Ecuador Mountaineering School

Our expedition begins in Ecuador’s capital of Quito. The city, surrounded by 4 glaciated peaks, sits at 9,500 feet (2,896 meters), so your acclimatization begins immediately upon arrival. We spend the first day exploring the old colonial center of Quito and enjoying fantastic food and hospitality. We continue our acclimatization, now taking our classroom to the field by riding the local telepherique to 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) on Rucu Pinchincha, and then hiking to the 15,700 foot (4,785 meter)summit. If conditions allow, we will take a technical knife-edge rock ridge to this summit, learning about rock technique and the use of fixed lines.

From there we move to a luxurious refuge high in Cotopaxi National Park. A former chef from the Galapagos along with a Swiss guide opened the refuge, called Tambopaxi, and there is no better place to acclimatize while enjoying incredible food and stunning views of Cotopaxi. Based out of this refuge, we spend an entire day discussing and practicing climbing skills on Cotopaxi’s glacier. This day is essential in becoming a competent team-member on Cotopaxi and other peaks in the future. We practice crampon and ice axe techniques, traveling on a rope team, snow and ice anchor placement, and crevasse rescue.

At this point, we are ready to utilize our new skills on our climb. We move from Tambopaxi to the refuge just below the glacier. While not as luxurious as Tambopaxi, it significantly shortens our summit push. We wake at around midnight for the climb, which might take 7-12 hours round trip. The views from the summit are always stunning, and encompass many of the surrounding volcanoes, as well as the active crater of Cotopaxi itself.

After descending from the peak, we head to the market town of Otovalo for some much needed pampering. On Saturdays, the day we will be there, Otovalo holds one of the largest indigenous markets in South America. The shopping for friends back at home is incredible, as are the opportunities to explore the local Otovalan culture. And, since we are based out of the garden paradise of our friends Frank and Margaret, it is also an ideal place to rest and recover from our climb.

Heading home after Otovalo is one option, however, we encourage those who have the time, to stay for summit attempts on Cayambe and Chimborazo, where you will be able to build on and test all of the training you’ve done leading up to here. Cayambe, 18,997 feet (5,790 meters), sits near the town of Otovalo and is heavily glaciated. The route is longer than Cotopaxi, and is an excellent place to continue building comfort with crampon and ice axe techniques. Chimborazo, with a summit at 20,703 feet (6,310 meters), is the tallest peak in Ecuador, and considerably taller than any peak in North America. Its altitude, the length of the summit day, its technical challenges, and the skills you’ve learned to get there, make it a perfect final peak of the trip, and excellent preparation for big mountains anywhere in the world.

Our Ecuador Mountaineering Schools are guided by one or more of Alpenglow’s AMGA certified lead guides. AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) certification is the highest possible training available to guides, and only the most experienced and dedicated attain it. Our lead guides have also traveled and climbed extensively in South America and know the Ecuadorian volcanoes intimately. Their knowledge of Andean culture as well as the mountains, combined with their passion for teaching others to become competent mountaineers, guarantees that your experience will be one to remember!