OK, I hate to have to ask this question but on the Mountian page for Chimbo, it says "is considered a 4th class climb"[i][/i] Then on the route page it says "front pointing on steep sections with bare ice"[i][/i], so which one is it??? To me, "front pointing on bare ice" does not sound like 4th class. Later under the Gear section it calls for rope, harness and Ice screws, again, placing pro, does not sound like 4th class......
Other sources and trip reports I have read sound like it is a more involved climb that a competent mountaineer can do alone, then some others sound like a challenging "walk up". I am aware that conditions change. This is always the problem with reading many sources of info from many people you don't know, I wish people would just stick to "60 degree ice" or "30 degree glacier travel" and that way each climber could make his own judgement as to what he needs to do to get up something. It is so much better to ask a friend you know what he thought then you can gauge it to his standards and figure it out.
So after that rant, anyone care to enlighten me, can a moderately competant mountaineer climb Chimborazo alone?