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How are the conditions on Orizaba? Anyone been up yet this climbing season? Please post updates. I'll be in the area with a group 8-16 Nov. Cheers!

JDragavonDahl wrote:No wind, no clouds, and a meteor shower happening the whole time.

Thanks for the update. Looks like next week will be fun! Cheers!

Still deciding if it's worth the effort, but does that thing look like skiing would be ok? Would like to drop from the crosses, then off the rim through lookers left of the labyrinth. I plotted a line in '06, but January was way icy. I have had this theory that Oct/Nov may be the sweet spot. Not chasing blower powder, but would like to avoid blue water ice and the like. More importantly, would the labyrinth chutes hold an edge?

Haliku wrote:

JDragavonDahl wrote:No wind, no clouds, and a meteor shower happening the whole time.

Thanks for the update. Looks like next week will be fun! Cheers!

Have fun on your trip Haliku! Hope the conditions stay this nice for my trip in January.

Yes, have a good trip and please updates us when you return. I'm headed down there a week later.

Great news! I am heading there this weekend!

Just got back from the hut last night and we are in Tlachichuca next to the church looking at a beautiful mountain now. My team of 6 all made it.

The hut is getting busy now that climbing season is kicking in. There were 22 in the hut last night with a few outside and a team of 5 at 15k camp. We ran into several SPers at the hut.

Conditions are excellent. We summited at sunrise yesterday with a full moon to guide our way. The route is in good shape.

Section 1: Hut to 15300 feet - numerous switchbacks up the scree slope. The crux of the climb. If possible scout it out before to speed up the climb at night.

Section 2: 15300 - 16200 feet - two options here. Stay on climbers right and go up a small valley to a buried glacier and climb the minor headwall. Better right now is to cross the ridge into the labrynth keeping the ridge on climbers right. Snow levels are lower than my past visits allowing crampon snow climbing from 15550 to the glacier edge making this the faster route.

Section 3: 16200 - summit - Beautiful hardpack snow for crampons. Steep but no rope really needed saving you pack weight. Aim farther right to the point where the summit line starts to level out on the ridge. About half way up the slope is a staircase of steps switchbacked into the glacier making for fast climbing. A wand with faded tape marks the start of the steps so look for it.

All elevations are approximates. The crater rim is snowy but no issues accessing the true summit. The metal crosses are now exposed as mentioned a few weeks ago they were buried.

New pics and updated Orizaba and Malinche pages soon to come. Cheers!

Edit: If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.

1mvertical wrote:Still deciding if it's worth the effort, but does that thing look like skiing would be ok? Would like to drop from the crosses, then off the rim through lookers left of the labyrinth. I plotted a line in '06, but January was way icy. I have had this theory that Oct/Nov may be the sweet spot. Not chasing blower powder, but would like to avoid blue water ice and the like. More importantly, would the labyrinth chutes hold an edge?

From the crosses to the base of the glacier edge at 16100 at the top of the labyrinth would of been an excellent ride yesterday. It was packed powder conditions that any ski resort east of Colorado would die to have on their slopes. Never even saw the glacier ice. Cheers!

Haliku wrote:Just got back from the hut last night and we are in Tlachichuca next to the church looking at a beautiful mountain now. My team of 6 all made it.

The hut is getting busy now that climbing season is kicking in. There were 22 in the hut last night with a few outside and a team of 5 at 15k camp. We ran into several SPers at the hut.

Conditions are excellent. We summited at sunrise yesterday with a full moon to guide our way. The route is in good shape.

Section 1: Hut to 15300 feet - numerous switchbacks up the scree slope. The crux of the climb. If possible scout it out before to speed up the climb at night.

Section 2: 15300 - 16200 feet - two options here. Stay on climbers right and go up a small valley to a buried glacier and climb the minor headwall. Better right now is to cross the ridge into the labrynth keeping the ridge on climbers right. Snow levels are lower than my past visits allowing crampon snow climbing from 15550 to the glacier edge making this the faster route.

Section 3: 16200 - summit - Beautiful hardpack snow for crampons. Steep but no rope really needed saving you pack weight. Aim farther right to the point where the summit line starts to level out on the ridge. About half way up the slope is a staircase of steps switchbacked into the glacier making for fast climbing. A wand with faded tape marks the start of the steps so look for it.

All elevations are approximates. The crater rim is snowy but no issues accessing the true summit. The metal crosses are now exposed as mentioned a few weeks ago they were buried.

New pics and updated Orizaba and Malinche pages soon to come. Cheers!

Edit: If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.

Haliku, Congratulations on making the summit! Sounds like you had a great trip. Am glad to hear the conditions are so good on the mountain this year.
-Luke

Haliku wrote:Section 1: Hut to 15300 feet - numerous switchbacks up the scree slope. The crux of the climb. If possible scout it out before to speed up the climb at night.

Section 2: 15300 - 16200 feet - two options here. Stay on climbers right and go up a small valley to a buried glacier and climb the minor headwall. Better right now is to cross the ridge into the labrynth keeping the ridge on climbers right. Snow levels are lower than my past visits allowing crampon snow climbing from 15550 to the glacier edge making this the faster route.

Section 3: 16200 - summit - Beautiful hardpack snow for crampons. Steep but no rope really needed saving you pack weight. Aim farther right to the point where the summit line starts to level out on the ridge. About half way up the slope is a staircase of steps switchbacked into the glacier making for fast climbing. A wand with faded tape marks the start of the steps so look for it.

Here's a pic from the end of Section one looking into the labrynth. Cheers!

I made it to the top on the 21st. Great snow and cramponing conditions. First time over 14,500! I will post a TR once I fiqure out how to do it! Thanks for all the beta and notes here. As a new member I am really enjoying it! Scott

Has anyone been up there recently? Heading up in 1st week of Jan

I summited Orizaba last week. It was about 50 degrees in the hut, and somewhere below freezing from outside from 14K up until about mid morning. Once the wind picks up, as it does almost every day, it can feel very cold. I had mid-weight gloves and had painfully cold hands. My feet and my girlfriend's feet were numb the entire day when we went for the summit. From noon on it fluctuated between comfortably cool and uncomfortably warm. The glacier and labrynth were perfect for cramponing, no percipitation then and none likely during the dry season. If you find my Cannon camera on the glacier let me know.