South America

The 7 Summits Club guide Valery Myasoedov reports from Argentina:

 Greetings from Argentina! The "Otkryvashka" group ascended to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp at 4,300 meters yesterday. We settled into comfortable dormitories and were delighted to learn that our cozy dining room and mess hall, as in previous years, would be ours for the entire season. The 7 Summits Club flag was ceremoniously hung on the wall, officially marking the opening of the season! Today we took a leisurely stroll to the abandoned hotel, and tomorrow we have a radial ascent to Plaza Canada.

The 7 Summits Club Guide Valery Myasoedov reports from Argentina:

Greetings from Argentina! The "Otkryvashka" group has entered the active acclimatization phase. Yesterday, we ascended from Puente del Inca to Confluence Camp, 3,400 meters. Before leaving, we took a short hike to the famous bridge. The weather is terrible, but we remain optimistic. Today, we made a radial hike to Plaza Francia and admired the beautiful views of the South Face of Aconcagua. Now we're resting and preparing for tomorrow's trek to Base Camp.

Valery Myasoedov, the 7 Summits Club guide, reports from Argentina:

Greetings from sunny Argentina! Here, the 7 Summits Club is opening the new climbing season on America's highest peak, Mount Aconcagua, at 6,962 meters. Yesterday, we met the first group at the airport, spent the first day organizing the expedition, and got to know the city. Today, we've already moved to the Puente del Inca camp and settled into comfortable cabins. The weather is unstable, but that's not a big deal right now; the main thing is for it to stabilize by summit day. Tomorrow, we're scheduled to hike to the Confluencia Camp.

Our most active participant in recent years, Andrey Polyakov, has completed the Seven Volcanoes program! Today, he sent a video and photos from the summit of Ojos del Salado volcano. He completed the climb in 8 hours and 40 minutes with local guide Mario. The South American season is just beginning, and we're already seeing success! Andrey Polyakov occupies a remarkable 69th place on the list of Seven Volcanoes climbers. Russia is increasing its dominance in this program! Congratulations to Andrey! He's already climbed so many mountains, but there are always more to come. So, here's to new summits and achievements!

Greetings from sunny Ecuador! Today was a challenging, but enjoyable, day of climbing. Our team, though not full, stood at the summit of Cotopaxi Volcano. We were lucky with the weather; it was clear and sunny all day. However, a few days earlier, there had been a fresh snowfall. This required some work. Everyone in the group is satisfied and happy, not only with the climb but with the overall experience of traveling in Ecuador. Your guides, Alexander Dorojukov and Viktor Volodin.

Ecuador in touch. Hello everyone! Yesterday we had a rest day, everyone doing their own thing. Billiards, quad bikes, horses, massages. We had a great rest. Today we'll ascend to the summit camp and set off for the summit tonight. The forecast is good by local standards. Good luck!
Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Greetings from Ecuador! Yesterday we checked into a luxurious hotel at the foot of the Cotopaxi volcano. We woke up this morning to a beautiful view. We went to Lake Quilotoa, located in the crater. The views there are simply magical. Some people even went for a swim in the lake. For lunch, we stopped at a very beautiful restaurant with all sorts of old gadgets. Overall, it was a great day!

Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorozhukov.

Greetings from Ecuador! Our cheerful team had a great day today. We checked out of the hotel, visited a few local attractions, including a supermarket and restaurant. The restaurant had a beautiful view and was near the Virgin Mary monument. Today we went on an acclimatization climb to Guagua Pichincha volcano (4,784 m). We drove up to the trailhead in jeeps and walked and walked. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the crater due to the fog. But the views were still stunning. After descending, we finally saw our destination – Cotopaxi volcano.
Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Greetings from Quito! Our group arrived in Ecuador yesterday evening, and we're really looking forward to visiting Cotopaxi Volcano. Today, we began our gradual acclimatization, took the cable car to 4,100 meters, walked around, and enjoyed the views of the city nestled between the mountains.

Afterward, we traditionally visited the "Place of the Equator." Everyone was thrilled to watch the water swirl in different directions as it drains, on opposite sides of the equator. Today, we'll have a welcome dinner, and we'll discuss plans for tomorrow and beyond.
Guides: Viktor Volodin and Alexander Dorojukov.

