Orizaba Gear List

Looking for some input as I've never climbed something this big and really only have mountain experience in the northeast.  That said, I'm looking for advice regarding gear...

I really am not sure how cold Orizaba will be in mid January so I'm weary.  Here's what I plan on wearing or having with me:

• Mid weight long underwear--top and bottom (top is a deep zip to vent heat)
• Liner socks with Expedition weight boot socks
• Charmoz boots
• Midweight Softshell pants
• R1 hoody // TNF Thermoball Hoody
  • Haven't decided which layer yet
• OR Ferrosi hoody
• Buff / beanie
• Fleece liner gloves
• Mid weight Softshell gloves (BD)
• Heavy mitts

Gear

• Crampons
• Ice Axe
• Glacial Glasses
• Headlamp

As we are staying at high camp above the labyrinth, I plan to carry a 15-20L ultralight summit pack to the top so I don't have a ton of space for much extra.  We don't plan to rope up at all.  

Thanks in advance!

Skip the goggles, bring only one pair each gloves / mitts.  Everything else looks good except for the high camp, but you only want advice on gear :)

Have fun!

adrian korosec wrote:

Skip the goggles, bring only one pair each gloves / mitts.  Everything else looks good except for the high camp, but you only want advice on gear :)

Have fun!

Thanks Adrian.  Thermoball runs a little warmer than my R1, but the R1 would fit under my Ferrosi so much nicer.  

What's your opinion on high camp?  We planned to go this route to shorten our summit day, get some high altitude camping experience, and to avoid all the other loud climbers staying at the hut.  Obviously the give-up is the extra work to get all the gear and water up there.  What's your experience like?

I recommend going to the summit from the hut instead of high camp, unless you are really well acclimatized.  Otherwise sleeping at 16K could be very miserable and bring on altitude sickness.  I climbed La Malinche to acclimatize and got sick on Orizaba because I only had ten days in Mexico and went too high too fast.   

Agree w/ Brian. It's not too long a summit day from the Piedra Grande hut, which is just below 14k' elevation. It's a personal decision but I would not want to sleep at 16k' if I didn't have to. The last time I was there the hut was not crowded or noisy at all. Otherwise your gear list looks good. Not familiar with the OR jacket you're bringing but the wind up there cut through my Atom LT pretty good - I am skiing Orizaba next week and bringing an additional wind shell. Good luck!

We camped just outside the hut for reasons you mention.  It worked well for us and we easily made our way through the Labyrinth in darkness (which was a concern of ours). 

We did see good camping options at the START of the Labyrinth if you really want to camp higher, but it is a pain to carry water and gear even up there and sleeping so high without proper acclimatization could compromise your  summit chances.  Sleeping at 14K was bad enough coming from 2,500 ft in Tucson and we had already climbed Izta as a warm-up.

Better to hike up to the Labyrinth the day before summit day to see the area in daylight, sleep low, and fire the next day in my opinion.  Puebla is an awesome city if you can find a day or two to spend there.

We used the Limon Family as base camp transport.  Very nice people.  Best of luck!

Thanks everyone!  Alex, the Ferrosi is a a really breathable softshell.  Pretty decent for blocking wind and light rain, but won't last long in a downpour or a hurricane.  Maybe I'll toss my Houdini in the bag just in case it's really windy.

Good discussion on high camp.  Sounds like you had the right idea Adrian--sleeping away from the hut and exploring the day before.  Perhaps that should be our new plan.

I will reach out to the Limon family and see if they can assist with logistics.

I'd bring a short rope and a few stubby screws.  We went in January years ago; the ice section above the Labyrinth was turning everyone back.  A little protection gave us the whole upper mountain to ourselves.  If the conditions are more normal, you can certainly find somewhere to stash your gear. 

Pants: I usually skip the hard/softshell combo and just go with a hardshell with some sort of expedition baselayer.  My go-to pant setup for that sort of altitude has been TNF Expedition Tights and Arcteryx Beta AR shells. Ideally you get a pant with a built in gaiter as well, that gives you one less thing to carry along and fuss with. (I've recently upgraded to Mammut Norward Pros but haven't used them yet.  They seem much better than the Arcteryx options though.)

Goggles: Unnecessary.  

Gloves: I'll usually roll with OR Arete gloves for that sort of altitude. They are warm, dexterous, and robust. If you don't know how you respond to cold at higher altitudes, you may want to bring a midweight mitt along. I personally skip bringing along liner gloves and will bring more of a work/alpine glove like the OR Extravert. They are a little warmer which gives them a lot more versatility.  (I've recently bought the OR Luminary gloves, which seem like a great option for a primary glove as well. I am yet to try them in the wild though.)

Hats: Skip the beanie and trucker hat when on the mountain.  Just take a few buffs.  They are lighter and easier to pack.  

