Equipment for Huayna Potosi has to work in three different settings within one trip: quiet days in La Paz and on Titicaca, the acclimatisation climb of Pico Austria at 5350 m, and the night push across the glacier to the 6088 m summit. It is a mistake to pack only for the final day. Clothing and footwear are tested earlier, and a problem with the pack, the gloves or the eyewear is better found on Pico Austria than in the high refuge.<\/p>\n
Below is a practical list for the normal route by way of Zongo. The particular model depends on the season, on the size of the person and on the current state of the glacier. Before the start the guide inspects the technical kit and checks that boots, crampons and gaiters are compatible.<\/p>\n
It is convenient to split the kit into four groups: personal things for the whole trip, clothing and footwear, technical mountaineering equipment, and the small items for the night push. Part of the technical kit can be obtained locally, but personal clothing, the sleeping bag, the pack, the torch and sun protection are the participant’s own.<\/p>\n
The Mountain Guide programme for Huayna Potosi<\/a> provides a helmet, a harness, crampons, an ice axe, gaiters, ropes and the group safety equipment once size and availability are confirmed. Warm mountaineering boots are agreed separately: they are the item most sensitive to size.<\/p>\n For the mountain section you need a pack of roughly 35-40 l. It has to take the insulation, the shell, water, a snack, eyewear, spare gloves and small personal items without turning into an expedition duffel. Group equipment and food are shared out separately; each participant carries their own pack.<\/p>\n Inside it you need protection from wet: a liner or separate dry bags. A cover on the outside does not always stay put in wind. Before the trip it is worth practising opening the pockets and finding things with gloves on.<\/p>\n The nights are spent in the lower and upper refuges, but a building is no substitute for a warm sleeping bag. The temperature rating is chosen for the season and for how sensitive to cold you personally are. What matters is the comfort temperature rather than the extreme limit the manufacturer prints.<\/p>\n The bag has to stay dry and to fit in the pack or in the agreed load. A light inner liner improves hygiene and adds a little warmth.<\/p>\n Broken-in trekking boots are used in La Paz, on Titicaca, on Pico Austria and on the approach to the upper refuge if the state of the route allows. They have to hold the foot securely on rocky ground and not rub after several hours of walking.<\/p>\n New boots must not be worn for the first time in Bolivia. Before the trip, do several long training walks in them with the same socks you plan to use on the route.<\/p>\n For the glacier you need warm mountaineering boots compatible with crampons. Ordinary soft trekking boots will not do for a night push at 6000 m. Hire is possible, but the size and the model are confirmed in advance, particularly for a very small or a very large foot.<\/p>\n When fitting, allow for a warm sock, check that there is no pressure on the toes when going down, and make sure the heel is held firmly. Boots are checked together with crampons, not separately.<\/p>\n Crampons have to match the boots exactly and must not shift under sideways load. Before the climb a participant learns to put them on with gloves, to adjust the straps and to check that they are locked. During the ice practice the guide assesses the stepping technique and the distance kept between the feet.<\/p>\n Anti-balling plates are essential: snow packing under a crampon sharply reduces stability. Do not change the setting you have been given without agreeing it with the guide.<\/p>\n On the normal route a classic mountaineering axe is used. It helps you keep your balance and carry out the guide’s instructions on snow and ice. The length and the grip have to let you work confidently in gloves.<\/p>\n The practice takes place on the first day in the mountains. The aim is not to hold an axe as a formality but to learn to carry it safely, change hands and act as part of a rope team.<\/p>\n The harness goes on over all the working layers of clothing and must not restrict your stride. It is adjusted beforehand and then checked again before the night push. The helmet stays fastened on the sections where the guide requires it.<\/p>\n A personal screwgate karabiner is used in the way the guide sets out. Ropes and group safety equipment are provided by the team.<\/p>\n Gaiters keep snow out of the top of the boot and protect the trousers from crampons. They have to suit the particular boots, not constrict the shin and not interfere with the fastenings. They too are checked before you reach the upper refuge.<\/p>\n The first layer moves moisture away and must not stay wet after a climb. You need a set of base layers for legs and body. Cotton is unsuitable for the active part of the route because it takes so long to dry.<\/p>\n The mid insulating layer is chosen so that it can be added or taken off without a complete change of clothes. A system of layers is more useful than one very warm garment: on the approach you should not overheat, and at the stops you should not chill quickly.<\/p>\n A down jacket, or a good synthetic one, is needed in the refuges, at the stops and before the start. It has to go on over the working layers. A hood that works with a helmet adds protection from the wind.<\/p>\n A windproof, waterproof jacket is essential. The trousers have to allow movement in crampons and, ideally, go on without taking the boots off. Legs that are too wide are easily caught by crampon points, so the bottoms are secured with gaiters.