1st ascents of Pumanota, Jampatune, and Culi

[mtnkub]

This post is to claim the first known ascent of Nevado Pumanota (18,097ft / 5516m; also spelled Pomanota), a glaciated peak in Peru, located about 7 mi south of the Quelccaya ice cap (which is currently the largest tropical glacier). Additionally, we claim the first known ascents of two non-glaciated neighboring peaks, Jampatune (17,388ft / 5300m) and Nevado Culi (17,356ft / 5290m), as we unexpectedly did not see any signs of prior ascents by Inka or contemporary locals.

This post is mainly to flush out any possible knowledge about previously documented ascents of these peaks, since extensive research by John Biggar online and in older journal articles failed to identify any evidence of previous ascents. (We may write up a brief trip report later).

Fun fact: Pumanota translates to “house of the puma” (puma = mountain lion). A day before the climb, a local told us that there are still pumas in the area. Indeed, during the climb, we crossed a nice track of fresh puma foot prints at around 17,000 ft.

The summit team for the climb of Pumanota and Jampatune on Wed Nov 12 2025 consisted of two 14ers.com members, AThorburn (Andrew Thorburn) and myself (Ulli Bayer), led by John Biggar (of Andes.org.uk). On the day after, the team for the climb of Nevado Culi additionally included Daniel Choquet (France) and Vito Ricciardi (Wales). On the day before Pumanota, all five also made the likely first ascent of the “Pumanota Norte” summit (17,959ft / 5474m) via a different route. This latter route, we termed the “condor glacier route”, based on the condor that we saw during our scouting hike the day before the climb. The route to the Pumanota main summit, we termed the “caracara glacier route”, based on the caracara (a bird of prey related to falcons) that checked out our camp after the climb. Additionally, the glacier ramp of this route starts between two rock faces (cara=face in Spanish), and then climbs up east below two rock faces. (The similarity to the name of a climber’s daughter is probably mere coincidence). Both routes went at alpine grade F and connecting them would likely go at the same grade, but through more complex terrain that would require even more crevasse awareness (and a descent and re-ascent of a couple of hundred feet vertical).

[Eli Boardman]

Both routes went at alpine grade F

I don't know anything about the history of mountaineering in this region, but personally I'd be hesitant to claim the first ascent of any significant peak that can be climbed at "facile" grade (especially if said peak only requires a single day to climb), even if there is no sign of previous visitation, online documentation, etc. What makes you confident that some random mountaineer didn't do these on a rest day in the 70s, perhaps not bothering to leave any records? For me to say that I "claim the first ascent," not just that "there was no prior evidence," I would want some reason to believe that it is very likely that no one could have climbed it previously--for example, a technical summit that requires rappels to descend, with no evidence of prior rappel slings or other gear (example: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/12 ... p-mountain).

Regardless, congrats on what sounds like a nice couple of days in the mountains.

[Scott P]

Both routes went at alpine grade F

I don't know anything about the history of mountaineering in this region, but personally I'd be hesitant to claim the first ascent of any significant peak that can be climbed at "facile" grade (especially if said peak only requires a single day to climb), even if there is no sign of previous visitation, online documentation, etc. What makes you confident that some random mountaineer didn't do these on a rest day in the 70s, perhaps not bothering to leave any records? For me to say that I "claim the first ascent," not just that "there was no prior evidence," I would want some reason to believe that it is very likely that no one could have climbed it previously--for example, a technical summit that requires rappels to descend, with no evidence of prior rappel slings or other gear (example: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/12 ... p-mountain).

There's a very good chance that it was a first ascent.

That area is one of the least known in Peru and the area just to the east wasn't even mapped in detail until recently. Before very recently, the only maps available east of there were the LANDSAT photo and the TPC map. Even now, I don't even think you can buy maps of that area other than the ones just mentioned (you can get some online from ArcGIS or Open Topo, but I wouldn't count on them being accurate even if they are very useful). I have had interest in that area, but the only climbing info I have ever been able to find was from one trip in 1982 and it was still a fair distance from these peaks. Very few climbers have heard of this area, let alone gone there.

