Alpamayo, Mountain summit in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.

Alpamayo is a mountain in the Cordillera Blanca with a height of 5,947 meters and a distinctive pyramidal shape. Its south and southwest faces are covered with snow and ice, which give the peak its characteristic appearance.

A French-Belgian expedition including George and Claude Kogan claimed the first ascent in 1951, but a German team led by G. Hauser, F. Knauss, B. Huhn and H. Wiedmann reached the summit via the north ridge in 1957, the first confirmed ascent. In 1966 the magazine Alpinismus ranked Alpamayo the most beautiful mountain in the world.

The peak's name comes from the hamlet of Alpamayo, from Quechua allpa (earth) and mayu (river). Its Ancash Quechua name, Shuyturaju, means oblong snow mountain, describing the slim, elongated summit seen from the Alpamayo valley.

The south face is the preferred climbing route and requires advanced ice climbing skills and specialized mountaineering gear. Climbers should be prepared for high-altitude conditions and rapidly changing weather patterns at this elevation.

The 1966 Alpinismus contest in Munich judged photographs of 47 mountains; Alpamayo won the most votes, ahead of K2, the Matterhorn, Fitz Roy and Mont Blanc. The Peruvian climber César Morales Arnao had submitted the images on behalf of his country.