Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: October-23-2004
I finally reached the elusive summit of Izta on my third attempt, this time with gorgeous weather. Snow was present from just below the knees all the way to the summit and it was in good condition. We had great views of Popo, Orizaba, Malinche and Nevado de Toluca.
It turned out to be a long slog due to our large group (28 people) from Monterrey, México, but it was well worth it.
This hike is far more enjoyable than Orizaba and I wouldn`t hesitate to do it again.
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: Oct. 17 2004
Beautiful day... slept a grand total of 0 hours the night before... with 75 camped in and around the hut we were woefully unprepared and paid for it dearly.
The next morning while fighting exhaustion, diarrhea and stomach cramps we left at 4:30 and I somehow made it up to the rodillas in an hour and a half and from there on was relatively smooth sailing... a beautiful day, beautiful mountain and a marvelous sunrise... even Popo gave a little hiccup.
The snow was very firm, styrofoamy and was easy to work up and down in... though you could tell I was one of the few who felt that way... one of the advantages to living in a wintery haven for most of my life I suppose...
I truly love this mountain it offers so much to the eye and for an alpine experience... Orizaba is more one dimensional... simply up and up and up.. Izta has it all!
Route Climbed: Ayoloco Glacier Date Climbed: February 19, 2004
Left the Ayoloco Hut at 3:30 am and summitted at 7:15 am. Beautiful Day. The glacier was in terrible condition so we mainly stayed to the left through many gulleys and rock. We barely touched foot on the glacier. No affect of altitude at all. Drank lots of water. Perfect acclimitization climb!
We did not see anyone else the entire day (not even from the normal route). It only took couple of hours to descend. We packed and headed back to La Joya and on to Orizaba!
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: 27Jan 04
We had beautiful weather. Left La Joya at 0200 under clear sky. Before the dawn it was cold and found us on the snowfields above the hut.
We only crossed two glaicier areas, the belly and the crater to the summit. Conditions were completely dry. A storm a few days later blanketed all the high peaks in the region with a white coat.
It took us 13+ hours roundtrip due to an teammate getting injured at 17,300 on the way down.
Route Climbed: Ayoloco Glacier Date Climbed: November 24, 2003
What a beautiful mountain!!! We arrived on November 22, and camped just below La Joya. The following day we carried to 14,400 feet on the high route to the Ayoloco Hut. Our summit day was hampered by weather, but we did manage to make it to the top of the Ayolodo Glacier at 16,600 feet!!! The white lady is more beautiful in person than I had ever imagined.
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: November 2000
Oh well, it can be done in a day but its a long haul especially those ups and downs on the return. Good weather and such a beautiful place up there on the glacier.
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: April 03, 2003
We got to La Joya about six in the afternoon. We hiked from there to the hut, most of the time in the dark. It had snowed for the first time in a long time a couple days earlier, and on our hike up in the dark in snowed about two inches, and most of that fell in half an hour. We stayed at the hut for the night. Thursday morning we headed up the rest of the Knees and made it to the Belly Glacier (Ayoloco). Despite the recent snow, the signs of no fresh snow for quite a while were evident on the glacier. It was rittled everywhere with crevasses. We roped up and headed out on the glacier, though. About a third of the way across we decided to turn back as it was becoming too treacherous. Still, we had a great time, and everything was very beautiful. We are wanting more snow, though, to help the glaciers and effectively cover up some of those crevasses. =-)
big_g - Feb 21, 2003 9:07 pm Date Climbed: Feb 9, 2003
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol (Normal Route)
What a great time and a personal altitude record until I climbed Orizaba a few days later.
Route Climbed: South Side Date Climbed: February 19, 2003
Just got back from Ixta today. We only made it to the summit on the Knees, but still an enjoyable time. A friend on the trip (who is one of the best rock climber's i've seen) got some altitude sickness, but i think he still enjoyed the trip.
This was the driest i've ever seen it on ixta. We need snow! I was interested to get to the glaciers to see how much they've changed, if at all, but we didn't get that far this trip.
