Climbing Cabeza del Condor in Bolivia | A Weeklong Expedition

In the mountains, a land that is as inhospitable as it is beautiful, we humans can only ever be visitors. And in order to visit, we must be prepared.

In my first Bolivian mountaineering expedition, I learned some very important technical skills under the guidance of my guide, Chucky, all while climbing four different peaks in the Cordillera Real. The expedition culminated in the climbing of Cabeza del Condor, an imposing rocky peak jutting up from a glaciated maze.

Our week started with rock climbing in Peñas, then we climbed Janq'u Uyu and Jisk'a Pata, mountains resting at about 5,500 meters above sea level, in order to get better acclimatized for the Condoriri Group. After settling in to the refuge on the shores of Lake Ch'iyar Quta, we climbed Pequeño Alpamayo, a mountain with a beautiful ridge route, then learned a bit more about ice climbing. Finally, we were ready to tackle Cabeza del Condor, the highest peak of the massif at 5,700 meters above sea level and more technical than anything I've climbed in the past.

This video was filmed with my DJI Mavic Air 2, GoPro Hero 9, and Google Pixel 4.