Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: Jan 24 2005
My 1st big peak. Went pretty smooth. Got a hitch with some Mexican climbers up to the hut. Took a rest day, then summited in 6hrs and were down in 4. Took a nice direct line up the galcier as the conditions were perfect.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: Early January 2005
The route is streight forward in the daylight, just follow the ducks. We camped around 15,500 ft, there was almost no snow to melt. Senior Limon provided great service and prices.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier (normal route) Date Climbed: January 24, 2005
Spent one night in Tlachichucha, then drove to Piedra Grande hut arrive around 3:30pm. Spend the night at the hut, hiked to the glacier the next day (1/23), then back to hut. Spend half a night at hut. Summitted at about 10:30am on 1/24/05 via the standard route going up from the hut at Piedra Grande. Woke at 1:00am to cold temperatures and icy conditions, but skies were clear and the summit was visible. Started climbing at 2am. I began w/ mild AMS, but it got better (or at least not worse) as we ascended. Reached the glacier at 16,200' after about 3 hours. Climbed glacier to crater rim, then traversed the rim to the high point. Beautiful summit w/ clear skies and spectacular views. I felt pretty good on the summit. No headache and only mild nausea. Got lost on the way down so it took over 5 hours to descend.
Route Climbed: Ruta Directa (Jamapa Glacier) Date Climbed: November 23, 2000
It was a clear windless night. We left high camp on the tongue of the glacier at 4:30 and were on the summit at 9:45. We went directly up the glacier toward a notch that bisects crater rim leading to the summit.
Route Climbed: Jamapa glacier Date Climbed: Dec 14th 2004
Freakin cold, difficult finding the glacier with the headlamp I rented but very easy climb otherwise. First high altitude climb for me, first solo ascent of a descent mountain. Started at 2AM, 4:45 later on the summit 15 min before sunrise, unforgettable view. Only climber on the mountain that day except a party of two about 5 hours behind me
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: January 8, 2005
The route was difficult to find in the night, just look for the "ducks". Crevasses were very small so we didn't rope up. Excellent price and hospitality with Senor Limon.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: January 17, 2003
Climbed with Andre after being weathered out by high winds at 17K the previous year. Had our gear trucked to the hut but we got out at 10K and walked up to acclimatize. Spent the night in the hut and moved to high camp at the base of the glacier the next day. Some ice on the rte gaining the base of the glacier. Alpine start the next morning (the crux is always getting out of a warm sleeping bag to confront the cold reality). Climbed to the summit under clear but windy skies. Crater is stunning especially when compared to familiar Cascade volcanoes. A moment of silence in memory of Andre's uncle who always wanted to but never climbed Orizaba. Mexican people were warm, friendly and delightful
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: March 3, 2005
Started with Bill after sunrise from high camp at 15,600'. During the preceding days, the winds seemed worse just before sunrise, and then it would die down a bit during mid day. Since all of the other teams that week were unsuccessful starting early morning, we thought we would try it later in the morning hoping that the winds would be less severe, especially since we camped so high and didn't have far to go. (Ice/rock fall danger is minimal on the Jamapa Glacier.) Unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate. The wind was gusting 60-70 MPH up high, enough to blow you over. We struggled through it for several hours, but progress was too slow. We turned back at 5pm and made it back to camp just after sunset. We didn't make the summit, but I did break my personal altitude record and had a great overall experence.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: March 2004
There was more scrambling to get the glacier than I thought there would be, but it wasn't hard. Altitude wasn't an issue because we had done Nevado de Toluca and Iztaccihuatl. We got lodging and the ride from Gerardo of Hotel Gerar. We got a nice room with a TV and he charged us less for the ride than the others would have. Also, we were inside the car rather than in the back eating dust.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: February 8th, 2005.
Started climbing from Piedra Grande at 0200. It was bitter cold at the start of th ice field, -12 C. And God knows what it was with the wind-chill factor. We summited at 1000. Eight solid hours, with very few, and short, breaks.The Canales de Hielo (channels of ice), what is known to some climbers as the labyrinth, were dry. Well, dry enough not to allow the use of crampons, but with enough ice to make the climb very slippery. The ice at Jamapa's was very brittle, it broke like crystal. There were very few patches of good snow. At the crater's rim, there were some isolated patches of fossil ice, gray in color and with the consistency of concrete. Just as the rest of the ground, made out of white sand and small rocks, frozen together. The three of us descended roped and belaying each other. As a surprise to our guide, was the amount of water on the waterfall coming from the glacier, roaring down the rocky crag that parallels the trail leaving from Piedra Grande. Apparently the ice line is been receding at an alarmingly rate.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: January 24, 2005
climbed with the 6 others from summitpost - Arrived at the base hut around 3:00 PM on Jan 22nd, hiked up and setup campt at ~ 16,200 feet on Jan 23rd, and left high camp at 6:15PM on Jan 24th for summit bid. At 6:45PM arrived at glacier and at 9:13PM summitted the hill. I thought my 2:27 from base of glacier to summit was pretty respectable but gobriango2's 3:56 from hut to summit "New Jersey style" will likely forever go unmatched
Route Climbed: Normal Route (Jamapa) Date Climbed: Jan. 14
Embarked on a 3-day acclimitization trek to Piedre Grande from Tlachichuca. Spent 3 days there going on day hikes. Stashed our climbing gear (which we never used) at 16,000". Summit push took nine hours from Piedre Grande (stopped for a few hours to watch the sunrise!). Glacier conditions were great and there were no crevasses. All in all- very beautiful..... The trip consisted of myself and Marc Shwartz- on behalf of The University of Virginia Outdoors Club.
