Chimborazo Summit Challenge in Ecuador!
The Furthest Point from the Centre of the Earth
Chimborazo is a currently inactive stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 A.D. With a peak elevation of 6,263 m (20,548 ft), Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador. Chimborazo is not the highest mountain by elevation above sea level, but its location along the equatorial bulge makes its summit the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center.
It is located in the Chimborazo Province of Ecuador, 150 km (93 miles) south-southwest of the capital Quito. Under clear conditions, the summit of Chimborazo can be seen from the coastal city Guayaquil, nearly 140 km away. The top of Chimborazo is completely covered by glaciers. The summit of the Chimborazo is the fixed point on Earth that has the utmost distance from the center – because of the oblate spheroid shape of the planet Earth, which is “thicker” around the Equator than measured around the poles.
The Challenge
To complete the challenge you must reach the summit of Chimborazo.
If you want you can also share your health stats for the days showing distance and times or your well deserved food & drink rewards at the end of the hike!
Feel free to tag photos to @travelmedals on Instagram and Facebook.
After completing the challenge you can reward yourself with a custom Travel Medals Chimborazo summit medal.
This is the initial design for the medal. If you’re planning a trip to the summit of Chimborazo and would like this medal, please get in touch through our Facebook or Instagram pages!
Additional Information
For all the information you need to start your research visit the Wikipedia or Summit Post pages for Chimborazo. These sites provide an overview, getting there, route options, camping and everything else you need to know. Then for a first hand account of taking on the summit read this article by The Guardians Kevin Rushby. An honest account of an attempt to reach this summit, reminding us all that this challenge should not be taken lightly. Kevin writes “Paradoxically you must know your limits when setting yourself challenges. It has to be somewhere in that space between your grasp and your reach “. Finally for 10 reasons to visit this area and not just summit, read Tren Ecuador’s article on the Chimborazo area.
The hardest climb of my life!
For those needing some inspiration, watch Max and Maria who took on Chimborazo and advised it was the hardest thing they have ever done in life so far! After checking a lot of options online they decided to rely on Andean Adventures to take them to the top of Chimborazo. They run the Carrel and Whymper Refuges and have plenty of experience. Their guide Fabián was very professional and pushed them to achieve the summit goal while trying his best to keep both of them safe. Follow Max and Maria’s further South American adventures on their Instagram.
