Volcanoes in Mexico or Ecuador?
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My climbing bud and I are looking to join a guided trip to either Mexico or Ecuador. We've been on Rainier and several 14'ers and are ultimately working towards Denali. The Mexico trip would be 9 days with International Mountain Guides (https://www.internationalalpineguides.com/mexico-volcanoes) and climbs Ixta (17,159 ft) and Orizaba (18,491 ft). The Ecuador trip would be 9 days with Madison Mountaineering (https://madisonmountaineering.com/expedition/ecuador-volcanoes/), which is a shorter trip than the usual 12-day trip. We would do Iliinaza Norte (16,814 ft) and Chimborazo (20,720 ft). Which trip would you choose and why? |
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The Mexican volcanos are very easy to do unguided - they are very straightforward with little objective danger. Save those to do on your own. Now that Ecuador requires guides, that trip would be a good choice to hire a guide for. Illiniza Norte is a nondescript rocky pile - see if you can do Cotopaxi or Cayambe instead. |
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How do you plan to do Denali?? If guided, pick the guide you want to use for Denali for Mexico or Ecuador. That said, the volcanoes of Mexico and Ecuador are day trips and give little relative experience for Denali other than some higher altitude experience. Note: at this time independent travel in Ecuador in some areas is a bit dicey. Because of COVID robberies are more common. |
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I would not waste money on a guided trip for Mexico. They're all peaks you can easily do yourself. Ecuador is fantastic and well worth going to. The food is incredible! I recommend hiring a local guide instead of an american company. It's half the cost, you get more say in the itinerary, and there's no other random climbers with you. This is what my partner and I did two years ago and it was fantastic. The guide took care of all logistics for the whole trip and really showed us the local cultures. Illiniza is a fairly uninteresting peak. If you're going all the way over there to just climb two peaks I'd do Chimborazo and Cayambe/Cotopaxi |
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sandrock wrote: Illiniza sur is actually a good climb IMO. Also, if you are down there and you don’t climb Cotopaxi, you will regret it. Chimborazo has to be on your list. |
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Allen Sanderson wrote: We plan to use Alpine Ascents for Denali. At this point we are leaning towards using a local guide, Rafael Martinez, to customize a 9-day Ecuador trip that includes Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Our thoughts on Ecuador as it relates to Denali is to get some experience at comparable altitudes. What else would you recommend for preparing for Denali? |
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Jason Brown wrote: To prep for Denali is to dial in your system so to be efficient when it is well below zero. Best way to get that experience is multi-day winter trips where you are always on the move either with skis or snowshoes. This prep is in addition to general fitness. |
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I've done both and second the Chimborazo with anything but Illiniza Norte, a loose and dangerous pile. I climbed Denali prior to either of those trips, having only done Ranier for glacier experience. Winters in the Presidential Range, however, had me well prepared for Denali's conditions, if not altitude. Do the trip, but also find something in the lower 48 where you can experience real cold and bad weather. |
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If your looking to gain experience go with Ecuador. Chimborazo and Cayambe. Cotopaxi is cool but kind of a boring climb. Ecuador is a great place to visit. Incredible diversity and culture. If you like soup they have it down. |
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Aconcagua would be a good alternative |
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Andrew Gram wrote: I'm new to this community, so perhaps I don't know the audience exactly, but I just came back from the Mexican volcanoes and would never advise someone to do them "on your own". I couldn't imagine doing them on my own. The logistics are not easy at all. First off, it's going to be hard if you don't speak Spanish. Then, the roads to Izta and Orizaba are both quite bad. Rent my own tough vehicle? Ha! Where? Drive from Mexico City or Puebla? The traffic is insane. So, just even getting to the start of these climbs would be a non-starter for me on my own. The climbs themselves, I agree, are not terribly difficult, but honestly, Mexico is cheap and I preferred to spend a little money to hire local guides who know the route to lead the way up so I don't have to figure it all out. While the main routes on these peaks may pose little objective danger, if you stray from those routes, you can easily get into trouble, and I saw several parties on Izta get lost while I was there. I dunno, maybe this forum is only for extremely experienced mountaineers, in which case I apologize, but to suggest these volcanoes are very straightforward is, to me, reckless advice. I'm fairly experienced, having done all of the Colorado 14ers, Rainier, Baker, Adams, Hood, Kilimanjaro, and many high peaks in California as well. But I would shutter at the thought of trying to handle Izta & Orizaba on my own. |
