1932 German-Austrian Huascarán Sur Historic First Ascent Expedition

Austria🏔️ 1 Peak

Erwin Schneider

Born in Sankt Joachimsthal on April 13, 1906, Erwin Schneider became one of the most prolific high-altitude mountaineers of the twentieth century. In 1928, as a member of the German-Soviet Alay-Pamir Expedition, Schneider summited Lenin Peak (7,134 m) alongside Karl Wien and Eugen Allwein. In 1930, during the International Himalaya Expedition to Kangchenjunga, Schneider summited Jongsong Peak (7,462 m), setting an undisputed world altitude summit record that stood for years. Schneider's greatest lasting legacy lies in high-altitude photogrammetry and mountain cartography. Between 1955 and 1963, Schneider led the Austrian Alpine Club mapping expeditions that created the legendary 'Schneider Map of the Khumbu Himal and Mount Everest', widely regarded by geographers and mountaineers as a masterpiece of cartographic precision.

Germany🏔️ 2 Peaks

Hermann Hoerlin

Born on December 21, 1903, in Bad Nauheim, Germany, Hermann Hoerlin studied physics at the Technical University of Stuttgart, combining a brilliant scientific intellect with elite alpine climbing skills. In 1930, Hoerlin took part in the International Himalayan Expedition to Kangchenjunga and Sikkim led by Günter Oskar Dyhrenfurth, carrying out early cosmic ray experiments and summiting high peaks alongside Erwin Schneider. In 1932, Hoerlin joined Philipp Borchers' expedition to the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. Proving exceptional stamina at extreme altitude, Hoerlin reached the summit of Huascarán Sur (6,768 m) on July 20, 1932, and two weeks later made the first ascent of Chopicalqui (6,354 m) with Schneider and Borchers. Hoerlin also recorded critical photometric and cosmic radiation measurements on the glaciers of Peru. In 1938, having married Kate Schmid (the widow of a Jewish doctor), Hoerlin fled Nazi Germany and emigrated to the United States. He became the director of physics research at Ansco and later a leading group leader at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, specializing in nuclear physics, upper-atmosphere physics, and radiation monitoring. Hoerlin passed away in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1983, celebrated for bridging the worlds of elite mountaineering and frontier atomic science.

Germany🏔️ 2 Peaks

Philipp Borchers

Born on November 7, 1887, in Hannover, Germany, Philipp Borchers was an accomplished alpinist, lawyer, and high-ranking official within the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DÖAV). During the 1920s and 1930s, Borchers became the chief visionary for modern scientific mountaineering beyond Europe. In 1932, he organized and commanded the landmark DÖAV expedition to Peru's uncharted Cordillera Blanca, assembling a world-class team of alpinists and scientists including topographer Erwin Schneider, engineer Wilhelm Bernard, physicist Hermann Hoerlin, cartographer Erwin Hein, and Matterhorn north face conqueror Franz Schmid. Establishing base camps in the Callejón de Huaylas, Borchers directed a methodical campaign that unlocked the glaciated giants of the tropical Andes. On July 20, 1932, Borchers, Schneider, Bernard, Schmid, and Hoerlin made the historic first ascent of Huascarán Sur (6,768 m) via the Garganta route. Weeks later, Borchers reached the virgin summit of Chopicalqui (6,354 m) with Schneider and Hoerlin. Borchers chronicled these epic successes in his classic 1935 book Die Weiße Kordillere, creating the foundation for twentieth-century Andean mountaineering before his death in 1949.

Germany🏔️ 1 Peak

Wilhelm Bernard

Born in Germany, Wilhelm Bernard trained as a mechanical engineer while developing an exceptional reputation for demanding ascents across the Eastern and Western Alps. A seasoned member of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DÖAV), Bernard was selected by Philipp Borchers for the 1932 expedition to the Peruvian Andes specifically for his combined alpine stamina and technical engineering abilities. In Peru, Bernard took charge of establishing high camps, bridging complex crevasses, and securing logistical lines up the shattered western glacier of Nevado Huascarán. On July 20, 1932, after enduring freezing storms and thin air in the Garganta col, Bernard, together with Borchers, Erwin Schneider, Franz Schmid, and Hermann Hoerlin, reached the untouched 6,768-metre summit of Huascarán Sur, solving the greatest mountaineering challenge in South America. Bernard also contributed to surveying unexplored valleys in the Cordillera Blanca and testing early high-altitude camping technology. His pioneering work remains a testament to the methodical engineering spirit that opened the tropical Andes to modern alpinism.