The following info may change for future trips.
Our trip to Mexico will last a mere ten days, but it will be packed with instruction and invaluable hands-on experience in the art of climbing to extreme high altitude. On Mt. Everest, it would take at least eighteen days to reach 18,000’. Orizaba, which lies in Mexico’s Volcano National Park, can be reasonably climbed in half that time. Team members need take only six days off of work (plus four weekend days) to learn how their bodies react to high altitude. Instead of spending weeks in a row tent-bound, our trip is punctuated by rest days in town, where we enjoy delicious local food, hot showers, and warm beds.
After arriving in Mexico City, we travel into the mountains via off road vehicles. This is the only reasonable way to access Mexico’s ancient high-mountain villages. Some of these adobe brick outposts are perched as high as 12,000’, which is nearly two thousand feet above the highest town in the United States. We adjust to this altitude while organizing gear and enjoying the fine amenities of hotels that cater to climbers.
The first phase of our journey to Mexico is focused on reaching an altitude that will allow us to acclimate without exhausting ourselves. We can traverse some of the area’s peaks that are less often visited, such as the 14,640’ La Malinche, or even tackle the famous 17,434’ Izataccihuatl. The selection of this climb will be based on group feedback and weather, and it will certainly be an incredible primer in altitude climbing and camping. All of these possible summits are attainable within three days from the road.
After a full rest day in town, we return to the mountains to climb our primary objective, Orizaba. Pico de Orizaba, climbed by a number of routes depending on weather and conditions, is best done with two established camps. From high camp at 16,000’, we climb snow, rock, and ice slopes to this mythical summit. From the top of Mexico, we descend to our lower camp at 14,000’ before leaving for Mexico City – and home – the next day.
