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| Ascending the 5636m Orizaba |
Pico de Orizaba was another great adventure. It started with an email from my friend Mark Angelos. Mark planned to make a ski movie on the slopes of the 5,636 meters (18,491 ft) volcano, the third highest peak in North America. Andre and I decided to join the dream team just a week before departure. It soon become clear that we didn’t all share the same dream, so we agreed to split in two: Andre and I would have an independent summit bid in our trademarked fast-and-cold style, and Mark and Austin would haul up heavy camera equipment and take some killer footage. If weather and conditions were favorable we agreed to help with the movie effort. We never did.
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| Reyes soap factory |
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| Tlachichuca (Tla-chi-chu-ca) |
Antonio, Senior Reyes, and the Soap Factory
Antonio Juàrez (jajuarezgu@yahoo.com.mx) was our ride from the airport to the town of Tlachichuca. We each paid about $100 for the 150 mile roundtrip. He is a good man.
In Tlachichuca (8,500ft) we stayed at the dormitory of senior Reyes, an old soap factory build in the late 1800s. Senior Reyes also provides the 4x4 ride to Piedra Grande hut, 4270m (14,000ft). We spent one night in Tlachichuca and the next day, after shopping food, we took off for the bumpy ride to the hut. We had a total of 4 days for acclimation and climbing. This short of a time frame presents the dilemma of whether there is a gain in spending few extra days to acclimate, or if its better to summit before the altitude sinks in. We planned an acclimation hike to the glacier at 16,000ft the next (2nd) day, taking the skis with us in a case we feel good.
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| Piedra Grande |
Busy hut, starry night, impulsive decision
It was Friday night and the hut got busy. Late arrivals from Mexico City filled the tight spaces and cooked greasy meals until midnight. I was feeling good for most of the night but could not sleep much. Noise and sand sipping from the cracks of the wooden shelves above kept me awake. Around 3am I got out to pee and noticed the stunning views under the bright moonlight. I thought we should just go for it, now. Andre however, was sleeping well, and we didn’t get up until 6am. I cooked my signature rice-mit-butter meal, and Andre fried some eggs. At exactly 7am we put the headlamps back in the packs and left the hut.
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| below the glacier |
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| 16,000 ft |
Speedy Russian, windy summit
For the first 200 feet the trail follows ruins of an old concrete aqueduct. The structure has collapsed on multiple spots, forming deep holes, rebar sticking out. These man-made traps were the greatest objective hazard we faced that day.
We both felt well on the up. Since I have never been at this altitude I moved below my typical aerobic pace. Near the glacier (16,000ft) the wind picked up and I put on my wind breaker (ripstop nylon). Soon we switched to skinning -- a welcome change in the pace. The glacier gradually steepened to about 40-45 deg. Snow was hard and wind-scarred. I was doing long switchbacks probing for a better purchase. Andre charged more directly upward. He moved faster and the gap between us widened. The wind picked up with frequent violent gusts.
Effects of altitude became more evident: I needed a stop every 20 steps to lower my heart rate. We transitioned to bootpack with crampons. The aluminum, race variety was perfect. Gaining the last 700 vertical feet (200m) felt like eternity, with a never changing view of a summit snow slope. Wind bursts required frequent ducking. Andre was gone in the clouds and I felt the urge to speed up. I could finally see the volcano rim; there was a false summit and a scenic ridge traverse. Andre approached me and said he will wait at the saddle where it was less windy. I was on the summit at 12pm, 5h after the start. Andre made it in 4:38h.
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| 5636m (18,491ft) |
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| Orizaba summit |
Skiing down was okay, reminiscent of a hardened south facing Sierra slope: bumpy, wind-scarred hard pack but no ice. Yet, I was very glad to be there on skis! In 20min we were back at the bottom of the glacier stripping down layers and relaxing. It took another hour to hike back to the hut.
Evacuation, soup factory, roosters and Mexican hip-hop
That evening, at the hut, Andre felt really sick. He could not keep any food or liquid in his body. Concerns that his condition did not improve prompted a radio call to Tlachichuca. Dr. Reyes responded immediately driving up himself. By the time the truck made it up the muddy mountain road, I decided to go down with Andre. We spent the next two days in senior Reyes dormitory eating soups, resting, observing village life, and listening to Mexican tunes, broadcasted from loud megaphones. Mark and Austin arrived after 2 days, pretty beat up but in good spirit. They had to yo-yo up equipment, and carry heavy packs on the way down. The next day we were back in LA.
Gear used for the ascent:
- Patagonia R1 tights and Patagonia soft shell stretchy pants (like the simple guide but simpler), 200 weight wool top, two nylon jerseys, and ultralight OR nylon shell.
- Two balaclavas: capeline, and powerstretch. I used both.
- Two pairs of gloves (lost one on transition)
- Scarpa F1 boots (no tongues, no power straps), Dynafit Seven Summit 163 ski, dynafit hybrid binding (speed toe, race heel)
- One whippet, one standard pole
- Camp 290 (race) pack
- Camp speed helmet
- Camp aluminum crampons
- Down jacket in the pack (never used it)
Food and water:
Two liters of water. One GU, two Cliff Bloks (carried a lot more)
Total trip cost per person: $800-$900 including flights from LAX
More pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/badakov/PicoDeOrizaba
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