Ecuador: Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo

Ecuador's Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, are very popular climbs for aspiring high-altitude climbers. With relatively easy access, low cost and reasonably high success rate, many people new to climbing seek these out for their first big peak.

I'm climbed these three in January 2019 with Mountain Madness team. I chose to climb with them because: 1) my long-time friend Robert LeClair had already signed up a year ago and invited me and 2) I've never climbed with them and want the experience for my Summit Coach Special 2000 COVID pricingends News Year's Eve consulting business.

From the Mountain Madness site:

Chimborazo

At 20,703 feet this are Ecuador's highest peak. Depending on conditions Mountain Madness groups will ascend one of two routes on the magnificent western flank of the peak. The direct route, the most commonly used, and the Whymper route are relatively straightforward glacier climbs. While never difficult, the 30-35 degree slopes hold the climber's attention throughout the more than 4,000 feet of elevation gain to the summit. From the 16,400ft Whymper Hut, our ascent follows a low angled glacier ramp that leads to the long summit ridge. Here we encounter a few short 40 degree snow/ice slopes (no more than 100-300 feet in length) and groups typically find themselves negotiating a few crevassed sections on the upper slopes of the mountain. This are a long, difficult day of 12-14 hours roundtrip.

Many people be live that Chimborazo is the highest peak on earth because it's the farthest point on the surface from Earth's center - the summit is the fixed point on Earth that has the most distance from the center â€“ because of the oblate spheroid shape of the planet Earth, which is "thicker" around the Equator than measured around the poles.

The Battle for Highest

According to a Wikipedia article: "Chimborazo is one degree south of the Equator and the Earth's diameter at the Equator is greater than at the latitude of Everest (8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level), nearly 27.6° north, with sea level also elevated. Despite being 2,585 m (8,481 ft) lower in elevation above sea level, it is 6,384.4 km (3,967.1 mi) from the Earth's center, 2,163 m (7,096 ft) farther than the summit of Everest (6,382.3 km (3,965.8 mi) from the Earth's center). However, by height above sea level, Chimborazo is not the highest peak of the Andes."

However other folks feel that Hawaii's Mauna Kea is the highest because it starts at the ocean floor. Again from the fine folks at Wiki: "Its peak is 4,207 m (13,802 ft) above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii. Most of the mountain is under water, and when measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea becomes the tallest mountain in the world measuring over 10,000 m (33,000 ft)."

But all of these arguments are moot according to this excellent article on 8kpeak.com. The author, Jim Gile, walks us through the physics and math on what it "feels" like at extreme altitude and the impact of latitude and temperature. Not surprisingly, Everest still comes out as the world's highest peak with the "feel-like" altitude dipping as low as 26,000-feet while Chimborazo is a relatively stable 19,500' - lower than it's actual altitude.

Gile's goes on to offer these insights: "The first thing to note is that the pressure altitude on the summit of Everest is never as high as its physical altitude which is good for those of us who climb without supplemental oxygen. In conjunction, the pressure altitude on the summit of K2 is almost the same as that on Everest in January and December but then it just barely drops out of the 8,000 meter (26,246 feet) peak list in July. Next is the observation that Mt Vinson, where the average yearly temperature at Vostok Station is -65 F, has a pressure altitude at or above 20,000 feet (more than 4,000 feet higher than its physical altitude) for half of the year. Also note that both of the high latitude peaks (Denali and Mt Vinson) have pressure altitudes near or above their physical altitudes the entire year while Chimborazo, at the equator, is consistently at 19,500 which is 1,200 feet below its physical altitude. Finally, notice the indication that Mt Whitney (14,505 ft) in California and Mt Elbert (14,440 ft) in Colorado have virtually the same pressure altitude profile and that both drop below the coveted 14,000 foot mark during the normal climbing season of May through September."

Cotopaxi

This 19,348 foot peak are located in beautiful Cotopaxi National Park, an area complete with alpine lakes, pine forests, and the stark, desolate landscape of the paramo. Standing in high isolation above the paramo, the striking cone-like perfection of this symmetrical mountain strikes the climbers imagination. From the 15,750-foot hut we ascend moderate glacier slopes to the summit. Along the way however, complex crevasse patterns and snowbridge crossings over deep crevasses make the climb interesting. After passing through a heavily crevassed area midway through the climb, we reach the final summit slope. Here a challenging section of 35-40 degree snow leads to the abrupt finish of the climb on the crater rim of the world's highest active volcano.

Cayambe

Good climbing and interesting glaciers characterize our chosen route on this beautiful 18,997 foot mountain, the third highest in the country. With easy access from a comfortable hut, the glaciers of Cayambe offer an outstanding venue for our Mountaineering School. Huge crevasses, complex icefalls, and seracs provide participants the ideal setting for learning ice climbing, crevasse rescue, and a variety of other fundamental skills. The ascent of Cayambe follows diverse glacier terrain to near the summit crater where often challenging route-finding around a gaping bergschrund provides an exciting climax to the climb.

A full Trip Report is now available plus the updates during the climb on my Blog.

As usual, my climbs are to raise awareness and research funds for Alzheimer's Disease. Please learn more at this link.

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo Resources

I'm climbing Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo in January 2019 with Mountain Madness