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Rock
Climbing
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Rock-climbing
Photo Arturo Bullard/PromPerú
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Originating in
Scotland, rock climbing soon became one of the most
popular adventure sports at the end of the past century.
The climber's ultimate goal is not simply to reach the
top but to do so in a particular way. Following the
right route, rather than a means to achieve a final
destination, has always been the ultimate goal of the
climber's endeavors. Time and technology have drastically
improved the equipment and safety devices needed for
this sport and made possible more and better ascents.
Rock climbing started its swift rise
in popularity in the 1960s when the polished granite
mountains
of California became a sort of Mecca for extreme sports
lovers.
A decade later, the sport arrived in
Peru, a land filled with ideal sites for the sport,
in particular in the mountains of Lima, Cajamarca and
Pasco.
Given the many factors that determine
the complexity of a route like soil type, slope and
length, it is hard to put together a classification
for all the possible destinations. However, the Yosemite
Decimal System is widely recognized as a classification
that takes into account various levels of difficulty
ranked from 5,0 to 5,14. As the level of difficulty
rises above 5,10, the ranking adds letters from A to
D to the decimal score. Thus, the most difficult ascent
in the world -a cliff in southern Germany- is rated
5,14D, while Peru's most difficult climb, the Canchacalla
route, is rated 5,12D.
Additionally, the routes are classified
by risk. GP paths are open to all climbers; R paths
are restricted and involve the risk of serious injury;
climbs given an X rating imply a death risk while a
double X ascent carries a death risk for climbers and
their teams. Many walls in the narrow Rímac canyon
in Lima or the polished rock walls in Tinajani in Puno
are typical R- and X-rated climbs.
Points of Interest
Other than man-made climbing walls built in concrete
that have become increasingly popular attractions in
bars and adventure sports festivals, there are some
particularly apt places throughout Peru to practice
outdoors rockwall climbing.
The outskirts of Lima for one are full
of ideal spots for rock climbing. For instance, the
walls of Camacho are in the outskirts of Lima, in the
neighborhood of La Molina. Further east lies Vichuya
in the Lurín Valley. The Rímac river valley
has its own spots like Canchacalla, 46 km east of Lima
along the Central Highway, where rock climbing courses
have been taught for several years.
Also in Lima, Infiernillo -literally
Little Hell- at kilometer 67 along the same road, lies
within easy reach and is one of the most demanding walls
for rock climbers.
Down the coast, along the South Pan-American
Highway, are the sedimentary rock cliffs at Bikini (45
km south of Lima), La Tiza (60 km), and Paracas (250
km to the south). All overlook the Pacific Ocean, where
waves crash against the cliffs, adding a touch of danger
to an already risky sport.
In the Andes, Cumbemayo in the
outskirts of Cajamarca, the Tinajani rock forest in
Ayaviri, Puno; the Llanganuco glacier walls in Ancash,
and the stone formations in the Huayllay sanctuary in
Pasco are all ideal spots for rockwall climbing.
Source: PromPerú (Comission for the Promotion
of Peru).
Back to Adventure
Sports in Peru
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