Illiniza Norte Archives

Ecuador 2026.01

Illiniza Summits!

The Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition team wrapped up their acclimatization hikes on Illiniza Norte, successfully topping out with awesome views above the clouds below. An early wake up call got the team going in the dark as they started to climb up the route, navigating the rocky slopes on the Illinizas. As the sun started to rise on the horizon, the team continued on, stopping for a few breaks to fuel up and take in the views around them. Upon reaching the summit, they slapped hands, snapped some photographs, and descended back the way they came. Next up is Cotopaxi! Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling from Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition.

Yeah, we finished our acclimatization process with a summit of Illiniza Norte (5126m/16,818ft), which is about 16,800 feet. So, we had a great morning, clear skies. We could see Illiniza South (5245m/17,208 ft) just close to to us. And yeah, now we are getting ready for our first big climb, which is Cotopaxi (5897m/19,347ft).

So yeah, just stay in tune and yeah. See you soon!

Headlamps lighting the way after an alpine start on Illiniza Norte.

The team climbing above the clouds on a beautiful morning in Ecuador!

Taking in the view during a short break.

All smiles!

Following a ridge on Illiniza Norte.

Nearing the summit with Illiniza Sur behind.

Gazing back upon Illiniza Sur.

The sun starting to rise while climbing above the clouds.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

January 15, 2026/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ecuador 2026.01

El Corazon

Acclimatization hike #2 is done in Ecuador! The Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition team took to Corazón today, standing at 4784m / 15,696ft to continue their acclimatization efforts. It was a beautiful start to the day with excellent views of the surrounding volcanoes. The team is doing great so far and is enjoying the company and scenery shared in the Ecuadorian Highlands. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checked in with this dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition.

Today, we finished with our second day acclimatization with a summit of Corazón Volcano (4784m/15,696ft), which is 15,700 feet. So, in the morning we got a really beautiful day and we could see all the volcanoes around the area! But after a couple hours, we got some fog. Anyways, we got the summit! We had a really good time with the guys. And yeah, so now we’re getting ready for the next one, which is going to be Illiniza Norte (5126m/16,818ft).

Yeah, so that’s all for for now! So, keep in tune, stay in tune.

Descending into the fog on Corazón

Starting the hike into the hut on Illiniza.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

January 13, 2026/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ecuador 2023.11.18

Summit Success on Illiniza Norte!

Climbing Illiniza Norte with Illiniza Sur seen behind (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

The Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition team has completed their acclimatization hikes and are primed and ready for their upcoming attempts on Cayambe and Chimborazo! Weather and climbing conditions have been outstanding so far, and will hopefully continue for the climbs ahead. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez checks in with this dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition.

Today, we summit the Illiniza Norte which is 16,800 feet with the summit. We finished our acclimatization process! The group is feeling pretty strong and motivated. We had a great day on the mountain and some really nice views of the other peaks around! Now everybody is resting at the lodge.

Tomorrow we are going to move to Cayambe volcano which is our first big mountain on this expedition. Stay tuned… Bye!

Summit photo on Illiniza Norte! (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

Ascending the ridge which leads the way towards the summit of Illiniza Norte with Cotopaxi behind (Photo by Estalin Suárez)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

November 23, 2023/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ecuador 2023.01.02

Illiniza Norte Summit!

The team on the summit of Illiniza Norte!

The summits keep coming in Ecuador! Today, the team summited Illiniza Norte, and is resting up as they prepare for their next climb on Cayambe. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez, checks in with todays dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition – today is January 6th.

We just summited Illiniza Norte (5126m/16,818ft) which is 16,800 feet. We had a great day on the mountain! Now we are resting at a really nice lodge – call it Chuquiragua!

Yesterday we went up to the Illiniza’s hut (4750m/15,580ft) and we spent the night there. We pushed to the summit very early in the morning!

So now everybody is resting and getting ready for the next mountain, which is going to be Cayambe (5790m/18996ft) .

Stay tuned and talk later!

The team beginning their hike towards Illiniza Hut.

En route to Illiniza Hut!

Snow on the ground after arriving at the refuge!

Alpine start for the summit push on Illiniza Norte!

Looking over at Illiniza Sur!

Ascending the ridge towards the summit

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

January 6, 2023/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ecuador 2023.01.02

El Corazón Summit Success!

Today, our team pushed forward in their acclimatization efforts, successfully reaching the summit of El Corazón! This process of acclimatizing on smaller peaks will ultimately help our team adapt to the higher altitude they’ll experience on bigger peaks later in the expedition. Expedition leader, Estalin Suárez, checks in with todays dispatch from Ecuador:

Hello! This is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition – today is January 4th. Today we had a really, really great day! It was sunny, no wind, kind of perfect weather! Everybody reached the summit of Corazón Volcano (4784m/15,696ft), which is 15,700 feet. This was our second mountain for the acclimatization process. Everybody is feeling good, a little bit tired, but feeling good! (We’re) getting ready for tomorrow – we’re going to Illinizas hut tomorrow.

