With »Kolibri«, Dani Arnold, Alexander Huber and Simon Gietl succeed in making a first alpine ascent of the east face of Jirishanca (6094 m). We spoke to Simon Gietl about this unique tour:
From 13 to 15 July 2025, Dani Arnold, Alexander Huber and Simon Gietl the first ascent of a new alpine line on Jirishanca (6094 m) in the Cordillera Huayhuash, one of the most striking peaks in the Peruvian Andes. It is nicknamed the "Peruvian Matterhorn." They called the route through the over 1000-meter-high east face "Hummingbird."
Where did the idea for “Kolibri” come from and when did you decide: “We have to climb this line now!”?
Simon: The name Jirishanca translates as "Icy Hummingbird's Beak," hence the name "hummingbird." Alexander had been envisioning the Jirishanca route for several years. In 2023, he and Dani had already climbed the same area, and before their return journey, they briefly climbed to Jirishanca Base Camp to take a closer look at the proposed route.
They decided to come back two years later, and when they asked me in the fall of 2024 if I would like to come along, I didn't have to think twice... nine months later, the three of us were standing at the foot of the mountain!
The capricious mountain
Jirishanca (6.094 m) was the last of the 6.000-meter peaks of the Cordillera Huayhuash to be climbed. It is considered rugged, steep, and difficult to access. Mystical and capricious. For a long time, the east face was considered unclimbable. In 1957, Austrians Toni Egger and Siegfried Jungmair achieved the first ascent via the east ridge, an alpine feat of its time, especially considering the climbing equipment available at the time.
In the decades that followed, mountaineers from all over the world set new routes on the impressive walls. The mountain is steep, glaciated, and technically complex. Many lines require combined skills in ice, rock, and mixed terrain, as well as a sure hand when setting mobile protection.
What was a moment on the wall that you remember most?
Simon: Fortunately, there were far more positive moments than negative ones. When I led a challenging pitch, Alexander said to me, "Bravo, well done!" "Thanks, Alex, I'm doing my best," I replied, and Alexander then said, "This is the best!"
I was truly honored by his words. And when Alexander then said that Dani and I were his best team to date, we could only thank him with a smile!
We had a really cool time, and not just on the mountain. There were hardly any major arguments. Each of us speaks our own dialect, which led to the occasional funny misunderstanding. But on the wall, we all spoke and still speak the same language.
Route & Character
"Kolibri" runs between the French and Italian routes and follows a clear, direct line through the steep east face. The limestone quality is unique: solid, rough, and grippy.
Over 31 pitches (1030 m elevation gain), the tour really tests everything: steep wall passages, partly overhanging slabs with difficult protection, technical climbing up to UIAA 8 and technical aid passages up to A2.
The lower part of the wall is dominated by challenging, often free-climbing passages with wide runouts. The middle section cleverly utilizes the striking ice ramp of the Italian Route, before a direct line of cracks and corners in the upper third leads to the east ridge – following the route of the first ascents, Egger and Jungmair.
Inspection & Conditions
The rope team enjoyed nearly perfect conditions on Jirishanca: stable, dry, and unusually little rock or icefall for this altitude. After two bivouacs on the wall, Arnold, Huber, and Gietl reached the east summit (15 m according to GPS) at 9:15 a.m. on July 6028. They deliberately avoided the main summit, as the snow conditions were too unstable and the objective risk too high. A clear and exemplary decision in the interest of safety.
How much room is there for intuition on a tour like this?
Simon: We can prepare well in advance, gather information, and make concrete plans, but the most important thing in my opinion is still to listen to our gut feeling, so there must always be enough room for intuition. We need to have a plan, but we must also remain flexible. It's easy to manipulate our minds. If you're motivated, you can talk yourself into any situation and always find a reason to keep going. But if you have a bad gut feeling, firstly, that's a warning sign, and secondly, you can't and shouldn't sugarcoat it!
A gift from nature
"Kolibri" is a consistently challenging, serious alpine route that requires climbing skill, alpine experience, and nerves of steel. The protection is minimal: the belays are equipped with 8 mm bolts, and most of the intermediate anchors are mobile—one intermediate bolt was used. The "dream team" of first ascents recommends two sets of friends, wedges, micro-cams, ice screws, and a small set of pitons.
For the rope team, “Kolibri” is more than just a new line:
We found a beautiful and logical line on the best rock. The conditions on the wall itself were ideal, the teamwork was perfect—it was simply a great success. For us, this line is one of the greatest first ascents—a gift from Mother Nature.
»Dream Team« Dani Arnold, Alexander Huber and Simon Gietl
You have described “Kolibri” as one of the great first ascents – what exactly makes this line so special for you compared to your previous tours?
Simon: I generally try to avoid comparing tours or first ascents, as each one is unique! What makes "Kolibri" special is the breathtaking atmosphere, the magnificent bivouac sites, the wall height of over 1000 meters, the rough, rock-solid rock, and all of this between 5000 and 6000 meters!
Facts about the route
- Name: Hummingbird
- Location: Jirishanca (6094 m), east face – Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru
- First ascent: Dani Arnold, Alexander Huber, Simon Gietl
- Date: 13–15 July 2025
- Length: 1030 m
- pitches: 31
- Difficulty: UIAA 8 / A2
- Bivouacs: 2
- Summit: East summit (6028 m GPS)
- safeguarding: Belays with 8 mm bolts; mobile intermediate anchors; one intermediate bolt used
- Recommended Equipment: 2 sets of friends, wedges, micro cams, ice screws, small set of hooks
- rock: compact, grippy high mountain limestone
That might interest you
- “There are moments of doubt” – Alexander Huber on free solo climbing
- Impressive solo first ascent on the northeast pillar of the Wildgall by Simon Gietl
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Credits cover photo: Simon Gietl