Rick Rubio will speak about climbing Ecuador’s volcanoes at the April 23 Mountaineers meeting. Rubio, along with five friends, climbed five of Ecuador’s volcanoes in December 2023, culminating with a climb of 6,263-meter (20,548 foot) Chimborazo. Chimborazo, 39th highest summit in the Andes, is farthest point on Earth's surface from the Earth's center, due to its location along the planet's equatorial bulge. It was the first mountain over 20,000 feet climbed by Europeans. The 1880 summit expedition was led by Edward Whymper, who was also the first to climb the Matterhorn.

Between climbs Rubio and friends explored Quito and the surrounding towns, trying the local cuisine, markets and colorful local attractions. The presentation will showcase the stunning Ecuadorian volcanoes, the surrounding natural beauty and also discuss logistics, equipment and preparation required for you to plan your own ascent of these magnificent 6000-meter peaks.

Rick hails from Southern California and recently moved to Los Alamos. He has been an avid skier, hiker, and mountaineer for over 40 years. He has been alpine and backcountry skiing all over the Eastern Sierra, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Japan, and the Alps. In addition to the Los Alamos Mountaineers, he is also an active member of the Southern California Mountaineering Association, where he is on the Safety Committee in charge of testing new members. He is AIARE 2 certified in avalanche education.

We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting, on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be streamed at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration is at https://peecla.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/peecla/event.jsp?event=53243&.

Rick Rubio and his party on the glaciated summit of Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador.