from $2,900* per person	21 Days	August
Comfort accommodations		Exertion level: 3
Operator: International Mountain Guides		12 people max

Dear Prospective Bolivia Team Member:

Thank you for your interest in our IMG climbing program in Bolivia. For 2012 we will again climb three great peaks in the Cordillera Real: Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482'), Huayna Potosi (19,974') and Illimani (21,200'). This program is suitable for climbers in good physical shape with Mt. Rainier experience (crampons, ice axe, roped glacier travel). These are excellent high altitude training climbs, with good access and reasonable technical challenges. The Bolivia climbs will be led by IMG Senior Guide Greg Vernovage assisted by our top Bolivian guides (trained by the late Carlos Escobar, one of the most experienced Bolivian climbers, and longtime IMG Bolivia partner).

Greg had a great trip to Bolivia in 2011, and the team was successful on all the summits! (See the photos from the 2011 expedition.) We are looking forward to doing it again in 2012. Bolivia is a great place for climbing!

Bolivia's mountain scenery is spectacular, Indians colorful, and ruins thought-provoking. It has been called the Tibet of the New World. And like Tibet it has a grand history of civilization. Ruins of the prominent Inca and Amayra Peoples still stand, and many still live by the lessons in farming and ranching developed and taught by their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

This country also seems to be the land of the "highest," claiming the highest commercial airport, highest capital city, and the highest navigable lake in all the world! At an altitude of 11,900 feet La Paz nests in a gigantic bowl 1600 feet below El Alto, the city's international airport. The mountains of the Cordillera Real (Royal Range) rise sharply towards the sky in the background and are as striking as any to be found in South America.

Getting off the plane at 13,000' will be a bit of a shock as you start hauling your duffels around the airport. You will quickly be reminded that you are at altitude. One of the most critical factors determining our success in the mountains of Bolivia will be our ability to acclimate well. And with this in mind, we have designed a 15 day program in an effort to give every member of the team the BEST possible chance to summit Huayna Potosi. For climbers choosing to extend their stay, we tackle Illimani, the famous 21,300 foot peak southwest of La Paz.

While acclimatizing, there is plenty to do and see while in La Paz. An afternoon will be spent introducing you to the unique city of La Paz. We'll spend time wandering through colorful outdoor markets where the local people sell everything from fruit and vegetables to antiques and musical instruments. If you like, you can even outfit yourself with a few charms from the Witches Market, "guaranteed" to bring you health, wealth, and happiness.

We will also take a short day trip outside of La Paz to see the Tiahuanaco ruins, dated 1600 BC, and said to be among the most important archeological finds in South America and one of the most advanced civilizations to exist on the continent. It remains somewhat of a mystery, having vanished from the face of the earth, leaving many questions and few answers. Much of Tiahuanaco remains beneath the ground as Bolivia very simply doesn't have the funds to operate a full-scale archeological dig. Certainly, many of its secrets still lie buried beneath the earth's surface.

Our visit to Bolivia wouldn't be complete without a trip to Lake Titicaca. We'll lunch on freshly caught trout and charter a small boat to take us out to the Island of Suriki where we will visit the Amayra Indians who helped Thor Heyerdahl build the famous reed boats Ra II and Tigress for his exploratory expeditions. Our overnights will be at Copacabana, a beautiful lakeside resort.

After our acclimatization, we are ready for the mountains! First, we'll take a short ferry ride on the lake, then load up and journey by jeeps to the Condoriri National Park, and a night at the beautiful Tambo Condoriri Hut, followed the next day by the trek to Base Camp. After a day of training on the nearby glacier, we'll be ready for the climb to the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482'), a great training climb. After this, we tackle Huayna Potosi (19,974'), a very rewarding climb and one of the most beautiful mountains on the continent. The climb normally requires the use of fixed lines and running belays, as well as solid basic snow and ice climb skills. After out ascent we'll return to Base Camp, and then the next day to La Paz for a good meal and a night at the hotel.

For people extending their Bolivia adventure, our trip to Illimani begins with a drive east from La Paz, over a 16,500' pass. At the village we'll load the bulk of the gear onto a few pack animals and begin our hike into base camp at about 15,000 feet. The next day, we'll hike from base camp to our high camp, Nido de Condores (the Condor's Nest) perched at 18,000 feet. The route from base camp will take us onto a rock ridge and involves some very minor rock scrambling.

Following our hike up to Nido de Condores we have an option of climbing to the summit the very next day, or waiting until the day after. This decision will be based upon the weather, route conditions, and team strength. From Nido de Condores we will have a fantastic view of the entire Cordillera Real to the north. And, Sajama, Bolivia's highest mountain, will be visible far off to the west near the border of Chile. With the setting sun the lights of La Paz will begin to burn brightly and flicker in the distance below. Lake Titicaca glistens in the distance, and as the Andean night drapes Illimani in darkness, the Southern Cross gradually reveals itself. It's quite a spectacular sight!

The summit climb will take us out of the high camp via a narrow snow ridge, presenting some exposed climbing. We normally find ourselves using running belays and fixed lines at this point to safeguard the team. This technique will be covered prior to our pre-dawn departure for the summit so don't worry if you're a little rusty. Many of you may be familiar with this practice, but it's always good to review it together so that we're all on the same page the day of the climb. And, if you're completely unfamiliar with this type of protection, it's simple and you'll be able to pick it up very quickly. We'll continue climbing over a series of ramps involving standard glacier travel with the exception of a few short steep stretches. After several hours of climbing our goal will have come in sight at last. We'll climb one final ramp up onto a classic finish along the very narrow ridge leading to the summit of Illimani.

Following our ascent of Illimani we will return to La Paz and catch our flights home. Often times our flight will take us just over the shoulder of Illimani, rewarding us with a spectacular final view of this great mountain and the surrounding countryside.

—Eric Simonson
IMG Bolivian program director