<\/p>\n You need at least two working pairs: thin gloves for handling equipment and warm outer mitts or gloves for the summit. A spare dry pair is useful. You have to be able to manage every fastening, karabiner and the torch with gloves on.<\/p>\n Gloves are kept inside your clothing or in a pocket that closes. A mitt lost in the wind can be the reason a party turns round.<\/p>\n Socks are chosen to suit the particular boots. Too thick a combination can constrict the foot and make it colder. For the summit you use a dry pair that has not already been worn on the approach.<\/p>\n On the glacier you need eyewear with high ultraviolet protection and good coverage at the sides. A spare pair is essential: breaking or losing the main pair must not leave anyone unprotected. Wind and snow can make ski goggles worth having.<\/p>\n The summit push begins entirely in the dark. The torch has to work reliably in the cold, have controls you can use in gloves and come with a spare set of batteries. Before you sleep it goes in a pocket agreed in advance, not on a shared shelf in the refuge.<\/p>\n A participant carries containers holding about two litres in total. Some of the water is best kept in a vacuum flask. The soft tubes of drinking systems can freeze, so their use is agreed with the guide and always backed up by an ordinary bottle.<\/p>\n Sun cream, lip salve and a cap or sun hat are needed as early as Titicaca and Pico Austria. On the glacier reflected light intensifies the effect of the sun. The cream has to be reachable in a small outside pocket, not lying at the bottom of the pack.<\/p>\n Poles help on Pico Austria and on the rocky crossing to the upper refuge. On the glacier the guide decides how they are used. The model has to fold down and attach securely to the pack.<\/p>\n In the upper refuge you cannot count on reliable charging. Phone, watch and power bank are charged in La Paz. In the cold, batteries are kept close to the body. The guides’ communications are there to run the group and to deal with emergencies, not to provide clients with internet.<\/p>\n Each participant brings their own first-aid kit with the remedies they are used to and that their doctor has prescribed. Neither the list of medicines nor the way they are taken is copied from somebody else’s. Before the trip, medical questions are discussed with a specialist who understands what altitude demands of the body.<\/p>\n The guide adjusts the exact contents. Anything that belongs to the city stays in La Paz or in the lower refuge.<\/p>\n Before setting off for the mountain, each participant tries on the boots, the harness, the helmet, the crampons and the gaiters. The ice practice checks not only the size but how the kit works while you are moving. If the boots press or the crampons shift, that is settled before the move up to the upper refuge.<\/p>\n Do not duplicate heavy group equipment without agreeing it, do not take a large expedition pack to the summit, and do not buy technical items whose purpose you do not understand. First check the list, then decide what is better hired.<\/p>\n Helmet, harness, crampons, ice axe, torch and some of the clothing may suit Bolivia, but every item is checked afresh. Pay particular attention to how the crampons fit the boots, how warm the footwear and gloves are, the capacity of the pack and the sleeping bag for the night in the upper refuge.<\/p>\n An old list cannot be copied across unchecked: the accommodation, the kit issued and the state of the glacier are all different. First check the current list on the Huayna Potosi programme<\/a>, then book the hire or buy what is missing.<\/p>\n Pack the rucksack completely and walk with it for several hours. Put every layer on at once, check that the harness adjusts over the clothing and that the hoods do not fight each other. Try opening the flask, switching the torch on and changing gloves without help.<\/p>\n The acclimatisation scheme and the order of the days are described in the article \u201cAcclimatisation before Huayna Potosi\u201d<\/a>, while the character of the glacier and the summit day are covered in the review of the altitude, difficulty and route of Huayna Potosi<\/a>. Equipment only works together with the right schedule: even perfect boots do not make up for gaining height too fast.<\/p>\n A good kit for Huayna Potosi does not have to be the most expensive. It has to be compatible, tested and understood by the person using it. The critical items are warm boots with crampons that fit them, reliable gloves, eye protection, a torch, a sleeping bag and a layering system that works. All of it is checked before the night push, because on the glacier there is no longer time to experiment.<\/p>\nThe pack<\/h2>\n
The sleeping bag<\/h2>\n
Trekking boots<\/h2>\n
Mountaineering boots<\/h2>\n
Crampons<\/h2>\n
The ice axe<\/h2>\n
Harness, helmet and karabiner<\/h2>\n
Gaiters<\/h2>\n
Base layers<\/h2>\n
The insulated jacket<\/h2>\n
Waterproof shell clothing<\/h2>\n
Gloves<\/h2>\n
Socks and looking after your feet<\/h2>\n
Sunglasses and goggles<\/h2>\n
Head torch<\/h2>\n
Water and a flask<\/h2>\n
Sun protection<\/h2>\n
Trekking poles<\/h2>\n
Electronics<\/h2>\n
Personal first-aid kit<\/h2>\n
What is in the pack on summit day<\/h2>\n
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How the hire kit is checked<\/h2>\n
What not to bring<\/h2>\n
What carries over from Elbrus<\/h2>\n
How to check the kit before you fly<\/h2>\n
The main point<\/h2>\n