Three Chileans have opened a 400m new route on Urus, a 5,000m peak in Peru.
Vicente Urzua, Maximiliano Arias, and Eduardo Tapia are regulars on the Patagonian big walls during the austral summer. When winter settles in, they travel north to climb in the tropical climate of the Peruvian Andes.
The new route goes to the west summit of 5,450m Urus in the Cordillera Blanca range. Urzua reported on social media that they climbed via the southwest face in two attempts. First, they dealt with a pitch on mixed terrain and good rock. Later, they advanced up the face by connecting sections of snow and ice to the summit ridge. From there, they continued on mixed terrain to the top.
The resulting 400m route is up to 85º and has a degree of difficulty of M6/WI3, according to the climbers. Named Vuelta Austral ("Austral Tour"), the line runs left of Mi Carnal, another new route of similar difficulty, recently opened on Urus West by Alexander Gruber and Inaki Herrasti of Mexico.
Chileans' Pioneering of a New Route in Peruvian Andes Showcases Determination to Explore and Connect the Uncharted, celebrate this exciting new adventure.
