Ski holidays in Ecuador

Ecuador 

As spring and summer sun melts the snow in the Northern Hemisphere, savvy skiers pack up and travel south to the great ski centers in South America where the ski season begins in mid-June and runs to October. You’ll find the best conditions in July and August.

Though by no means the best place to look for skiing in the Andes there are some skiing areas in Ecuador, a couple of tiny resorts and some good ski-mountaineering opportunities.

Skiing opportunities in Ecuador are limited to ski ascents of the countries four highest peaks, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Antisana. These are the only peaks with significant snow. Access to these peaks is easy, with huts at 4500–5000m on all but Antisana, but the peaks are not the most straightforward for skiing due to some big crevasses and often considerable avalanche danger.

Cayambe is the third highest mountain in Ecuador at 18,982 feet (5786 metres). It is a huge distinctive volcano. The snowy flat-top summit of Cayambe rises above the capital city of Quito which is forty miles southwest of the mountain. Cayambe is the highest point on earth through which the equator passes. Its summit is positioned just north of the equator. The summit of Cayambe is composed of three craterless domes, all blanketed by a single glacier. The normal ascent is a glacier climb and though it is not technically difficult, crevasses and avalanches are serious hazards and have killed climbers in the past.

http://www.ecuador.travel/

If you’re travelling here, we recommend that you take a good guidebook. We like the layout and content of the Lonely Planet book. It provides an excellent mix of travel information and practical advice. Click below to purchase. You won’t regret buying it!