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24-535: Mountaineer John Ricker, said "chains of deep blue lakes, open swampy green valleys, rock and glacier-mantled peaks characterize the Cordillera Raura." The Raura mountain range is small in area, only about 20 km (12 miles) from northwest to southeast. It is separated from the neighboring Huayhuash mountains to the northwest by a pass called the Portachuelo de Huayhuash, located near the border of

48-416: A group of Canadian and Peruvian climbers were held hostage for 12 hours after a failed assassination attempt on a group of military police. None of the climbers or police were hurt, though one Senderista was killed. In the late 1980s a party of European trekkers were robbed and ordered to return to Huaraz with the message that future intruders would be killed. The remains of a guerrilla camp can be seen near

72-465: A similar increase in the snow line.) Eighteen glaciers cover much of the highest parts of the Raura mountains. Glaciers flow to a lower elevation on the eastern side of the range, which receives more precipitation than the western side of the range. Elevation of glaciers ranged from 4,870 m (15,980 ft) (Caballococha and Viconga) to Pichuycocha at 5,157 m (16,919 ft). The glaciated area in

96-625: Is a mountain range within the Andes of Peru , in the boundaries of the regions of Ancash , Lima and Huánuco . Since 2002 it is protected within the Cordillera Huayhuash Reserved Zone. The Huayhuash range is 30 km long north to south and includes seven peaks over 6000 m including Yerupajá , which, at 6,617 metres (21,709 ft), is the second highest peak in Peru. Another notable peak, Siula (6,344 m)

120-977: The Lima region and the Huanuco region at an elevation of about 4,750 m (15,580 ft). Drainage from the west side of the Rauras is toward the Pacific Ocean via the headwaters of the Pumarinri River. The Huaura River drains the southern part of the Rauras toward the Pacific and the drainage from the north is to the Amazon River and the Atlantic Ocean via the Lauricocha River . Peruvian Highway 110 (unpaved in 2024) bisects

144-645: The Raura Mountains totaled 55 km (21 sq mi) in 2001. Notable glaciated areas in this range are: Leon Huaccanan-Azuljanka, which is a plateau of 10 km. long and 2½ km. wide that rises eastward, to a steep cliff in its eastern margin; a tiny ice plateau at the union of the Yarupac-Torre de Cristal ridges; and finally Santa Rosa mountain which has most of the remaining glacier ice. Huayhuash Huayhuash (possibly from Quechua waywash , weasel , or waywashi , squirrel )

168-490: The Raura range. The road reaches an elevation of about 4,758 m (15,610 ft) at the entrance to the Raura mine. Open pit mines cover an area of 24 km (9.3 sq mi) and produce copper, lead, zinc, and silver. The Raura mine is one of highest in elevation in the world with mining operations reaching to 4,791 m (15,719 ft). Mining operations began on a small scale in 1890. The mine area includes permanent housing for workers. The mining operations interrupt

192-618: The area include: the giant conebill , the tit-like dacnis , the torrent duck , the Andean mountain cat , the taruca , the Andean condor , the peregrine falcon , the giant coot , etc. Siula Grande Siula Grande is a mountain in the Huayhuash mountain range in the Peruvian Andes . It is 6,344 metres (20,814 ft) high and has a subpeak, Siula Chico, 6,260 m (20,540 ft) high. In 1985, Siula Grande

216-429: The area is considered generally safe. Near the north shore of the lake Viconga, the remains of an old Shining Path base camp can be still visited, including a shooting range, barracks and a training field. The area preserves high elevation Andean grasslands and patches of forest. Some of the native tree species present in the area are the Andean alder and trees of the genus Polylepis . Animals that can be found in

240-533: The area, so to the north of the mountains there is an unsurfaced road leading up to as high as 4750 m. In 2002, the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture declared the Huayhuash mountain range a "reserved zone" and prohibited certain economic activities, including any future mining. A selection of the highest peaks of the Huayhuash range is listed below. The range has become noted for trekking in

264-414: The campsites are above the 4,000 m tree line , so the landscape appears rugged and mountainous, affording views over very wide areas. The area is noted for its spectacular glacial lakes. Hot springs can also be found in the area, at Viconga Campsite precisely. Condors , llamas , alpacas and viscachas can be seen. Trekking is almost always undertaken in the dry winter months of May to September, and

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288-412: The cities Huaraz and Caraz over 100 & 167 km away are the usual choice for organizing and hiring camping a/o logistical support. Chiquián was the "Gateway to the Huayhuash" for a long time. But nowadays, daily buses (locally called colectivos ) go deep into the mountains to the village Llamaq (3,300 m) and with private transport, as far as Cuartelwain camp, reached both by road built in

