Mountains truly rock our world: Some remain unclimbed and others offer us short time-windows to experience their immense beauty. If you are physically fit and love the outdoors but have never tried mountaineering before, we have the perfect beginner-friendly peaks for you to start taking your mountain trekking to the higher level!

If you can handle some exposed ridges and are up for some very rewarding yet challenging routes on steep terrain with other like-minded and awesome people then our Beginner Mountain Climbing Experience might be just for you! Some of these beginner-friendly peaks are high-altitude hikes with some scrambling, others involve more technical climbing, but after some days of training with our professionals, you will be able to summit 18,000 and 19,000 ft. peaks alongside professional guides. And Ecuador is the perfect paradise for both training on and summiting these majestic peaks! Just remember to always go with a good, professional guide.

Climb Pasochoa

As a total beginner in the high-altitude mountain climbing world, Pasochoa is an excellent peak to start with. Sitting at 4.200 meters above sea-level (13,779 ft), it’s a great mountain to climb for acclimatization before moving on to the next ones. It’s mainly a hike with a little bit of scrambling in the end and no exposed sections, so this is really a day hike/climb for everyone. It’s a 12 km roundtrip with vertical gain of approximately 2,700 ft. and it will take you around 4-5 hours to complete. Reaching the summit of Pasochoa is very rewarding as the views are to die for and the cloud formations, which typically hide on the right side of the rugged, green peaks in front look like something from another planet.

Climb Rumiñahui

Rumiñahui is our favorite medium-sized beginner mountain peak to climb! Situated inside of the Cotopaxi National Park, just getting to the trailhead is a beautiful journey in itself. With its three pointy peaks; Norte, Central and Sur towering just in front of the majestic Cotopaxi volcano, the scenery here is just breathtaking. The Norte peak is the highest of the three with its 4.712 meters above sea-level (15,489 ft) and also the easiest of the peaks to climb, so this is perfect for beginners. The climb of Rumiñahui Norte takes around 6 hours round-trip and is also basically a steep, high-altitude hike with sections of scrambling. This beginner peak is also great for acclimatization before heading to the bigger mountains. At Summit Stoke we value acclimatization highly in our programs, as this is super important not only to your chances of summiting, but also for safety and health reasons, as ascending too quickly can be very dangerous for the body. The climb of Rumiñahui Norte takes around 6 hours round-trip and is also basically a steep, high-altitude hike with sections of scrambling.

Climb Iliniza Norte

After acclimatizing with some lower to medium sized peaks, Iliniza Norte is an essential last peak in order to gain some higher altitude acclimatization before heading to the glaciated giants of the Ecuadorian Andes. With its 5.126 meters above sea-level (16,818 ft.) this giant peak is perfect for experiencing high-altitude without having to do a technical climb. The way to the top of Iliniza Norte is part hiking and part scrambling on very steep terrain. The mountain is mostly snow-free, but when covered in snow, this becomes a technical climb as well where you’ll need crampons and ice-axe.

Los Ilinizas are two peaks right in front of each other, as they used to be one big volcano featuring a crater, but over time split into two. Iliniza Norte is the easy of the two as Iliniza Sur is a very technical climb on glacier. Climbing Iliniza Norte can be done in one shot (one day), but is also divided in two by many, as there is a refuge halfway. From the parking lot it takes 2-3 hours to reach the refuge and from here typically another 2,5-3 hours to reach the peak. On a clear day you will be able to admire all the surrounding high peaks of the Ecuadorian Andes from the summit and it’s a spectacular sight.

 Climb Cayambe

Cayambe is indeed one of the glaciated giants of the Ecuadorian Andes with its 5.790 meters above sea-level (18,996 ft.) Although not very technically demanding, the glacier here is highly active with lots of crevasses and some avalanche danger. Climbing Cayambe is therefore ideal for glacier lessons and mountaineering training. Climbers will set out for the summit of this giant around midnight and hopefully reach the summit around sunrise. To climb Cayambe you will have to traverse around large crevasses and climb steep icy sections of 40-60-degree slopes. It takes 6-8 hours to climb to the summit of Cayambe from the refuge and 2-3 hours to descend back down again. Reaching the summit of this one is very satisfying after many hours of hard work and the stoke is so real! Smash this challenge and climb to the stunning summit fo Cayambe on our Beginner Experiences!

Climb Cotopaxi

Meaning the neck of the moon in Kichwa, the Incas rightfully believed that Cotopaxi looked like a headless neck with a white poncho looking up at the sky, making it appear as if the mountain in fact is the neck of the moon (Cuello de la Luna). With its 5.897 meters above sea-level (19,347 ft.) Cotopaxi is one of the world’s highest active volcanoes and this climb truly is one for the books. Hiking from the parking lot to the refuge takes around 1-2 hours. Here the climbers will rest before starting their summit attempt at midnight in order to reach the summit around sunrise (and also due to safety and hardness of the snow and ice on the route). It takes around 6 hours to reach the top from the refuge and 2 hours to descend.

You will be climbing on the steep glacier with crampons and ice-axe, which makes the route somewhat technical, but mostly you just have to walk on steep glacial terrain. This one is all about endurance!  When reaching the top, you will see a GIGANTIC smoking volcanic crater – no photos do this justice, you simply have to see it for yourself! Standing on top of the clouds, you will be able to see the surrounding glaciated volcanoes towering up over the clouds all around. This view is nothing short of spectacular and a must do for all climbers in Ecuador. And as a beginner we can’t imagine a more epic introduction to the world of mountaineering!

Sounds like something for you? Go and check out our carefully planned Beginner Experience full of beginner-friendly mountain peaks to climb and hit us up! Climb Cayambe, Pasochoa, Rumiñahui and Iliniza Norte with Summit Stoke. We can’t wait to see you out there, stay stoked!