Cerro Piuquencillo

Cerro Piuquencillo 4050m
Contribution by Oliver Guenay and Wolfram Schroeter

• Location: Lagunillas, ski resort above San José de Maipo
• Access: 4-5h from Lagunillas to base of face
• Rock: not good, alpine ambiente
• Rutas: 2-3?
• Characteristics: easy couloirs with snow and some mixed, rock falls when warm!
• Height: about 500m
• Equipment: for ice and snow
• Exposition: S?
• Season: until early summer, rec. only in cold nights

Description of Hiperpollo by O. Guenay

1st ascent of SW Gully «Hiperpollo» (like «Superchicken»), by germans Oliver Guenay und Wolfram Schroeter in 3 h (entire flank has 1000 mts)
Difficulties: 40-45 degrees, short step 60 degrees, length of gully 300 mts from beginning, on the access short step grade 5.7 and 50 degrees.
Warning: this route should be climbed early in the season and only after good winters with plenty of snow and on days with cold conditions (best from end of oct. until mid dec) unless you won t like to get hit by heavy stonefall. Climb fast! Don t try to belay it, speed is safety!
Access to Piuquencillo Basecamp: San Jose de maipo by Metrobus from Puente Alto,Santiago. Take private car or Taxi in San Jose to Lagunillas (17kms). From where the road is closed, opposite of Refugio Lagunillas (accom. possible) climb up the flank towards the east and follow a small trail crossing an even plateau below of the grass ridge to the east,then follow the up and downs on to the main ridge leading up to a broad saddle always towards the visible westface of Piuquencillo. 5 hrs to a basecamp near waters in the hollow below of the circling flanks.
The climb: Start early by heading directling up the huge flank of snow and scree towards the visible gullies. Its a very narrow gully of hard snow and sometimes ice and shitty rock, cut deeply between the summit rockshiled of Piuquencillo. The gully widens and exits 100 mts south from the main summit with a triangular pode and a «summitbook». 3-4 hrs. The main gully right of Superpollo has been climbed and is discribed in Andes handbook! On the left side of the circle of flanks another gully route has been climbed solo by Oliver Guenay in dec. 2003 «Tatiana Nirwana». The descent goes to the north: follow the broad summit plateau another 600 mts until arriving in a saddle from where you follow in a south turn down on the steep flank. Use crampons avoiding accidents. the flank must be passed on scree and snow at its left hand side (looking down) near the summit rockwall, avoiding so the vertical steeps of the center. 2 hrs to Basecamp.