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Basic information

The Arista del Sol and Integral del Chimborazo combination was first done by Iván Vallejo and Os Morales in 1989. After them, only a couple of rope teams ever did it again. The Integral tour starts at the eastern side of Chimborazo ascending to Piedra Negra. From there, it goes up the Arista del Sol to the Nicolás Martínez summit. This is considered to be one of the most beautiful mixed rock and ice tours in Ecuador. Then, it traverses to the Politénica and main Whymper summit. Finally, you continue on the regular path to the Veintimilla summit and descend to the refuge.

We did the Integral tour in a team of three: Rafael Caceres, Juan José Cabedo and Jaime Vargas. On 5 January 2020 we met at Urbina train station and went to Portal Andino by car. There, our adventure began. After four days of heavy mountaineering and amazing views we finally arrived at the Carrel refuge.

In general, we were fortunate to have good weather. Only the second day it clouded up.

Equipment and food

For the Integral del Chimborazo we tried to pack as little as possible but as much as necessary. This is what we took with us: The normal equipment with crampons, different ice axes, helmet and climbing harness. For the night we had a tent, sleeping bags and sleeping mats. As camping stoves we used one Jetboil and one MSR Reactor. Our technical gear consisted of one 60 m (198 ft) rope, one 60 m (198 ft) Rad Line for rappelling in case of emergency, stoppers, friends, ice screws, quickdraws and some accessory cords, self rescue devices, ATCs, carabiners, pickets and slings.

For eating we had bread, noodles, cheese, bacon, tuna, dried fruits, snicker bars and sugar. Additionally, we brought some tea and coffee.

Tour Report of Arista del Sol and Integral del Chimborazo

Day 1 – Portal Andino to Piedra Negra

On the starting day we met at Urbina train station with the three mountaineers and Elisabeth Gschösser. There, we checked our equipment: Do we have everything? Can we sort out something? After that, we went by car to Portal Andino (4100 m / 13451 ft). We left Elisabeth who stayed the next days in Urbina to regularly keep in radio contact with us and we started our way up to Piedra Negra.

We were approaching the impressive Chimborazo and an incredible adventure. On one hand we were driven by the passion for mountaineering, excited to cross the whole Chimborazo. On the other hand we knew how risky the path was that laid ahead of us. If something happened, the chances of getting help were low. However, the first day went very well. Eventually, we reached Piedra Negra, a huge monolith. There, we installed our bivouac and spent the night in anticipation of the next tour section: The Arista del Sol, also called Proa del Sol Ridge.

Day 2 – Arista del Sol

Day 3 – Nicolás Martínez and Politécnica summits of Chimborazo

We started our third day with lots of motivation because we knew that the first summit wasn’t far any more. We went up. The snow glittered in the sunlight. As we saw that we arrived at the highest point a big smile flitted across our faces. We gave us a high-five. Reaching the first summit of the Integral del Chimborazo filled us with new energy to keep going.

When we reached the Politénica summit we celebrated again. However, we also knew: Now comes the hardest part. After descending a bit the route went up again. The air became thinner and thinner. In addition, we faced some very steep sections where we had to climb one by one. Although it looked all very close it proved to be still far and demanding towards the Whymper summit. At this point we realized that it won’t be possible to finish the Integral route this day.

Just short of the main summit of Chimborazo, called Whymper, we set up our tent. That night we went to bed exhausted but satisfied. We already reached two of four summits and made most of the Integral tour. And we were sure to cross the finish line tomorrow.

Day 4 – Whymper and Veintimilla summits of Chimborazo

In the morning we arranged via walkie-talkie that Elisabeth goes to the Carrel refuge at noon if she doesn’t hear anything from us. After that, we continued on the last parts of the Integral tour. The deep snow still seemed like it didn’t want us to go on. However, with patience and profound breathing we hiked towards the highest summit of Chimborazo. It felt weird to approach the Whymper summit from the east side, leaving our “off the beaten track” route and joining the commercial path only at the main summit. It’s always great to experience new perspectives. 

After a hard ascent, shortly before 10 a.m. we finally made it: We reached the closest point to the sun on earth, the Whymper summit at 6.263 m (20549 ft). It was relieving. We finished the most difficult part. From there, we were able to follow the footsteps of the normal route.