Pack: Ditch the ultralight summit pack.  Those are useful on large expeditions when you are doing multiple carries and whatnot.  Carrying it inside your bigger pack will just weigh you down getting up through your camps.  If you are worried about pack weight on summit day, most alpine packs have some ability to strip down.  If you are still concerned about the weight of your pack, you probably should either consider getting a better pack (or hitting the gym a bit  ).  Something like the Arcteryx Alpha FL 45 is very light and should be big enough for a climb of this nature.  The Alpha FL is actually a little too minimalist for me though, so I use the Mammut Trion Pro. That pack works perfectly for me. 

Good luck and have fun!

I second the idea of camping outside the hut - that's what we did.  It should be a pretty relaxed summit day from the hut, so no real advantage to camping high.

Chris C. wrote:

Pants: I usually skip the hard/softshell combo and just go with a hardshell with some sort of expedition baselayer.  My go-to pant setup for that sort of altitude has been TNF Expedition Tights and Arcteryx Beta AR shells. Ideally you get a pant with a built in gaiter as well, that gives you one less thing to carry along and fuss with. (I've recently upgraded to Mammut Norward Pros but haven't used them yet.  They seem much better than the Arcteryx options though.)

Goggles: Unnecessary.  

Gloves: I'll usually roll with OR Arete gloves for that sort of altitude. They are warm, dexterous, and robust. If you don't know how you respond to cold at higher altitudes, you may want to bring a midweight mitt along. I personally skip bringing along liner gloves and will bring more of a work/alpine glove like the OR Extravert. They are a little warmer which gives them a lot more versatility.  (I've recently bought the OR Luminary gloves, which seem like a great option for a primary glove as well. I am yet to try them in the wild though.)

Hats: Skip the beanie and trucker hat when on the mountain.  Just take a few buffs.  They are lighter and easier to pack.  

Pack: Ditch the ultralight summit pack.  Those are useful on large expeditions when you are doing multiple carries and whatnot.  Carrying it inside your bigger pack will just weigh you down getting up through your camps.  If you are worried about pack weight on summit day, most alpine packs have some ability to strip down.  If you are still concerned about the weight of your pack, you probably should either consider getting a better pack (or hitting the gym a bit  ).  Something like the Arcteryx Alpha FL 45 is very light and should be big enough for a climb of this nature.  

Good luck and have fun!

I appreciate the input Chris.  Your pack recommendation has me a little confused.  I plan on leaving all but the most important gear in the tent or stashed somewhere safe, so I really only need a pack that can carry ONLY what I need for the summit.  That said, what could I need that would fill a 45L pack, even if it's stripped down?

For reference, my summit pack is an OR Isolation pack and weighs 8oz and rolls up smaller than a nalgene.  It carries surprisingly well too.  My other option is my BD Axis 33 but that just seems like way too much pack.  

You've been there, you've done it, and you clearly have more experience than I do but I'm not sure i understand the "why."

Sean Hoffecker wrote:

I appreciate the input Chris.  Your pack recommendation has me a little confused.  I plan on leaving all but the most important gear in the tent or stashed somewhere safe, so I really only need a pack that can carry ONLY what I need for the summit.  That said, what could I need that would fill a 45L pack, even if it's stripped down?

For reference, my summit pack is an OR Isolation pack and weighs 8oz and rolls up smaller than a nalgene.  It carries surprisingly well too.  My other option is my BD Axis 33 but that just seems like way too much pack.  

You've been there, you've done it, and you clearly have more experience than I do but I'm not sure i understand the "why."

You don't need to fill your summit pack, it's ok to not fill a backpack. The additional backpack you're planning on bringing is just another thing that you're dragging all the way up. You've got a pretty minimalist gear list already which is good to see so keep it that way.

Ditch the gaiters; you're an alpine climber not a mountaineer. Most softshell pants have a grommet for a bungee loop you can put under your heels.

One pair of gloves and some Oh Shit Mitts should be adequate, provided you'll be able to dry them overnight.

Sean Hoffecker wrote:

I appreciate the input Chris.  Your pack recommendation has me a little confused.  I plan on leaving all but the most important gear in the tent or stashed somewhere safe, so I really only need a pack that can carry ONLY what I need for the summit.  That said, what could I need that would fill a 45L pack, even if it's stripped down?

For reference, my summit pack is an OR Isolation pack and weighs 8oz and rolls up smaller than a nalgene.  It carries surprisingly well too.  My other option is my BD Axis 33 but that just seems like way too much pack.  

You've been there, you've done it, and you clearly have more experience than I do but I'm not sure i understand the "why."

Hey Sean, full disclosure, I have not climbed Orizaba!  However, I have climbed a number of 5-6000M peaks in similar style to how Orizaba is climbed.  (Artesonraju, Tocllaraju, Antisana, Cayambe, Ishinca, Chimborazo, Huarapasca, Elbrus-North, plus Rainer a bunch)

As for the pack situation on summit day, I usually like to leave all my non-summit gear just stashed in the high camp tent.  Nobody will force you to fill your 45L pack on summit day just because you have it  . If the pack fits you well, stripping it down and tightening the compression straps should feel very comfortable with very little inside of it.  Even if the ultralight summit pack is super easy to carry with you, it is carrying something that you don't 100% need.  When making those decisions, I always think, "is it smarter to bring this thing for comfort, or do I rather bring a bit of extra water?".  Usually it goes in the direction of the water.  Even if I don't actually bring extra water, it's my way of figuring out what is necessary and what is not.  That's not to say that I never go in the direction of comfort - a pee bottle always comes with me, I usually bring a nicer camera, etc.

