first shot at the limited expedition team spots. Some backcountry and climbing experience is a must even though significant time will be spent during the course of the expedition in further development of the alpine skills required for summit attempts on Huayna Potosi (20,000 ft) and other area peaks.

     This is a serious opportunity to climb at altitude while learning about the ancient Quechua and Aymara cultures, first hand and up close. This is world class adventuring at it's best!

      Expedition leader is OWA Senior Guide Paul Johnson (heading to Bolivia for his twelth climbing expedition), additional OWA guides (to be named) as well as the Bolivian guides that work with our longtime logistics/lodging/guiding contact, Dr Hugo Berrios, MD-- who is also the owner of the refugio at the base of Huayna Potosi.  Hugo and his local Bolivian guides and support personnel make it possible for our teams to move around quickly and efficiently and gives us a real insider's edge to experiencing the land and it's people.  Our past Bolivian expeditions have been extremely successful from every standpoint and we've been fortunate enough to have 3 of the 4 youngest people known to have summitted Huayna Potosi on our previous expeditions and have been recognized for the successes of our 2002 Ancohuma Mapping Expedition.  We're sure this is simply the best place in the world to climb big mountains with some degree of control on the objective dangers of adventuring at altitude.     

For some photos of our 2002 Ancohuma Mapping Expedition, check this out!

The team assembles en route to the capital of Bolivia, La Paz.  After a short stay in the city, the team drives a few hours west to the legendary Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca where they'll hike and acclimate to the relatively moderate 12,000 foot elevation. The area includes numerous pre-Incan sites and tremendous hiking on the Isla del Sol. 

From there, the team will head up into the Condoriri region of the Cordillera Real where the climbing and mountain skills begin.  From the Condoriri base camp, the team can ascend any number of peaks up to 17,000 feet and of varying difficulty.  This is a particularly good area for instruction. 

From Condoriri, the team will head over to the Refugio Huayna Potosi located along the lower slopes of Huayna at over 14,000 feet.  The refugio (or hut) is located at the base of Huayna which provides a comfortable spot for acclimation up to 17,500 and excellent access to snow, glacier and ice for skill development.  Acclimating climbs up to 18,000 will be done from the hut.  The ultimate objective goal of the team is an attempt on the 6088 meter summit of Huayna itself.

Most technical gear can be provided by OWA as needed (including double boots). No high altitude experience is required, but some rock climbing, snow and backcountry experience is a must.  Contact the OWA office for questions.

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