After going over the last Veintimilla summit we descended. At 2 p.m. we ultimately arrived at the parking lot next to the trail head. There, Elisabeth was already waiting for us with fresh water and new clothes. It was a happy reunion. We did it! We crossed the whole Chimborazo! After packing our equipment we went directly to Riobamba to celebrate that with good beer and a tasty steak. What an adventure!

Final thoughts

Why do you do such an exhausting and dangerous tour? The Integral del Chimborazo was more than a journey across a mountain. It was a journey to ourselves. Everybody experienced the tour differently but we all took something from it. One person enjoys the solitude in nature. The other loves reducing life to the bare essentials. But eventually, we are all looking for the same on the mountain: Expanding our horizon. Climbing the Proa del Sol Ridge and the Integral del Chimborazo was an enriching experience that we will never forget.

Disclaimer

The Arista del Sol and the Integral del Chimborazo are alpine style routes at its best. They are only recommended for very experienced, completely self sufficient mountaineers. There is no shelter, no fixed belay stations or any other help throughout the tour. The combination of the Arista del Sol and Integral tour has only been done by 4 rope teams in the past 30 years from 1989 to 2020. Amongst them was the famous Ecuadorian mountaineer Ivan Vallejo who summited the 14 8.000ers without supplemental oxygen. Part of the rope teams was usually an experienced local guide.

The difficulty of the tour results from scarce options to abandon once you start the ridge or traverse, unknown conditions (fragile rock, snow, crevasses etc.) and very little or no cell phone coverage in parts of the route. That’s why we strongly recommend a base camp with radio communication for safety measures. Additionally, the rescue possibilities are very limited due to the difficulty and remoteness of the tour. Besides, the weather conditions need to be stable for 2 to 4 days (depending on various factors) for successfully completing the tour.

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The Ecuadorian volcano Cotopaxi is the third-highest active volcano in the world. Cotopaxi is in the Cotopaxi national park about 50 kilometers south of Quito. Due to its proximity to the Oriente, it is susceptible to the weather, but it is located in a fairly dry and stable zone, which means that it can be climbed almost all year round. This makes him the most climbed five-thousand-meter volcano in South America. The popularity comes from its easy accessibility and the low technical degree of difficulty of the ascent. Further he belongs to the “Avenue of Volcanoes” in the eastern Andes. That avenue consists of the most significant volcanos in Ecuador like the Cayambe in the north of Quito, the very active Tungurahua in Baños, the Illinizas in the south of Quito and the Chimborazo, which is the highest volcano in Ecuador. Due to its regular conical shape and the ice cap on the summit, Cotopaxi corresponds to the ideal image of a stratovolcano. The crater at the summit has a diameter of 800 meters × 550 meters and is about 350 meters deep.

Technical Data

In this paragraph we give you all essential technical data of Cotopaxi to be perfectly prepared for your next ascent.

Height of Cotopaxi

The Cotopaxi has a north summit and a south summit, where the north summit with 19347 ft / 5897 m is 77 m higher than the south summit. With its elevation, Cotopaxi is one of the highest active volcanos in the world. Only the Ojos del Salado (6,893 m / 22,615ft) and the Tupungato (6,550 m / 21,490 ft) on the boarder of Chile and Argentina are higher in this ranking.
At about half the height of the cone, at 4800 m / 15748,03 ft, the Refugio Jose F. Ribas was built in 1971 by the Club de Andinismo San Gabriel. The parking spot of the Cotopaxi national park, which is normally the starting point of the ascent, lies on an elevation of 4600 m / 15091,86 ft. The glacier of Cotopaxi starts at 5100 m / 16732,28 ft. For comparison, the closest city is Latacunga at 2850 m / 9350,39 ft and Quito, the capital at 2816 m / 9238,84 ft.

Difficulty of the Ascent

The normal route basically offers no great technical difficulties, but nevertheless it does require crampons, ice axe and rope. Although it is often quite steep, each steep section is always followed by a flatter zone. The Cotopaxi can theoretically be climbed in two days with one overnight stay in the refuge. Due to the altitude of Cotopaxi, an acclimatization is recommended before climbing to reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. In addition, the mountaineer should be in an excellent physical condition, because the ascent is very physically demanding.

