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Shaqsha is very easily accessible (only 2h driving from Huaraz) and offers beautiful technical climbs in a pristine valley where you'll rarely encounter another human being. However, the low altitude means that conditions must be good to climb these slopes safely, but this place, home to wild vicunias, is definitely worth a trip.
From the village of Olleros, you can take a 4×4 to the water basin. From there, a 5.1 km walk will takes you to Base Camp (4660m), where a small stream provides water. There is no path or markings towards base camp. The mule drivers know the way.
From Base Camp, climb to the rocky slabs. Follow the cairns that head west to find a path along the left side of the rocky tower. Behind this tower lies High Camp, with views of the south and west flanks. From here, you have direct access to the glacier. In total 2,3 km
The first section is over easy glacier terrain. Just before the south face, turn left to traverse beneath the hanging glaciers of the west flank.
From 5200m, navigating between the glaciers becomes more difficult.
150m further on, there are shorter, steeper sections to negotiate Serac with larger crevasses. At 5560m, there is a traverse to reach below the summit ridge.
The last 120m forms a direct line to the summit.
Same way down. On descent, the snow conditions deteriorated, with few safety options and the danger of collapsing snow bridges.
6 snow stakes,
2×60 m ropes,
6 ice screws,
Prussik slings
The snow quality requires snow stakes – dead man. There are few opportunities to use ice screws.
From an old picture hanging near the entrance of an outdoor shop in Huaraz, we found a description of 2 routes on Shaqsha main summit (west flank) and 2 routes towards the South Summit. The glaciers are getting smaller and the routes are getting steeper so the quotation on the old paper is no longer correct.
Pick a date to see who is going
Source: camptocamp.org · text under CC BY-SA 4.0