40 / Iliniza Sur (17,267’)

11/19/25: Ellen, Nati and I were keen for another high-altitude adventure. Iliniza Sur has been one of my favorite climbs to date given the unique blend of mixed climbing, ice climbing and stunning summit views of all of Ecuador’s main volcanos, As Rey put it: corto pero picante.

We set off after work on Tuesday afternoon and hiked up to the refugio with the sun setting over Corazon & Iliniza Norte. Less than a week removed from my return from Chicago, I wasn’t sure how my lungs would feel sleeping at 15,400 feet; turned out just fine (thanks in part to Don Gato’s lovely dinner).

We started our summit attempt at 3AM with comparatively warm temperatures. With perfect snow conditions, Dani and I simul-climbed the glacier, making quick (and fun) work of it. We all gained the final ridge by around 5:45AM, just in time to see the sun poking up over nearby Cotopaxi.

#40 was a big milestone - with 6 weeks to go, I’ve crossed the 100,000 feet of vertical gain mark and just a hair shy of $14,000 of my $20,000 fundraising goal for ROMP.

As I’ve learned throughout this year, climbs are always best spent with good folks - was lovely to spend a day out with a great group of humans.