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: February 8, 2003
Left Tlachichuca on the 9:45am bus to Puebla's CAPU (31 pesos). Then took the 2nd class "Intermedio" (Estrella Roja bus) to Mexico City and got off at Puente de Chalco. Walked over the bridge to the south side and then took the regular bus to Amecameca (7 pesos). Arrived in Amecameca's main plaza, the "zocalo," around 2:30pm. Here I hired a taxi to take me up to the Altzomoni climber's lodge/hostel. But first we secured permits (they cost 10 pesos as of Feb 2003; they just started charging this year). I also had to pay 60 pesos to stay at the Altzomoni lodge (also a new change). We passed the 1st military post before Paso de Cortes and then at Paso de Cortes we passed the 2nd post. My taxi driver and I agree that he would pick me up the next day around 4:00pm. I arrived at Altzomoni around 4:30pm on Friday, Feb 7th. Altzomoni has bunk beds, power (electrical lighting) and two restrooms with no running water. Bring your own drinking water from Amecameca. I went to bed around 8pm. Got up at 2am and started walking from Altzomoni at 3:07am towards La Joya and onto the peak by headlamp. Routefinding in the dark is somewhat of a challenge. Nevertheless, I managed to make it to the Grupo de Los Cien hut twenty minutes after sunrise. Took a small break here and then headed up via some class 3 rocks towards the Knees. Even though I carried ice axe & crampons, I never used them. Summited Ixta at 10:37am. Took some pictures and began to head down at 10:50am. I finally arrived back at Altzomoni at 2:27pm. My taxi driver got there at 3:40pm and by 5:00pm I was back in Amecameca trying to get a hotel. I wanted to stay at Hotel San Carlos but was all booked. I ended up at Hotel San Marques, which is like 10 minutes north of the main plaza/zocalo. I found Hotel San Marques to be adequate (150 pesos a single bed, 300 pesos for 2 beds). Took a shower and then walked to Fredys Pizzeria and pigged out on a medium pizza. After that, I slept like a baby that night.
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: December 31st, 2002
Ass kicker! The false summits were brutal (both physically and mentally) What a great way to start my time in Mexico. Drank over 3 liters of water and could have used way more. I was running low on food and had only one Gu (because of the cows). Started from La Joya at 2:30am with 2 others and hit the summit at about 9. Take the time to acclimate and enjoy the view. The lights from mexico city and then later the fog set a different tone that most climbs. See my trip report from Mexico and feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. Mexico is awesome.
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: November 26, 2002
We did it all the way from the Altzomoni lodge (at the base of the TV towers) in one day, though we were spared the hike back up to the hill where the TV towers are located (our ride came down for us). This added only about 45 minutes to the climb, but I think a start from La Joya, or higher up, would have been more enjoyable. But at least we didn't have to lug a bunch of gear and water to the high camp. I really enjoyed the climb, but I think it would have been more enjoyable with more snow cover, as the scree slogging became tedious at times. Also, unlike most mountains, once you are at the summit, it is not all down hill. One must climb back up a few times, including the long climb back up to the knees. Pace yourself accordingly. Watch out for the f@#$%ing bulls at La Joya. One big black one came after me (I was wearing red) after I descended, making this the most dangerous part of the climb!
pacojgarza - Nov 1, 2004 2:11 am
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: October-23-2004I finally reached the elusive summit of Izta on my third attempt, this time with gorgeous weather. Snow was present from just below the knees all the way to the summit and it was in good condition. We had great views of Popo, Orizaba, Malinche and Nevado de Toluca.
It turned out to be a long slog due to our large group (28 people) from Monterrey, México, but it was well worth it.
This hike is far more enjoyable than Orizaba and I wouldn`t hesitate to do it again.
ripper333 - Oct 20, 2004 10:34 pm
Route Climbed: arista del sol Date Climbed: dec 2001one push from la joya. late start and one long
day. coolest thing ever neighboring popo was
puffing away while on the summit of izta.
tlogan - Oct 17, 2004 7:27 pm
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: Oct. 17 2004Beautiful day... slept a grand total of 0 hours the night before... with 75 camped in and around the hut we were woefully unprepared and paid for it dearly.
The next morning while fighting exhaustion, diarrhea and stomach cramps we left at 4:30 and I somehow made it up to the rodillas in an hour and a half and from there on was relatively smooth sailing... a beautiful day, beautiful mountain and a marvelous sunrise... even Popo gave a little hiccup.
The snow was very firm, styrofoamy and was easy to work up and down in... though you could tell I was one of the few who felt that way... one of the advantages to living in a wintery haven for most of my life I suppose...
