Want to be a Mountaineer? Train in the Ecuadorian Andes

Ecuador

Country

Multi-Day

Course

Early May

Start

Late July

End

About the Course Options

WHY LEARN HERE?

Taking a multi-day climbing course is an excellent way to boost your skills and climb some challenging peaks at the same time. In Ecuador, you can practice technical mountaineering at altitude on Illiniza Sur (17,267 ft) and Antisana (18,714 ft) over a 10-day adventure, ideal for intermediate climbers who have fundamental skills and glacier travel experience. Besides being affordable compared to similar programs in North America and Europe, mountaineering courses in Ecuador have the benefit of being in the Southern Hemisphere. So when the Rockies and Alps are closed down for the winter, you can keep your training going in the Andes.

There are many mountainous places in the world where guided climbing is difficult because the local guides...Ecuador is not one of these places, for there are plenty of highly skilled mountain guides.

- Mark Horrell

If you’ve never heard of Illiniza Sur, you’re in good company with much of the mountaineering world. It’s a lesser-climbed peak, mostly likely because travelers tend to focus on nearby Cotopaxi, which is higher altitude and more dramatic. But Illiniza Sur is a hidden gem worth putting on your radar. It’s a sharply defined summit with 35- to 40-degree pitches on hard snow and ice, making it great practice for short, technical peaks. Antisana complements Illiniza Sur well, in that it offers deep snowpack and travel over large, active glaciers. The combination of the two will let you level-up your skills while experiencing one of the world’s most unique mountaineering experiences, high above the clouds in thin air, right on the edge of the Amazon jungle.