Antisana Highest Summit, Glacier 15 Direct

Participants

Marco Solís, Lorena Jima, Santiago Macas, Katy Simbaña, Hugo Ruiz

• Date: December 22, 2020
• Mountain: Antisana, Highest Summit
• Elevation: 5,750 m
• Route: “Directísima por el Glaciar 15”

The Antisana has several glacial tongues that for investigative purposes are listed clockwise from the north, so Glacier 15 is the glacial tongue just above Santa Lucia Lagoon and it’s also directly under the main summit of this magnificent snow-capped mountain.

Initially the idea was to do the “Direct French” route through Glacier 15 up until 5400 m. It consists of a snow ramp that reaches almost 60 degrees of incline. We got very good snow and at 5450m, consulting with all the group members, we decided to continue climbing directly to the summit to do the “Very Direct” route. We believed that this route was going to present a snow ramp that would allow us to overcome the ledge of the summit at the final part, which was not true and we had to climb a totally vertical ice wall that put a lot of flavor and challenge to this already great technical route.

We dodged all the difficulties this route presented us: snow-stopped ramps, crossings in very steep areas, crevaces, crossing under the great summit serac, a rope length of vertical ice climbing, a 4-meter snow wall. And at the end we reached the summit by this magnifical route.

Author: Marco Solís