chicagosky - Jan 4, 2012 8:35 am Date Climbed: Dec 30, 2011
First attempt
Attempted to climb Cotopaxi as the third climb of my trip to Ecuador. Had to turn around at 5500 meters as I was completely out of gas and didnt think I could make it back even if I made it to the summit.
lutty11 - Dec 28, 2011 10:51 pm Date Climbed: Nov 20, 2010
Standard Route
Well acclimated from Cayambe days earlier, made for an enjoyable and successful climb. Great views, very rewarding!
MMclimbhigh - Dec 19, 2011 4:54 pm Date Climbed: Dec 6, 2011
Normal Route
Great climb up the normal route. Full moon = No headlamp! Amazing route up through tropical glaciers! This was the one, beautiful sunny day we had in Ecuador. Very lucky. Only a couple of other parties on the mountain and in the hut. Great climb, don't miss this one!
mreiter1 - Dec 11, 2011 2:04 pm Date Climbed: Jul 13, 2009
Success
Standard Route
brota - Dec 9, 2011 5:01 pm Date Climbed: Dec 9, 2011
Nice climb
Arriving at 7pm to the cottage / camping. Officially not possible to enter after 3pm and a taxi without special permit! Quite long argue at the ranger station.
Started with a friend at 1.00 am without a guide. Following other groups in the beginning to find the way. They all went to slowly so after too much waiting behind them we went into "lead" making the way through deep snow in the upper parts for all others. After 5 hours on the top - cloudy and windy. Was very easy to follow the route. One difficult part at about 5700m. On the way down taking with us an exhausted tourist who was bivouacking (freezing) at about 5700m and waiting for his mate and guide to come back from the top.
madclimber - Nov 2, 2011 8:42 pm Date Climbed: Jul 26, 2008
Normal Route
Best shots when the sun is rising over the clouds at 19,000ft!
Herb - Oct 24, 2011 7:56 am Date Climbed: Nov 14, 2010
Cotopaxi normal route from Refugio Jose Ribas
It snowed on the days before our climb and when we arrived at Jose Ribas hut on the 13th of November. We found a lot of loose snow on some of the traverses of the normal route, so belaying was mainly mental safety... :) We had some fog and clouds during most of the ascent in the night and early morning. At least we got a few views when summiting around 7.30 a.m. because we broke through the cloud cover at app. 5.700 m.
Very nice and perfectly shaped mountain. I'm glad that we made Cotopaxi, since we got no chance on Chimborazo after that: too much snow and avalanche danger - we had to turn around on the 17th of November already at 5.250 m.
hunterslee - Oct 23, 2011 9:42 pm Date Climbed: Dec 7, 2010
Awesome!
Love this Mountain, the view looking into that crater is something else...if you're reading this and haven't summitted Cotopaxi, just go there and do it!
Socorro - Oct 19, 2011 1:19 pm Date Climbed: Sep 11, 2011
Next time...
We reached 17,700 ft (5400 m) and had to turn back at a crevasse. One team made it across and to the summit, but crossing apparently involved jumping it, vertical climbing, crossing a wood board and a very weak snow bridge that might collapse by return. Our guide said if we crossed we would be committed to descending an alternate route. Several teams tried probing for the end but had no luck. All the teams except the one summit team turned back that morning. Bizarre that we were the group to find this obstacle in worse condition than before, but I´ll be back soon hopefully.
karore - Oct 8, 2011 11:35 am Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2011
Good climb
Hard climb, coming down was harder because altitude gave me a asthmatic cough.
ferbat - Aug 12, 2011 4:55 am Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2008
Cotopaxi
Great peak !
xpda - Aug 9, 2011 9:57 pm Date Climbed: Mar 14, 2009
Second Try
Made it!
dunsum - Aug 6, 2011 4:41 pm Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2011
summit
Climbed with my friend, Jonas Haag.
7summits - Apr 5, 2011 1:13 pm Date Climbed: Jun 6, 2010
icey and crevassed
cold, windy and icy and a very crevassed route, the normal route had changed because of this. Summited with zero visibility and a layer of ice on me.
Met Ivan Vallejos, so that was more fun than the summit :)
I bet it was more fun. Ivan Vallejo is a legend and a great person!.. He is the 7th climber out of 10 who climbed ALL 8000'ers without supplementary oxygen.
He is the only South American to do so, and the second in the whole continent after Ed Viesturs from the USA.
edomar2611 - Feb 16, 2011 8:34 am Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2008
Normal Route in a snow storm
I climbed Cotopaxi during a snowy storm, leading for the first time a group of three persons.
No panorama!
cookedfish - Feb 11, 2011 3:29 pm Date Climbed: Nov 15, 2010
Beautiful Mountain
My buddy and I, who were spending the semester studying in Ecuador, made it up over the weekend with a local guide. Cotopaxi was a beautiful mountain, an easy enough climb for the beginners that we were, and a good experience with our guide. It certainly helps to live in Quito awhile in order to acclimatize.
wmolland - Feb 1, 2011 1:50 pm Date Climbed: Jan 24, 2011
Cloudy summit
We left too early and were left shivering under the final steep ice/snow section for an hour waiting for the sun to rise. Got to the top in clouds but it was still an awesome climb up. Some of the ice formations are wild up there!
Senad Rizvanovic - Jan 29, 2011 8:04 pm Date Climbed: Jan 26, 2011
AWESOME!
new hight point for me,FANTASTIC WEATHER! I was preparing for this climb last few months, maybe i should go for Chimbo or Cayambe, but there is always next time.
tmfaust21 - Jan 27, 2011 6:49 pm Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2011
chicagosky - Jan 4, 2012 8:35 am Date Climbed: Dec 30, 2011
First attemptAttempted to climb Cotopaxi as the third climb of my trip to Ecuador. Had to turn around at 5500 meters as I was completely out of gas and didnt think I could make it back even if I made it to the summit.
lutty11 - Dec 28, 2011 10:51 pm Date Climbed: Nov 20, 2010
Standard RouteWell acclimated from Cayambe days earlier, made for an enjoyable and successful climb. Great views, very rewarding!
