"Kolibri" - New route on the Jirishanca (Peru)

8 / A2, 31 SL, 1030 m | First ascent by Simon Gietl, Alexander Huber & Dani Arnold from July 13-15, 2025

Alexander Huber, Simon Gietl and Dani Arnold open a new route through the east face of Jirishanca (6094 m) in the Cordillera Huayhuash, one of the most striking and steepest walls in the Andes. The line with its 31 pitches at an altitude of 1030 meters bears the name "Kolibri". The character: steep, technically demanding climbing in compact limestone, combined with alpine seriousness and a classic choice of lines.

Course of the wall and character
"Kolibri" runs between the French and Italian routes. The route begins in the lower section of the wall with slabby, sometimes overhanging passages that are often difficult to belay. This is dominated by technically demanding pitches with runouts in places that must be free-climbed up to grade 8 and occasional technical passages up to A2. The quality of the limestone is unique: firm, rough, grippy - a rock that you won't find anywhere else at an altitude of more than 5000 meters. The middle section of the new route first follows the striking ice ramp of the Italienerführe, before following a direct line of cracks and intersections in the upper part of the wall up to the steep east ridge - the route of the first ascent (Egger/Jungmair, 1957).

Conditions and ascent
The weather for the first ascent proved to be almost ideal: not too cold for the demanding climbing and at the same time not too warm, so that the risk of falling rocks and ice remained low. The wall was dry and stable, which allowed for a quick and safe ascent.
After two bivouacs on the wall, Arnold, Huber and Gietl reached the east summit (GPS: 6028 m) at 9:15 am on July 15. The team did not attempt the main summit due to very poor snow conditions and high objective risk - a clear safety-based decision.

Comment from the rope team
"We found a beautiful and logical line in the best rock. The conditions on the wall itself were ideal, the teamwork was perfect - simply a well-rounded experience. Even though we didn't reach the main summit, it was one of the great first ascents for us!"

Conclusion
"Kolibri" is a serious new alpine tour that demands high technical standards and alpine experience. The route is characterized by clear, elegant lines, excellent rock and a varied wall structure - highly demanding wall climbing in the lower part, followed by classic crack climbing in the upper part of the wall up to the east ridge, which is characterized by snow and ice. The protection is highly demanding in places, wedges, friends and micro-cams are essential.

Route data
Name: Kolibri
Location: Jirishanca, east face, Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru
First ascent: Alexander Huber, Simon Gietl and Dani Arnold'
Date: 13-15. July 2025
Length: 1030 m
Pitch lengths: 31
Difficulty: 8 / A2
Bivouacs: 2
Summit: Ascent to the east summit (6028 m according to GPS), main summit not climbed
Protection: Belays were set up with 8 mm bolts, the pitches themselves are secured with mobile protection except for an intermediate bolt - 2 sets of friends, wedges and ice screws required. In addition, a small set of bolts - that's never a bad thing.
Rock: best high mountain limestone - compact, grippy and demanding in terms of climbing technique