GUNUNG · Ekuador

Carihuairazo

Carihuairazo (Cariguairazo; dari bahasa Kichwa, kerap diartikan "salju/es jantan") — puncak utama Cumbre Máxima ~5.018 m dengan puncak sekunder Cumbre Central dan Mocha

Source

Puncak bersalju Carihuairazo, Andes tengah Ekuador. Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 5.018 m
Country: Ekuador (EC)
Location / Range: Cordillera Occidental, Andes Ekuador — dalam Reserva de Producción de Fauna Chimborazo, tepat di utara Chimborazo
Mountain type: Stratovolcano yang sudah punah dan tererosi berat di Cordillera Occidental Andes Ekuador; kerucutnya runtuh sehingga menyisakan beberapa puncak bergerigi (Máxima, Central, Mocha) mengelilingi bekas kaldera, dengan sisa gletser kecil yang terus menyusut.
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: -1.4069, -78.7500
Difficulty: Non-teknis namun menuntut fisik dan aklimatisasi baik (grade alpine PD): pendakian páramo tinggi, scramble batuan lepas, dan penyeberangan lidah gletser pendek yang menuntut crampon dan ice axe menjelang puncak.
Best Season: Musim relatif kering Ekuador Juni–September dan Desember–awal Januari memberi peluang cuaca terbaik; angin dan kabut dataran tinggi bisa datang kapan saja.
Permits & Rules: Berada di dalam Reserva de Producción de Fauna Chimborazo (dikelola MAATE); pendakian lazim memakai pemandu lokal/operator dari Riobamba, Ambato, atau Mocha. Umum dipakai sebagai puncak aklimatisasi sebelum mendaki Chimborazo.
Hazards: Ketinggian >5.000 m (risiko AMS), cuaca páramo yang cepat berubah dengan angin dan kabut, batuan vulkanik lepas/rapuh pada scramble, serta lidah gletser yang menyusut dengan potensi es keras dan celah kecil menjelang puncak.

Description

Carihuairazo is a deeply eroded, extinct volcano in Ecuador's central Andes, rising to about 5,018 m just north of Chimborazo — Ecuador's highest mountain — and sharing the same protected area, the Chimborazo Wildlife Production Reserve. Unlike an intact young cone, Carihuairazo's edifice has collapsed, leaving several jagged summits (Cumbre Máxima, Cumbre Central and Mocha) ringing a former caldera, together with a small remnant glacier that keeps retreating under a warming climate. Its name comes from Kichwa and is often linked to a meaning like "male ice/snow", a mythological counterpart to Chimborazo. For climbers, Carihuairazo is popular as a graded acclimatization peak before Chimborazo: the route is non-technical but physically demanding, combining high-páramo trekking, loose-rock scrambling and a short glacier crossing that calls for crampons and an ice axe near the top. The summit panorama features a close-up Chimborazo, small lagoons in the valleys, and the sweep of the Andean páramo.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Climb Carihuairazo — itinerary operator lokal

Non-teknis; kombinasi páramo, batuan, dan es

2 hari

A local operator's itinerary from the refuge/base to the Carihuairazo summit, frequently sold as acclimatization preparation for Chimborazo.

Source

Pendakian berpemandu 2 hari ke Carihuairazo (5.020 m)

Cocok untuk pemula dengan pemandu; scramble batuan + gletser pendek

2 hari

A 2-day IFMGA-guided program from a base near Chimborazo/Mocha: an acclimatization day with glacier-technique practice, then a summit push the next day over páramo, rock and ice.

Source

Rute Normal (sisi Mocha/barat) — Refugio Mochahuasca ke Cumbre Central

PD — non-teknis tapi menuntut fisik; ada lidah gletser (crampon + ice axe)

2 hari (aklimatisasi + serangan puncak)

The most common route: day one climbs from Riobamba/Mocha to a refuge/base around 4,200 m to acclimatize. Day two starts around 3 a.m., 2–3 h to the Carihuairazo glacier, crampons on, then ~3 h more to the summit (~700 m of gain from ~4,300 m). Popular as an acclimatization peak before Chimborazo.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Accounts of climbing Carihuairazo centre on the normal route from the western/Mocha side up to Cumbre Central and Cumbre Máxima, often as an acclimatization peak before Chimborazo. Videos and reports highlight high-páramo trekking, a frozen lagoon, loose-rock scrambling and a short glacier crossing that calls for crampons and an ice axe near the summit.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.