MMclimbhigh - Dec 19, 2011 4:54 pm Date Climbed: Dec 6, 2011
Normal RouteGreat climb up the normal route. Full moon = No headlamp! Amazing route up through tropical glaciers! This was the one, beautiful sunny day we had in Ecuador. Very lucky. Only a couple of other parties on the mountain and in the hut. Great climb, don't miss this one!
mreiter1 - Dec 11, 2011 2:04 pm Date Climbed: Jul 13, 2009
SuccessStandard Route
brota - Dec 9, 2011 5:01 pm Date Climbed: Dec 9, 2011
Nice climbArriving at 7pm to the cottage / camping. Officially not possible to enter after 3pm and a taxi without special permit! Quite long argue at the ranger station.
Started with a friend at 1.00 am without a guide. Following other groups in the beginning to find the way. They all went to slowly so after too much waiting behind them we went into "lead" making the way through deep snow in the upper parts for all others. After 5 hours on the top - cloudy and windy. Was very easy to follow the route. One difficult part at about 5700m. On the way down taking with us an exhausted tourist who was bivouacking (freezing) at about 5700m and waiting for his mate and guide to come back from the top.
madclimber - Nov 2, 2011 8:42 pm Date Climbed: Jul 26, 2008
Normal RouteBest shots when the sun is rising over the clouds at 19,000ft!
Herb - Oct 24, 2011 7:56 am Date Climbed: Nov 14, 2010
Cotopaxi normal route from Refugio Jose RibasIt snowed on the days before our climb and when we arrived at Jose Ribas hut on the 13th of November. We found a lot of loose snow on some of the traverses of the normal route, so belaying was mainly mental safety... :) We had some fog and clouds during most of the ascent in the night and early morning. At least we got a few views when summiting around 7.30 a.m. because we broke through the cloud cover at app. 5.700 m.
Very nice and perfectly shaped mountain. I'm glad that we made Cotopaxi, since we got no chance on Chimborazo after that: too much snow and avalanche danger - we had to turn around on the 17th of November already at 5.250 m.
hunterslee - Oct 23, 2011 9:42 pm Date Climbed: Dec 7, 2010
Awesome!Love this Mountain, the view looking into that crater is something else...if you're reading this and haven't summitted Cotopaxi, just go there and do it!
Socorro - Oct 19, 2011 1:19 pm Date Climbed: Sep 11, 2011
Next time...We reached 17,700 ft (5400 m) and had to turn back at a crevasse. One team made it across and to the summit, but crossing apparently involved jumping it, vertical climbing, crossing a wood board and a very weak snow bridge that might collapse by return. Our guide said if we crossed we would be committed to descending an alternate route. Several teams tried probing for the end but had no luck. All the teams except the one summit team turned back that morning. Bizarre that we were the group to find this obstacle in worse condition than before, but I´ll be back soon hopefully.
karore - Oct 8, 2011 11:35 am Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2011
Good climbHard climb, coming down was harder because altitude gave me a asthmatic cough.
ferbat - Aug 12, 2011 4:55 am Date Climbed: Aug 21, 2008
CotopaxiGreat peak !
xpda - Aug 9, 2011 9:57 pm Date Climbed: Mar 14, 2009
Second TryMade it!
dunsum - Aug 6, 2011 4:41 pm Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2011
summitClimbed with my friend, Jonas Haag.
7summits - Apr 5, 2011 1:13 pm Date Climbed: Jun 6, 2010
icey and crevassedcold, windy and icy and a very crevassed route, the normal route had changed because of this. Summited with zero visibility and a layer of ice on me.
Met Ivan Vallejos, so that was more fun than the summit :)
Boriss Andean - Apr 5, 2011 1:41 pm
Ivan vallejo!I bet it was more fun. Ivan Vallejo is a legend and a great person!.. He is the 7th climber out of 10 who climbed ALL 8000'ers without supplementary oxygen.
He is the only South American to do so, and the second in the whole continent after Ed Viesturs from the USA.
edomar2611 - Feb 16, 2011 8:34 am Date Climbed: Aug 11, 2008
Normal Route in a snow stormI climbed Cotopaxi during a snowy storm, leading for the first time a group of three persons.
No panorama!
cookedfish - Feb 11, 2011 3:29 pm Date Climbed: Nov 15, 2010
Beautiful MountainMy buddy and I, who were spending the semester studying in Ecuador, made it up over the weekend with a local guide. Cotopaxi was a beautiful mountain, an easy enough climb for the beginners that we were, and a good experience with our guide. It certainly helps to live in Quito awhile in order to acclimatize.
wmolland - Feb 1, 2011 1:50 pm Date Climbed: Jan 24, 2011
Cloudy summitWe left too early and were left shivering under the final steep ice/snow section for an hour waiting for the sun to rise. Got to the top in clouds but it was still an awesome climb up. Some of the ice formations are wild up there!
Senad Rizvanovic - Jan 29, 2011 8:04 pm Date Climbed: Jan 26, 2011
AWESOME!new hight point for me,FANTASTIC WEATHER! I was preparing for this climb last few months, maybe i should go for Chimbo or Cayambe, but there is always next time.
tmfaust21 - Jan 27, 2011 6:49 pm Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2011
Nice dayGreat weather and a new high point for myself