Mountain Chimborazo (6 310 m / 20 702 ft)

Chimborazo will always be a special mountain because its summit, along with summit of Everest, tops the list of the "most-most" world's mountains. No doubt that Everest is the highest mountain of the world but Chimborazo holds a top position in the list of the farthest points of the Earth's center. Climbing Chimborazo requires good physical conditions, excellent acclimatization and cramponing skill and it is one of the "classic" one-day-ascent along with the Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. In addition, a trip to Ecuador will allow you to combine Chimborazo with ascents to other distinguished volcanoes such as Cotopaxi or Antisana. Well, fans of diving at the most remote parts of our planet can go to the Galapagos after the climbing as well.

Chimborazo - is an inactive stratovolcano and its last eruption is believed to have occurred in the first millennium AD. The volcano is the highest Ecuadorian mountain and till exploring Himalayas by Europeans was considered the highest mountain on Earth. Though Chimborazo lost this unequal battle to many other mountains, its summit is still considered by scientists the most farthest point from the center of Earth. Chimborazo is covered by glaciers that descend to an altitude of 4 600 meters above sea level. The Chimborazo's dome has 5 summits, the highest of which are the summit Whymper (or Main) and the summit Veintimilla. Though Veintimilla is 42 meters lower than the Main summit, it is the most visited point among climbers due to the fact that the Normal Route goes there. The tourist infrastructure in the Chimborazo's region is well-developed. There are several mountain huts on its slopes, and climbing tours to Chimborazo are offered by dozens of Ecuadorian companies. Best months for climbing Chimborazo are the period from December to February and from June to August - during these months the weather on the mountain is more stable. To climb the volcano, you have to posses the cramponing skill as well as good physical conditions and excellent acclimatization.

• Country High Points of the Americas
• Ecuador Province High Points
• Andes 6000-meter Peaks (19 685 metres)
• Ecuador's Big Ten - Volcanoes Above 5000 meters (16400 feet)

Chimborazo is situated 150 kilometers of the southwest capital Quito and 140 kilometers of the east the second largest Ecuadorian city - Guayaquil. Geographically Chimborazo belongs to the Cordillera Occidental (Ecuadorian Andes) but orographically its a part of volcanic chain "The Avenue of Volcanoes" which includes many others such as Cotopaxi, Tungurahua and Antisana.

From the capital city Quito to Riobamba by car or by bus and from there to the entrance of the "Chimborazo Reserve". Then you have to drive to the parking lot near the Carrel Refuge located at 4850 meters. Usually same day climbers go further to the Whymper Refuge (5030 meters, apx. 30-40 minutes) where they spend an overnight before summit push.

Since the end of 2012 climbing all the volcanoes of Ecuador are not allowed without hiring an accredited local mountain guides. There is a lot of travel agencies in Quito that can help you with the organization of the climb.

For a long time, Chimborazo was regarded as the highest mountain in the world, before the Europeans began to discover the Himalayas. The false thought that Chimborazo was the highest mountain in the world drove a lot of adventurers to Ecuador aiming to explore such an unique phenomenon.

 

All the highest Ecuadorian mountains such as Chimborazo, Cotopaxi and Antisana have the glacial ice on their summits which was mined by locals (the so-called "Hieleros" from Spanish "Hielo" for "Ice") to be sold in the markets of the surrounding cities.

 

In August 1976 SAETA Flight 232 carrying 55 passengers and four crew members aboard a Vickers Viscount from Quito to Cuenca disappeared en route. In February 2003, after 27 years, the aircraft was found with the bodies of its 59 occupants at 5 400 meters (17 700 ft) elevation on Chimborazo by Ecuadorian climbers on the rarely used eastern route Integral.

 

In 1880 Chimborazo's summit was first climbed by Edward Whymper and the brothers Louis and Jean-Antoine Carrel. As there were many critics who doubted that Whymper had reached the summit, later in the same year he climbed to the summit again choosing a different route (Pogyos) with the Ecuadorians David Beltrán and Francisco Campaña.

 

Due to the fact that the Earth has the form of an oblate spheroid, and also its equatorial location, the summit of the volcano Chimborazo is the farthest point of our planet center, thus it is also the point on the earth's surface which is at some time closer to the sun than any other point on the earths surface at any time during one year.

 

  ... Read more

Guided Tours

• Sun & Snow