Climbing
On May 18, 2026, British alpinist Fay Manners and Italian ski partner Marco Malcangi landed in Peru with little more than a blank itinerary and an open-ended desire to explore the soaring glaciated massifs of the Cordillera Blanca. Originally planning a season of rock climbing in the European Alps, Manners found her focus shifting after a quiet 2025 season devoid of major Himalayan expeditions; the pull of high-altitude environments and complex landscapes had returned. Peru offered a specific, compelling advantage: grand, technical objectives achievable within a condensed timeframe, bypassing the massive logistical commitments of typical multi-month expeditions.
The pair’s initial objective was modest. They sought to understand the regional snowpacks, adapt to the thinner air, and evaluate possibilities for future seasons. After establishing a base in Huaraz, they began acclimatizing with a trek to 4,600 meters, followed by several days of sport climbing at Hatun Machay around 4,000 meters. It was there that Manners and Malcangi crossed paths with local Peruvian guide Cesar Vicuña, a chance meeting that would fundamentally reshape their trip.
To complete their high-altitude acclimatization, the duo targeted Vallunaraju (5,686 meters), a classic and relatively straightforward ski mountaineering peak. However, during the heavy foot approach to Campamento Morena, a different, far more striking feature dominated the skyline: a continuous, elegant line tracking directly through the high col separating the massive peaks of Ranrapalca and Ocshapalca.
The route presented a dramatic architectural contrast. A chaotic lower glacier, weaving through an improbable maze of gaping crevasses and towering, blue-ice seracs, abruptly gave way to a broad, uniform, lower-angled face. Above this amphitheater sat a steep summit headwall coated in fresh spring snow. Intrigued by the geometry of the line, Manners and Malcangi consulted Vicuña about its climbing history.
The guide’s assessment immediately showed the difficulty of the project. Vicuña explained that the line had been entirely neglected for decades due to increasingly fractured and impassable glacial terrain. He had attempted the route himself in 2022, only to be turned around by shifting ice. Inquiries sent to the American Alpine Journal revealed that the line had last been successfully climbed in 1980 by a party of four Swiss alpinists. In the 46 years since, it had seen no documented ascents, and it had never been attempted on skis.
Recognizing that the 2026 spring conditions offered a rare, cooperative window, the team moved quickly. On May 25, Manners and Malcangi returned to the mountain with a robust support crew consisting of Vicuña, Francesco Bosco, Adhna Ní Bhraonáin, and Martin R. Yanac, carrying base camp infrastructure for a multi-day push. While the support team carried traditional mountaineering hardware and snow protection, Manners and Malcangi shouldered their skis and rigid boots.
The following day, May 26, the entire team set out at 4:00 a.m. to recon the lower icefall. They spent hours breaking trail through deep snow and establishing a secure, navigable path through the labyrinth of the lower glacier and its serac barriers before retreating to camp late in the afternoon.
On May 27, Manners and Malcangi departed camp alone at 1:00 a.m. for the definitive summit push, carrying their skis with the strict objective of executing a continuous descent from the highest point attainable down to the lower glacier floor. The nighttime ascent required constant tactical adjustments, forcing the pair to jump open crevasses, ascend pitches of hard, squeaky névé ice, break trail through alternating powder and wind-crust, and cross fragile snow bridges. It evolved into an grueling exercise in technical ski mountaineering—climbing steep ice with skis strapped to their packs, navigating highly exposed ridge lines, and setting an anchor for a full rappel over a gaping bergschrund too wide to leap.
By May 28, 2026, after less than ten days of total acclimatization in the country, the pair pushed past the 6,000-meter mark to complete the climb. The route gained roughly 1,200 vertical meters from their camp, though the constant route-finding, losses of elevation, and backtracking through the broken glacier increased the physical toll significantly.
Transitioning from crampons to skis at the top of the line, Manners and Malcangi successfully skied the entire route continuously from top to bottom. They estimated the clean ski descent itself at 900 vertical meters, graded at a sustained 5.1 E3 for its steepness and high consequence, excluding the complex lower glacier navigation required to return to safety.
The duo named the new line Acceso Momentáneo (“Momentary Access”), a nod to their discussions with local guides regarding how climate change and changing glacier dynamics have rendered the line inaccessible for decades, opening only for a brief, fleeting moment this spring.
For Manners, the historic descent marks another major milestone in a rapid, unconventional progression. Having only learned to ski in 2016 after relocating to Chamonix to access technical alpine climbs more efficiently, she quickly transitioned from freeriding to high-consequence steep skiing. Over the winter of 2024, she logged more than forty steep descents in the Chamonix valley, including a notable first descent alongside mountain guide Tom Lafaille. When first invited to ski the wild, complex peaks of Peru in 2024 by pro skier Aymar Navarro, her immediate reaction had been self-doubt. Yet standing atop Ranrapalca, those doubts were answered by a willingness to persevere through uncertainty.
Ultimately, Acceso Momentáneo delivered exactly what drew the partners to the face: a deeply complex, uncertain line where a brief geographical window allowed a definitive passage through otherwise impossible terrain.
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