Cotopaxi Rapid Ascent™

Cotopaxi Rapid Ascent™

Intermediate 5 Days Ecuador

Climb a 19,000′ mountain in just five days! On this trip, you will be able to fly from home and be on a high altitude glacier within 2 days. You’ll arrive back at home in just five short days. Our highly experienced Ecuadorian guides lead the expedition and will ensure your safety on the mountain while providing climbers with an interactive and authentic cultural Andean experience. The views from the summit are nothing short of breathtaking. Optional 4-day Chimborazo Extension Available!

Next Available: Nov 22nd – Nov 26th, 2023Optional Extension through Nov 30th

Next Available: Nov 22nd – Nov 26th, 2023Optional Extension through Nov 30th
Upcoming: Feb 04, 2024 – Feb 08, 2024Optional Extension through Feb 12th
Upcoming: Apr 24, 2024 – Apr 28, 2024Optional Extension through May 2nd
Upcoming: Jun 26, 2024 – Jun 30, 2024Optional Extension through July 4th
Upcoming: Nov 17, 2024 – Nov 21, 2024Optional Extension through Nov 25th
Upcoming: Feb 02, 2025 – Feb 06, 2025
Upcoming: June 16, 2025 – June 20, 2025
Upcoming: Nov 16, 2025 – Nov 20, 2025

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"Experience high-altitude adventure like never before with Alpenglow Expeditions. Our groundbreaking Rapid Ascent™ system enables you to conquer a glaciated 6,000m peak in just 5 days. Discover the innovation of Hypoxico pre-acclimatization tents, making 19,000-foot ascents achievable in under a week. Cotopaxi, a remote and accessible active volcano, becomes your training ground for essential high-altitude climbing skills. Unleash your mountaineering potential on a long weekend journey unlike any other."

Cotopaxi Rapid Ascent™ Introduction

Cotopaxi Rapid Ascent™

The Ultimate Long-Weekend Climbing Trip.

This expedition utilizes our Alpenglow’s Rapid Ascent™ system to climb a glaciated (near) 6,000m peak in just 5 days. At Alpenglow, we strive to make the mountains accessible to everyone. Until recently, it has never been possible to safely climb to over 19,000 feet in less than a week. This has deterred busy climbers from attempting to ascend high-altitude peaks. Alpenglow solves this problem with the use of innovative Hypoxico pre-acclimatization tents.

Cotopaxi is one of the world’s highest active volcanoes, topping out at 19,347 feet (5,897 meters). It’s heavily glaciated, remote, and yet easily accessible to climbers. It serves as the ideal peak to learn and practice skills essential for high altitude climbing — in the time span of a long weekend.

The Alpenglow Difference

Rapid Ascent™ Approach

First developed by Adrian Ballinger, Rapid Ascent™ is a unique approach to climbing big mountains across the world. This innovative program combines hypoxic training at home with precise logistics and small team sizes to reduce the overall time spent away from home, all while greatly increasing the chance of success on your international climbing expedition.

By pre-acclimatizing for 4 weeks at home, we’re able to reduce the overall expedition time to 5 days. This pre-acclimatization system is the same used by all of our Everest teams dating back to 2012. The system has shortened their climbs by 50% and increased measures of safety and success. Cotopaxi Rapid Ascent™ also draws on geographical logistics perfected over decades of leading expeditions in Ecuador. This makes for an unprecedented mountaineering experience designed for the busiest of climbers.

Certified Guides

Alpenglow’s AMGA/IFMGA-certified lead guides manage our CotopaxiRapid Ascent™. This certification is the most prestigious in the world, attained only by the most experienced and dedicated guides. Our lead guides have traveled and climbed extensively throughout South America and possess intimate knowledge of the area. A thorough understanding of the culture combined with a passion for developing climbers into competent mountaineers guarantees an experience you won’t soon forget.

We combine our guides’ experience with the local expertise of our Ecuadorian guide team. This team, based in Quito, are some of Ecuador’s most respected guides and they have also guided in Nepal, Peru, Bolivia, and Alaska. Their local knowledge (of the mountains, the markets, and the salsa clubs) is essential to the experience

Comfortable Lodging

Often when we think of mountain expeditions, we think about a base camp of tents, but on Cotopaxi we’ll stay at an incredible Hacienda called the Tambopaxi Lodge.

Itinerary Overview

Climbers meet in Ecuador’s capital of Quito. After a night of settling in and getting acquainted, we will travel to a luxurious refuge located in Cotopaxi National Park. The lodge features delectable food and a stunning mountain backdrop. Here we will develop and practice techniques necessary for the summit push. We will spend the afternoon of our arrival and the morning of the next day learning and practicing mountaineering skills. These include crampon and ice axe techniques, roped team travel, snow and ice anchor placement, and crevasse rescue. This training is essential for establishing your competence as a team member on Cotopaxi and future expeditions.

Upon completion of our skills day, we will be ready to climb. A midnight start ensures plenty of time to complete the journey. We will set out in small roped teams, each led by an Alpenglow guide. The terrain will vary from rugged hiking trails to moderately crevassed glaciers. Eventually we will reach the final, steep summit headwall. Enjoy the sensational views from the top, encompassing many of the surrounding volcanoes, miles of rolling hills, and the active crater of Cotopaxi itself. Once we’re finished, we will embark on a quick descent back to Quito, in time for a celebration dinner with the team before flying home.

It really is the perfect long weekend expedition.

Preparation

Fitness

Climbers must be in excellent physical shape to join this expedition. We cannot stress this enough — fitness is the most important aspect of high altitude climbing. To develop the necessary level of fitness needed to climb big mountains, you must adapt a challenging, consistent exercise regime months in advance. We recommend a structured training program at a gym or with a personal trainer. Please contact us for more information on physical training.

Altitude

Rapid Ascent™ expeditions require a minimum altitude experience of 16,400ft/5000m. If you do not have this experience we recommend joining us on one of our traditional expeditions to gain the necessary experience required for Rapid Ascent™.

Technical

No technical climbing experience required.

Itinerary & Map