Ecuador Seminar: Parrinello and Team Reflect on Antisana Climb
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Elevation: 18,100'
We awoke inside a thick cloud engulfing basecamp on Antisana. Optimistically we ate a quick breakfast, packed up and started the hike to the base of the glacier. After an hour we ascended through the thick cloud deck and emerged into a beautifully calm, starlight night. As we ascended, we quickly encountered complex and technical glacier travel. Many crevasses emerged that were not present two weeks ago on the last RMI climb. Also, we found many steep, firm slopes that had hardened to trap crust from recent snowfall. The team climbed excellently, overcoming one obstacle after another. Unfortunately, with the summit insight, we realized we had used up too much time to reach the top and defend safely. We were also concerned with snow and crevasse bridge conditions on the very unusually warm evening. We reached 18,100 feet on Antisana, a high point for many on the team. At sunrise we watched Cotopaxi erupting before descending.
We're now safely off the mountain and looking towards our final objective of our program, Chimborazo--the tallest volcano in Ecuador. We'll keep you posted as we continue to train and discover all that Ecuador has to offer.
RMI Guide Avery Parrinello and team
