Are you one of those adventurers who are planning to climb Mount Everest to reach the highest point on earth? You may have to change your plans already. Mount Chimborazo, located in the Cordillera Occidental, Andes Mountains, Ecuador has been found out to be the “Highest Mountain above the Earth’s Center”. Although, Mt. Everest has the highest altitude, Mount Chimborazo is said to be higher by at least two (2) kilometers than Mount Everest due to the “equatorial bulge” of the earth. (geology.com, 2014)
Mount Chimborazo is an Andean stratovolcano in Central Ecuador. It is also the tallest peak in the American Region with an elevation of 20,561 feet (6,267 meters) and prominence of 13,527 feet (4,123 meters). It is found exactly at the coordinate of 1° 28' S / 78° 49' W. The mountain is known as the 16th most prominent mountains in the world. Its location is also along Ecuador’s popular volcanic arc, the “Avenida delos Volcanoes”. (volcanodiscovery.com, 2014)
Although the volcano last erupted 1,400 years ago, geologists cannot completely declare its dormancy or extinction as several studies have shown that it still has the characteristics of an active volcano. It is considered dangerous when it erupts because of its closeness to populated areas like the city of Riobamba. Its eruption history reveals that for the past 10,000 years, it had explosive eruptions for at least 7 times with an average eruption interval of 1000 years. Following this pattern, scientists are afraid that an eruption may come in the near future. Usually, the eruptions produce “pyroclastic surges that reached down to 3800m elevation”. (volcanodiscovery.com, 2014) Its strongest eruption so far has been 35,000 years ago where its debris was able to produce an ephemeral lake at the nearby Rio Chambo. Other eruptions have been as strong as it was able to produce dominant edifices on the east-westline while the latest eruption had formed the current summit of the Chimborazo Mountain.
The mountain’s diameter is about 30 miles and a circumference of 78 miles. Its crater on the other hand, has a diameter of about 1,600 feet and is about 820 feet deep. It has four major summits namely: Veintemilla at 20,561 feet, Whymper at 20,702 feet, Politecnica at 19,094 feet and Nicolas Martinez at 18,274 feet. Obviously, the Whymper summit is named after Edward Whymper, who together with fellow mountaineers Louis Carrel and Jean-Antoine Carrel made the first ascent to the mountain in 1880. Nicholas Martinez on the other hand is named after the father of Ecuadorian mountaineering, Nicolas Martinez. (volcanodiscovery.com, 2014)
Although the Mountain is located in the equator, its upper part covered by glaciers. However, global warming does have an effect on it because the size of the glaciers has significantly decreased for the past 50 years. In addition to global warming, the ashes from the nearby Tunguragua Volcano also helped in melting the glaciers. The glaciers on this part have been very beneficial to the nearby towns of Ecuador as it has been one of their major water sources. Before the commercialization of ice, the story of Baltazar Ushca, considered as the last “ice-merchant” in the region was very popular among the local folks because his means of living was to get glacier from the mountain every week and sells it to the local market as an edible ice. However, as more of the glacier has melted, he has to go higher and higher to get his ice while living with the increasing number of competitors selling commercialized iced. (Gonzales, 2013)
There are many stories regarding the origin of the volcano. Its popular nicknames are “Ice-throne of God", and "Mountain of Ice”. Another nickname given to it by the Quechan people is “Taita” meaning father while the nearby Turungahua is “mama” which just implies that the locals consider these two volcanoes as married.
Mount Chimborazo has been a tourist destination for the past years but this intensified when it was declared to be the highest mountain above sea level in June 3, 2013. This gave greater economic opportunities for the local folks in the surrounding area. Experienced climbers say that the best time to climb the Mountain is on the months of June and July and December through January although it is climbable year-round. February to May is known for having bad weather thus, the number of climbers usually decrease at this time of the year. Regular accents take about 10 hours to reach the summit depending on the route you take. Severe weather or avalanches may occur so extra precautions have to be taken before starting the climb. This success of a climb also depends on the weather and snow conditions because heavy snow can be dangerous. Experienced climbers advised that climbers must start their ascent before midnight so they will be able to get back before 10 in the morning due to possible rock fall hazard and that finding your route in the afternoon may be difficult because clouds usually roll in the afternoon.
A climber can choose among several routes available when climbing the mountain. The first route is the El Castillo Route, a class 4 climb and the most common route taken by climbers. This route takes one to the Whymper summit and usually takes about eight to twelve hours of ascending while it only takes three to five hours to descend. The safest to climb is to start at before midnight because during daytime, chances are avalanches may come due to warming snow.