Hello everyone! We mentioned earlier that our unique program, in addition to Orizaba in Mexico, included another ascent for acclimatization before Chimborazo (our main goal). It's time to reveal that the third planned summit was Antisana Volcano—a solitary beauty standing at the gateway to the Amazon jungle.

Antisana, also a five-thousander (one of 10 in Ecuador), at 5,704 meters, is the fourth highest in Ecuador, but it's wilder, less visited, and more technically challenging. There are no shelters there; you have to set out from a tent camp, and you need to bring everything you need with you.

The idea of climbing the technical Antisana (immediately after Orizaba and Chimborazo) arose as preparation for future projects, namely, as a preparatory stage for Alpamayo (a beautiful, technically challenging peak in Peru).

BUT! The thought of Chimborazo was nagging at me! Our friends Rustam and Franklin, continuing to monitor the weather and the slopes on Chimborazo out of habit, saw a weather window emerging. The slopes had thawed and frozen, the steps to the summit had been cut, and there was a chance of reaching the coveted summit.

Forgetting about Antisana, our friends rushed back from Quito to Chimborazo Base Camp at 5,300m and prepared for another summit attempt!

BUT! Once again, the weather turned nasty, and this time it was a complete disaster with thunderstorms and lightning. The downpour turned to snow, and the trail began to snow before our eyes again. We had to wait out the main squall in the shelter.

Then, several more attempts were made to ascend higher, and at the same altitude of 5,750m, we decided to turn around! And yes, this was already our fourth attempt at Chimborazo! But you can't say that any opportunity was wasted!

Everything that could be done, and even more, was done to achieve the goal! What can I say? In Rustam's opinion, everything was great, except the weather!

 Further goals have already been set! And when Rustam reaches Alpamayo, he'll still be keeping an eye on the weather in Chimborazo!

 To be continued!

Greetings to everyone from Rustam and Franklin, still from North America!

As a reminder, Rustam is returning for the third time to climb Chimborazo (6,310 m, Ecuador's highest peak and the farthest point from the center of the Earth), but decided to acclimatize in Mexico. The plan was to climb Mount Orizaba, North America's highest volcano. Rustam had already been to Ecuador twice and climbed all of the country's most interesting volcanoes. Don't go the same old route!

 Well, what can I say! After wonderful acclimatization trips in Mexico on smaller volcanoes, Orizaba herself decided to show what she's capable of when she's not in the mood! Before reaching the summit, there was sunshine, then storms began somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and snow fell over Orizaba, and then it started raining. All the other teams turned around, but ours continued on!

When we reached the glacier, at 5,000 m, we finally decided that acclimatization was sufficient and that it was time to turn back. We returned to base in splendid isolation, alone with the mountain and the storm in the Pacific Ocean.

At the hotel, we finally wrung out all our belongings, dried off, rested actively, recharged, and before flying to Ecuador, we stopped to see the famous pyramids in Mexico City. But we didn't climb them because it was still raining!

 Goodbye, Mexico! Hola Ecuador! Chimborazo is still waiting!

Hello everyone! We have news. Our friend Rustam Makharramov is flying to America to make his third attempt at Chimborazo Volcano 6310. The one in Ecuador is the furthest peak from the center of the Earth and the highest peak in Ecuador. What can I say, the volcano has a truly unique, powerful, incomparable energy; it captivates and captivates.

Rustam was definitely captivated by it, and he says this time he won't leave Ecuador until he reaches the summit!

But this time, it's not that simple. To diversify his acclimatization and plan for the future, a unique program has been developed, the likes of which we've never seen before.

Orizaba and its associated volcanoes in Mexico (that's North America, mind you) were chosen for acclimatization!

For those who may have forgotten or don't know, Orizaba is the highest volcano in North America and is part of the "Seven Volcanoes" project. Many consider Orizaba to have one of the most beautiful craters among the many volcanoes.

And after Chimborazo, there's another peak planned, less well-known but very inviting and a wonderful preparation for new projects. We'll tell you more about it later!

Now our team, Rustam, and his friend, Ecuadorian guide Franklin, are already in Mexico. All documents have been verified (carefully check the required set of documents before leaving for Mexico; without them, entry into the country can be problematic), all formalities have been completed, and a gastronomic tour of the capital has already been completed. Our team is also acclimatizing on the volcanoes La Malinche (4461 m) and Sierra Negre (4580 m).

It was a beautiful day on La Malinche. The climb is relatively steep, but the guys made it without any problems. Sierra Negra is home to one of the world's largest telescopes. Our team reached the summit without any problems, enjoying every step.

