1st ascent. North East Buttress of Huantsan Sur (5919m), Death or Glory, ED, 1000m 25th / 27th June 2006, Peru.
Matt together with Nick Bullock climbed the North East Buttress of Huantsan Sur (5919m) in Peru's Cordillera Blanca. Until the British pair arrived, there were only two routes in the Quebrada Alhuina Valley approached from the quiet town of Chavin.
Their intended line had been a splitter couloir between Huantsan Sur and Huantsan Oeste (6270m) but unsettled weather made the line unfavourable so chose instead, the North East Buttress. The 1000m route was split into three sections, the first being loose rock which was soloed. The middle section of the climb proved the most testing as they sneaked and sprinted around countless seracs.
"massive umbrellas of wind-blown, icicle-encrusted overhangs loomed at the top of the runnels we ran and in the afternoon, the sun shone."
After a tense night in the line of a huge serac, they climbed the upper third of the route following ice runnels which led to the upper snow slopes and finally the summit.