Entries from Ecuador

After a relaxing morning and filling  breakfast at the Refugio, we packed our bags, bid farewell to our new four legged friends,  loaded ourselves in the bus, and moved one step closer to our first objective: Cayambe.  The day was a scheduled rest day, so naturally we did what all climbers do, we went shopping! We stopped at the outdoor market in Otavalo and shopped for gifts while soaking up some local culture. 

Eventually we made our way to the lower climbers hut.  What a pleasant surprise it turned out to be!  Many of us had mentally steeled ourselves for something more rustic… however we were treated to comfy beds with pillows, WiFi, and a warm stove!  “Glampineering” feels like an accurate description.  After spending a quiet afternoon relaxing and a delicious homemade dinner, we found ourselves huddled around our phones anxiously watching Alex Honnold scale Taipei 101.  Spoiler: he makes it to the top. 

After breakfast Sunday morning, we donned our gear and practiced our skills in preparation for Cayambe.  Once we were all feeling more confident, we packed our bags, climbed into trucks, and headed to the upper climbers hut.   While not as luxurious as the lower one, it again exceeded our expectations.  

 Now, we relax and prepare to begin our climb at midnight tonight, a shared sense of anxious excitement resonates through the team.  Each person is here for their own reasons, but collectively we are focused on one goal: Cayambe.

RMI Climber Erica Kim

This morning brought more pleasant weather in the form of overcast skies as opposed to yesterday’s endless, torrential downpour. We shoved out of Quito a bit ahead of schedule and were able to complete the four-hour loop hike of Laguna Cuicocha without incident.

Along the way people continued to connect with each other and share knowledge and experiences. On this trip we’ve learned a good deal from each other discussing a variety of topics: geology, biology, medicine, piloting an aircraft and how to keep your worried passengers at ease, as well as countless other topics. A lot can also be learned about a person through their fast-food preferences.

Even as we turn our sights towards Cayambe, we have done a great job of focusing on the task at hand (acclimatization) and taking in some lovely cultural experiences.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

We just got as wet as I can imagine a person can possibly be. It may be dryer standing in the shower. 

Skeptical of the day's forecast (as always in Ecuador), but also based on the pattern that was observed prior to our arrival, we headed into the cloud and rain on Rucu Pichincha. It was one of those hard shells all day kind of days. Actually, the rain let up for one moment, we took the hard shells off and it immediately began raining profusely and never let up. The weather was in fact so wet that the gondola never reopened for our ride down and we took a steep, slippery trail down an extra 2700'. That was honestly pretty neat with water cascading down the trail and by that point, we couldn't possibly have gotten any wetter, so it was nicer to be warm and wet than cold and wet (waiting for the gondola to reopen).

The team was patient, flexible and overall got a decently nice hike in. In a region that doesn't have centralized heating in buildings due to the stable, comfortable weather, our hanging backpacks, jackets and hiking clothes will surely still be somewhat wet in the morning when we depart the hotel and head for our next acclimatization hike. Oh well, everyone is taking it in stride and at a minimum, today was memorable.

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier & Team

Sunday, January 18, 2026 - 2:17 pm PT

The clouds started to lift last night and by time we were ready to attempt Chimborazo the sky was completely clear for the first time during our adventure.
We woke at 11 p.m. to start our day and it was virtually perfect for a summit attempt; cool temps, no wind, and a sky full of stars.
The route starts with a rocky traverse but quickly changes to a step snow slope. At 18,000+ feet elevation steep slopes really take their toll, but our team was ready for the challenge. Six hours later, just as the sun was rising, we reached the summit. It was quite cold and a little breezy on top so we watched the sun rise, enjoyed our first real views of the many mountains of the Ecuador skyline, and headed down.
Chimborazo was a challenge but everyone on our team met that challenge with smiles.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

We left Riobamba late this morning for our approach to high camp on Chimborazo. One of the great things about climbing in Ecuador is that we can drive to nearly 16,000 ft. From there, it was a two‑hour hike to our new dome‑tent home at 17,500 ft on Chimborazo.

The weather is looking good, so we’re heading to bed early in anticipation of an early wake‑up to climb our third—and biggest—volcano of the trip.

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Nick Sinapius & Team

Ecuador continues to deliver beautiful scenery as we travel south of Quito. The long driveway for the hacienda was lined with 100’ tall eucalyptus trees providing a refreshing smell as we drive out this morning. The country side is covered with verdant fields dotted with cows or greenhouses growing red and yellow and pink roses. The roads are lined with vendors selling ice cream and hot snacks and the freshest fruit. And the skyline is dotted by the giant glaciated volcanoes we came here to climb. We’re lucky to enjoy this beautiful country with a group of lovely people.

With a little spare time at our new hotel we enjoyed some more training in the warm sunshine.

Tomorrow we begin our final climb on this trip to Ecuador, the tallest of the Ecuadorian volcanoes: Chimborazo.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes and team

Sorry for a few missed dispatches, service isn't great on Cotopaxi 

We set our alarms for an early wake up this morning and our summit attempt on Cotopaxi. However, when we woke up around 11pm to check the weather we didn’t even need to get out of bed, the noise on the roof of the climbers hut was enough to tell us it was raining. Our team along with around 30 other climbers waited in the hut for the storm to break but it never did.

At around 3am we used a lull in the weather to give it go, but after an hour of climbing uphill through the rain, the rime ice and wind became too much to handle. We descended back to the hut with a high point of around 17,000 ft. Other climbers trickled back into the hut with up to a centimeter of ice built up on their backpacks and similar stories.

We left the Cotopaxi hut this morning and are now at our hotel drying out and prepping to travel to Chimborazo tomorrow. Hopefully we can get some better weather for our last and biggest climb of the trip. 

RMI Guide Nick Sinapius and Team

We all really enjoyed our rest day yesterday in Puembo at our very nice ministry-turned-hotel. After a morning of crevasses rescue training we scattered. Some lounged around the hotel, others went shopping and a few walked to town to see the local sights.

Fully rested, we drove to the trailhead and hiked in the rain to the Cotopaxi hut. Luckily, the hike was short so we didn't get completely soaked. Everyone moved well uphill to the warmth and comfort of the classic high mountain hut.

If the weather improves we will try for the summit of Cotopaxi tomorrow.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes

Monday, January 12, 2026 - 5:30 pm PT

Our 6th day in Ecuador actually started on day 5, as we “woke up” at 11 pm for an alpine start and our first summit day of the trip. We left the hut at 12:10 am and climbed through clouds until we reached the toe of the glacier at around 16,000 feet. From then on, the clouds steadily cleared leading to great summit weather and incredible views of the sunrise. The entire team reached the summit of Cayambe around 7am, once again setting new high points for many in the group. A highlight of the day was having the hut, mountain, and summit all to ourselves as we were the only group climbing Cayambe today. We’re now back in Quito and looking forward to a well earned rest day before heading to Cotopaxi.

RMI Guide Nick Sinapius

Hello friends and family from the Summit of Cayambe!

We all made it up and down safely. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers.

RMI Guide Walter Hailes