Your safety and success are the top priorities, strictly in that order.

It should go without saying that a climbing company should invest heavily in, and plan for your safety. This includes big picture logistics like strategic itineraries, professional and experienced guides and top notch logistics, all the way down to a general attitude and company wide philosophy, that while success and summits are great, they aren’t the ‘be all and end all’. What is more important than any mountain top, is your safety, wellbeing and enjoyment.

It is easy to be drawn in by low price tags, but remember the mountains are hazardous environments and what you are doing is challenging physically and mentally and cheap trips often mean compromises in areas that should never be compromised. Be it old gear, undertrained, underpaid or overworked guide staff, poor climber to guide ratios, rushed schedules and slap dash logistics. Buyer beware.

Try to gauge a companies’ approach to safety for yourself, scan past climber reviews, ask questions and talk to them about their strategy, their risk management, their level of redundancy. It is those conversations that will give you a good sense on their priorities.

When you are considering an Ecuadorian Volcanoes expedition, one of the first things to look closely at is the schedule.

As soon as you land in Quito you are already at 2,850m | 9,350ft. Most human bodies start registering the effects of altitude at around 2500m | 8000ft. Formally “high altitude” is recognized as elevations above 8,000ft.

Look for relaxed time on the front end of the trip that allows your body to adjust before overtaxing it, for instance is there some sightseeing around Quito and the Equator, a gentle acclimatization hike or two where you retreat back down to Quito to sleep. You want at least 2x nights in Quito before you start moving higher.

Starting high out of the gate couple with the proximity and the accessibility of these mighty peaks themselves, (within a days drive and a days climb you can be at well above 6000m| 20,000ft!) its important to understand and be prepared that climbing in Ecuador, by its very nature is aggressive and jumps you up fast!

So inspect the itinerary – look for at least 3-4 days with in-built acclimatization hikes (to get high/sleep low) and training clinics, before you even attempt a summit to let your body adjust. Watch out for ‘churn and burn’ types who wants to move climbers through their season as fast as possible to get as many “bums on seats” as they can? Do they care about whether you get AMS and have to bow out early or not? Or is it a numbers game where sheer quantity over quality wins out?

Another clue is to look if the operator offers a ‘pretrip’ of some sort that allows climbers, for whom Ecuador may be their first true high altitude expedition, or even for climbers who know their individual bodies take longer to adjust, can get a jump start on acclimatization and a more gradual start before folding into the team.

Further you want to know that your Guide staff understand AMS (Acute Mountain Sickeness) and the more serious HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and HACE (Hight Altitude Cerebral Edema) and that they are quick to identify it, and responsive to the signs and symptoms.

Too often we’ve seen so called ‘guides’ being blasé about acclimatization. They probably live in Quito so their bodies have been adapted since birth and therefore they just don’t notice, understand or have the patience to help you adjust before setting out for the summit.

All our CTSS guides are top professionals who are valued because of their patient, understanding and conservative approach, especially when it comes to altitude and acclimatizing which is so important, particularly in Ecuador.

CTSS owner Mike Hamill oversees all of our Ecuador Volcanoes expeditions. Mike’s almost unparalleled experience based in the big mountains can make the difference between success and failure. He and his team have been constantly refining our logistics over many expeditions to Ecuador and hundreds worldwide. Let Mike guide you through the many nuances of climbing Cotopaxi and Cayambe that will allow you to be successful. From start to finish, he and his team will work with you to make sure you’re as prepared as possible to reach your goal of standing on top. Often, being able to troubleshoot problems before they occur can make a difference, and this is where Mike’s vast experience becomes crucial.

We feel that our guides are incredibly important to our success. CTSS employs only world-class leaders who are known for their focus on client care and experience.

Does an operator have strong values?

This is sometimes a little harder to identify as it’s more of a feeling than a sales pitch, but you should get a feel for a company through its little interactions, its care factor, its attention to detail, its corporate social responsibility, and its responses to you.

Mountaineering can be high-risk and stressful, so pick an operator who has strong core values and a team mentality that aligns with yours. When things get challenging, you can rely on open lines of communication, knowing they will do what they can to support you.

It is this team cohesiveness that flows through to each individual climber and helps them stand on top.

We emphasize experiencing Ecuadorean culture throughout our expedition. Ecuador has such a vast and beautiful history that it would be a shame not to experience it during a visit to the country. We immerse ourselves in the flare of the local people while sampling some of the best and most quintessential food and accommodations that the region has to offer.