Mountain Range

The Cotopaxi is located near the Panamericana, about 55 km south of Quito. Apparently, it is an inner-Andean mountain, but geologically it is attributed to the Cordillera Central. The Cordillera Oriental of the Andes which runs north – south the length of the country, has the youngest and most active volcanos, where the Cotopaxi is the highest of them. This mountain range is flanked in the west by the Interandean region and in the east by the Amazon. The relatively large distance to the eastern range of the Andes gives the Cotopaxi a high number of clear days.

Further, the Cotopaxi is about 75 km air-line distance away from the equator and near the Oriente, therefore already in the late morning the snow becomes very soft and from about 10.00 o’clock mostly clouds from the east come up.

Tour Data

There are two possible routes to the summit of the Cotopaxi, the northern route and the southern route. Thus, we describe the northern route, as this route is basically used for the ascent to the summit. From the refugee the northern route is about 1.200 m / 3,937 ft in vertical elevation gain and 3 km / 1.86 miles to the summit. 

Cotopaxi Tour Details

The starting point of the ascent to the summit is at the Cotopaxi national park parking area. From there a steep sandy slope leads to the refuge at 4800 m / 15748,03 ft.

From the refuge, tracks lead in the direction of the steepest slope to the edge of the glacier. The sandy slope below the glacier is covered with more or less snow depending on the weather conditions of the last months, so that crampons are sometimes necessary even before the glacier. The glacier is reached at an altitude of about 5100 m / 16732,28 ft. You first climb a pulpit at 5140 m / 16863,52 ft directly above the glacier entrance. The first few meters can be steep. From here you follow a slightly pronounced rib in the direction of 170 degrees. At an approximate height of 5330 m / 17486,88 ft you reach a corner point. Here you are now exactly in the rock face of Yanasacha. From here you must go to the right at 254 degrees. This way you reach a wide, flatter rib at 5480 m / 17979 ft.

Depending on the conditions, the ascent to this point is also made in direct line from the glacier entrance. You follow the rib towards 174 degrees. The route leads about 200 m west of Yanasacha. Then you cross a hollow at 5580 m / 18307,09 ft until you reach the foot of the final slope. This slope is climbed in a gentle S-line. At the end of the S-line you reach a saddle in the outer crater rim. From here the main summit is reached in a few minutes.

The Cotopaxi is also part of our premium packages. You can check out all the details of the tours here.

Estimated Climbing Time

To estimate the Cotopaxi climbing time for an amateur climber we calculate with 195 m / 640 ft for the ascent and for the descent with 500 m / 1,640 ft vertical elevation gain per hour. After the calculation, this results in a time of 8 hours 33 minutes. For the horizontal distance we calculate with 6 km / 3.7 miles for ascent and descent. If you walk with 4 km / 2.5 miles per hour this would take us to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Finally, you must halve the smaller time. This results in a total time of 9 hours and 18 minutes (6 h 9min + 45min). This calculation is based on the book “Handbook for trekking- and altitude medicine, 2009” of Franz Berghold and Wolfgang Schaffert.

However, the climbing time depends also on other factors such as weather and trail conditions or the physical condition of the mountaineer. For more detailed information about climbing time estimations check out this blog article.

Best Season

Cotopaxi is a year-round destination and it’s possible to climb him in every season of the year. Between November and February there are relatively stable conditions where the number of sunny and clear days is higher compared to the other months. From March to May the climate is rather cloudy, windy and the amount of precipitation is high. In the summer months of June and August the weather is windy and cold. In September and October, the weather is quite stable with cloudy and clear conditions.

For a detailed weather forecast of the Cotopaxi visit mountain-forecast.com.

Temperature

It’s temperature depending on the altitude. It varies from the extreme of -10 degrees Celsius in the glacier region, to 20 degrees Celsius in the sunniest days on the lower moor. The temperatures at the height of the refuge are on average at 19:00 o’clock at +5° Celsius and around 24:00 o’clock at 0° Celsius. Due to the lively wind on the summit, the subjective perception of the temperature is on average up to -10 degrees lower.

