A very poor connection prevented a lot of information from being relayed, but our Ecuador Volcanoes team of Alan Frankl and Phil McDonald just climbed two extinct volcanoes, Fuya Fuya (4.263 m/13,986 ft) and Imbabura(4.630 m/15,190 ft) as they acclimatize for an attempt on the third highest peak in the country, Cayambe. Pablo Puruncajas, a native…
Our guide Fermin called from the site of the team’s second camp on their hike into Base Camp on Aconcagua. This camp is called “Casa de Piedra” (House of Stone) for an old hut that had been erected out of (you guessed it!) stone, under a large boulder. The camp is located just above the…
Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America, and also holds the distinction of being the highest peak outside of Asia. Located on the border of Chile and Argentina, the second highest of the famed Seven Summits is a challenge that is accessible to many mountaineers. The mountain has many routes and the route we…
Vanessa called in after the team turned back from their attempt at climbing Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador. She referenced conditions not feeling safe and what she was referring to was the amount and intensity of the rockfall hazard that threatens the lower part of the route. Not too long ago, there was a…
Vanessa called in from a very nice lodge on the flank of Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo. They drove up from the nearby city of Riobamba and spent today resting and acclimatizing before tonight’s attempt to climb Chimborazo. The plan is to start at about 10 pm this evening and climb through the night, so as…
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We had to look for another climb for today after our original objective, the volcano Cotopaxi, decided to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years. Luckily, Ecuador has many volcanoes to choose from, and we were able to shift gears and climb an extinct volcano, Corazon (15,600ft). It was a…
On Thursday we drove from Quito up to the hut at the base of Cayambe, a beautiful volcano covered in glaciers and snow rising to 18,996 ft in the central Andes of Ecuador. The weather was beautiful and we had great views of the mountain as we drove up the rugged 4wd road 1.5 hours…
Vanessa Blasic called in, utilizing her ever-growing Spanish skills, to report that the team is at the hut on the flank of the 18,997 foot Cayambe Volcano. They will sleep for a few hours before awakening before midnight to start their ascent. The weather looks a bit challenging, but hopefully, the winds will abate somewhat…
Vanessa called in again this evening, this time from a climber’s hut situated at near 4500m on the flank of the peak they climbed today, the 15,700′ Guagua Pichincha. The goal of the past two days has been to build as solid a platrom of acclimatization as possible, so that they will be well prepared…