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier-Espinosa Route (somewhere in between) Date Climbed: Jan 10, 2005
Reached the crater rim, but decided not to continue to the summit. The reason was, that it seemed a bit exposed and would have probably warranted roping up, and at that point we wanted to save our energy for the descent. It was close enough for us.
Route Climbed: Ruta Directa - Espinoza Date Climbed: December 18, 2004
Conditions finally started cleared up after a few days of snow (knee level) and high winds. Should be good for the next week or two. Winds were subsiding and the route is getting a bit packed in again. Route finding should improve. No crevasses, glacier is still receeding.
Piedra Grande was not too crowded. Locals say tourism is down. High camp can be windy but saves a few hours up to the glacier.
edl - Sep 25, 2005 3:05 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: Nov. 97Great route. Easy glacier climb.
Peak_Bagger - Sep 9, 2005 5:06 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: Jan 24 2005My 1st big peak. Went pretty smooth. Got a hitch with some Mexican climbers up to the hut. Took a rest day, then summited in 6hrs and were down in 4. Took a nice direct line up the galcier as the conditions were perfect.
althegreek - Jul 12, 2005 7:43 pm
Route Climbed: jamapa Date Climbed: january 2004nice peak. straightforward. slog up the glacier. how did all the junk get on the summit?
MarieP - Jun 17, 2005 1:00 am
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: Early January 2005The route is streight forward in the daylight, just follow the ducks. We camped around 15,500 ft, there was almost no snow to melt. Senior Limon provided great service and prices.
mountainjunkie - Jun 13, 2005 7:02 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier (normal route) Date Climbed: January 24, 2005Spent one night in Tlachichucha, then drove to Piedra Grande hut arrive around 3:30pm. Spend the night at the hut, hiked to the glacier the next day (1/23), then back to hut. Spend half a night at hut. Summitted at about 10:30am on 1/24/05 via the standard route going up from the hut at Piedra Grande. Woke at 1:00am to cold temperatures and icy conditions, but skies were clear and the summit was visible. Started climbing at 2am. I began w/ mild AMS, but it got better (or at least not worse) as we ascended. Reached the glacier at 16,200' after about 3 hours. Climbed glacier to crater rim, then traversed the rim to the high point. Beautiful summit w/ clear skies and spectacular views. I felt pretty good on the summit. No headache and only mild nausea. Got lost on the way down so it took over 5 hours to descend.
km_donovan - Jun 9, 2005 7:03 am
Route Climbed: Ruta Directa (Jamapa Glacier) Date Climbed: November 23, 2000It was a clear windless night. We left high camp on the tongue of the glacier at 4:30 and were on the summit at 9:45. We went directly up the glacier toward a notch that bisects crater rim leading to the summit.
wingedfeet - May 20, 2005 3:23 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Date Climbed: 83Reached the top in New Year's day 83.
ClimberMan420 - Apr 26, 2005 10:41 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa glacier Date Climbed: Dec 14th 2004Freakin cold, difficult finding the glacier with the headlamp I rented but very easy climb otherwise. First high altitude climb for me, first solo ascent of a descent mountain. Started at 2AM, 4:45 later on the summit 15 min before sunrise, unforgettable view. Only climber on the mountain that day except a party of two about 5 hours behind me
madclimber - Apr 19, 2005 8:24 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: January 8, 2005The route was difficult to find in the night, just look for the "ducks". Crevasses were very small so we didn't rope up. Excellent price and hospitality with Senor Limon.
soslaw - Apr 18, 2005 2:48 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: January 17, 2003Climbed with Andre after being weathered out by high winds at 17K the previous year. Had our gear trucked to the hut but we got out at 10K and walked up to acclimatize. Spent the night in the hut and moved to high camp at the base of the glacier the next day. Some ice on the rte gaining the base of the glacier. Alpine start the next morning (the crux is always getting out of a warm sleeping bag to confront the cold reality). Climbed to the summit under clear but windy skies. Crater is stunning especially when compared to familiar Cascade volcanoes. A moment of silence in memory of Andre's uncle who always wanted to but never climbed Orizaba. Mexican people were warm, friendly and delightful
patascent - Apr 6, 2005 4:22 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Galcier Date Climbed: February 3, 2003Great day climb from Piedra Grande. Couldn't believe the pile of metal debris at the top.