Another route is the Whymper Hut to Veintimilla summit which is a little dangerous at it poses rock fall dangers. This certain route is a rocky mixed terrain at the northwest side of the mountain that saddles in a castle-shaped rock just above the El Castillo. Once on the saddle, a climber has to take the treacherous 30 to 40 degrees steep glacial ridge to the Veintimilla summit. The route is particularly dangerous with fresh snow.
Climbers can also choose to cross the kilometer distance from the Veintimilla summit to the Whymper summit for about 30 minutes to an hour. However, this endeavor is not as easy as it may seem because one has to cross a snow filled basin between the two peaks where snow can become thigh deep. It is best to do this on the early part of the day when the snow is still hard.
In case of emergency, the climbers can take shelter in either the Carrel refuge located 4,800 meters or the more commonly used Whymper refuge at 5,000 m.
Although, its takes only about 10 – 12 hours to climb the mountain, climbing is not as easy as it may seem. Rich C. of Alpine Ascents International advises that before attempting to climb the mountain, a mountaineers climbing skill level must be sufficient. This means that at the minimum, the climber must have taken a training course where the duration depends on the current skill of the climber. It is important to have basic knowledge of progression on glacial travels and self arrests. Further, the climber must have good physical conditioning like having enough experience carrying heavy loads of pack as bad physical conditioning may not only harm the individual but the rest of his team as well.
Mountain Chimborazo is a witness to several accidents since its first discovery. The worst accident so far happened on November 10, 1993 that left 10 climbers dead. An avalanche happened at the upper slopes of the mountain just below the Veintimilla summit. This was followed by another fatal accident in 2012 that prompted the Ecuadorian government to forbid climbers to climb the mountain without an accredited guide. (summitpost.org, 2014)
The Chimborazo reserve requires no fees and parking fees to enter the area. To get to the mountain, you can choose among several options. One can go to the location by taking a bus to Riobamba from Quitumbe bus terminal at the south of Quito for three and a half hour ride. From Terrestre Terminal one has to get another bus to Guaranda an tell the driver to drop you off at the Chimborazo entrance, a 30 minute ride from San Juan town. If riding a bus does not appeal to you, taxi cabs are available.
Another possible route is to start at Ambato, an hour away from Riobamba however, this route is considered risky because of the few busses who pass by therefore increasing the risk of getting rob. Once on the entrance of the park, you may hire pick-ups or chance upon trucks to help you get to the lower hut.
San Pedro de Riobamba where the mountain is located is the capital of the Chimborazo Province and the third largest city in the country of Ecuador. It is considered as a traditional and old-fashioned city that adds to its splendor as a tourist destination. Added to this are its proximity to Mount Chimborazo and the avenue volcanoes making it a home for the world’s best climbing operators. It has become one of the most important commercial centers because it is a convergent point of most of the indigenous peoples of the highlands and a major source of supply for trekkers planning to explore any of the nearby mountains.
The current state of Riobamba is largely attributed to first inhabitants of the place called the Puruhas. These groups of people are indigenous thus resisted most of the modern ways of living, although, they are not able to totally control the development.
The economic activities of the city are largely related to the influx of tourist brought about by the existence of one of the world’s most popular mountain in the region. Although it’s main economy focuses on agriculture, indigenous artisans also play a major role in the country’s economy where their wares, textiles, goods, food products and other handicrafts serves as souvenirs to mountaineers. Aside from this, many mountain climbing shops have opened around the city as it is considered as the trekking and mountain climbing capital of the country.
Historically, Mount Chimborazo also plays a major role in the history of the city as several legends and stories are connected to it. It is considered by the locals as a sacred mountain while one popular tale is the story of Juan Ushcha, one of the ice men of Riobamba. His tale both shows the sacredness and the power of the mountain over the people while it also shows how important the mountain is to the economy and livelihood of the people living around it.
Mount Chimborazo is not only a physical beauty and an important natural monument on the earth’s surface but it is also rich source of literature and historical stories and myths. It is one proof of how nature has been a big part of the growth of civilization around it.
Works Cited:
Geology.com (2013). Highest Mountain in the World. Web. n.a. 28 Jan 2014. <http://geology.com/records/highest-mountain-in-the-world.shtml>
Gonzales, Robert (2013). What do you do when your work becomes obsolete? Web. io9.com. n.a. 28 Jan 2014 <http://io9.com/what-do-you-do-when-your-work-becomes-obselete-516382365>
Volcanodiscovery.com (2013). Chimborazo Volcano. Web. n.a. 28 Jan 2014 <http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/chimborazo.html>
Summitpost.org (2013). Chimborazo. Web. n.a. 28 Jan 2014. <http://www.summitpost.org/chimborazo/150349>
