Climbing Ecuadorian Volcanoes – Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Rucu Pinchincha and Fuya Fuya

Climbing Ecuadorian Volcanoes, I climbed with Rainier Mountaineering Inc. (RMI). An American company out of Ashford WA. I climbed Rainier and in Mexico using their services and they are top notch. This time it was their “Ecuador Seminar” climbing trip. A trip like this would be a real pain in the butt, not to mention the time it would take, to coordinate. So a trip like this is great for those reasons, plus you get to climb with professional guides and other like-minded clients.
RMI’s itinerary for this 15-day trip is as follows:
Day 1 – TRAVEL DAY - Most flights arrive in Quito (UIO) in the late evening. Upon your arrival in Quito, a taxi ride takes you to our hotel.
Day 2 - QUITO TOUR - We meet in the hotel lobby for an orientation meeting and our first team breakfast. The day is spent exploring colonial Quito with a local tour guide. We visit Independence Square, the church of la Compania (1605), and the church and monastery of San Francisco (1535). We will also travel 15 miles north of Quito to the Equatorial Line where we can jump from the northern to the southern hemisphere.
Day 3 - ACCLIMATIZE RUCU PICHINCHA - After breakfast, we take a short drive from Quito to the teleférico (gondola) which will carry us to approximately 13,000’. From there we stretch our legs and lungs with an acclimatization hike on Rucu Pichincha.
Day 4 - ACCLIMATIZE CERRO FUYA FUYA (14,039' | 4,279M) - Leaving Quito we travel north toward the town of Tabacundo. As the cobblestone streets end we make our way to the trailhead of Cerro Fuya Fuya. The trail takes us through knee-high grass vegetation and achupallas (andean tall pineapples). The trail ends at the saddle between Fuya Fuya's two summits. We continue on toward the eastern summit which includes an easy scramble. We return to the vehicle and transfer to Otavalo where we spend a relaxing evening at La Casa Sol.
Day 5 - RUALES OLEAS BERGÉ CLIMBERS' HUT • 15,300' | 4,663M - We visit the Otavalo Market to experience the local culture, purchase fresh snacks and souvenirs. In the afternoon, we drive to the hut at the base of Cayambe.
Day 6 - CLIMBER'S REVIEW • 15,300' | 4,663M - In the morning we hike out to the toe of the glacier to focus on reviewing basic mountaineering skills and techniques. We use the remainder of the day to learn knots and other rope skills back at the hut.
Day 7 - SUMMIT DAY CAYAMBE (18,997' | 5,790M) - With an early alpine start for the summit, our route begins by climbing through some low rock outcroppings before stepping onto a spectacularly crevassed glacier. Once on the glacier, the route climbs directly to the upper reaches of the mountain, where a challenging final push to the summit awaits us. We return to the hut and transfer to Guachalá, the oldest hacienda in Ecuador, where we spend the night.
Day 8 - TAMBOPAXI - After breakfast, we drive to the Tambopaxi Lodge where we practice crevasse rescue.
Day 9 – JOSE RIBAS REFUGIO • 16,000' | 4,877M - Today is for training learning and risk and ways to mitigate those risks in the mountains. We also spent some time preparing for our summit attempt.
Day 10 - SUMMIT DAY COTOPAXI (19,348' | 5,897M) - With an early alpine start we make our summit attempt, we use the first hour to approach the glacier. The ascent then weaves through impressive crevasse fields before ascending the final steep slopes to the summit. After celebrating on the summit, we descend back to the hut. Upon reaching the vehicles, we leave the mountains and travel to Hacienda La Cienega, one of the oldest colonial properties in Ecuador, where we spend the night. Climbing time is approximately 10 - 12 hours.
Day 11 - TRAVEL TO CHIMBORAZO - After breakfast, we drive south towards Chimborazo. We check into Estrella de Chimborazo and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.
Day 12 - CHIMBORAZO HIGH CAMP - A short drive takes us to the Carrel Hut where we grab our packs and gear and begin a two-and-a-half-hour walk to our high camp, Stübel Camp. Once at high camp, we spent time preparing for our summit attempt.
Day 13 - SUMMIT DAY CHIMBORAZO (20,561' | 6,267M) - With an early alpine start for the summit, our route climbs towards the west-northwest to reach the base of a rock formation called "El Castillo" (The Castle). The route continues along the western ridge until we reach the Veintimilla summit.
Day 14 - RETURN TO QUITO - After several long days of climbing, we enjoy a leisurely morning before returning to Quito for our celebration dinner. Overnight at Hotel Mercure Alameda in Quito.

Routes:
Rucu Pinchincha: The normal route
Cayambe: The normal route
Chimborazo: Ruta arista de El Castillo (the Castle ridge route).

Links: RMI: https://www.rmiguides.com Ecuador Seminar: https://www.rmiguides.com/ecuador-sem...

Outro - "Corncob" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
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