Alpinist - Mar 26, 2005 11:15 am
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: March 3, 2005Started with Bill after sunrise from high camp at 15,600'. During the preceding days, the winds seemed worse just before sunrise, and then it would die down a bit during mid day. Since all of the other teams that week were unsuccessful starting early morning, we thought we would try it later in the morning hoping that the winds would be less severe, especially since we camped so high and didn't have far to go. (Ice/rock fall danger is minimal on the Jamapa Glacier.) Unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate. The wind was gusting 60-70 MPH up high, enough to blow you over. We struggled through it for several hours, but progress was too slow. We turned back at 5pm and made it back to camp just after sunset. We didn't make the summit, but I did break my personal altitude record and had a great overall experence.
GlennMerrill - Feb 27, 2005 8:16 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: March 2004There was more scrambling to get the glacier than I thought there would be, but it wasn't hard. Altitude wasn't an issue because we had done Nevado de Toluca and Iztaccihuatl. We got lodging and the ride from Gerardo of Hotel Gerar. We got a nice room with a TV and he charged us less for the ride than the others would have. Also, we were inside the car rather than in the back eating dust.
joseguzman58 - Feb 11, 2005 5:31 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: February 8th, 2005.Started climbing from Piedra Grande at 0200. It was bitter cold at the start of th ice field, -12 C. And God knows what it was with the wind-chill factor. We summited at 1000. Eight solid hours, with very few, and short, breaks.The Canales de Hielo (channels of ice), what is known to some climbers as the labyrinth, were dry. Well, dry enough not to allow the use of crampons, but with enough ice to make the climb very slippery. The ice at Jamapa's was very brittle, it broke like crystal. There were very few patches of good snow. At the crater's rim, there were some isolated patches of fossil ice, gray in color and with the consistency of concrete. Just as the rest of the ground, made out of white sand and small rocks, frozen together. The three of us descended roped and belaying each other. As a surprise to our guide, was the amount of water on the waterfall coming from the glacier, roaring down the rocky crag that parallels the trail leaving from Piedra Grande. Apparently the ice line is been receding at an alarmingly rate.
Al - Jan 28, 2005 10:38 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: 24 Jan 05A cracking day for the summit. Baltic cold on the glacier. Yep - I too was in the same group of 7 SP strangers. All good fun.
physics - Jan 27, 2005 3:44 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: January 24, 2005climbed with the 6 others from summitpost - Arrived at the base hut around 3:00 PM on Jan 22nd, hiked up and setup campt at ~ 16,200 feet on Jan 23rd, and left high camp at 6:15PM on Jan 24th for summit bid. At 6:45PM arrived at glacier and at 9:13PM summitted the hill. I thought my 2:27 from base of glacier to summit was pretty respectable but gobriango2's 3:56 from hut to summit "New Jersey style" will likely forever go unmatched
rickford - Jan 22, 2005 9:42 pm
Route Climbed: Normal Route (Jamapa) Date Climbed: Jan. 14Embarked on a 3-day acclimitization trek to Piedre Grande from Tlachichuca. Spent 3 days there going on day hikes. Stashed our climbing gear (which we never used) at 16,000". Summit push took nine hours from Piedre Grande (stopped for a few hours to watch the sunrise!). Glacier conditions were great and there were no crevasses. All in all- very beautiful..... The trip consisted of myself and Marc Shwartz- on behalf of The University of Virginia Outdoors Club.
AlexeyD - Jan 18, 2005 9:51 am
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier-Espinosa Route (somewhere in between) Date Climbed: Jan 10, 2005Reached the crater rim, but decided not to continue to the summit. The reason was, that it seemed a bit exposed and would have probably warranted roping up, and at that point we wanted to save our energy for the descent. It was close enough for us.
jweidman - Jan 10, 2005 3:50 pm
Route Climbed: Jamapa Glacier Date Climbed: 23 Nov 2002Finally made it after dealing with bad weather and altitude sickened friends on 3 previous attempts that week. Great views.
sdespins - Dec 21, 2004 4:42 pm
Route Climbed: Ruta Directa - Espinoza Date Climbed: December 18, 2004Conditions finally started cleared up after a few days of snow (knee level) and high winds. Should be good for the next week or two. Winds were subsiding and the route is getting a bit packed in again. Route finding should improve. No crevasses, glacier is still receeding.
Piedra Grande was not too crowded. Locals say tourism is down. High camp can be windy but saves a few hours up to the glacier.
See trip report for more details.