Our Ecuador Volcanoes team has started arriving in Quito, and the climbers who opted into our Pre-Expedition Acclimatization & Skills Trainingwill be kicking things off tomorrow with gear checks, a visit to the equator, and a ride on the Teleférico Quito (cable car). The sightseeing around Quito is not only educational and cultural, but it’s also highly strategic and supports acclimatization for all of our climbers. Quito sits at about 9,350 ft (2,859 m), and the cable car will take them to about 12,943 ft (3,945 m). Once our additional team climbers are on the ground in Quito, they will also have a chance to check out the equator and take the cable car.

Over the weekend, we anticipate that climbers doing acclimatization and skill training will trek to a new highpoint around 14,000 ft (4,267 m) and participate in a comprehensive snow school and mountaineering training near Antisana National Park before reuniting with the rest of the team.

This Pre-Expedition Acclimatization & Skills Training add-on is great for climbers who need a little hit longer to acclimatize, prefer a more gradual approach, or are beginners who would like to get up to speed before the expedition officially starts.  

Also in South America, our Aconcagua team continues to move up the mountain. Today, they arrived at Camp 2 and will take a rest day tomorrow before moving to Camp 3. Once the team hits Camp 3, they will start eyeing summit windows and dialing in final preparations to stand on the Roof of the Americas. We will keep you posted as summit bids near.

Photos from the Aconcagua team: