Hello!
I am planning to visit Mexico in November this year for 2 weeks, and I wonder about the climbing conditions for the 3 highest peaks in Mexico: Pico de Orizaba (5 610 m), Popocatepetl (5 454 m) and Iztaccihuatl (5 286 m). I would like to scale one of them if possible (I am familiar with high altitude mountaineering from Elbrus and Puna de Atacama).
The height of those volcanos seems to be almost equal, in that sense it does not really matter which one I choose. I am looking for which one would be the "most accessible" for me. Popo and Izta are located close to Mexico City so they seems to be a "natural" choice. On the other hand I have heard Popo might be impossible to climb due to it's volcanic status.
What are the usual conditions for there mountains in November/early December? My guess is that Popo and Izta would have the same weather. ;-)
It would be nice if it would be possible to climb without crampons/ice axe/rope (climbing equipment tend to use much luggage space/weight!), i e which peak would have "least ice" on the upper slopes and little or no risk of crevasses?
What are the altitude differences from the trailhead (upper access point by car) to the summit, on a route which does not need technical climbing?
What are the distances from the trailhead-->summit?
Mexico City itself is situated at approx. 2 300 m, but I think this altitude is not sufficient to acclimatize properly for an ascent above 5 000 m. If better acclimatized the ascent could be made faster, and with more enjoyment.
* It would be nice to get some ideas of towns/"worth to see sightings" which are located at high altitude in Mexico. Why not have some fun while acclimatizing?
Thanks in advance,
Johan
was reading into the Popocatepetl too, the most actual I could find was that access to it is closed cause of danger of eruptions, can anyone confirm if this still up to date or if things have changed meanwhile????
Not sure of current situation re: Popo though I have a feeling it may still be closed.
Did Izta a few years ago in Nov/Dec Ascent to summit plateau at around 5000 metres was free of snow. Then continuous snow cover to summit. Crampons and ice axes are certainly desirable though I guess you coud manage without. Ropes not needed as there is no crevasse danger. A straightforward walking ascent with fine views to Popo from long plateau - especially if Popo is erupting as it was when we did it.
Popo did not do as it was erupting and closed.
Attempt on Orizabo was abandoned when our tent was struck by a rock in the night and written off when camping near foot of glacier around 5000m. Left tent in a bit of a mess in falling snow and highish winds so did not feel we could leave it. Ice axes and crampons definately necessary and rope strongly recommended as there is some crevasse danger. Camping not really essential. Locals seem to prefer the high camp approach we adopted, most fotreign parties climb straight from the hut at around 4750 metres but that seemed a long day for me (at age 55 at the time) and we were already well aclimatized. Though did not do it, route on to summit seemed to be a fairly straightforward, if occasionly steep. plod up the cone on snow /ice with some possible small crevasse hazards.
To give yourself best chance of reaching these summits, even though your time is short, try to get some aclimatisation in by doing either Malintze of Nevado de Tolluca or preferably both. I recommend the former for scenary, the latter for aclimatization benefits. Both easy.
See Mexico's volcanoes by R J Secor for more info.
#2, sorry to hear about the tent, but luckily it sounds that no-one inside the tent got some flat body parts from the incident?
Climbing directly from the hut on Orizabo would then be approx. 900 m altitude gain on the summit day. Not impossible, but sure I agree with you there (I prefer a short summit day, it feels like a better success rate). I have heard the normal route would involve crossing Glaciar de Jamapa. You're certainly right then, crampons, ice axe for self arrest and possibly rope would be adviceable. I guess Orizaba will have to wait for my next trip to Mexico (unless I can borrow equipment in Mexico).
A night on Nevado de Toluca or Malinche sounds like a good option for acclimatizing for either Popo (if possible) or Iztaccihuatl. Maybe a good idea to hear with "locals" about the Popo situation.
Yes, I have heard about that book, it should cover El Pico de Orizaba, Popocatepetl, Izaccihuatl, La Malinche and Nevado de Toluca. It sounds like the perfect book for me, I have ordered it from Internet (the 3:rd edition). Continuing the investigation... #1 I'll write here again if I find out something about Popo.
I too understand that Popo is closed. I do have a friend however, that climbed it years ago with his 10 month old son in a backpack on his back. He said it was simply a scramble. Very loose volcanic rock. No snow.
