Artesonraju is one of the most beatutiful snow and ice pyramids in the Cordillera Blanca. It is fairly easy to access (2 days to BC from Huaraz) and has a number of nice lines that can be climbed at various levels of difficulty.
The peak was first climbed by E. Hein, E. Schneider (August 19, 1932).

A nice thing compared to e.g. Alpamayo is that international commercial groups rarely visit Artesonraju, although it's beauty is similar. Usually there are some other climbers with you in the camps, but it never gets too crowded. The approach along the Lake Paron is a higlight in itself, and the middle camp among the trees is as pleasant a campsite as you can find one in this area.
There is some discussion about the actual height of the summit:

John Biggar (JB on SP!) states 5999m in his Guidebook, referring to the Peruvian IGN map

David Sharman lists 6025m proably triggered by the Austrian DAV map which is newer that the IGN map, but likely still relies on data which was older than the IGN map.

A friend of mine stood on the top in 2001 with the Garmin eTrex Summit, which has a very accurate height determination (Sat+Barometric) and he stated that it showed around 6025m. So even if it was a bit inaccurate, it could still be more than 6000m.

The Paramount Pictures Logo?

I guess we have all seen this one:

Here's an interesting page about the logo's history.
Perhaps it's Artensonraju Paramount's founder had in mind when making the logo.

Getting There

Artesonraju to the right and Alpamayo to the left.

There is an international airport in Peru, Lima.
From there, you normally take a bus north to Huaraz, a city at 3091m, which is a climbing, mountaineering and
backpacking mecca. From here you take mini-buses which take you to Caraz (~1-1.5 USD)
There you can organize a regular taxi which will bring you to the "Laguna Paron" on a dirt road.
Don't be surprised that the price is much higher than for the minibus to Caraz.
Expect to pay ~20USD for the tour. If you know already how many days you will stay,
you can arrange to be picked up again with your driver. (usually 3-4 days).

When To Climb

The best season to climb is from mid June till late July and early August. In an average year you can probably start as early
as May and continue until the beginning of September, but the rainy season will usually drop in mid September

Camps

Photo from Alpamayo moraine camp.

Starting from the front end of lake Paron (where you will get with your taxi) there are 3 camps that you can choose.
The distances between them are not far at all so you can choose by other preferences.

The so called "Base Camp" doesn't really deserve that name. It is at the lake level directly at the north-east
side of the lake. It will take you ~ 1.5 hours to get there and it is not exiting, but adequate. It has water and
level tent-spaces.

The next camp (I called it "Tree Camp" ) is much better and takes only 1 hour more uphill.
It is nicely located in the middle of trees and next to a creek. I recommend this as your first camp.

The "Moraine Camp" is just another 1-1.5 hours uphill. This is where most parties start their summit attempt.
It is often windy and dusty here, but you have water in a creek nearby.

The so called "Camp 1" is just another 1-1.5 hours slightly uphill on the glacier.
You will have to melt snow here to get water which is why most parties stay in the "moraine camp".

Miscellaneous Info

If you are interested in my report and more pictures you can visit my trip-report-page
http://peru@UlrichPrinz.de
There you can also find a lot of useful tips about Huaraz where you will start to your climbs.

Red Tape

Summit shot.

There are no summit fees in Peru today (2001). There is a national park fee though, which is required for some mountains.
In 2001 at the approaches for Arteson and Alpamayo no one was there to sell or check any permits.
This permit (20-30 USD) is valid for one month and usually sold & checked at crowded mountains like Ishinca and Huascaran.

Routes

David Sharman describes these routes in his book:
(click on picture of text & the graphic below for more info)

SE face, D+, 800m, 45-55°
This is the most favourable and most often used route. The general inclination of
the face is 45-55 degrees. It is purely packed snow climbing. (For details see 'Routes')

SW face , TD, 50-80°, 700m 10h
These are a bit more difficult and they vary as there is a serac barrier near the top.

North ridge , AD
The easiest route, but it is not often climbed. Not even mentioned in Sharman.

E ridge , D?,40-50°, 1-2 days from glacier
Another possible but not often used climb, reportedly straightforward.

External Links

Trekking, Climbing, Mountaineering, Biking and Skiing in South America
Commercial Site by John Biggar. But it keeps many valuable infos on travelling there. Worthwhile !

Lonely Planet
General travel info

Peruonline.com
Many links on Peru

SW-Face 7/2000, no photos

Images



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