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ECUADOR CLIMBING SCHOOL (photos and text: Logan Talbott)

Successful Cayambe Summit!  “On Friday we left the Refugio at midnight and made our way up the mountain. We had almost every sort of weather- frigid temps, wind, snow, hot sun, white out and perfect clear skies. We topped out at 9:30am, and had 360 views in all directions. Perfect, amazing summit (18,996′ / 5790m). Nine minutes later we couldn’t see ten feet!” Pictured here are Tom, Eli, lead guide Logan, lead guide Topo and Matt.

Otavalo Market and Chocolate Factory: …

Yesterday the Aconcagua Rapid Ascent team hiked up to Cerro Colorado (15,500′ / 4724m) just behind Base Camp. They enjoyed great views of the Polish Glacier and the South Face as well. The team is moving to C1 (Camp 1) today and they plan to summit on Tuesday, weather permitting. The team members all feel good and strong for their summit push of Aconcagua (22,841′ / 6962m).

Despite the strong winds and cold temps, the Volcanoes of Mexico Climbing School team summited Iztaccihuatl (17,154′ / 5229m) yesterday. The team is currently in the town of Puebla and enjoying a…

Alpenglow Expeditions currently has three international expeditions taking place. We have one Rapid Ascent expedition on Aconcagua near Mendoza, Argentina (14 days), and also two climbing schools, one in Mexico (9 days) and one in Ecuador (9 days + optional extension).

The Aconcagua Rapid Ascent team arrived safely and they are already enjoying the good food of Argentina. Everyone is feeling good and looking forward to getting higher in the mountains. The team got their permits, and left Mendoza for the town of Los Penitentes (8,540′ / 2600m). Los Penitentes sits at the entrance to the valleys leading into…

Reason numero uno – Mexico is close to the United States. When you first learn to climb, or first learn how to do any sport for that matter, you want to see if you like it. If you’re looking into a trip with Alpenglow, it’s probably not your first time on belay. However, it might be your first time big-mountain climbing, which means you’re likely being introduced to high altitude. Mexico is conveniently close to the U.S., which allows you to take less time off of work and makes for shorter travel times. If you fall in love…

This year’s Mexico group of 7 (including Adrian and Armando) attempted Ixta two days ago. 7 of 8 sumitted, one turned around. It was a great 14 hour push which included firm glacier slopes, rock scrambling, and stunning views all the way from Orizaba to Mexico City; there was almost no smog to block the views!

Today the group is resting and exploring Puebla, a quintessential colonial town, and tomorrow the group heads to the Refugio on Orizaba ready for our culmination climb – over 4000 feet of vertical to the summit of Mexico’s tallest peak. Stay tuned!

-Adrian Ballinger…

The team is rushing to the airport right now, but we had 7 of 8 members of the team summit Orizaba on a clear, very cold day. It was a long 12 hour day, but the mountain was in perfect condition and the team had the mountain all to themselves. Great season in Mexico!

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The Alpenglow team in Mexico began their trip by exploring Mexico City, followed by a day of travel to the mountains. They went for an acclimatization hike today up to 14,000′ and will sleep tonight in a hut at 12,500′. Everyone is healthy, happy, and strong with plans to get to High Camp (15,200′) tomorrow and the summit of Iztaccihuatl (aka Ixta, 17,154′) on Wednesday! We’ll let you know as soon as we get word on their summit bid.

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After enduring extraordinarily high winds on Ixta, the team was given a break with mere 50 mph winds on Orizaba! Although the gusts remained high, the skies were clear, and the entire team was able to summit at around 8:30 am on Saturday after climbing 4200 vertical feet in about 7 hours. A tequila-fueled fiesta in Puebla hit the spot last night before traveling back to Mexico City today to catch flights home.

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