The team is at the Whymper Hut on the flank of Chimborazo. The weather is clear and they are excited to attempt the summit tonight!
Here is Seba, calling in from the hut:
At 20,564′ (6268m), Chimborazo was long thought to be the highest peak on the planet. The summit is actually the farthest point you can get from the center of the earth, due to the earth being somewhat … thick around the middle.
The Whymper Hut on Chimborazo. The hut is named after the British climber, Edward Whymper, who made the first ascent of Chimborazo with Louis and Jean-Antoine Carrel in 1880.
The team will select a rout tot he top based on what conditions look like this afternoon and evening. There are a couple of options, but in general, most teams climb up a trail through some scree fields and under the remnant of a dying glacier. Switchbacking up some steeper slopes lead them to the long glaciated slope that forms the left skyline of the peak in the photo below. After gaining the glaciated shoulder, it’s just 1000 meters of 35 degree snow and ice to the summit! (translation- ONE BIG DAY!).
Looking up towards the summit from the Whymper Hut. The route climbs under the rocky bands and zig zags up to gain the low point of the skyline ridge.
Let’s hope that the weather cooperates and that the team has a clear, beautiful day to climb to the summit!
