Boriss Andean - Jan 8, 2009 4:40 pm Date Climbed: Jan 4, 2009
Route Climbed: Southestern ridge
My first summit of the year!. Climbed with Antonio and Raquel from Spain. It snowed for a while. Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 5 hours of hiking from La Virgen parking lot. Nice views of Illiniza Sur.
astrobassman - Jan 7, 2009 6:41 pm Date Climbed: Dec 20, 2008
Normal Route
This is a good mountain for acclimating. I thought it would take longer than just a few hours, so we relaxed at 16,000 feet or so for a while on the way down. Catching the bus to and from Machachi was a bit of a pain. Good mountain though.
Cheeseburglar - Dec 29, 2008 2:21 am Date Climbed: Dec 20, 2008
Clouds teased us!
A really neat mountain. We had to keep turning around to see if Sur would peak out of the clouds. It never did during our ascent. More or less climbed the standard route and descended the shortcut (we started from the La Virgen). We did have some nice views of Illiniza Sur on the descent!
Boriss Andean - Dec 16, 2008 5:22 pm Date Climbed: Dec 16, 2008
Route Climbed: Southestern ridge
Christine (USA) and I started at 5:30 am from Llovizna Lodge. Got to the refuge at 9:00 am and to the summit (5,126 m/16,818 ft) at 11:45 am. It snowed during our approach to the summit. Got back to La Virgen Parking lot by the north face.
We didn't find any snow on our way up. No crampons or ice axes were needed during the climb.
TrevorMarrs - Nov 3, 2008 4:25 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2008
Snow storm
Climbed with Boris (HIGH EXPEDITIONS) and Japhy (DESERT SOLITAIRE) Lots of snow and wind made for an exciting climb with two great guys last climb in Ecuador I shall return to climb SUR!!
Boriss Andean - Oct 4, 2008 6:31 pm Date Climbed: Oct 4, 2008
Route Climbed: Southestern ridge
Climbed with 8 ecuadorians, but actually I just guided the slowest one, Victor (Russia). We scrambled up by the ridge above the saddle and kept climbing up until we got to Cumbre Villavicencio. The route up doesn't have too much snow as in the last weeks. Kept climbing by the north face and then straight up to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft).
We got down by the north face of the peak which took us straight down to the ridge above the trailhead.
Pretty good weather during the day and rainy in the afternoon. The refuge's under construction at this moment. There aren't beds or mattresses in the refuge, so we climbed it in a single day from La Virgen Parking Lot.
We expecting a climb of rocks and just a few snow... But a big surprised both volcanoes Iliniza Norte & Sur, were covered with snow, great experience climbing mixture rocks and ice. over 20 persons made it succesfully, so many people fails with high altitude sickness.
Boriss Andean - Sep 3, 2008 7:07 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2008
Route Climbed: Normal Route.
Climbed with Trevor (ENG) and Japhy (NEPAL). Initially we were going to climb Illiniza Sur, but avalanche danger made us switch to Illiniza Norte.
We left the refuge around 7:30 am. The mountain was completely covered by snow. We put crampons on as soon as we reached the ridge. An easy climb with not too much wind. Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 2 and a half hours of climbing.
We had a couple of lost items during the climb; Japhy's down jacket and Trevor's piolet. Sorry about that guys :-(
Desert Solitaire - Aug 27, 2008 11:57 am Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2008
RIP, favorite jacket...
Climbed with my friend Boriss (ECU) and Trevor (UK) from the refugio. Fresh snow the night before and avalanche hazard prompted us to abort from Illiniza Sur, so we headed to Norte as a consolation prize.
Snowy, but not cold enough for the snow to consolidate. Crampons from the saddle all the way to the summit, with snow on every rock. Nice short climb, with enough moves to keep things interesting - LOTS of fun! No views at the summit.
Unfortunately, I lost my favorite down jacket at a rest spot and shed a few tears as I saw it tumbling down into the void. Searched for 4 hours later in the day down below, but my guess is that the strong afternoon winds must have blown it into oblivion. RIP, favorite jacket.
TexasClimber3 - Aug 21, 2008 10:59 am Date Climbed: Jun 18, 2008
SNOW SNOW SNOW
Apparently it was the most snow the locals have seen in years...Saw a few people at the refuge on the way up who didn't summit because the snow was too deep. We gave it a try anyways and made it. One of my favorite climbs so far!
Boriss Andean - Aug 20, 2008 11:02 am Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2008
Route Climbed: Normal Route.
Climbed with Pilar and Xavi from Spain. We left the refuge at 7:20 am and headed up to the summit by the ridge located at the right side of the saddle formed between Illiniza Sur and Norte.
The morning was a bit cloudy but windless. Weather conditions improved a bit for a while and we got to see both peaks fully cover by soft snow.
Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 3 hours of slow scrambling. Total RT time: 6 hours to the parking lot.
Crampons and ice axe are required due the presence of hard/soft snow on Illiniza Norte.
Boriss Andean - Aug 10, 2008 5:10 pm Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2008
Route Climbed: Normal Route.