Another factor to consider is ease of access to your items during your summit bid. It is a good idea to bring extra gloves and a few layers on the summit bid, so a really small pack can get hard to dig through if everything is packed in tight.  I've noticed that people with hard to manage packs just tend to get frustrated in their hypoxic states, which leads them to not eating as well, drinking less water, not laying correctly, etc.  It sounds kind of silly at sea level, but that is actually a factor.  (Assume that decision making will deteriorate to that of being mildly drunk.)  My favorite pack is the Mammut Trion Pro because it battles exactly that - gotta love the back zip. It makes it super easy during every break to pull off and sit on, pull out a puffy, grab a drink of water, and have a bite to eat.  

I have never been up as high as Orizaba, but I'm wondering why you aren't bringing a puffy? Baselayer - R1 - Ferrosi is a layering set up I use for ski touring...on the way up. Seems like that could be pretty chilly on the way down/if something happens

I  have found the OR ferrosi jacket to be pretty weak in wind, I'd bring a different jacket personally. 

j sittler wrote:

I have never been up as high as Orizaba, but I'm wondering why you aren't bringing a puffy? Baselayer - R1 - Ferrosi is a layering set up I use for ski touring...on the way up. Seems like that could be pretty chilly on the way down/if something happens

Oh I'll have my big down parka in my pack.  Warmest thing I own and packs down small thanks to the power of 800 fill hydrophobic down :)

Admittedly, the Ferrosi isn't the most windproof jacket I own, but the breathability is top notch and I tend to run hot going up hill.  I have a nice 3L hardshell I could bring instead, but I hate hiking in it unless it's pouring or the wind is blowing me off the mountain, in which case I'm going to be miserable anyway.  

Would you more experienced guys suggest a hardshell over a softer softshell?

I've already invested some time into this thread, so heck, why not talk about jackets! Haha

Here is my layering system:

• Icebreaker - lightweight baselayer with long sleeves and hood
• Arcteryx Gamma LT or  MX (depending on weather)
• Arcteryx Atom LT
• Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer
• Arcteryx Alpha SL

Gamma LT-Softshell

Atom LT- Synth Insulation

Ghost Whisperer-Down insulation

Alpha SL-Hardhell

So two shells and two layers of insulation sandwiched between?  I'm surprised you don't have your softshell on the outside of those insulators to help break the wind and get better results from the insulating layers.  Clearly we have different approaches.  What's the advantage of having a softshell so deep in your layering system? 

I usually just run around in the baselayer and softshell.  I have the Atom LT, Ghost Whisperer, and Alpha SL all sized that they can be worn in whatever order I happen to put them on.  The hardshell is definitely a good windbreaker if things get rowdy, so that's a great one to throw over everything.  The problem with layering the insulation to fit under the softshell is that you would have to take off your softshell if you wanted to add another layer under it.  Usually the last thing I want to do when I am already cold is strip a layer.  Pulling layers exposes you to critical errors like loosing a glove or have a jacket fly away in the wind, so I try to have as little complexity as possible.

j sittler wrote:

I have never been up as high as Orizaba, but I'm wondering why you aren't bringing a puffy? Baselayer - R1 - Ferrosi is a layering set up I use for ski touring...on the way up. Seems like that could be pretty chilly on the way down/if something happens

Same -- you'll be plenty warm while moving, but it's nice to throw on a hooded puffy on the top, since there isn't a good place to hide from the wind.  For reference, here's my friend suitably dressed for Orizaba's summit last year around Christmas:

Jeans, beanie, long-sleeved bike jersey, fleece gloves.  He wasn't warm enough to hang around long, but he was plenty comfortable moving.

As others have said, don't go to High Camp. This is not at all a hard climb to do from the hut. Then all you need a 30L pack. Spend the time acclimating, its super easy to try and rush up this peak, but the altitude will destroy you (I saw many people vomitting and turning around because they tried to go for the summit 3-4 days after arriving in Mexico) I wore

-100 weight merino bottoms

-R1 hoody

-OR Ferosi softshell coat

-Shoftshell pants (OR cirque)

The above layers is all I needed all the way to the summit

-OR arete glove, my hands got really cold, I switched to BD guide gloves.

-Single boots - Nepal cubes. Bring foot warms if going with single boots

-Marmot minimalist hardshell, didn't wear it

-Buff for head

-Rab Neutrino endurance down coat. Only wore it while hanging out on the summit. 

Here is a TR from my trip last year if its any help - http://fresnoclimber.blogspot.com/2017/01/mexico-pico-de-orizaba.html