Snow Line (16,578 Ft)


We had breakfast at 8 am. For the first time in Ecuador, we had breakfast alone. After that, we returned to our room and dedicated ourselves to reviewing the clothes and equipment we would use on the summit day. The two guides who would come with us in this new stage had not arrived yet. The first of them, Romel, arrived at 9:15 am in the same white Toyota that Pablo and Ciro had used before to transport us around. Without a doubt, it was a coordinated and efficient use of the same resource.

On a table in the garden, Romel set up the technical equipment we needed to bring with us: harnesses, helmets, crampons, ice axes, boots, and masks to filter the gases from the volcano. We distributed the equipment, loaded it into the backpacks, and left in the Toyota for the parking lot of Cotopaxi (around 40 minutes drive from Tambopaxi). From there, we walked up to the Jose Rivas refuge in the middle of a hailstorm. Once in the refuge, something curious happened: Marcela ran into a university classmate who was visiting Ecuador with her mom for a few days. They had visited the jungle the day before, and they were visiting Cotopaxi, just at the same time we got there. They have never crossed paths outside of campus in Canada, but they coincided in the same spot in Ecuador!

We had lunch at the refuge and then continued climbing to the snow line (5,053 m / 16,578 ft) to receive a quick course in the use of the ice axe and crampons. It was quite fun.

At 3:55 pm, we began the descent to the car, leaving the technical equipment stored in the refuge. By 4:15 pm, we had arrived at the parking lot. As we traveled along the dirt road from the parking lot back to the Tambopaxi, the sky began to clear up. When we arrived 45 minutes later, the Cotopaxi was almost completely clear. A good omen for the final stage, and excellent conditions for those who were attacking the summit that night. Later that day, we saw for the first time the Cotopaxi completely cloudless and took a group photo.






Fact Sheet:

Distance:

2.644m

Parking to Refuge: 779m

Refuge to Snow Line: 543m

Altitude Gain:

+415 m /  1,361 ft

(Parking: 4.638 m / 15,217 ft - Snow Line: 5.053 m/ 16,578 ft)

Time:

 No record

 

Difficulty:

Mid to low


Route Map:




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