Update from the April Ecuador Climbing School
Our Ecuador Climbing School is underway, and we’ve connected with Alpenglow guide Gaspar Navarrete for an update on how the expedition is going.
On April 14th, the team summited Volcán Cayambe (18,996’/5,790m) in just 6.5 hours. With perfect snow conditions, the team was feeling strong and made a successful summit push. After descending, they headed back to Pinsaquí for rest and recovery before exploring the famous Saturday Market in Otavalo, where hundreds of vendors gather each weekend to sell handmade goods and crafts.
A few days later, the team made an attempt on Volcán Antisana (18,875’/5,753m). They experienced heavy rain the night before their first summit push, and decided to turn back to use their extra summit day and wait for better conditions. However, persistent unstable snow conditions and difficult uphill travel through heavy snow forced the team to retreat from their second summit attempt on Antisana.
Despite stopping short of the summit, our climbing school students were able to have an extremely informative and productive learning experience on Antisana. The climb provided plentiful opportunities to learn how to read snow conditions, safely navigate glaciated terrain, and understand what circumstances should lead teams to make the decision to turn around.
Our teams remain in high spirits and are excited to continue their mountaineering education on Chimborazo, Ecuador’s tallest peak at 20,702’/6,310m.
Interested in joining the Ecuador Climbing School? Conditions in Ecuador permit us to climb there year-round, making it the perfect training ground for aspiring mountaineers to learn basic skills and fundamentals. For further details on our climbing schools and why we love climbing in Ecuador, check out our blog: “How to Become a Mountaineer in Two Weeks”.
To inquire about going international with Alpenglow Expeditions, connect with Griffin, our International Coordinator, by sending him an email at griffin@alpenglowexpeditons.com. Additionally, feel free to schedule a call with him directly. If none of these times work for you, send us an email to let us know what fits with your schedule!