Momentary Access: Italian-British Duo Secure Historic First Ski Descent on 6,162m Ranrapalca, Peru 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 […] Climbing Martin Kuprianowicz | June 1, 2026 0 Comments
French Skier Breaks Sand Skiing World Record at 75 MPH in Peru A 23-year-old French ski instructor has set a new world record on sand, reaching 121 kilometers per hour, or about 75 mph, on the massive Toro Mata dunes in southern Peru. Mahé Freydier made the run on September 25, 2025, during a single attempt that pushed the limits of what skis can handle outside the snow. The speed breaks the […] Jack Bynum | October 13, 2025 0 Comments
Snow Bridge Collapse in Peru Claims Life of Local Mountaineering Legend Renowned mountain guide Edgar Huaman Asis died from an ice bridge collapsing while summiting the Nevado Huascarán, a peak in the Peruvian Andes, on Saturday, June 3. The 39-year-old mountain guide was leading an expedition that also included two French tourists and two porters (experienced climbers who carry most of the gear). The group was reportedly located between Camp I […] Avalanche Tyler Hatch | June 8, 2023 0 Comments
Peru, VT Received a Potential State Record 44.8″ Snowfall in 24-Hours Last Week The National Weather Service is investigating a snowfall report of 44.8″ in Peru, VT, which, if verified, will become Vermont’s highest 24-hour snowfall on record. The current record stands at 42″ from 1995 in Jay Peak. Peru, VT is home to Bromley Mountain ski resort. It looks like conditions there following this storm were once in a lifetime! The map […] SnowBrains | December 21, 2020 0 Comments
Update: People Living at Altitude May be Less Susceptible to Coronavirus A new study is linking living at altitude to lower rates of COVID-19 infection, great news for our mountain-dwelling readers. The abstract of the study is below: In the present study, we analyze the epidemiological data of COVID-19 of Tibet and high-altitude regions of Bolivia and Ecuador, and compare to lowland data, to test the hypothesis that high-altitude inhabitants (+2,500 m […] Brains SnowBrains | June 1, 2020 1 Comment
Professional Ski Filmmaker Befriends Puppy on High Alpine Expedition in Peru In 2013, ski filmmaker Bjarne Salén and professional skier Andreas Fransson embarked upon a journey to the mountains of Peru for an alpine expedition. On their expedition, they made an unexpected friend. Salén wrote in an Instagram post: “This story is really bananas and I’m stoked to share it if you want to listen: In 2013 @andreasfransson99 and I went to Peru […] SnowBrains | April 20, 2020 0 Comments
Authorities Deport 5 Tourists for Damaging and Defecating in a Temple at Machu Picchu, Peru Authorities in Peru just deported five tourists and arrested a sixth accused of damaging a temple at Machu Picchu, the famous Incan ruins in the Andes, the National Police said. The tourists were caught just before 6 am on Sunday by staff members who work at the archaeological park, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Tuesday, identifying […] SnowBrains | January 17, 2020 2 Comments
Engineers Are Creating Artificial Glaciers to Store Fresh Water Around The World In high the deserts of northern India, climate change and receding glaciers have left villages critically dry in the spring. Engineers are creating “ice stupas,” or artificial glaciers, to store fresh water during the winter that would otherwise have flown away downstream. In the Ladakh desert region, only about 4 inches of rain and snow falls annually. Villages rely on glacial […] Brains Mike Lavery | August 4, 2018 1 Comment
Three Climbers Killed by an Avalanche on Iconic Alpamayo in the Andes Three mountaineers, a Peruvian, a British and a Slovenian died as a result of an avalanche when they were trying to reach the summit of Alpamayo, in the Andes reported the High Mountain Division’s rescue unit of the National Police. The three were buried by the deadly avalanche on Saturday 30th June. The rescue teams were able to locate the bodies […] Avalanche AvyBrains | July 5, 2018 18 Comments
Three Bodies Found in Crevasse in Peru Two Chilean men and a third with a dual Russian-U.S. citizenship were found deceased on the morning of August 1st, after nine days missing. They were attempting to climb Piramide de Garcilaso, a peak located in the Cordillera Blanca range in central Peru. Rafael Figueroa, from the Mountain Guides Association of Peru (AGMP), believes that the three men caused an avalanche on the 19,308 foot peak, as the […] Avalanche Spencer Miller | August 7, 2017 0 Comments
Chicama: First Nationally Protected Wave The wave itself can break for two and a half miles, but no one has reportedly ever ridden the entire wave. Experienced riders are able to make it down the entire length of the beach in usually 3-5 waves. It is very exciting news that this is the first nationally protected surf break- this will only promote the sustainable surfing […] Surf Keenan Grady | March 2, 2016 0 Comments