I truly love this mountain it offers so much to the eye and for an alpine experience... Orizaba is more one dimensional... simply up and up and up.. Izta has it all!
mxclimber - Sep 16, 2004 11:38 am
Route Climbed: La arista del sol Date Climbed: April 4 2004nice weather reached the summit at about 9
amcfarre - Jul 15, 2004 5:11 pm
Route Climbed: Normal Date Climbed: Feb 12, 2004I enjoyed this climb far more than Orizaba. Much more interesting and with great views of Popo.
Lots of pictures at:
http://mcfarren.info/adam/outdoor/courses/mexico2004/
esugi - Feb 28, 2004 6:08 pm
Route Climbed: Ayoloco Glacier Date Climbed: February 19, 2004Left the Ayoloco Hut at 3:30 am and summitted at 7:15 am. Beautiful Day. The glacier was in terrible condition so we mainly stayed to the left through many gulleys and rock. We barely touched foot on the glacier. No affect of altitude at all. Drank lots of water. Perfect acclimitization climb!
We did not see anyone else the entire day (not even from the normal route). It only took couple of hours to descend. We packed and headed back to La Joya and on to Orizaba!
Haliku - Feb 3, 2004 10:38 pm
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: 27Jan 04We had beautiful weather. Left La Joya at 0200 under clear sky. Before the dawn it was cold and found us on the snowfields above the hut.
We only crossed two glaicier areas, the belly and the crater to the summit. Conditions were completely dry. A storm a few days later blanketed all the high peaks in the region with a white coat.
It took us 13+ hours roundtrip due to an teammate getting injured at 17,300 on the way down.
mtnfoto - Jan 21, 2004 1:52 pm
Date Climbed: Jan 1976 and Feb 1993Lots more snow the first time I did it. Guided three clients in '93.
marke - Dec 11, 2003 5:59 pm
Route Climbed: Ayoloco Glacier Date Climbed: November 24, 2003What a beautiful mountain!!! We arrived on November 22, and camped just below La Joya. The following day we carried to 14,400 feet on the high route to the Ayoloco Hut. Our summit day was hampered by weather, but we did manage to make it to the top of the Ayolodo Glacier at 16,600 feet!!! The white lady is more beautiful in person than I had ever imagined.
--Mark, Scott, Nate
Brice Neugebauer - Aug 30, 2003 9:30 am
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: 12 Feb 2003-
dharmadog - Aug 3, 2003 10:40 pm
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: November 2000Oh well, it can be done in a day but its a long haul especially those ups and downs on the return. Good weather and such a beautiful place up there on the glacier.
climber21 - Apr 11, 2003 9:14 am
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: April 03, 2003We got to La Joya about six in the afternoon. We hiked from there to the hut, most of the time in the dark. It had snowed for the first time in a long time a couple days earlier, and on our hike up in the dark in snowed about two inches, and most of that fell in half an hour. We stayed at the hut for the night. Thursday morning we headed up the rest of the Knees and made it to the Belly Glacier (Ayoloco). Despite the recent snow, the signs of no fresh snow for quite a while were evident on the glacier. It was rittled everywhere with crevasses. We roped up and headed out on the glacier, though. About a third of the way across we decided to turn back as it was becoming too treacherous. Still, we had a great time, and everything was very beautiful. We are wanting more snow, though, to help the glaciers and effectively cover up some of those crevasses. =-)
big_g - Feb 21, 2003 9:07 pm Date Climbed: Feb 9, 2003
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol (Normal Route)What a great time and a personal altitude record until I climbed Orizaba a few days later.
climber21 - Feb 19, 2003 4:23 pm
Route Climbed: South Side Date Climbed: February 19, 2003Just got back from Ixta today. We only made it to the summit on the Knees, but still an enjoyable time. A friend on the trip (who is one of the best rock climber's i've seen) got some altitude sickness, but i think he still enjoyed the trip.