The above isn't enough of a reason to claim a possible first ascent though. These peaks however are just considered to be sub-peaks. Jampatune has less rise than Cameron and the other two would make it onto a CO 14er list (if they were in Colorado), but they're not even close to meeting the criteria usually used in the Andes for a separate peak. Allincapac and Quenamari seem to be the only peaks at all in this region that have had confirmed ascents and even then, very few have even heard of those ones.

John Biggar also probably knows that area better than anyone and is claiming it as a first.

Given that the area is very unknown to mountaineers and these peaks aren't significant peaks (and I don't mean the latter to try and diminish any accomplishment), it is very possible that they are first ascents. The fact that they are facile grade might even make it more likely since a lot of mountaineers would rather climb something more significant if making such an effort to get to a region so unknown and remote. It takes a different kind of mountaineer to go into an almost completely unknown region to climb some peaks that wouldn't be considered to be significant and which wouldn't be considered to be separate peaks. Kudos to mtnkub.

It is pretty hard to prove first ascents of non-highly technical peaks, but it seems that one could be comfortable with claiming possible first ascents with these ones. There are probably hundreds of peaks in that area that haven't been climbed.

At least those are my thoughts.

PS, post pictures!

[cottonmountaineering]

congrats! lets see some photos when you get a chance

[astranko]

For reference to others, their base-camp is:

• 7mi on a road dirt road from a population center (small town/village)
• 90mi from a major population center in Peru (Cuzco, Peru Pop. ~500,000)
• 120mi from another major population center (Juliaca, Peru Pop. ~275,000)
• 250mi from a major metropolitan area (La Paz, Bolivia - Metropolitan area, Pop. 2.2 mil)

To scale that would be analogous to where the Wind River Range is in relation to Salt Lake City or Denver.

There is also a road built to ~17k ft. The road's terminus is 1.6mi and 600ft from the summit of one of the claimed first ascents.

[Ngrage1127]

@cuscomountainguides on Instagram would be a good resource to reach out to regarding potential history on these peaks.

[seano]

Congrats! First ascent or not (and some people here will never believe you), you figured out a peak in a region with little to no beta (Biggar knows his Andes). If it's anything like the Cordillera Negra, another little-explored region with which I am slightly familiar, the peaks often have multiple names, the names appear in different places on different maps, and the roads and trails are accurately known only to the locals.

Especially recently, most westerners are only interested in a handful of "trophy" peaks in Peru, mainly in the Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash, and never bother with "lesser" summits and ranges.

[bdloftin77]

Good work! Could you tell if Pumanota seemed taller than Nevado Jonorane? I was looking at peakbagger and that seemed like the nearby parent with a bit more prominence, though another map showed Jonorane as a bit lower. Not a lot of info about those peaks.

[HokieJim]

It's 0.3 feet taller.

[Scott P]

Of note, several years ago I climbed a peak in Peru with a Peruvian. We started noticing Inca artifcats as we got closer to the summit and then there was a woodpile/cairn/shrine next to the summit boulder with a skeletal arm showing through the rocks. It was definitely an Inca mummy. We didn't get too close as to not distrub the site. My first thought was that we could be the first person up there in modern times since someone in recent years would have reported something this (we certainly reported it) or disturbed the site, but it's also very possible that the site could have been covered with snow or ice until recently since there's a lot less ice snow on the peaks now days than there used to be.

Anyway, this peak we found the mummy on is visible from a distance from a major city so it isn't as remote as some places in the Andes, but the ascent does show two things.

1. There are still a lot of things out there to be discovered.

2. The Incas made ascents of a whole lot of mountains (mummies have been found on many peaks in the Andes).

I don't want to take the thread off a tangent though, but only to point out there is a lot to be discovered out there.

Even if the peaks in the orginal post weren't first ascents (and I still think they could be; at least for the ones farther from the road), they were done with almost zero info (other than some online maps) so the spirit of discovery is still there.

With a little bit of nostalgia, I am a perhaps just little sad that the last regions of the Andes are now mapped. As late as only few decades ago, there were still several areas in the Andes which still weren’t mapped in detail yet (including the area east of these peaks). A lot of regions that did have maps still had large blank spots with the words “Nubes” (clouds) or “Inexplorado” (unexplored) on them. I still have some of those maps.

Keep exploring.