Interesting Facts about Cotopaxi

The origin of the name Cotopaxi

According to Marco Cruz, the name “Cotopaxi” comes from the Cayapa language. “Coto” means “neck”, “pagta” means “sun” and “shi” can be translated as “sweet”. The result is a somewhat improbable translation: “Sweet neck of the sun”. More likely is the translation “fiery abyss” from the pre-Columbian language of the Panzaleos. Condamine, on the other hand, translates the name as “The mountain that shines”.
There is also another translation from the old Indian language Quichua. In this translation “Coto” means Adam’s apple, “pa” means respect and “xi” means emphasis.

Mythology of Cotopaxi

Like most mountains in Ecuador, the Cotopaxi occupies an important position in the mythology of the Indians. Here is a narrative taken from “Los cuentos de cuando los huacas vivian”: “In past times the mountains lived like us humans. Cotopaxi was considered a woman, Chimborazo as a man. The Chimborazo asked for the hand of the Cotopaxi, but she was in love with the Imbabura. But this did not stop the Chimborazo from courting her. The flirtatious Cotopaxi did not have only one lover. She also flirted with the Tungurahua and often met with Chimborazo’s neighbour, the Carihuairazo. When the Chimborazo heard of all these happenings, he stood up to the Carihuairazo. The Chimborazo took a stick and beat the Carihuairazo with his long arms. For this reason, the Carihuairazo remained full of stones and incisions, emaciated and desolate.”

However, a second version of the legend describes Cotopaxi as an elegant man who fought with the imposing Chimborazo for the hand of the beautiful Tungurahua. After years of courtship, Mama Tungurahua
chose the Chimborazo. This rejection made the Cotopaxi so angry, that even today the people who lived around him have to handle his outbursts.

History of Cotopaxi

The history of Cotopaxi is basically a series of destructions. Like other volcanoes of Ecuador, Cotopaxi does not endanger the environment by the direct effects of its eruptions such as lava or ash, but rather by the secondary effects of the eruptions. The heat of an eruption melts parts of the glacier. The resulting water masses expand into so-called lahars. A lahar is a mixture of mud, sand, stones and boulders and razes everything in its way to the ground.

Before 1900

The first historical eruption dates from 1534, followed by two devastating eruptions for Latacunga in 1742. One year later another eruption occurred. In 1744, following another eruption in Latacunga, the whole “Barrio caliente”, left of the “Cutuchi River”, was razed to the ground. In a distance of 10km of the volcano 10cm volcanic ash were measured. The eruption of 1766 also resulted in the emission of a large amount of volcanic ash. In 1768 an eruption was followed by explosions that could be heard all the way to Guayaquil. Three smaller eruptions followed in 1854, after which the volcano was quiet for 23 years. On 28.6.1877, after some smaller eruptions, it came to a larger eruption. During this eruption enormous lahars were formed. After one hour these streams had already razed the plains of Latacunga and the Valle de Chilo and flooded them with sand. In Latacunga, mud remained at the height of one meter.

After 1900

After minor eruptions in 1903 and 1904, the volcano has been quite silent since these events. The most recent eruption of the Cotopaxi occurred in 2015. During this eruption, explosions occurred inside the volcano and the ash floated more than five kilometres high in the air, which stretched as far as the capital Quito, 60 kilometers away. Current signs that Cotopaxi is active are limited to a few fumaroles on the inner flanks of the crater. Volcanologists have calculated that on average an eruption can be expected every 117 years.

First ascents of Cotopaxi

Unlike most of Ecuador’s high mountains, Cotopaxi was not first climbed by E. Whymper. On 28.11.1872, eight years before Whymper visited the Andes, the German alpinist Wilhelm Reis and his Colombian servant Angel M. Escobar climbed over the southwest side to the crater rim. However, the highest point in the crater rim, the northern summit, was reached on 9.9.1877 by the German geologist Theodor Wolf and Alejandro Sandoval via the north-western flank. The eruption of June 1877 had melted large parts of the glacier, so that Wolf could ascend largely over rock and sand.

Panorama of Cotopaxi

The panorama sight from the top of Cotopaxi is considered as one of the best views all around Ecuador, because in clear weather you can possibly see around 20 Ecuadorian volcanos. The following table shows all the information & data about the volcanos which you can possibly see:

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