Chopicalqui is the fourth-highest peak in the range and shares its approach with Pisco from the Llanganuco valley. From the road a trail climbs to a base camp in the quebrada, then to a moraine camp around 4,900 m and a high camp on the col of the southwest ridge at roughly 5,400 to 5,600 m.
Summit day follows the undulating ridge through crevasse fields and short ice cliffs. Below the top the crux arrives: a steep snow slope of around 60 to 70 degrees and, in most seasons, a short wall that can approach vertical. The ridge narrows toward the summit and the exposure is considerable. The descent reverses the route with downclimbing and a few abseils.
The effort is repaid by a summit perched directly beside the twin tops of Huascarán, with Huandoy, Pisco and Chacraraju filling the opposite skyline.
