December 1, 2015
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
November 30, 2015
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
August 20, 2015
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
August 19, 2015
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
August 16, 2015
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
August 15, 2015
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
August 13, 2015
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,
August 12, 2015
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
August 11, 2015
Vanessa Blasic called in after the team completed an acclimatization ascent of the 15,413 foot Rucu Pichincha, an active stratovolcano situated above the capital city of Quito Ecuador. The team took a gondola or teleferrique up to the trailhead and climbed through tall, straw-like alpine grass to reach the summit.
