Defiant One,

I suggest Ixta, which has a little bit of everything: Class 3 rock scrambling, glacier travel (30 to 45 minutes), scree slopes, etc. Plus you get a great view of Popo erupting. Here are some pictures I took on December 28:

http://pkuroda.smugmug.com/gallery/2320804/1/121378531

Hey, we summited on the 16th with very favorable glacier conditions. not very icy, thin layer of snow, great for cramping straight up. saw about 6-8 very tiny crevasses, nothing to worry about

thanks for all your suggestions on where to go after the climb. we decided to head to Guatemala...where i am now. meant to post conditions report sooner.

cheers and happy climbing

Now that people are coming back from Mexico please give an update on conditions of Orizaba for the 07-08 season.

Thank You in advance.

bultemak2 wrote:Now that people are coming back from Mexico please give an update on conditions of Orizaba for the 07-08 season.

Thank You in advance.

Fantastic conditions last week. Glacier is in excellent condition. You can use crampons from just below the labyrinth to all the way to the summit. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

Congrats to Rinat Shagisultanov and your partner, great pictures too!

Has anyone looked at the Sarcophago to see in the serpent's head was in ?

Excellent conditions. The weather gods were smiling on us. The snow was perfect and used it from the labyrinth to the summit. Met Andy and Tina from summitpost they would summit the next day. Someone mentioned that the clouds were coming on Friday but not sure what happened.

<a href=http://www.summitpost.org/images/original/359610.JPG>Jamapa Glacier</a>

Thanks for the fantastic pictures Eferesen. It looks like you guys had great weather for your trip and the glacier seems a bit less iced up as I would have imagined. How cold did it get while you were up there?

Indiana Mad-Man wrote:Thanks for the fantastic pictures Eferesen. It looks like you guys had great weather for your trip and the glacier seems a bit less iced up as I would have imagined. How cold did it get while you were up there?

It was not cold at all (other people might disagree). OSO my guide was not even wearing a hard shell and the winds were kinda non-existent. We were lucky. I would say it was not below freezing.

eferesen wrote:

Indiana Mad-Man wrote:Thanks for the fantastic pictures Eferesen. It looks like you guys had great weather for your trip and the glacier seems a bit less iced up as I would have imagined. How cold did it get while you were up there?

It was not cold at all (other people might disagree). OSO my guide was not even wearing a hard shell and the winds were kinda non-existent. We were lucky. I would say it was not below freezing.

Oso has balls of steel, he would not be cold in below 0 temps.

Congrats on the successful summit. It seems unbelievable to me that you could be up there at 18,000 ft. without a balaclava. That kind of puts me at ease for my trip down there.

Quick question: How much did you guys spend down there beyond your flight? I'm trying to get a grasp about how much I need to budget for the trip, including bus travel, accomodations for two or three night, and of course some good clean water.

Thanks for your help and the great pictures. They're getting me pretty excited.

Indiana Mad-Man wrote:Congrats on the successful summit. It seems unbelievable to me that you could be up there at 18,000 ft. without a balaclava. That kind of puts me at ease for my trip down there.

Quick question: How much did you guys spend down there beyond your flight? I'm trying to get a grasp about how much I need to budget for the trip, including bus travel, accomodations for two or three night, and of course some good clean water.

Thanks for your help and the great pictures. They're getting me pretty excited.

Here is a breakdown of our costs (we had 3 people total):
Private Transportation from Mexico City to Tlachichuca - $110 each including tip (worth every penny)
2 nights at the Limon's house - $24 each
2 breakfast and 2 dinners at the Limons - $20 each
(4) 5 gallon water jugs of water and 1 Liter of white gas from Limons - $20 Total
Bus fair from Tlachichuca to Mexico City - $20 each
Hotel night at the Hilton inside the airport in Mexico City on the last night - $200 Total (worth every penny)
Total expense for food on the mountain - $50 each roughly
Transporation up and down the mountain - $75 each (included a one night stop above Hildago...if you dont do this, then its $50 each)
Misc. Expenses (tips, bottles of water, beers, ect.) - $50 each

I think that is about it. I would HIGHLY recommend staying with the Limon's. They are extremely nice and will treat you like you are part of their family. They are always on time if not early with their transportation. We met a few people down there who got stranded at Piedra Grande because their rides did not show up. Joaquin Limon ended up taking down.

And yes it was quite warm when we were there. It has been like that every time I have been there. The middle of November has treated me well. It gets a little chilly around 4:00 am to 6:00 am. Its for sure warmer if you stay in the hut, but I would advise against doing so. I did it the first time I went and promised myself to never do it again. Its usually very crowded, people snoring, you get very little sleep, smells like gas, it sucks.