Planning The Climb - 4 Seriously High Mountains

Guagua Pichincha

4,784 m (15,695 ft)

0°10′16″S 78°35′53″W

Guagua Pichincha and the older Pleistocene Rucu Pichincha stratovolcanoes form a broad volcanic massif that rises immediately to the west of Ecuador's capital city, Quito in the Andes Mountains. Rising to an elevation of 4,784 m (15,695 ft), Guagua Pichincha will be our first ascent - a warm-up!

Many minor eruptions have occurred since the beginning of the Spanish era at Guagua Pichincha, which is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. The largest historical eruption took place in 1660, when ash fell over a 1,000 km radius, accumulating to 30 cm depth in Quito. The last known eruption was in 2009.

Illiniza Norte

5,126 m (16,818 ft)

0°39′34″S 78°42′49″W

Illiniza is a stratovolcano located about 55 km southwest of Quito. Illiniza, a potentially active volcano, consists of two snow covered peaks: Illiniza Sur 5,248 m (17,218 ft) and Illiniza Norte 5,126 m (16,818 ft). This will be our second ascent. Its name is derived from  the Kunza words for "masculine hill" but it looks like a "mother of a hill" to me!

The Illinizas are generally thought to be the best acclimatization mountains in Ecuador, and are frequently used as a preparatory climb to higher peaks such as Cotopaxi and Chimbarazo.
 

Cotopaxi

5,897 m (19,347 ft)
0°40′50″S 78°26′16″W

Our third ascent will be Cotopaxi - a statovolcano located abouot 45 km south of Quito. It is the second highest summit in the country, reaching a height of 5,897 m (19,347 ft).

Cotopaxi has an almost symmetrical cone that rises from a highland plane of about 3,800 meters (12,500 ft), with a width at its base of about 23 km (14 mi). It has one of the few equatorial glaciers in the world, which starts at teh height of 5,000 meters (16,400 ft). the mountain is clearly visible on the skyline from Quito. It is part of the chain of volcanoes around the Pacific plate known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Chimborazo

6,268 m (20,565 ft)

01°28′09″S 78°49′03″W

Chimborazo is located in the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes of central Ecuador, 150 km (93 mi) south-southwest of Qutio. At a height of 6,268 m (20,565 ft), the inactive stratovolcano is Ecuador's highest summit. Its last eruption is thought to have occurred some time in the first millenium.

Its summit is generally regarded as the spot on the erath's surface farthest from the center of the Earth, at a distance of 6,384.4 km (3,967.1 mi). Chimborazo is just one degree south of the equator and the earth's diameter at the equator is greater than at Everest's lattitude (nearly 28° north), with the sea level also being elevated. So, despite being 2,581 m (8,568 ft) lower in elevation above sea level, it is 6,384.4 km (3,968 mi) from the Earth's center, 2.1 km farther than the summit of Everest.

First climbed in 1880 by Briton Edward Whymper and the brothers Louis and Jean-Antione Carrel, this will be our final ascent. Wish us luck!

We are climbing on behalf of Marie Curie to fund 5 nurses for a year. You can help us raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care at this address:
http://www.justgiving.com/Martin-Wikstrom-and-Simon-St-Clair-Carter-4-Volcanoes-5-Nurses