Longtime consider as the highest mountain on the planet, Chimborazo was dethrone by the Himalayan and Peruvian peaks. Nevertheless, considering the geometry of the Earth, this summit is known as the farthest point from it's center (see section below for full explanation). This huge mountain is the highest point in Ecuador. It has five summits, the highest culminating at 6267 meters. There are many routes up its slopes. The normal route runs up the Southeast flank and is a variation of the original Whymper route. One can also climb from the East side (sun ridge route) which involves mixed rock/ice climbing.

The Normal route sees many attempts all year long and is consider a class 4 climb with route finding and crevasses crossing. There are two refugios on the mountain at approx. 5000 meters and most of the parties do their summit bid directly from the huts. It is a 6-9 hours climb with slopes up to 60 degrees. People usually start their climb around midnight and return to the hut in the late morning.

Getting There

Fly to Quito and take a bus to Riobamba. There you will find good accommodations, restaurants and a lovely market on Saturdays. You can hire a taxi cab($15US) for the drive to the trailhead, 1/2 hour away from the Whymper Hut. You can also stop at Ambato instead of Riobamba. It is more rustic but the accommodation is more complicated. From there you can take a bus towards Guaranda and stop at the lower trail head then climb up to the Whymper hut (16,250 feet) in 6-8 hours. Alternatively, as of January 2005, you can get public transportation to take you up to the entrance of the park, where you pay for the permit. From there you have to hitchhike unless you have your private arrangement or are up for the dusty hike. From Ambato take a bus towards Guaranda, the driver will very likely know where to stop if you tell him where you want to go. If not, watch for a deserted house, painted with slogans, on the left side of the road; here you have to get off. (This house is also mentioned in the highly out of date and highly useless Bradt guide, which says you have to hike from here to the hut!)

A newly constructed (2-3 years ago) road , perpendicular to the Ambato-Guaranda road will take you to the entrance of the park. There are buses that pass this road, 1-2 each hour or alternatively hitchhiking may be a fastest option to consider. However, it is not much of a used road and not many trucks pass by. Once at the entrance of the park it is a matter of luck how fast/ for how much $$ you can get to the lower hut. In high season there might be trucks/buses going up to pick other trekkers/climbers.

Many thanks to Irene+ for the latest information above.

Red Tape

Park acces fees are $5-10 US. There is no parking fee but do not leave any expensive belonging in the car...Common sense implys you to carry-out what you carry-in and not to trash the mountain. There are no fees to climb the mountain.

When To Climb

Chimborazo is climbable year round however, the best climbing months are June and July and December through early January. February through May are known for bad weather, especially in the month of April. Make sure you start around midnight so you'll be back before 1300 hours, for two reasons. First, rock fall hazard. The part of the route along The Castle, a large rock wall about one hour from the Refugio Whymper (5000m), gets dangerous around that time. Lots of small and large rocks start to fall down then from this high wall due to warming temperatures. Passing this area later in the afternoon is really running between falling rocks. Secondly, clouds will most often roll in early in the afternoon, making route finding very difficult. As there are big areas of crevasses on both sides of the normal route, losing track can be very dangerous.

Camping

As I said earlier, most parties climb directly from the hut. It provides bunk-beds (4 dozens), toilets, cold water, basic food supplies, stensils, gaz stove, fireplace and ... cable TV (just kidding!) It cost a cheap $10US per night and a guardian will keep an eye on your belongings while you climb! What esle do you nead? Camping is also allowed anywhere on the mountain and some parties make a high camp to cut the summit push in two days which, I think, increases your chances to make it to the summit.

Refugio Whymper (5000m) on the Chimborazo normal route

Climbing Routes

Route Name	Route Grade	First Ascent	Notes
North Side – Las Murallas Rojas	II	Beltran, Campana, Carrel, Whymper (1880)	8-9 Hours for ascent. 3900 feet
North Side via the Castillo	II	Unknown	8-9 Hours for ascent 3900 feet
North Side via the Thielmann Glacier	II to III	Unknown	40 Degree slopes. 8 Hours for ascent. 4300 feet
West Face	WI4	S. House 1996	Sections of 85 Degree mixed climbing. 3900 feet
Original Route	II	Carrel, Carrel, Whymper 1880	Follows SW Ridge and Face. 8-9 Hours for ascent. 4300 feet
South West Face	III	L. Griffin, M. Woolridge 1984	50 Degree and steeper sections. 1 ½ days for ascent. 5000 feet
Arista del Sol	V	J. Anhalzer, R. Cardenas, R. Navarrete 1983	The hardest route put up so far. The first 2/3 of the route is entirely rock. Requires 2 days. 3300 Feet.

Ascent History

The following is a brief overview of the history of Chimborazo ascents. I have tried to hit the highlights.

1802-French climber Aime Bonpland and German climber Alexander von Humbolt reach a height of 19,300ft before being stopped by an "insurmountable cleft".

1880-The first ascent of the mountain by Italian J.A Carrel and British climber E. Whymper via the South West Ridge.

1968-An American/German team summited the technically challenging North Ridge via the Abraspungo Glacier.

1980-In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first ascent, a large hut was opened below the South West Ridge close to the foot of the Thielmann Glacier. This hut named Refugio Whymper is now used by a lot of ascent parties as "base camp".

1993-One of the worst accidents in the history of climbing in Ecuador occured on the upper slopes of the mountain. 13 people were caught in an avalanche high on the mountain resulting in 10 deaths.

Farthest from the Earths Center???

As stated in the Overview, Chimborazo's summit is the farthest point one can get from the center of the Earth and still be on land. It is about 2160m farther from the center than Everest's summit. This is only possible because the Earth is in the shape of an oblate spheroid, i.e., it is flattened (squashed) at the poles and bulging at the equator.

Here is a diagram (based on Klenke's Excel spreadsheet). His spreadsheet can calculate the distance from the center of the earth for any point on the Earth's surface (of known elevation above sea level). If you want to know the radial distance for some mountain or place, let Klenke know and he will calculate it for you.

Chimborazo photo_id=131571

Thanks Klenke for the above graph and explanation.

Guide-Books

Climbing and Hiking in Ecuador, 4th Edition, by Rob Rachowiecki, (January1998)

Ecuador : A Climbing Guide by Yossi Brain. (September 2000)

Visit the Ecuador’s Map Grid System to the check the maps you may need when climbing here. This grid follows the Instituto Geografico Militar grid system. The sheet for Chimborazo is CT ÑIV C1

Other Photos

Below are just some of the wonderful pictures submitted for this peak. I will be adding more sections as time goes on. Thanks to all who have submitted these pictures.

External Links

Ice-X Foundation
Dutch climbing foundation, supported by very enthousiastic climbers. Seven Summits on our programm (just climbed Aconcagua solo off-season). Lots of info and photos available. Site is in Dutch only yet. English version coming soon!
Chimborazo
Great video of hut and climb up some of Whymper route

Images



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