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tubesss wrote:Any guidance in this area would also be appretiated. Thanks in advance.

Advice: Don't.

Unless you have equipment and training you are risking your life and others if you attempt to climb anything more than Ilinza Norte in Ecuador. Even that might be a stretch for you with the altitude. Mountaineering isn't a last minute on a whim sport. It takes training and planning and of course some investment in equipment. Most of your questions can be answered by reviewing old posts in the forum as well as researching the mountain pages.

If you aren't a troll (on SP) then take some time to learn on easier mountains. Cheers.

You may want to check this topic in our South America forum: Ecuador

Well if you absolutely want to climb a +5000m in Ecuador, please consider hiring a guide (recognized one ) and know that most guiding agencies have a full set of technical gear (including pants, jackets, plastic boots etc) for their customers. The time frame seems to short for Chimborazo. Cotopaxi would already be a decent challenge...

Suerte !

It doesn't seem to be common knowledge yet, but now everyone (foreign) is required to have a guide to enter Cotopaxi Park, so if that's a goal (and it's a reasonable one if you can get acclimitized) then you will have some professional help/leadership. There are many competent outfits to consider. You can gain some altitude/acclimitization on the Pichinchas, right above Quito, as well as several other non-technical peaks that are not hard to reach from Quito and other centers. Iliniza Norte is a fun scramble with few problems when it's dry. If you acclimitize in an average way, 12 days should be just enough to do a bigger peak like Cotopaxi, with good leadership. There are many other good choices. I have not climbed or been to Chimborazo so have no comment on that one, other than that many parties I met this winter 'summitted', by which they meant the Veintemilla, not the true summit.
There are also many useful guidebooks that will help your planning. The coldest conditions I experienced in December, on Cotopaxi, were similar to a cold summer climb of Grand Teton or something similar. I understand conditions are often windier in the coming 'spring and summer' months (our spring and summer). Have a safe and enjoyable trip. The Ecuador volcanoes are very beautiful and worthy climbs.

another interesting topic in our forum: Iliniza Norte - normal route

and as the Italians say: " Forza ! "

Some things that I read about Cotopaxi make it sound like it is very doable for beginners, while other things I see make it sound much more difficult.

Cotopaxi is fairly easy for that high a mountain, but would be dangerous without a guide and without experience. You should acclimatize and then get a guide. I met someone on the summit who had never climbed another peak before.

Just make sure to get your own guide. I saw some weird crap up on Cotopaxi, such as 8 member groups all roped together with one guide. I kept thinking "what the ----" do they think they're doing.

Anyway, there are plenty of hikable mountains in Ecuador as well that don't require glacier travel. Corazon, Fuya Fuya, Imbabura, Rumiñahui, Atacazo, etc.

Here's one suggestion:

http://www.moggely.com/mountain-climbin ... chool.html

If you are interested in glacier climbing you can take the glacier class that is offered down there. The glacier class includes a climb of Cotopaxi as well as training for climbing on glaciers. That way, you could rack up both climbing experience and training and bag a peak.

If you just do a guided climb of Cotopaxi, you would just bag the summit, but not gain too much experience. Doing a class would be a great way to get some experience.

tubesss wrote:actually, I guess I got up to 15,419 hiking to Machu Picchu, but that was a pretty easy, not at all technical hike.

If you took the Incan Trail from Km88 then you made it to approx 14k on Dead Women's pass. Cheers!

dayinthelife wrote:It doesn't seem to be common knowledge yet, but now everyone (foreign) is required to have a guide to enter Cotopaxi Park, so if that's a goal (and it's a reasonable one if you can get acclimitized) then you will have some professional help/leadership.

Can you provide any links or information on this topic? Cheers!