My Canadian friends, Alan, Marie Michéle, Marie Héléne, and I along with Romy (Austria) started climbing at 6:15 am after spending the night in the refuge. The scrambling to the top started by the ridge above the normal route. We reached the first summit (Pico Villavicencio) pretty fast and then continued on by the normal route which featured a few sections of hard snow as we gained altitude.
Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 1 hour and 45 minutes of scrambling. It was great being up there with my three French Canadian friends, two germans and Jacobo (ecuadorian mountain guide).
Whew! Thought I'd be fine after Gagua and Corazon, but I sure felt the altitude on this one. Maybe the exposure was getting to me, the weather was horrible, and some iced over sections made the scrambling exhilirating, especially the "death pass". Still made the top, came down the sandslide.
A great day and a fun, solo ascent. I still need to go back and do Sur. Hopefully there will still be some snow left in Ecuador.
Boriss Andean - Feb 18, 2008 8:13 pm Date Climbed: Nov 27, 2007
Route Climbed: Normal Route.
Climbed it with Heloise and Mathilde (FRA) right after climbing Illiniza Sur the very same day. Two peaks in one day!
The scrambling to the summit was easy even though there was soft snow on the last steps near the summit.
Illiniza Norte. 5,126 m. (16,818 ft).
ericd - Jan 16, 2008 4:15 pm Date Climbed: Jan 9, 2008
A Snowy Ridge
3hrs & 2,300' to base camp refuge. Spent the night at 15,200' ...sleeping was interesting. 6am departure up saddle, along ridgeline, and through "Pass of Death". 1,700' elevation gain and 3 hours later saw the iron cross on summit!
lefty - Jan 16, 2008 12:58 am Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2008
North Face Route
I heavy snow fall the night before made this a better choice for a day hike than the normal route. This route bypasses the Pass of Death and had a nice snow climb near the top.
Boriss Andean - Sep 26, 2007 11:54 pm Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2001
Route Climbed: Normal Route.
Can't remember how many times I've been on its summit but this is one of them.
Climbed it with Markus (Austria) and Bart (Holland). Easy hike and scrambling to the summit. Perfect day and views of the other mountains and volcanoes.
Illiniza Norte. 5,126 m. (16,818 ft).
pkrebs - Aug 20, 2007 7:01 pm Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2006
Boriss Andean - Jan 8, 2009 4:40 pm Date Climbed: Jan 4, 2009
Route Climbed: Southestern ridgeMy first summit of the year!. Climbed with Antonio and Raquel from Spain. It snowed for a while. Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 5 hours of hiking from La Virgen parking lot. Nice views of Illiniza Sur.
astrobassman - Jan 7, 2009 6:41 pm Date Climbed: Dec 20, 2008
Normal RouteThis is a good mountain for acclimating. I thought it would take longer than just a few hours, so we relaxed at 16,000 feet or so for a while on the way down. Catching the bus to and from Machachi was a bit of a pain. Good mountain though.
Cheeseburglar - Dec 29, 2008 2:21 am Date Climbed: Dec 20, 2008
Clouds teased us!A really neat mountain. We had to keep turning around to see if Sur would peak out of the clouds. It never did during our ascent. More or less climbed the standard route and descended the shortcut (we started from the La Virgen). We did have some nice views of Illiniza Sur on the descent!
Boriss Andean - Dec 16, 2008 5:22 pm Date Climbed: Dec 16, 2008
Route Climbed: Southestern ridgeChristine (USA) and I started at 5:30 am from Llovizna Lodge. Got to the refuge at 9:00 am and to the summit (5,126 m/16,818 ft) at 11:45 am. It snowed during our approach to the summit. Got back to La Virgen Parking lot by the north face.
We didn't find any snow on our way up. No crampons or ice axes were needed during the climb.
TrevorMarrs - Nov 3, 2008 4:25 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2008
Snow stormClimbed with Boris (HIGH EXPEDITIONS) and Japhy (DESERT SOLITAIRE) Lots of snow and wind made for an exciting climb with two great guys last climb in Ecuador I shall return to climb SUR!!
Boriss Andean - Oct 4, 2008 6:31 pm Date Climbed: Oct 4, 2008
Route Climbed: Southestern ridgeClimbed with 8 ecuadorians, but actually I just guided the slowest one, Victor (Russia). We scrambled up by the ridge above the saddle and kept climbing up until we got to Cumbre Villavicencio. The route up doesn't have too much snow as in the last weeks. Kept climbing by the north face and then straight up to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft).
We got down by the north face of the peak which took us straight down to the ridge above the trailhead.
Pretty good weather during the day and rainy in the afternoon. The refuge's under construction at this moment. There aren't beds or mattresses in the refuge, so we climbed it in a single day from La Virgen Parking Lot.
eferesen - Sep 15, 2008 11:00 pm Date Climbed: Sep 10, 2008
Norte (North face)Fun hike. Started from the parking lot (refuge was not under construction). Fun hike
ChristianRodriguez - Sep 7, 2008 11:39 pm Date Climbed: Jan 18, 2008
Rock and ice climbWe expecting a climb of rocks and just a few snow... But a big surprised both volcanoes Iliniza Norte & Sur, were covered with snow, great experience climbing mixture rocks and ice. over 20 persons made it succesfully, so many people fails with high altitude sickness.
