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CLIMBING EXPEDITIONS
A major part of the Ecuadorian territory is mountainous with the Andes
range running through it and dividing the tropical rainforest
basin of the Amazon from the coastal plains (for more info and maps,
click to info.country.sierra). The Andes are a relatively young mountain range and almost all major
peaks are of volcanic origin (for more info, click to information.volcano). Ecuador boasts of 10 peaks over 5000m with Chimborazo, the
highest one at almost 6300m and numerous summits over 4000m. The Ecuadorian
Andes are divided in the Eastern and Western Cordilleras,
which run close to each other and are separated by valleys of no more
than 15km across. They are mostly smooth and grass covered with volcanoes
rising separately out of them and standing alone by themselves (for
pictures, click to the
mountain.section
of Ecuador- Images.net).
Permanent ice starts presently at around 5000m but unfortunately, glacier are
melting each year more and losing much of its permanent ice cover (500
years ago ice began at lower than 4500m).
In our climbing programs we offer a good mixture of
mountains for beginners to advanced climbers with various degrees of technical difficulties.
The Ilinizas boast of two peaks with the northern one, called
Iliniza Norte, a ice free peak over 5000m. This climb is perfect for
people, who like to ascend over that limit but prefer to do it on trails
without necessity of ice-climbing gear. Most of the time it is a
straightforward hike up to the top but sometimes under adverse conditions
like strong wind, ice rain or too much snow, it becomes difficult and
dangerous. Carihuairazo, although being
only a little bit higher than Iliniza Norte, has permanent ice but is an
easier climb. It is also called the sister mountain of Chimborazo as it is
just north of it. We have a combined climb in the program as it is a perfect peak to attempt before
attempting to ascend
Ecuador's highest mountain.
Cotopaxi
is Ecuador's most popular climb and technically easy under normal
conditions. Therefore a great altitude climb of around 5900m to be tried by
less experienced climbers.
But also here be aware that conditions change quickly in the high Andes
and easy climbs become difficult ones within minutes.
More technical advanced climbs are
Iliniza Sur, the peak next to Iliniza Norte, with a steeper and
challenging glacier.
Cayambe
and
Antisana,
Ecuador's third and fourth highest mountains at around 5700m
are also more for experienced climbers with a tendency of bad weather and
strong winds as they are affected by weather patterns from the Amazon.
Chimborazo is the
nation's roof and the only one reaching over 6000m. Continous fallout of
ashes from Tungurahua volcano deteriorated its ice fields and made for a
more difficult ascent as it used to be before Tungurahua's activity
increased.
Altar
is only for the most advanced of you as it is a very demanding
technically climb, combining steep rock faces with ice fields.
Apart from those individual climbs, we have three climbing expeditions
for you, where apart from crowning those peaks we also offer a
well-planned
acclimatization program. Getting physically and psychologically adjusted to
the altitudes, is the most important part of climbing here. In those
excursions we take that into account and tried to integrate that according
to our experiences.
Our
Combo "A"
is for beginners with the final goal of climbing Cotopaxi. This is for you,
who have never been on glaciers before but are in good physical conditions
and have the will to succeed. For intermediate climbers we have the
Combo "B",
where apart from trying to crown Cotopaxi we also attempt Chimborazo.
Last
but for sure not least, our Combo "C"
is for intermediate and advanced climbers, who like an excursion
challenging their ability and stamina.
All those tours (click for pictures)
start in Quito and end there again and are accompanied and guided by
Ecuadorian professional mountain guides, who are trained in rescue and all other aspects
of mountain climbing. They are all members and certified by ASEGUIM,
Ecuador's association of mountain guides.
We also carry on those excursions modern communications, like two-way radio and/or cellular telephones with us in case of
emergencies.
We offer those tours for 4 to 10 people and the prices stated on
the following pages are prices per person for those group sizes. For
groups of more or less participants contact us also and we will try to set
something up for you.
In the price of the tours are included all the transport from Quito to the
mountains and back, all the refuge and hotel stays, the food provisions while climbing and
of course guiding. The usual ratio on the glaciers is one guide for
two climbers, extending it in some cases to three climbers.
Not included are your personal climbing
gear (list of recommended
equipment), which by the way can be rented in Quito at reasonable
prices,
national park entrance fees and food while not in the mountains
(wherever there is access to local
restaurants).
WARNING: Most of the climbs are easy and suited even to beginners but
proper
acclimatization is needed due to the high altitude of the
climbs. In case that you are afflicted by altitude sickness
on a climb or you are physically exhausted,
there will be no refund. The same is true if the climb
is cancelled due to adverse weather or snow conditions, which can happen any time of the year with
the months of April and May, the least dependable. So be aware that the climbs, especially
those on the glacier, are a gamble on your part and no guarantees of
success can be given. Also please fully understand that
high altitude climbing contains
significant inherent risks to you and in the event of any
accident or death, no liability is accepted or entertained by us.
Also no insurance is available in Ecuador for those activities and you
should get an appropiate one in your own country which covers all the
costs of rescue, hospital stays, death, etc...
For more detailed information on altitude sickness, risks and adverse weather,
click to our page of
tour.climbing.equipment.htm, where you find it
below the list of recommended equipment.
Climbing Tours outside of Ecuador:
On request by former clients who asked for climbs in other countries, we
also offer now Andes climbing expeditions in other South American countries. In
Argentina, we have the mighty Aconcagua,
at 6960m the highest peak on the American continent, in our climbing
program. In neighboring western Chile, we climb to the top of the
highest volcano in the world,
Ojos
del Salado at 6880m,
which also represents the highest peak of that country. If
you like to tackle both giants, look up our
Dos Maxima
expedition. Peru offers many challenging ascensions in the Cordillera
Blanca with 30 peaks of over 6000m. We offer two excursions there,
the easier Ishinca 2-week climbing
tour, where we climb
three peaks located in the Ishinca valley including a 6000m peak,
Tocllarajua, and the more difficult 3-week long
Huascaran expedition where apart from the highest peak of Peru at 6768m,
we also attempt to summit Nevado Pisco and Chopicalqui. Finally we put together two climbing programs, called
Andes
I and
Andes II combining ascensions in Ecuador and other South
American countries.
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PICTURES
M1 Cotopaxi
M2 Chimborazo
M3 Cayambe
M4 Ilinizas
M5 Carihuairazo
M6 Antisana
M7 Altar
M8
Combo
"A"
M9 Combo
"B"
M10 Combo
"C"
Climbing
M11 Aconcagua
M12
Ojos del Salado
M13 Dos Maxima
M14 Ishinca
M15 Huascaran
M16 Andes I
M17
Andes II
PICTURES
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