Rustam is acclimatizing and gaining strength every day! And the team is ready to move on!

The 7 Summits Club S Guide Boris Egorov reports from Peru:

 Greetings from Peru! Our "Intipalka" team split into two parts. Two members finally climbed the Chachani volcano! Hooray! We managed to reach the top of the volcano and climbed to a height of 6,057 meters. We were promised a strong wind, but the mountain was calm and we admired the views from the summit. At this time, the second half of the team admired the condors in the unique Colca Canyon. Basically, everyone got what they wanted. And everyone was happy!

The 7 Summits Club  Guide Boris Egorov sends from Peru:

Greetings from Peru to everyone! Today the Intipalka team finished their trek around Mount Ausangate. On the final day of trekking we walked 17 km, climbed to the 5100m pass, met a vinicunca and local chinchillas. And the reward was the hot springs at the very end of the route, right in front of the bus. We are rushing to Cusco to celebrate the successful completion of the trek!

The 7 Summits Club Guide Boris Egorov sends from Peru:

Greetings from Peru! Today we spent the whole day walking. We walked 12 km, climbed to a pass at a height of 5200 m. There we held a ceremony of gratitude to the mountains, offered coca leaves to the spirits. The trek is very beautiful! Snowy peaks and herds of alpacas in the pastures below them. Now we are resting and tomorrow we leave for the final day of trekking.

 The 7 Summits Club Guide Boris Egorov reports from Peru:

 Greetings from Peru! Today our "Intipalka" team started the day by visiting a brand new wonder of the world. We admired the Rainbow Mountains, having climbed on quad bikes to the top of Mount Vinicunca 5036m. In 2010, the glacier that hid this beauty disappeared and now it is the second most popular place here after Machu Picchu.

And then we warmed up a bit on foot. And reached our first camp, located at an altitude of 4600 meters. This is how our trekking around Mount Ausangate began.

Herds of alpacas, lakes and glaciers around!

The 7 Summits Club Guide Boris Egorov sends from Peru:

 Greetings from Peru! The day before, our team split into two parts. Half spent the night in the star lodge - it's lower, but with hot baths. And I, with two participants, met the sunset in capsules at the very top of the sky lodge. Having woken up in the morning at a dizzying height, and in incredible comfort, we had a delicious breakfast and quickly went down the ziplines. Having reunited, our "Intipalka" team continued to explore the history of ancient civilizations. We visited several ancient cities, admired the terraces and marveled at the industriousness of the Incas. Now we are already on the train on the way to the famous pearl, the abandoned city of Machu Picchu.

The 7 Summits Club Super Guide Boris Egorov reports from Peru:

 Hello from Peru! Today we have an incredible adventure, we spend the night in a unique vertical hotel, lost somewhere on the canyon wall, 350 meters above the ground. To get here, we climbed for more than an hour along a via ferrata. The wind whistles around us and the starry sky above us. This is an incredible place where you can feel a little bit like climbers on vertical walls!

The Guide of the 7 Summits Club Boris Egorov reports from Peru:

 Greetings from Peru! Today the whole team finally gathered in the capital of the Inca Empire, the city of Cusco. And our mystical adventure began. Yesterday, half of the team walked around the city, and today the whole team visited an ancient laboratory for growing plants, salt mines and a giant pyramid. We heard stories about the incredible Incas and tasted the famous Peruvian cuisine: service, alpaca steaks and other delicacies. In the meantime, we came up with a name, now we are Intipalka. Tomorrow, one of the most unusual and extreme hotels in the world awaits us!

Follow the news!

Hello everyone from Ecuador! Today we reached the Cotopaxi National Park and climbed the slopes of the Cotopaxi volcano to hold ice training and check our equipment before the climb. The weather continues to test us. There was rain, snow, and wind. But at the same time there was sun and beautiful views.

We climbed to the refuge, where we will spend the night before the climb. Then from there we climbed even higher - to the snow and there we practiced the skills of using mountaineering equipment.

And today on the way to the refuge we saw many huge condors that were soaring very close to us. And an Andean wolf that came to the refuge. But the wolf turned out to be very timid and immediately ran away.

For the night we went down to a comfortable hotel, but tomorrow we will return to the refuge again to go on the climb at night.
Guides Olga Rumyantseva and Boris Egorov.