Ecuador: Service & Mountaineering

The Ecuador Service and Mountaineering Course is designed for participants who want to challenge themselves in the mountains and in their hearts. The course combines High Altitude Mountaineering and Service Projects within a rich Cross Cultural setting. Based in the city of Quito (9,200 ft), we will be immersed in the rich beauty of Ecuadorian Culture and the Ecuadorian Andes.

Ecuador is said to be the Jewel of the Andes. Participants will come to know this in their own right as they explore stunning mountain ridges, gleaming glacial slopes, and the mysterious grasslands known as the paramo. The mountaineering aspect of the course will start with an acclimatization climb up Guagua Pichincha. At 15,692 ft, Guagua over looks the historical city of Quito. On this climb, participants will be rewarded with great views and feelings of exhilaration and accomplishment as they travel across the ridge on fixed ropes. One short rappel brings us within just minutes of this beautiful summit.

The mountaineering experience will culminate on one of Ecuador’s glaciated volcanoes. You will have the opportunity to climb Cayambe (18,996 ft) or Cotopaxi (19,347 ft). These climbs involve basic mountaineering knowledge that will be gained through a training class on the glacier prior to our ascent. Ice axe and crampon use will become second nature as you challenge yourself with these mountains’ icy slopes. The reward of such challenges will not go unnoticed as your instructors help you to process your climb back in Quito over an excellent dinner out. These climbs require no previous mountaineering experience, just some basic physical fitness and drive.

The service projects provide for challenges just as intense as mountaineering and often much more rewarding. Summit’s goal is to work side by side with Ecuadorians to help provide for their needs in a real and tangible way. These needs can range from physical to emotional and spiritual. Participants will be engaged with local Ecuadorians at a project site, based on the participants interests and skills, and the needs of the community. You may be doing construction work side by side with a teenage boy who is trying to earn money for school. Or you could be playing soccer with a bunch of smiling and laughing kids. You may even find yourself alongside a social worker in the home of a single mother helping her take care of a baby or even have the opportunity to help create a fair trade business that will provide work for local mothers. Whatever the situation you will experience the love and joy of the people of Ecuador in ways that will move you, and you won’t likely forget. A large portion of the trip will be spent discussing these experiences and how they affect us.

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Proposed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Quito, Ecuador. A Summit Adventure instructor will meet you at the airport and take you to our facilities.

Day 2: Course Overview and Orientation. This day is spent getting to know other members of the group and talking about the adventures we will soon be sharing. The second half of the day will be spent exploring the historic city of Quito and experiencing the local culture.

Day 3: Introduction to our service site, Remanso de Amor. Carlos Ramiro Maldonado Ordonez will orient us and introduce us to his students, ranging from preschool to 10th grade. The day will be spent working and playing with many of the kids who attend school at Remanso de Amor. The evening will be spent preparing for our first climb.

Day 4: We will travel in 4×4’s through the lush lands surrounding Quito. Driving through
small village farms and steep mountain roads, we will arrive at the base of 15,692’ Guagua Pichincha. Climb Guagua Pichincha.

Day 5: Return to Remanso de Amor for another day of service work.

Day 6: Travel to either Cayambe (18,996’) or Cotopaxi (19,400’). After a short hike to the hut, the afternoon will be spent resting, relaxing, eating, and preparing for the climb.

Day 7: We will wake early and begin the climb under the stars of the southern hemisphere. After the climb, we will all return to Quito and enjoy a celebration dinner out.

Day 8: Return to Remanso de Amor for our last day of service work and to say goodbye to all our new friends.

Day 9: A Summit Instructor will take you to the airport for your return flight home.