Yerupajá

At 21,709 feet, Nevado Yerupajá stands in second place (6,617 m). It is located in the same department (Ancash) as Huascarán, although it is part of the Cordillera Huayhuash. Yerupajá is not for the faint of heart. Even the most experienced mountaineers will find it challenging to climb due to its trademark knife-edge summit ridge. It is "one of the hardest high peaks to climb in the Andes," according to www.andes.org.uk, with only a handful successful ascents since the mid 1980s. Locals call it El Carnicero ("The Butcher") because of its blade look and difficult ascent.

Climbers usually arrive in Yerupajá via Huaraz, then Chiquian or Jahuacocha. Jim Maxwell and Dave Harrah, two American climbers, achieved the first successful ascent of Yerupajá in 1950.

Location: the Cordillera Huayhuash

Elevation: 6,617 m

Range: the Andes