312-483: The easiest route to its summit was via Siula Grande's summit and it was so climbed by Manfred Sturm's 1966 expedition. Spanish alpinists Jordi Corominas and Oriol Baro made the first ascent of Chico's west face, and second ascent of the peak, in May 2007. According to some researchers the glaciers between Siula Grande and Yerupaja show a broad increase in the number, size and frequency of crevasses , and bergschrunds . As

336-529: The face. Simpson and Yates's ascent was described in Simpson's book Touching the Void . The book was made into a film of the same title in 2003 and a play in 2018. This is a partial list of first ascents by new routes made. Siula Chico is a subpeak about 6,260 m (20,540 ft) high separated from Siula Grande by an approximately 6,000-metre (20,000 ft) col . Mountaineers considered that

360-522: The flow of the Lauricocha River and have resulted in pollution and the draining of glacial lakes." The highest mountain in the range is Yarupac at 5,685 metres (18,652 ft). Other mountains are listed below: Scholars have calculated that the Cordillera Raura has 245 lakes which hold 0.49 cubic kilometers (397,249 acre feet) of water. Some of the largest lakes of the range are Patarcocha , Tinquicocha and Huascacocha . Peru has most of

384-539: The form of the Huayhuash Circuit , which is considered a challenge trail and is undoubtedly far more demanding than the famous Inca Trail in the south of Peru. Fewer people trek the Cordillera Huayhuash than the nearby Cordillera Blanca . The full circuit is about 130 km long and generally takes between ten and fourteen days, depending on the variant taken. Most of the walking and most of

408-542: The glaciers found in tropical areas around the world. Tropical glaciers are disappearing due to global warming with one estimate that Peruvian glaciers lost 30 percent of their water between 2000 and 2016. The reduction in size of the glaciers has downstream consequences, especially in rivers flowing toward the desert coast of the Pacific Ocean where glacial-melt water is the principal source of water for irrigated agriculture, power generation, and consumption. Moreover,

432-551: The increased melt of glaciers increases the size of glacial lakes and increases the risk of catastrophic breaching of natural dams containing lakes and a consequent loss of life downstream. The average elevation above which permanent snow fields cover the Cordillera Raura was 4,947 m (16,230 ft) in 1986 but this rose to 5,044 m (16,549 ft) by 2005, presumably due to an increase in average temperature. (The neighboring Huayhuash mountains did not experience

456-524: The lake Viconga. Two foreign trekkers are known to have been murdered in Cajatambo in August 2002, though this is thought to have been motivated by robbery. In 2004, four hikers who resisted armed robbery were shot, one of which died of blood loss before they could be rescued. Since this last incident, the local communities began to charge a "protection" fee for passing in the private properties. Since then,

480-584: The late 90s and 2000s, becoming now the new trail heads for starting/ending. More challenging yet is the Alpine Circuit, which encircles the peaks at closer proximity. The Alpine Circuit involves some rock climbing and glacier travel, and takes 8–10 days to complete. There are several lakes like Solteracoha (or Solterococha), Siula, Jahuacocha, Carhuacocha and Sarapococha . The region is primarily composed of limestone, accompanied by sandstone and slate. These sedimentary rocks originated as deposits on

504-466: The ocean floor and were subsequently uplifted and folded due to tectonic plate convergence. Over time, these rocks have eroded and developed cracks. Marine fossils, such as bivalves and ammonites , can occasionally be found embedded in the rock. Until the group's effective defeat in 1992, the Huayhuash range was used as a remote base by the Shining Path communist guerrilla. On July 28, 1988,

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528-479: The range is often taken to include this much larger area. The vegetated areas of the range are part of the Central Andean wet puna ecoregion . The area is scarcely populated, containing only small settlements generally found below 4000 m (the snowline is found at approximately 4,800 m). The nearest villages are Chiquián (3,400 m) and Cajatambo (3,375 m). Some mining takes place in

552-535: Was climbed by Joe Simpson and Simon Yates . Although they ascended the West face, and thereby became the first to reach the summit by that route, they chose to descend the North Ridge, the route of the first ascent and descent in 1936. This was made almost impossible by severe weather which caused Simpson to fall and severely break his leg. All subsequent west face climbers have avoided the ridge and rappelled down

576-439: Was made famous by mountaineer Joe Simpson in his book Touching the Void . Compared to the neighboring Cordillera Blanca , Huayhuash possesses narrower valleys and higher mountain passes. There are many lesser peaks surrounding those covered by ice, and several passes exceeding 5,000 m. It is necessary to travel a considerable distance from the central range to find ground lower than 3,000 m, even on valley floors, and

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