Boriss Andean - Sep 3, 2008 7:07 pm Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2008
Route Climbed: Normal Route.Climbed with Trevor (ENG) and Japhy (NEPAL). Initially we were going to climb Illiniza Sur, but avalanche danger made us switch to Illiniza Norte.
We left the refuge around 7:30 am. The mountain was completely covered by snow. We put crampons on as soon as we reached the ridge. An easy climb with not too much wind. Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 2 and a half hours of climbing.
We had a couple of lost items during the climb; Japhy's down jacket and Trevor's piolet. Sorry about that guys :-(
Desert Solitaire - Aug 27, 2008 11:57 am Date Climbed: Aug 26, 2008
RIP, favorite jacket...Climbed with my friend Boriss (ECU) and Trevor (UK) from the refugio. Fresh snow the night before and avalanche hazard prompted us to abort from Illiniza Sur, so we headed to Norte as a consolation prize.
Snowy, but not cold enough for the snow to consolidate. Crampons from the saddle all the way to the summit, with snow on every rock. Nice short climb, with enough moves to keep things interesting - LOTS of fun! No views at the summit.
Unfortunately, I lost my favorite down jacket at a rest spot and shed a few tears as I saw it tumbling down into the void. Searched for 4 hours later in the day down below, but my guess is that the strong afternoon winds must have blown it into oblivion. RIP, favorite jacket.
TexasClimber3 - Aug 21, 2008 10:59 am Date Climbed: Jun 18, 2008
SNOW SNOW SNOWApparently it was the most snow the locals have seen in years...Saw a few people at the refuge on the way up who didn't summit because the snow was too deep. We gave it a try anyways and made it. One of my favorite climbs so far!
Boriss Andean - Aug 20, 2008 11:02 am Date Climbed: Aug 19, 2008
Route Climbed: Normal Route.Climbed with Pilar and Xavi from Spain. We left the refuge at 7:20 am and headed up to the summit by the ridge located at the right side of the saddle formed between Illiniza Sur and Norte.
The morning was a bit cloudy but windless. Weather conditions improved a bit for a while and we got to see both peaks fully cover by soft snow.
Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 3 hours of slow scrambling. Total RT time: 6 hours to the parking lot.
Crampons and ice axe are required due the presence of hard/soft snow on Illiniza Norte.
Boriss Andean - Aug 10, 2008 5:10 pm Date Climbed: Aug 5, 2008
Route Climbed: Normal Route.My Canadian friends, Alan, Marie Michéle, Marie Héléne, and I along with Romy (Austria) started climbing at 6:15 am after spending the night in the refuge. The scrambling to the top started by the ridge above the normal route. We reached the first summit (Pico Villavicencio) pretty fast and then continued on by the normal route which featured a few sections of hard snow as we gained altitude.
Got to the top (5,126 m/16,818 ft) after 1 hour and 45 minutes of scrambling. It was great being up there with my three French Canadian friends, two germans and Jacobo (ecuadorian mountain guide).
HeyItsBen - Jul 31, 2008 5:52 pm Date Climbed: Jul 24, 2008
Ruta NormalWhew! Thought I'd be fine after Gagua and Corazon, but I sure felt the altitude on this one. Maybe the exposure was getting to me, the weather was horrible, and some iced over sections made the scrambling exhilirating, especially the "death pass". Still made the top, came down the sandslide.
DrewB - Jul 8, 2008 1:07 pm
FunA great day and a fun, solo ascent. I still need to go back and do Sur. Hopefully there will still be some snow left in Ecuador.
Boriss Andean - Feb 18, 2008 8:13 pm Date Climbed: Nov 27, 2007
Route Climbed: Normal Route.Climbed it with Heloise and Mathilde (FRA) right after climbing Illiniza Sur the very same day. Two peaks in one day!
The scrambling to the summit was easy even though there was soft snow on the last steps near the summit.
Illiniza Norte. 5,126 m. (16,818 ft).
ericd - Jan 16, 2008 4:15 pm Date Climbed: Jan 9, 2008
A Snowy Ridge3hrs & 2,300' to base camp refuge. Spent the night at 15,200' ...sleeping was interesting. 6am departure up saddle, along ridgeline, and through "Pass of Death". 1,700' elevation gain and 3 hours later saw the iron cross on summit!
lefty - Jan 16, 2008 12:58 am Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2008
North Face RouteI heavy snow fall the night before made this a better choice for a day hike than the normal route. This route bypasses the Pass of Death and had a nice snow climb near the top.
Boriss Andean - Sep 26, 2007 11:54 pm Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2001
Route Climbed: Normal Route.Can't remember how many times I've been on its summit but this is one of them.
Climbed it with Markus (Austria) and Bart (Holland). Easy hike and scrambling to the summit. Perfect day and views of the other mountains and volcanoes.
Illiniza Norte. 5,126 m. (16,818 ft).
pkrebs - Aug 20, 2007 7:01 pm Date Climbed: Sep 15, 2006
Normal RouteGreat views of Sur and Cotopaxi.