Stay tuned… (We’ll) talk in a couple of days!

The team hiking through the Ecuadorian highlands!

On the trail towards Corazón!

The team with Illiniza in the background.

Climber, Josh Garrison, climbing the ridge towards the summit of Corazón!

Aerial photo with the team on the summit!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions. Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

January 5, 2023/0 Comments/by Garrett

Ecuador 2022.01.02

Chimborazo High Camp

Our Ecuador Volcanoes team is in a position for their attempt at the summit of Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo! Lead guide, Estalin Suárez has the day’s audio expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition.

Yesterday we went up to the high camp, which is at 17,400 ft., more or less. We did this hike just to acclimitize and also to load some gear to the high camp. We had a really great day and then after we went to our lodge at the bottom of Chimborazo.

Today is January 8th. We are again at the high camp on Chimborazo. Our plan is to get up at 11:00 PM and to start the summit push at midnight. Dan and Jason are feeling pretty well and now they are resting after dinner for a couple of hours.

We are going to give a try for the summit of Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador. That’s all for now. The weather looks pretty good at the moment. So, yeah!

I’ll keep in touch. Bye!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

January 9, 2022/0 Comments/by Kurt

Ecuador 2022.01.02

Illiniza Norte Summit!

Our Ecuador Volcanoes team reached the summit of Illiniza Norte today! They are on a roll! Lead guide, Estalin Suárez has the day’s audio expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Today is January 6th.

We just got the summit of Illiniza Norte, which is 16,813 ft. So, we just got another beautiful, beautiful day on the mountain with almost no wind and with a beautiful sunrise! We started very early in the morning at 5:00 AM from the hut. So, it took us about 2 hours – a little bit more than 2 hours – to the summit and, yeah, we got just a beautiful, beautiful day. Dan and Jason did very, very well and now we are back in our lodge, just resting.

Tomorrow we are going to move to the Chimborazo area. Probably we are going to do a short hike just to keep moving and then on Saturday we’re going to push to our main (ultimate) summit, which is Chimborazo, the highest mountain in Ecuador.

So I will keep in touch! Bye!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

January 6, 2022/0 Comments/by Kurt

Ecuador 2022.01.02

Illinizas Refuge

Today our Ecuador Volcanoes team climbed up to the Nuevos Horizontes refuge (aka the Illiniza Hut) on Illiniza to get into position for their summit attempt of Illiniza Norte early tomorrow morning. Lead guide, Estalin Suárez has the day’s audio expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition.

Today is the 5th of January and we hiked up to the hut of Illiniza, which the altitude is about 15,000 feet. So, Dan and Jason are feeling pretty good, so we did about 3 hours up to the hut and now we are just resting, waiting for dinner, and getting ready for tomorrow to push to the summit of Illiniza Norte.

Okay, bye!

At the trailhead and ready to head up to Nuevos Horizontes Refuge, the high hut on Illinizas

On the way up to Nuevos Horizontes Refuge

Day one on Illiniza Norte

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

January 5, 2022/0 Comments/by Kurt

Ecuador 2022.01.02

Corazón Summit!

Our Ecuador Volcanoes team continued their acclimatizing today with the hike up the inactive, eroded stratovolcano Corazón (4790m/15,720ft). Lead guide, Estalin Suárez has the day’s audio expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Today is January 4th and just hiked up to the summit of Corazón volcano, which is 15,700 feet. We had a really amazing day with blue sky, sunny and no wind. It was a really, really beautiful day. We started to walk very early in the morning at 13,000 feet more or less and we did a little more than 6 hours around, up and down.

Dan and Jason feel really good and they are really excited about the next because every day they are breaking records that they have never been at this altitude before! So, every day is a new adventure for them. That is great, everybody’s feeling well, and really motivated for the next.

So, I will keep in touch. Bye!

Hiking up Corazón

Nearing the summit of Corazón

A new friend on Corazón

Heading down from the summit of Corazón

Descending Corazón

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our guide’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

January 5, 2022/0 Comments/by Kurt

Ecuador 2022.01.02

Jan 2022 Ecuador Volcanoes Kicks-off!

Our team members arrived in Quito, Ecuador on Sunday and today started hiking Ecuador volcanoes to begin the acclimatization process and ready themselves for the big expedition objective of Chimborazo (6263m/20,549ft), the highest summit in Ecuador and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. Today they gained 700 meters of elevation by summiting the extinct volcano, Pasochoa. Here’s lead guide, Estalin Suárez with a recap of the day:

Hello this is Estalin calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ecuador Volcanoes expedition. Today is January 3rd and we hit our first acclimatization summit which was Pasochoa Volcano with an altitude of 13,780 feet.

We had a really, really beautiful day, sunny, blue skies and almost no clouds. Yeah, really a beautiful day. We made it in about 3 hours up and down. Daniel and Jason felt pretty well with that first hike at that altitude, so yeah, it was a great day.

Now we are just at the lodge waiting for some dinner and having some rest and getting ready for tomorrow and the next climb, so bye!