Originating in Scotland, rock climbing soon became one of the most popular adventure sports at the end of the past century. The climber’s ultimate goal is not simply to reach the top but to do so in a particular way. Following the right route, rather than a means to achieve a final destination, has always been the ultimate goal of the climber’s endeavors. Time and technology have drastically improved the equipment and safety devices needed for this sport and made possible more and better ascents.

Rock climbing started its swift rise in popularity in the 1960s when the polished granite mountains of California became a sort of Mecca for extreme sports lovers. A decade later, the sport arrived in Peru, a land filled with ideal sites for the sport, in particular in the mountains of Lima, Cajamarca and Pasco.

Given the many factors that determine the complexity of a route like soil type, slope and length, it is hard to put together a classification for all the possible destinations. However, the Yosemite Decimal System is widely recognized as a classification that takes into account various levels of difficulty ranked from 5.0 to 5.14. As the level of difficulty rises above 5.10, the ranking adds letters from A to D to the decimal score. Thus, the most difficult ascent in the world –a cliff in southern Germany– is rated 5.14D, while Peru’s most difficult climb, the Canchacalla route, is rated 5.12D.

Additionally, the routes are classified by risk. GP paths are open to all climbers; R paths are restricted and involve the risk of serious injury; climbs given an X rating imply a death risk while a double X ascent carries a death risk for climbers and their teams. Many walls in the narrow Rímac canyon in Lima or the polished rock walls in Tinajani in Puno are typical R- and X-rated climbs.

Other than man-made climbing walls built in concrete that have become increasingly popular attractions in bars and adventure sports festivals, there are some particularly apt places throughout Peru to practice outdoors rockwall climbing. The outskirts of Lima for one are full of ideal spots for rock climbing. For instance, the walls of Camacho are in the outskirts of Lima, in the neighborhood of La Molina. Further east lies Vichuya in the Lurín Valley. The Rímac river valley has its own spots like Canchacalla, 46 km east of Lima along the Central Highway, where rock climbing courses have been taught for several years. Also in Lima, Infiernillo –literally Little Hell– at kilometer 67 along the same road, lies within easy reach and is one of the most demanding walls for rock climbers.

Down the coast, along the South Pan-American Highway, are the sedimentary rock cliffs at Bikini (45 km south of Lima), La Tiza (60 km), and Paracas (250 km to the south). All overlook the Pacific Ocean, where waves crash against the cliffs, adding a touch of danger to an already risky sport. In the Andes, Cumbemayo in the outskirts of Cajamarca, the Tinajani rock forest in Ayaviri, Puno; the Llanganuco glacier walls in Ancash, and the stone formations in the Huayllay sanctuary in Pasco are all ideal spots for rockwall climbing.