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There are two parts of doing a climb. The logistics of getting yourself to the climb and the climb itself. Sometimes the logistics are harder than the climb. Sounds like the logistics is not your thing. To me organizing the logistics for say Pico de Orizaba is pretty straight forward as such saying so is not reckless advice. For instance, these folks can drive you to the hut. They even have base facilities: https://www.servimont.com.mx/lodging-in-tlachichuca-climbers-facilities.html I have no connection to them but I would consider using them. How I got to their base facilities is another matter probably rent a car. The above is not say I would not hire a guide I have, just not for climbing but for cultural/naturalist trips. Well worth it. But we did not need or want something fully organized from airport-to-airport. YMMV. |
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Allen Sanderson wrote: ive used them. if orizaba is your goal, don't bother going with anyone else. |
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Spare yourself and your $ and instead go to the Cordillera Blanca without a guide. There is a ton of info out there. Ishinca valley is a great place to start. The normal routes up Urus, Ishinca, and Tocllaraju even Ranrapalca are all doable after repeated experiences on Rainer. As much as I love the people in Mex., the volcanoes are boring and dirty imo. |
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Anonymous wrote: Have you maybe considered taking up golf? |
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Andrew Gram wrote: No need to be rude.. he has a point that the access road to orizaba can be tricky and rutted out (4x4 often needed), which is a part of expedition logistics but a step above easy access. Also people die almost every year on izta (usually getting off route in La rodilla section) and pico (usually rockfall on the south side route, I don’t recommend climbing via that side). So his point is not totally unwarranted For local guides, I also recommend orizaba mountain guides, they offer full services but I’ve just stayed at their acccommodations (in San Miguel the pueblito on the way up) and rented transport up to base camp
Pico de orizaba: High camp at the base of the glacier Jamapa or in the labryrinth for more solitude and incredible views. And consider doing the crater circumnavigation if you have the time and conditions (snow to hold the loose rock). It involves some scrambling and a 20m rappel if done counterclockwise. Izta: Ruta ayoloco has less crowding. Can be a carryover loop descending via the normal route. If coming from sea level, Nevada de Toluca or Malinche are both non technical acclimatization climbs |
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I stand by suggesting mountaineering is not the sport for you if you think recommending doing some of the logistically and technically easiest highish elevation peaks in the world on your own is "reckless advice". I'm pretty sure the Ayoloco Glacier on Ixta isn't there anymore. There wasn't much left of it the last time I was there, and it sounds like it disappeared a few years ago: https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/scientists-officially-declare-ayoloco-glacier-dead/ Too bad because it was a really nice outing and fun to make into a loop. |
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Andrew Gram wrote: Lol point taken. I just felt like offering some counterpoints In particular, I think the Mexico volcanoes are beautiful and worthwhile despite overcrowding on their ‘dog routes’ and the sad reality that their glaciers are visibly dying year by year. There are incredible scramble/ trail running routes around the crater rim of Nevada Toluca, or circumnavating izta around the ~4000m contour, if that is anyones cup of tea. The ayoloco glacier on izta is indeed gone now, but the ayoloco route itself is still viable, fyi |
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Anonymous wrote: Disagree. Logistics are super easy. Just plug into the local services that everyone uses. First time, 3 of us drove from Bozeman to Tlachichuca, parked the car, hired the local taxi guy and voila. Was no different when I did it again 10 years later but I flew into Mexico City and took the bus. I speak little to no Spanish. For the 3rd tallest peak in North America, I can't imagine easier logistics. Edit to add: re-start of a year plus old thread to disagree with Andrew's advice. And the OP hasn't logged in since Oct '21. What ev's. |