After some days of acclimati- sation at 4000 Meters, base- camp in the beautiful resort "Tambopaxi" we started our expedition to Cotopaxi. 

We parked our car at the car park on 4600 Meters and after some hot soup, a little sleep we started our climb at the Refuge at 4800 Meters at midnight July 19th. 

There was a lot of other groups (we estimate about 35 persons) who hoped to be able to climb Cotopaxi this night).

We started one hour before any other group and moved slowly.

Most other groups climbed faster than we did and had to give up the climb some 200-300 meters below the summit. (Exhaustion)

After 8 hours of climbing we were amongst the only ones who successfully climbed Cotopaxi that night.

 
On the top of Cotopaxi (5897)

Hints & Tips:

If You plan to climb Cotopaxi we strongly  recommend the following company:

YanaVentura 

(Detailled Adress to follow)
In Quito.

They provide good introduction all the necessary gear and great guides who really know how to get You on the top.

Our guide Hernandez "Nacho" was extremely experienced and a great person. Thanx to him we got to the summit! 

Success Factors to climb high mountains (like the Cotopaxi):

1. Good Acclimatisation!

2. Climb slowly! (Better start one hour earlier - take Your time...)

3. A good guide who really wants You to reach the top

4. A good company with good gear (especially against being cold...)

Acclimatisation at the beautiful Resort "Tambopaxi"

Acclimatisation at the Tambopaxi - Resort on 3800  Meters...

and some easy hiking to a little more than 4000 Meters...

The strenuous climb to Cotopaxi (19th - 20th July 2003)

The climbing of Cotopaxi normally does not involve technical climbing and can be done within 6-9 hours depending on the fitness of the climbers and condition in Ice and weather. Currently the glacier offers some rather difficult/very strenuous parts involving a lot of quite steep climbing of bare ice (at the entrance of the glacier as well as about 1 hour before the summit) after leaving the sheltered glacier crevice where we encountered wind gusts of up to 100 km/h. 

Wind and coldness were the most challenging part of our climb making it sometimes quite dangerous and of course very hard (if not impossible)  to take pictures and produce useful film footage.

Pictures of our climb starting at midnight to the beginning of the glacier where our guide "Nacho" helped us to put on our crampons...

Already after 4 hours I lost the feeling in my toes and the following 8 hours to finish the climb and get down again honestly brought me to the limits with the fear of possibly losing on or the other toe.

If I took of the gloves to take a picture I paid this with 10-15 Minutes of "no feeling" in my fingers before they started to be alive again with this nice cribbling.. ... - I tell You -  It's hard times for a Fotografer up there... ;)

Franziska was absolutely amazing. She was fighting the wind, the coldness, the breathlessness like a mountain lion and did not give up even after falling into a dangerous ice crevice above 5500 Meters where despite all breathlessness she had to climb out of there alone while the guide and I were securing the rope to prevent here of falling further into it...

Well - in short - the climb was some of the hardest that we did on our whole expedition but we were rewarded with amazing views into the worlds highest active crater with his fumaroles on almost 6000 meters and of course with tremendous views to many of the other high volcanic peaks of Ecuadors incredible mountain chain.

Strenuous and freezing climb (Sunrise at a sheltered crevice 200 Meters below the summit)...

On the top of the world's highest active volcano (Cotopaxi - 5891 meters)....

For Franziska's Live-Story about the climb (in German) - klick here....

Cayambe is the third highest Mountain in Ecuador (5790). Only 100 meters lower than Cotopaxi.

We spent a marvellous time at this amazing mountain climbing up the first part into an amazing glacier world... enjoying dramatic sunsets and good views into the surrounding hills and countryside.

Volcan Cotacachi offers a nice environment for hiking. 

Laguna Cuicocha (crater lake) at the southern slopes of the mountain was great to hike around... 

We can strongly recommend the "Posade de los Pinos" driving 3-4 km's up along the road that takes a left at the park entrance of the "laguna Cotachachi". The German Cuisine is excellent and the Hotel good bargain and very cosy.  (They were also happy with campers like us...)    :)

Tungurahua was a mountain who did not want us.

We visited Tungurahua twice. The first time for 4 days and while driving south towards Peru we wanted to go up to the Refuge to possibly climb parts of  the mountain the next day.

But due to bad weather we never got to see it! Not even from far.

At our second attempt to see and experience Tungurahuas eruptions we unfortunately got on the wrong road. Instead of driving up towards the refuge, we hit the damaged road (Banos - Riobamba) and ended up in serious trouble crossing many temporary built wooden bridges build for small cars.

For our Live-Story about this event (in German) - klick here....

Pictures to follow....