Ecuador Grand Triple: Everest Training Expedition

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re travelling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Ecuador, please refer to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention or Ecuador’s Ministry of Health.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

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This 15-day expedition is geared for intermediate to advanced climbers who are comfortable climbing and moving for 7-8 hours every day, have backpacking experience, are in very good physical condition and have snow and glacier travel skills. This is technical climbing and this course is meant to develop existing skills that will take your existing skills to the next level.

If you’re new to alpine climbing, there are plenty of options to prep you for an expedition like this. Mount Superior in the Wasatch Mountains make for a great training ground to get the experience to move on to an expedition of this level.

What you get in this adventure:

• • An IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide
  • Hotel accommodations as indicated in the itinerary, based on double occupancy*
  • All park entrance fees
  • Sightseeing arrangements
  • All group transportation in country
  • All group cooking, climbing and camping equipment

What’s not included:

• • International airfare
  • Travel insurance, medical evacuation insurance and security evacuation insurance
  • Excess baggage fees and departure taxes
  • Meals not included in the itinerary (including in Quito)
  • Bottled water and personal drinks
  • Customary guide gratuities
  • Additional room charges including laundry service and other personal expenses
  • Hotel accommodations not indicated in the itinerary
  • Non group airport transfers to/from Quito Hotel to Airport
  • Medical, hospitalization and evacuation costs (by any means)

* Accommodations are based on double occupancy. A Single Supplement Fee will be charged to those occupying single accommodations by choice or circumstance. The single supplement is not available in huts, tents, or in all hotels.

This adventure is for intermediate to experienced climbers. You will need a good level of fitness and backpacking experience to accomplish this climb. These are tough climbs, which require specific skill sets. Building effective storm camps, crevasse navigation and rescue techniques, climbing with full packs, fixed rope ascension, and formulating a climbing strategy are all necessary topics to cover. Participants should arrive with a healthy desire for enduring mountain conditions.

For technical alpine rock climbing gear, you will need to bring:

• • Helmet
  • Climbing harness with a locking carabiner, belay device and chalk bag
  • Perlon
  • Ropes
  • Climbing hardware (quickdraws, cam devices, stoppers, etc.)
  • Ice axe, steel crampons with anti-bot plates
  • Trekking/ski poles
  • Headlamp

For personal items, we recommend bringing:

• • Fleece or wool hat
  • Balaclava and a buff
  • Neck gaiter
  • Hardshell jacket with hood (Gore-Tex or equivalent)
  • Expedition-weight bottoms
  • Lightweight wind shell
  • Down or synthetic jacket with hood
  • Long-sleeved base layer
  • Gloves: lightweight synthetic, windstopper gloves, big mountain gloves and mittens
  • Long base layer pants
  • Lightweight trekking pants
  • Expedition-weight bottoms
  • Hardshell pants
  • Softshell pants (wind-proof or wind-resistant)
  • Quick-dry shorts
  • Leg gaiters
  • Liner socks, hiker socks and warm socks
  • Mountaineering boots that work with crampons
  • Hiking shoes
  • Climbing shoes
  • Two internal frame backpacks (one 35-45L and one 65-75L backpack)
  • Two duffle bags
  • One small duffle bag
  • Sleeping bag and pad
  • Compression stuff sacks
  • Chemical hand and toe warmers
  • Glacier glasses and goggles
  • Water bottle or hydration pack
  • Plastic bowl, spoon and coffee mug
  • Food you can eat on-the-go
  • Pocket knife
  • Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, blister kit, toilet paper, pee bottle, etc.)
  • Camera — optional

For more information on needed equipment, please visit the Ecuador Volcanoes Equipment List.

Depending on weather conditions, plans may shift slightly, but your 15-day training expedition in Ecuador will look like this:

• • Day 1: Arrival in Quito
  • Day 2: Quito City sightseeing
  • Day 3: Ruco Pichincha Climb and journey to Termas Papallacta
  • Day 4: Mountaineering School Begins, and Acclimatization Hike
  • Day 5: Journey to Cayambe and Acclimatization Hike
  • Day 6: Glacier Training
  • Day 7: Cayambe High Camp Hut, Mountaineering School
  • Day 8: Cayambe Summit Day and return to Quito
  • Day 9: Move to Cotopaxi Lodge
  • Day 10: Mountaineering School and prep for Cotopaxi Climb
  • Day 11: Cotopaxi Summit Day, and return to Lodge
  • Day 12: Journey to Hacienda Abraspungo (Chimborazo)
  • Day 13: Hike to Stubel (High) Camp, Chimborazo
  • Day 14: Chimborazo Summit Day and return to Quito
  • Day 15: Flights Home

• Everybody over the age of 18 is welcome to book this backcountry skiing adventure.
• Participants younger than 18 may be permitted to join private tours on a case-by-case basis if they are accom­pa­nied by a legal guardian and they have the required experience to join.

If your group has climbers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

For this adventure, the max client to guide ratio is 3:1. A deposit of $1250 per group is needed to secure your spot.

The cost per person decreases as the group grows, so it’s the perfect opportunity to take an intensive mountaineering course with your closest climbing partners.

The Ecuador Grand Triple Expedition can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad preparation.” This expedition is scheduled to fit with ideal weather and climbing conditions for summiting these three Ecuador peaks. You can expect some inclement weather, as on any big mountain expedition, but your guide will be fully prepared for anything and contingency days are built into the itinerary to accommodate for unfavorable conditions.

This adventure requires the purchase of emergency medical and travel insurance to protect you from the unexpected. Please consult with your insurance company with any specific questions regarding coverage and policy details.

With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more.

As we’ve recently seen, travel plans can be abruptly halted, so it’s a good idea to purchase travel insurance that covers cancelled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.

General Travel and Trip Coverage:
Travel Guard (US Toll Free 800-826-4919) provides coverage to protect against trip cancellation, interruption, or delay due to unforeseeable sickness, injury, or death of you or a family member. Coverage also includes trip cost default protection; stolen or damaged luggage; and trip or baggage delay protection.

Coverage should include lost or damaged baggage, BBE is not responsible for the personal items or baggage of its members at any time.

If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!

With 57hours, you benefit from both our own cancellation policy as well as that of the individual guiding service that delivers your adventure. All policies regarding cancellation will be clearly laid out by your guide after booking your adventure, but rest assured that our own cancellation policy will work on top of what is provided by your guide.

For this adventure, 57hours offers an Expedition Cancellation Policy, which states:
If Client cancels the Booking anytime prior to one hundred twenty (120) calendar days in advance of the trip contemplated by the booking, Client is entitled to a full refund. For cancellations ninety (90) to one hundred nineteen(119) calendar days in advance, Client is entitled to a refund in the amount of fifty percent (50%) of the total amount paid when Booking. For cancellations seventy five (75) to eighty nine (89) calendar days in advance, Client is entitled to a refund in the amount of twenty-five percent (25%) of the total amount paid when Booking. After that deadline, Client is not entitled to any refund. Any reimbursable expenses arising out of the Booking incurred by Guide prior to the date of cancellation (including but not limited to plane tickets, car rental payments, and lodging or transportation fees) are non refundable as soon as they are incurred by the Guide.

For more information on terms and conditions, please visit our Terms of Service page.

To get to the Ecuadorian Andes, most people fly into Quito International Airport. From there, you can rent a car or take a taxi to the hotel. Flights generally arrive late in the evening on Day 1 of the itinerary. Once you arrive at your accommodation, you will arrange other details of your itinerary and make further plans in more detail. Please note that flights departing Quito may be booked for any time on the final day of the program.