One Push added to Pumahuacanca in Peru by Pou brothers, Micher Quito

Basque mountaineers Eneko and Iker Pou are currently busy establishing routes in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Peru where, a fortnight ago, they climbed new lines up Cashan (5716m), Urus Oeste (5450m) and nearby Urus Oeste III (5270m) with Peruvian mountaineer  Micher Quito. The trio have now climbed a tough line up the SW Face of Pumahuacanca, the steep and technical snow-capped 5,563m peak in the lush green Rurec Valley.

Climbing alpine style, the Pou and Quito set off from their high camp at 5:15 am and required a total of 12.5 hours to ascend the mountain, breaching difficulties up to M7/85º/V. They topped out at 17:45, just in time to enjoy the last rays of sun before the mountain became enshrouded in darkness. They descended down the other side of the mountain, following their instincts and inventing countless abseils where necessary. At 3:00am, after 22 hours on the go, they finally reached safety and rested - and shivered - on the steep grass slope waiting for dawn to break before returning to base camp 26.5 hours after having set off.

The new route is called One Push, for obvious reasons, and has been described as both "brutal" and the overall experience as "the hardest high mountain route of our career." While this may not necessarily be the case - their impressive curriculum is too long to list but includes an attempt on Baghirathi II in India and an 8a variation at 6000 meters on Eternal Flame on Trango Tower in Pakistan - it certainly indicates that their latest creation was a serious undertaking.

Links: FB Hermanos Pou, La Sportiva, Petzl