Avalanche in Peru Kills Three | One Survives 24-Hours in 65′ Deep Crevasse An avalanche came down on four famous Estonian mountaineers in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca last Sunday. The avalanche threw the four mountaineers into a 65-foot deep crevasse. One of the Estonians has been rescued from the crevasse. The other three climbers are still missing and assumed to have perished. The avalanche occurred at 19,400-feet (only 300-feet from the summit) on Tocllaraju peak in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Peru this past Sunday. lone […] Avalanche SnowBrains | June 10, 2015 0 Comments
Salkantay Trail ~ Machu Picchu, Peru Trip Report & Photo Tour: As I left the great surf and awesome culture of Lima I knew that I the next 5 days or so would be challenging, rewarding and overall a great experience. I set forth to Cuzco Peru the jumping off point for the Salkantay trail. Many people know and have heard of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu but doing some research and talking with people locals it was brought to my attention that is […] Trip Report Ryan Mulcahy | August 14, 2014 1 Comment
Peru Surf & Culture Report: Playa Makaja & Independence Day As I arrived in Peru an instant happiness came throughout my entire body when I felt the cold air on my face. Escaping the 100 degree heat of Utah summer to 65 degree ocean front environment was amazing. My first stop was the capital city of Lima and would be my jumping off point for the entire country. Armed only with a Lonely Planet and a sense of adventure my brother and I were able to find a great hostel in the heart of the Mira Flores area of the city called Hitch Hikers Hostel and […] Surf Ryan Mulcahy | August 1, 2014 0 Comments
Does Style Matter? | “Big Mountain Ethics” by Andreas Fransson Top notch big mountain extreme skier Andreas Fransson recently got back from skiing and climbing in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. He made some smart decisions about turning around in bad conditions and bad weather and feels like he got some flack about it. It dawned on him that big mountain skiing needs an ethics change. It’s not all about making the summit and skiing the big face – it’s about skiing a mountain with good style, good technique, and coming home in one piece. After enough thinking, he got to writing and this is what he had to […] SnowBrains | September 4, 2013 1 Comment
MSP Peru Ski Trip Report by Cody Townsend Matchstick Productions just sent a crew down to Peru to ski and film in Peru’s incredible Cordiella Blanca. The Peru team included James Heim, Scott Gaffney, Sam Anthamatten, Adrian Ballinger, Canyon Florey, & Jason Ebelheiser. Below are a couple of excerpts from Cody Townsend’s recent article for espn.com about MSP’s ski mountaineering adventure in Peru.. words by Cody Townsend. See the full Trip Report with […] SnowBrains | July 26, 2013 1 Comment
Skiing in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca: Copa and Quitaraju This May and June I had the opportunity to join a trip to try and ski some high peaks in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. This report is from the third part of our trip: attempts to ski Nevado Copa and Quitaraju. Check out the first and second parts of our trip here: Quebrada Ishinca and Artesonraju. Having been denied summits twice in a […] Climbing Lee Lyon | June 25, 2013 4 Comments
Skiing in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca: Artesonraju (Paramount Peak) This May and June I had the opportunity to join a trip to try and ski some high peaks in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. This report is from the second part of our trip: an attempt to ski Artesonraju. For the first part, our adventure into the Quebrada Ishinca, CLICK HERE. After being thwarted on Tocllaraju, we retreated to Huaraz to […] Climbing Lee Lyon | June 19, 2013 7 Comments
Skiing in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca: Urus, Ishinca and Tocllaraju | Photo Tour This May and June I had the opportunity to join a trip to try and ski some high peaks in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. This report is from the first part of our trip: the journey from Switzerland to Huaraz Peru, and our adventure into the Quebrada Ishinca. I entered this trip with some hesitation, for a couple of reasons. […] Backcountry Lee Lyon | June 18, 2013 16 Comments
Skiing Peru’s Cordillera Blanca: Video Reports from Urus, Ishinca, and Artesonraju This May and June I had the opportunity to join a trip to try and ski some high peaks in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. This post gives a little taste of what we got up to. It features two videos: one from our acclimatization climbs on Urus Este and Ishinca, and one POV video from Artesonraju’s SE face. Stay […] Climbing Lee Lyon | June 17, 2013 1 Comment
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