Alpamayo is a steep, perfectly shaped pyramid of ice, one of many fine peaks that comprise the
Santa Cruz massif, the northernmost
massif of the
Cordillera Blanca.
Alpamayo is smaller than many of its neighboring peaks, but overcomes this shortcoming by its breathtaking form. It actually has two sharp summits, North and South, separated by a narrow corniced ridge.
Alpamayo is 19,511 feet (5947 meters) high. It was first climbed in 1957 by a German expedition. The departure point for climbs of Alpamayo and other peaks in the Cordillera Blanca is the city of Huaráz in Peru.