Chimborazo, an extinct volcano in central Ecuador, enjoys classic status for a number of reasons, not least because when measured from the centre of the earth (rather than sea level) it is the highest mountain in the world.

This strange fact is due to Chimborazo being very near the equator, and due to the fact that the earth is not really round but is actually an oblate spheroid with a radius that is considerably larger at the equator than at the poles. Another curious fact about the mountain is that for a while in the 17th and 18th centuries it was thought to be the world’s highest mountain. Like Aconcagua (see later) it is a mountain which once held the height record for Europeans. In 1802 Humboldt a German scientific explorer, reached an altitude of about 5600m on Chimborazo, the highest any European had climbed at that time.

However you measure it, Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador at 6310m or 20,697ft. It is a massive mountain, with an extensive and featureless summit plateau, and many subsidiary summits. It was first climbed in 1880 by Edward Whymper, the famous English alpinist, accompanied by two Italian guides, the Carrel cousins. This ascent, together with his other pioneering climbs in Ecuador, is described in his classic book ‘Travels Amongst the Great Andes of the Equator,’ published in 1892.

Because of its accessibility Chimborazo is a popular peak. The normal route lies on the southwest side of the main summit and is a long climb up glaciers from the Whymper hut at 5000m. For many years it was a very straightforward climb, but in recent years dramatic glacial retreat has increased the difficulty and danger of this route. Apart from the altitude there have always been some objective dangers associated with climbing Chimborazo, there are large crevasses, a very flat summit area prone to cloud, and sometimes high avalanche risk due to snowfall or windslab. There are two huts on the normal route - the Carrel hut at the road end at 4800m and the Whymper hut a little higher at 5000m. The summit climb takes 10-12 hours, and due to frequent early cloud cover it is a good idea to leave the Whymper hut at about 10pm, and climb through the night to arrive on the summit soon after dawn. Many other routes have been done on the peak, both by foreign and Ecuadorean mountaineers.

Chimborazo can be climbed anytime from June to January. Bad weather (mainly cloud and snow) can occur at any time in this period. Some experts believe that the periods around Christmas and in July and August appear to offer the best chances of good weather. Quito has an international airport and can be reached from the UK via the United States, Madrid or Amsterdam.

Chimborazo
Ecuador – a climbing guide, Yossi Brain
The Andes - A Guide for Climbers, John Biggar
Maps at 1:50,000 available in Quito, but are of little use

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