On July 26-27, Manuel Lopez and Alex Ubeda of Spain opened a new route on the northeast face of 5,686m Cashan West in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. They graded the 500m line 7a+.
The new ‘Carlos Suarez’ route on Cashan West. Photo: Manuel Lopez/Alex Ubeda
The Pou brothers first alerted the pair to the good rock on Cashan West’s northeast face.
On July 25, Lopez and Ubeda headed to the Rajucolta Valley with a driver and a porter to help carry gear to base camp. After a long approach hike, they set up tents on a conveniently flat boulder on the moraine. A rockfall near their planned descent route worried them, and they went to bed unsure about the climb.
Base camp at Cashan. Photo: Manuel Lopez
The climb
On July 26, they started up a clear line with obvious dihedrals. Lopez led the first 60m pitch at 5,200m, wearing just a fleece jacket. The fourth pitch was tough, a technical 7a dihedral. The solid rock continued to impress them. After a 60m traverse over easy but loose terrain, they mounted another dihedral with a small overhang. After 240m, they fixed ropes and returned to camp.
On Cashan West’s northeast face. Photo: Manuel Lopez
On July 27, they awoke at 4 am and jumared back up. The sun hit the wall as they reached the fifth pitch. Ubeda led the sixth pitch, but the seventh was the hardest — a tricky traverse on a blind crack that couldn’t be protected.
Lopez placed a bolt to reach an overhanging dihedral, rating it 7a+. Ubeda climbed it with a heavy pack. The rock remained excellent. After this, the climbing got easier. A 60m pitch led to a ledge, followed by two easy pitches (IV and III) to the snowy top of the wall. They skipped the true summit due to bad snow and rappelled from the shoulder.
According to Lopez, the route could become a classic due to its clear path and good rock.
Photo: Manuel Lopez
Cashan West
Cashan West, part of the Nevado Cashan massif, lies in the Cordillera Blanca range in northern Peru. It’s within Huascaran National Park, which has 18 peaks over 6,000m, including 6,768m Huascaran. Cashan West is in the central part of the range, southwest of 6,369m Huantsan.
Views from the summit area of Cashan West. Photo: Manuel Lopez
In 2019, Iker Pou, Eneko Pou, and Manu Ponce climbed the first route on the north face, rated 800m, 7a+. In 2022, the Pou brothers returned and climbed a harder mixed route (980m, M6 85º). The northeast face, where Lopez and Ubeda climbed, had earlier routes established by Seba Pelleti and Juan Secul in 2019, and Mike Bowyer and Tom Schindfessel in 2024.
On Cashan West. Photo: Manuel Lopez and Alex Ubeda
