Chimborazo

Climbing, National Park

By T

At 6,310 meters (20,702 ft), Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador and, thanks to the equatorial bulge, its peak enjoys the distinction of being the furthest point from the center of the Earth. Chimborazo is actually an extinct volcano that is believed to have last erupted some 10,000 years ago. The volcano’s massive glacier persists but it has dwindled in recent years due to global climate change and ongoing eruptions of nearungurahua, which spews black ash onto the Chimborazo’s eastern slopes. This causes it to conduct more of the sun’s heat and thus melt at a greater than normal rate. Despite the snowcap's decline, Chimborazo’s white crown is still among the most beautiful sights in Ecuador.

Getting there from Quito

Chimborazo is located approximately 150 kilometers southwest of Quito. The best way to reach the mountain is via a dirt road that branches off southeast from the Ambato-Guaranda road.

Take the Pan American Highway south to Ambato and then head southwest towards Guaranda. About 56 kilometers from Ambato, you will arrive at a dirt road that leads to the Whymper refuge, named after Edward Whymper, the British climber who made the first ascent of Chimborazo in 1880. This juncture is sometimes referred to as “el cruce del Arenal” and is marked by a deserted block house. The road winds 12 kilometers across the windblown countryside to a parking area and lower refuge below the Whymper refuge.

If you do not have a vehicle, you can take a bus to “el cruce del Arenal” and walk to the lower refuge via the main dirt road or cross country. If you decide to take the cross-country route, walk southeast on the dirt road for about four kilometers until you come to a sharp bend where you must turn left and climb due east for approximately four more kilometers until you see the lower refuge and parking area. This takes approximately four hours.

You can also hire transportation from Ambato or Riobamba. Riobamba is more pleasant than Ambato and offers a better selection of accommodations and restaurants. The trip to the parking area directly from Quito takes between three and four hours in a four-wheel drive vehicle. Hiking to the Whymper refuge is straightforward and takes about 45 minutes from the parking area.

Summiting Chimborazo

Though Chimborazo is not Ecuador’s most technically difficult climb, it requires previous glacier experience, knowledge of the complete array of climbing gear, stamina and adequate acclimatization. Climbers should make ascents of other nearby peaks, such as Iliniza Norte and Cotopaxi, and consider spending a couple of nights at the Whymper refuge to properly acclimatize.

Chimborazo has five summits: Whymper Peak (6,310 meters), Veintimilla Summit (6,267 meters), North Summit (6,200 meters), Central Summit (6,000 meters) and Eastern Summit (5,500 meters). Most people that make the effort to climb Chimborazo choose to try for its highest point, Whymper Peak. There are several routes to Whymper Peak, and they vary slightly year to year because of the ever changing glacier.

Climbers usually depart from Whymper refuge at midnight to make the eight to 10-hour slog to the summit. Generally, the route takes you to the left of Thielman Glacier to El Corredor which begins just below some large rock outcroppings. Traverse right of these outcroppings and then climb left up a steep snowfield until you reach another large rock outcropping called El Castillo. From here ascend northwest toward the Veintimilla summit. The final leg of the climb changes frequently due to a shifting, large crevasse, so it is strongly advised to go with a local guide who knows the current route. The descent takes between two and four hours.