GUNUNG · Ekuador

Illinizas

Los Illinizas (Illiniza Norte & Illiniza Sur)

Information

Elevation: 5.248 m
Country: Ekuador (EC)
Location / Range: Reserva Ecológica Los Illinizas, Provinsi Cotopaxi, Ekuador — bagian dari Avenue of the Volcanoes
Mountain type: Sepasang gunung berapi kembar (Illiniza Norte ~5.126 m & Illiniza Sur ~5.248 m) yang dipisahkan pelana ~1 km
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: -0.6594, -78.7136
Difficulty: Bervariasi: Illiniza Norte scramble non-teknis (sedang–berat), Illiniza Sur pendakian gletser teknis (berat)
Best Season: Musim relatif kering Juni–September dan Desember–Januari; cuaca pegunungan Andes Ekuador berubah cepat sepanjang tahun
Permits & Rules: Masuk Reserva Ecológica Los Illinizas; pemandu bersertifikat ASEGUIM sangat disarankan, wajib untuk Illiniza Sur yang berteknis es
Hazards: Ketinggian & risiko AMS; batu lepas dan scrambling terekspos di Norte; rekahan gletser, es curam, dan risiko longsoran di Sur; kabut yang cepat menutup jalur

Description

Los Illinizas are a pair of twin volcanic peaks in the Illinizas Ecological Reserve, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, separated by a roughly one-kilometre saddle. Illiniza Sur (~5,248 m) is slightly taller than Illiniza Norte (~5,126 m) and is glaciated, making its ascent technical — requiring crampons, ice axe, rope and steep-ice skills. Illiniza Norte, by contrast, is a non-technical rock scramble that is hugely popular as an acclimatization peak before tackling higher mountains such as Cotopaxi or Chimborazo. Both are reached from the village of El Chaupi via the La Virgen parking area to the Nuevos Horizontes refuge on the saddle at about 4,750 m, where climbers overnight before a pre-dawn summit push. Standing on the 'Avenue of the Volcanoes', the Illinizas offer sweeping views of Ecuador's volcano chain on clear days.

Gallery

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

Routes

Illiniza Norte — Ruta Normal (scramble dari refugio)

Non-teknis, scramble batu kelas 3 — puncak aklimatisasi klasik

3–4 jam refugio→puncak (7–8 jam pulang-pergi dari parkir)

From the village of El Chaupi to the La Virgen parking (~3,900 m), then a 3–4 h hike to the Nuevos Horizontes refuge on the saddle (~4,750 m) to overnight. Summit day starts around 04:00 with roughly 3–4 h of rock-and-scree scrambling to the ~5,126 m top. In dry conditions no glacier gear is needed; crampons/ice axe are only advisable when the upper rocks are snow- or verglas-covered. A short exposed step (the 'Paso de la Muerte') is often protected with a fixed line.

Source

Illiniza Sur — Ruta Normal (cara noroeste, gletser)

Teknis — salah satu ruta normal tersulit di Ekuador (ramp es 45–75°, banyak rekahan)

~3–6 jam refugio→puncak

From the same refuge (~4,700–4,750 m), about 40 min across rockfall-prone terrain before reaching the glacier and putting on crampons. The northwest-face route climbs steep 45–75° snow/ice ramps (some sources cite up to ~65°), crevassed depending on snow cover, with avalanche risk after fresh snowfall. It is for experienced ice climbers only: technical ice axes, front-pointing crampons, a 60 m rope, ice screws, snow pickets and a helmet. The glacier is steadily retreating, making the route harder and less reliable.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Experiences on the Illinizas split in two: Illiniza Norte as a busy non-technical rock scramble climbed for acclimatization, and Illiniza Sur as a far rarer, demanding technical glacier climb. The sources below feature Norte ascent vlogs (English & Spanish), summit footage of the ice-clad Sur, climbers' notes on the Nuevos Horizontes refuge, and a Sur glacier route guide covering ice angles and gear.

References

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