by Mike Marolt

The Goal. photo: Steve Marolt

Walking to Base Camp.
photo: Steve Marolt

May 23. Jim Gile, my brother Steve Marolt and myself arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, after a nine-hour flight to climb and ski Bolivia’s highest peak—the 21,600’ Sajama. Although our objective was primarily a training expedition for our second attempt at skiing Mount Everest, this 10,000-year-old extinct volcano, which sits as the jewel of the Cordillera Occidental range in the Puna De Atacoma desert, is a perfect fix for high altitude skiing junkies like us.

For the record, Sajama was successfully skied in 2001, by a Slovenian team, as well as ridden by snowboarder John Griber in 2002.
Given our time and budget, this trip down south was ideal as Bolivia does not charge peak fees, and has generally inexpensive prices for just about all else we needed. We started by hiring the guys at Bolivian Adventure Tours as we had used them for a trip back in 1996. They know the routine of travel to the mountains well and provided us with transportation for the four-hour drive to the trail-head, as well as a base camp guardian and cook.

We used mules to pack our gear up the three-hour trail to just under 14,000’, where we set up base camp. We based a couple of miles from the route, as the only water source is a small spring off the mountain.
Camp at trail head where we loaded
the mules. photo: Steve Marolt

Mike Marolt rolling into high camp.
photo: Steve Marolt		    The next day we hauled gear to a high camp at 18,000’. The first part of the route is a monster. Steep scree for the first half and steep snow and ice into high camp. After caching our gear, we were able to ski in and out of the ice from high camp back to the scree where we down climbed to base camp. Being un-acclimatized, we used the next day for rest before heading out on the summit bid.

   Summit day included the three-hour climb to high camp and the remainder of the day to rest before an alpine start at 3:00 a.m. the next morning. We had originally planned to relax in the area and acclimatize either on Sajama or one of its neighbors, but due to a transportation strike in
La Paz, we were told by our operator that we had to be back at the hotel no later than the end of the day on Monday. This forced us to jam a summit day and clean the mountain, as well as get back to the jeep and La Paz in the same day. It was tight and uncomfortable, but that is what it can be like in Bolivia. So we arrived at high camp and readied ourselves for the summit bid, and tried to forget about the long day that lay ahead of us.

   The night was clear and cold, but unusually calm. We set off on schedule with no hitches. After the first initial climb, a 700’ stretch of very steep ice, the route laid back a bit, and the snow stretched before us in a hard but skiable line that empowered us to get to the summit, so that the real fun could begin.
Jim and Steve going up.
photo: Steve Marolt

On the summit. photo: Jim Gile		 After five hours of climbing, we found ourselves on the summit plateau  under bright clear, calm skies. It was the perfect summit day. We took photos, refueled with some food and clicked into our skis.

   With wobbly legs from a hurried ascent and altitude that we could respect, we pushed off the summit. The snow was hard and smooth. Sajama had experienced an extremely low snow season, and the sastrugi formations had been polished to a smoother snow that offered some of the best high altitude skiing we have ever had.
The slope off the summit is gentle and slowly turns steeper as you approach the pyramid of the natural volcanic shape of the mountain. We enjoyed turn after turn, and huff after huff, of what we had traveled so far for. To be skiing more than 7,000’ off the desert floor at over 21,000’ above sea level was incredible; the views, spectacular. Sajama delivered a day of climbing and skiing that we will not soon forget.
Mike Skiing off the summit. photo: Steve Marolt

Steve Marolt Skiing. photo: Jim Gile		    Nine days after we left our homes, we found ourselves back where we started. Only we had returned enriched with the experience of climbing and skiing a 21,600’ peak. For anyone on a budget of time and money, this trip is a must. It just doesn’t get any better.


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