Erik Weihenmayer Climbs Alpamayo

Alpamayo is a 19,511 foot tall, snow capped peak in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Peruvian Andes. It is a very prominent peak in the area, and is widely considered one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. It was for all of those reasons, and more, that Erik Weihenmayer and his climbing partner Eric Alexander, recently made the trip to Peru to attempt the mountain. 


Erik shared the details of the climb on his blog, which included some great photos of the trip and the video below. The trip involved a 2-day trek to BC, which is located at 14,500 feet, and establishing an intermediary camp at 16,000 feet before going to the summit. The two men had to work in rain and snow, and some technical portions of the climb, but eventually they stood on top. The story of their climb is a good one though, with lots of challenges to overcome along the way.


This climb marks the first blind ascent of the mountain. As many of you know, Erik is the first person to climb Everest without the use of his sight, and has since added the rest of the Seven Summits, including Carstenz Pyramid. He's also scaled El Cap in Yosemite and Mt. Kenya in Africa, amongst plenty of other peaks.