Ecuador Volcanoes: Grom & Team Turned Back by Wind and Weather on Cayambe
Posted by: Casey Grom, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Weather is such a fickle beast when it comes to mountain climbing. As climbers we train, plan, prepare, have the right equipment, and know how to use it, but at the end of the day we can only control so much.
Today we hoped to climb Cayambe. When we woke up to begin our climb in the middle of the night we were greeted with rain, snow, and wind. We waited in the warm Refugio to see if conditions would improve. Precipitation continued to fall with periods of relative clearing and torrents of angry wind and snow. We eventually decided to give it our best shot and go out and climb as high as we safely could. After a few hours of climbing through the storm, breaking trail, and getting all of our jackets soaked to the core, the team decided it was not safe to continue.
We made it back to the hut, hung some gear up to dry and crawled back into bed for naps before breakfast and our departure from the Refugio. After stopping for lunch outside of Quito with our Ecuadorian guides we continued to Cotopaxi where we arrived at our hacienda. We continue to dry out our gear while we enjoy warm showers, hot dinner, comfy beds, a full nights sleep, and some much needed rest.
Despite some nasty weather and a disappointing outcome our team all had smiles on their faces when we finished the climb and a great respect and appreciation for this incredible place we have the privilege to visit!
RMI Guides Casey Grom & Jackson Breen
