Ecuador isn’t always top of mind for mountaineering, but for climbers building toward bigger objectives, it delivers more per day than almost any destination on the planet. In just 11 days, you can summit Cayambe (18,996 ft) and Cotopaxi (19,347 ft), with the option to add Chimborazo (20,548 ft), the farthest point from Earth’s center. CTSS guides Edgar Parra and Benny Lieber walk through exactly what that looks like, the objectives, the glacier travel, the gear, and how these volcanoes fit into a broader Seven Summits progression, in the full webinar recording available on YouTube.

What makes Ecuador particularly useful as a training ground is the combination of back-to-back high-altitude summits in a compact, efficient format. Whether you’re stepping up after Mount Baker or building toward Everest, these climbs put real altitude and real glacier travel under your feet without a months-long expedition commitment. For newer climbers, a pre-expedition acclimatization and skills add-on is available to ease into the program. Watch the webinar recording to hear from Edgar and Benny, or visit the Ecuador Volcanoes program page to learn more.