I climbed both Ixta and Orizaba a few years ago.
Ixta does have a hut half way up, however there is no water there. So we climbed it from the trailhead (end of the dirt road). It was a long day ( 3 am to 5 pm approx). Only needed crampons at the very peak - you could probably get away without wearing them.
Orizaba was much harder, I thought. You MUST have crampons, ice axe & rope for this climb. Wore crampons about the whole climb, I believe. Orizaba is much harder to reach as well. We had to take special 4 wheel drives up to the trailhead.
An afterthought re Izta. The Secor book identifies four huts on the standard route describing one as a ruin. In fact by 1999 when we did it there was only one hut left - the Republica de Chile at around 4750m. This was quite comfortable and whilst there was no running water there was snow nearby. There was just the base left of the Luiz Mendez hut - rest blown away! It provides a convenient seat to put your crampons on. It would be a long day from La Joya, convenient way to do the mountain is taxi up to La Joya in the morning and walk in to hut by mid afternoon. Early night and a bit of a sleep for a 3.00am or 4.00am start for the summit. Back to hut before mid day and taxi down. You can either pre-arrange your taxi pick-up with whoever brings you up or just take pot-luck that there will be somebody there,. We did the latter and got a lift dowm in a minibus with a group of locals who summited at same tima as us. They also set a good example by bringing out multiple plastic sacks of rubbish - mainly plastic bottles that had accumulated at the hut - you might consider doing the same - they weigh nearly nothing.
#6 I will keep that in mind. The 3rd edition I ordered is printed October 2001, maybe you have looked into the 1st or 2nd edition? Hopefully the status of the huts has been revided in the latest version.
Regarding Popocatepetl, I found this page which I will keep monitoring for the next few weeks. The links "Tamaño A" and "Tamaño B" are live webcam pictures of Popo (unfortunatly it seems to be cloudy in the region at the moment).
Click the "Last Report" for the latest eruption status and evacuation zone. Status the 6th of June:
"In the last 24 hours the acitivity of Popocatepetl volcano remained stable. There were only 6 small exhalations accompanied by steam and gas.
...
The traffic light of volcanic alert is in YELLOW-1. Access is restricted in a radius of 12 km from the crater. The road between Santiago Xalitzintla (Puebla) and San Pedro Nexapa (Mexico State), including Paso de Cortés, is open to controlled traffic. However, it is not permitted to remain within the 12 Km restricted area. "
I would not like to be at the summit even if Popo just exhales a little steam and gas... ;-) Hopefully the YELLOW-1 status will be lowered to normal before November.
I have attempted Orizaba twice, and failed both times. Both attempts were to be via the Jalampa Glacier route starting at Tres Piedras. The first failure was due to a severe respiratory infection that I got before leaving the States - couldn't even leave the hut! The second time I was fine, but two other people in our party got pretty severe altitude sickness at 15,500 feet so we all turned back (I'll never climb with flatlanders from Indiana again - wusses! ;-0 ) At any rate:
Tres Piedras Hut is about 13,500 feet - the summit is 18,700 feet. You woul dneed to be in very good shape and very well acclimated to do that in one day - it is much more than 900m - more like 1600m to the summit.
A 4WD is required to reach the hut at Tres Piedras. Transport can be arranged in the town of Tlatchichuca from a couple of different sources. I HIGHLY recommend using the Hotel Gerrar rather than the more "popular" (more publisized) option (whose name I cannot remember). Gerardo owns both the hotel and an old Waggoneer. His prices are reasonable, and he's a very friendly, honest man. I have heard less flattering comments about the competition, though I cannot confirm any actual facts.
November/December is in the dry season, and the snow on the Jalampa Glacier can be treacherously icy in that time of year. In fact, a friend of mine was back on Orizaba last year and was there when three European climbers fell to their death on glare ice. Ropes, crampons, and the like are absolutely necessary, at least that time of year.
A couple of traveler's tips: 1) The best restaurant (and probably the safest in terms of sanitation) is the 'Casa Blanca', which faces the small zocalo in Tlatchichuca. 2) You can take 1st class buses to Puebla directly from the airport in Mexico City - follow the signs for autobuses as you leave customs in the international terminal. Puebla is two hours away - from there it is easy to catch a bus to Tlatchichuca (the end of the line), which is a further two hours.
Good luck!
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