author, mountaineering writer – books, blog, opinion
We had already cycled around the south side of Chimborazo. The next stage was to complete the full circuit by trekking around the northern side to Carrel Hut on the west. Just for good measure, we planned to pop up an extra peak, 5020m Carihuairazo, on the way.
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Cycling is easier when you are carrying no weight and there are no hills. That was my thought at 10.30 on the first morning of our Chimborazo sea to summit challenge. It was a challenge that terrified me, but could I achieve or would I flop? Here is my trip report for the first part of our challenge.
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The learning curve for beginners is always much steeper. Now that I’m safely back from my first ever cycling trips, I thought it would be a good moment to share some tips.
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Tomorrow Ecuador’s most popular volcano will be open again for the first time since a major eruption in 2015. But is it safe or is the decision premature? Here are my thoughts after a month in Ecuador.
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On Wednesday, Edita and I reached the 6310m summit of Chimborazo for the second time. We climbed via the Whymper Route on the southwest ridge, which traverses across the west face to join the Normal Route that we climbed last
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The fun is over. Tomorrow the serious business of cycling up Chimborazo begins. Our aim is to cycle from sea level then climb to the summit, with a bit of hiking in between. I have no illusions. It’s going to
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By the time you read this I will have embarked on the first stage of a two-month adventure that will take me from the mountains of Italy to the coast of Scotland and – if all goes to plan – the highest point on the planet in a way that’s never been done before.
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When I received an email from BBC Top Gear asking me whether I thought it might be possible to drive a vehicle up Chimborazo, my first reaction was to roar with laughter. But after I gave it some consideration I realised it required a better response than that.
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Chimborazo in Ecuador is definitely the highest mountain in the world when measured from the centre of the Earth. I found a mathematical formula to prove it. I just needed to climb the mountain to be sure of its correct altitude.
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You can’t go far wrong with Ecuador if you’re into peak bagging: 28 volcanoes of various shapes and sizes, some lovely views and nice haciendas to relax at in between. I went there six years ago and this year I went back and climbed a few more.
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