This was the driest i've ever seen it on ixta. We need snow! I was interested to get to the glaciers to see how much they've changed, if at all, but we didn't get that far this trip.
forjan - Feb 19, 2003 1:31 pm
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: February 8, 2003Left Tlachichuca on the 9:45am bus to Puebla's CAPU (31 pesos). Then took the 2nd class "Intermedio" (Estrella Roja bus) to Mexico City and got off at Puente de Chalco. Walked over the bridge to the south side and then took the regular bus to Amecameca (7 pesos). Arrived in Amecameca's main plaza, the "zocalo," around 2:30pm. Here I hired a taxi to take me up to the Altzomoni climber's lodge/hostel. But first we secured permits (they cost 10 pesos as of Feb 2003; they just started charging this year). I also had to pay 60 pesos to stay at the Altzomoni lodge (also a new change). We passed the 1st military post before Paso de Cortes and then at Paso de Cortes we passed the 2nd post. My taxi driver and I agree that he would pick me up the next day around 4:00pm. I arrived at Altzomoni around 4:30pm on Friday, Feb 7th. Altzomoni has bunk beds, power (electrical lighting) and two restrooms with no running water. Bring your own drinking water from Amecameca. I went to bed around 8pm. Got up at 2am and started walking from Altzomoni at 3:07am towards La Joya and onto the peak by headlamp. Routefinding in the dark is somewhat of a challenge. Nevertheless, I managed to make it to the Grupo de Los Cien hut twenty minutes after sunrise. Took a small break here and then headed up via some class 3 rocks towards the Knees. Even though I carried ice axe & crampons, I never used them. Summited Ixta at 10:37am. Took some pictures and began to head down at 10:50am. I finally arrived back at Altzomoni at 2:27pm. My taxi driver got there at 3:40pm and by 5:00pm I was back in Amecameca trying to get a hotel. I wanted to stay at Hotel San Carlos but was all booked. I ended up at Hotel San Marques, which is like 10 minutes north of the main plaza/zocalo. I found Hotel San Marques to be adequate (150 pesos a single bed, 300 pesos for 2 beds). Took a shower and then walked to Fredys Pizzeria and pigged out on a medium pizza. After that, I slept like a baby that night.
IdahoClimber - Feb 5, 2003 8:46 am
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: December 31st, 2002Ass kicker! The false summits were brutal (both physically and mentally) What a great way to start my time in Mexico. Drank over 3 liters of water and could have used way more. I was running low on food and had only one Gu (because of the cows). Started from La Joya at 2:30am with 2 others and hit the summit at about 9. Take the time to acclimate and enjoy the view. The lights from mexico city and then later the fog set a different tone that most climbs. See my trip report from Mexico and feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. Mexico is awesome.
Nic Stover
dsnell - Dec 17, 2002 9:16 pm
Route Climbed: La Arista del Sol Date Climbed: November 26, 2002We did it all the way from the Altzomoni lodge (at the base of the TV towers) in one day, though we were spared the hike back up to the hill where the TV towers are located (our ride came down for us). This added only about 45 minutes to the climb, but I think a start from La Joya, or higher up, would have been more enjoyable. But at least we didn't have to lug a bunch of gear and water to the high camp. I really enjoyed the climb, but I think it would have been more enjoyable with more snow cover, as the scree slogging became tedious at times. Also, unlike most mountains, once you are at the summit, it is not all down hill. One must climb back up a few times, including the long climb back up to the knees. Pace yourself accordingly. Watch out for the f@#$%ing bulls at La Joya. One big black one came after me (I was wearing red) after I descended, making this the most dangerous part of the climb!
edouet - Oct 26, 2002 1:48 am
Route Climbed: La Arista Del Sol Date Climbed: 14 December 2001First 5000 !
Started on 13 Dec. Easy walk from Paso de Cortez to the hut - 4800 - .
Great sunset, can see and ear POPO's heartbeats .
Meeting Peter Anderson, guide on Mount Rainier .
On 14 Dec, out from the hut at 6.00 A.M.; after screes, glaciers .
Second hut has been destroyed by wind .
We reached the summit easily, feeling really good .
Amazing view, perfect clear sky !
climberkjp - Oct 22, 2002 1:42 am
Route Climbed: Arista Date Climbed: December 29, 2001First 5,000 meter peak. Great warmup for Orizaba. What a day!
tcciv - Sep 8, 2002 8:43 pm
Route Climbed: Arista del Sol Date Climbed: August 2002First 5000m+ mountain, the feeling of walking on the glacier is indelible. Watch out for the altitude. Next time I´ll go for a more technical route.