u/Etinarcadiaego1138

Hey all. Long time lurker, first real post. I am a climber based in Denmark and next summer a friend and I are finally going to Peru for our biggest objective so far, so I would really value hearing from anyone who has spent proper time in the Cordillera Blanca.
A bit about me so the advice lands where it is useful. I have been to altitude a handful of times. I climbed Mera Peak (6,476m) in Nepal and Ojos del Salado (6,893m) in Chile, so I am comfortable with big snow slopes and the slow grind of thin air, but neither of those is technical. This June I am doing Gran Paradiso as a warm up and to get more hours in crampons before Peru.
The trip is a guided 19 day program running 20 July to 7 August 2026. There are two of us climbing, and we are bringing a certified lead guide plus a second assistant guide. The reason for two guides is redundancy on summit day. If one of us wakes up feeling rough and has to turn around, the assistant guide can take that person back down safely while the other still gets a proper shot at the summit with the lead guide. Felt worth the extra cost rather than have one person ruin it for both. Rough shape of the program:
20 to 25 July: acclimatization from Huaraz, Laguna Huilcacocha, Churup, Laguna 69, then Pico Mateo at 5,150m, plus a rest day
26 to 30 July: a mountaineering course on the Vallunaraju glacier, then the Vallunaraju summit at 5,688m
1 to 6 August: Chopicalqui, base camp, moraine camp, high camp at 5,400m, summit day on the 4th with a spare weather day built in before we descend
Gear wise I am sorted with La Sportiva G2 Evo boots, harness, helmet, a walking ice axe, Petzl Lynx crampons and Petzl Quark tools. Skills are the usual stuff, cramponing, ice axe arrest, moving on fixed lines, basic crevasse rescue and glacier travel.
What I would genuinely love input on from people who have been there:
How are conditions on Chopicalqui in early August in a normal year? I keep reading about the upper ridge and the corniced section near the top and I want a realistic picture rather than the glossy operator version.
Is Vallunaraju actually a good warm up for Chopicalqui, or is the step up still significant?
Does that acclimatization profile look solid to you, or is there a weak spot you would tweak?
Anything about the Chopicalqui high camp or summit day that surprised you or that you wish someone had told you beforehand.
On the G2 Evo, is that overkill for the range or did you appreciate the warmth on the early starts? Curious what people actually climbed in.
Any local feel for how stable the dry season window really is in late July and early August.
Longer term I am working toward Himlung Himal and eventually Manaslu, so if anyone spots a gap in my prep that matters for the bigger picture I am all ears.
Thanks a lot in advance. Happy to answer anything, and I will report back after the trip.