| Carihuairazo | |
|---|---|
 Carihuayrazo left of bigger Chimborazo as seen from the north | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,018 m (16,463 ft) |
| Coordinates | 01°24′25″S78°45′00″W / 1.40694°S 78.75000°W /-1.40694; -78.75000 |
| Geography | |
  Carihuairazo | |
| Parent range | Andes,Cordillera Occidental |
| Topo map(s) | IGM, CT-ÑIV-C1[1] |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Paleogene (Gomez 1994) |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Last eruption | Unknown |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1951 A. Eichler, H.L. Uribe, J. Morawiecki |
| Easiest route | glacier/snow/rock climbAD |
MountCarihuairazo (alsoCarihuayrazo) is an erodedstratovolcano neighboured byEcuador's highest mountainChimborazo.
Carihuairazo is located in theCordillera Occidental of theAndes of central Ecuador, 150 km (93 mi) south-southwest of the capitalQuito. Its neighboured by 6,263 m highChimborazo. The nearest cities areRiobamba (~30 km to the southeast),Ambato (~30 km to the northeast) andGuaranda (~30 km to the southwest). Carihuairazo's 1.5 km wide heavy eroded caldera opens to the east.
The Carihuairazo forms part of the"Reserva de Produccion Faunistica Chimborazo" which forms a protected ecosystem to preserve the habitat for the andens nativecamelidsVicuña,Llama andAlpaca.
Carihuairazo's Glacier lost almost all of its mass during the last decade as a result ofglobal warming and ash covers caused by the recent volcanic activity[1] of its eastern neighbourTungurahua. At current rate Carihuairazo's Glacier is expected to completely disappear between 2020 and 2030.[2]
Carihuairazo must have been a Volcano of similar dimensions to its neighbour Chimborazo before explosions during the last period of activity destroyed the mass of the peak, leaving today's caldera. There is no evidence of historic activity and Carihuayrazo is considered inactive.
An interpretation of its name is that it's a combination of theQuichua wordsCari (man),huay (wind) andrazu (Ice/Snow) (Schmudlach 2001). Local Indian mythology narrates that Carihuairazo andEl Altar which are both volcanic calderas have been destroyed byTaita (Father) Chimborazo fighting for the grace ofMama Tungurahua.
Carihuairazo was climbed byEdward Whymper, the cousins Louis andJean-Antoine Carrel, and Ecuadorians David Beltran and Francisco Campaña, during their 1880 Ecuador expedition. It is not entirely clear from Whymper's description, but some people believe that they climbed theMocha (4,960m) and not theMaxim summit (5,018m). The first ascent of theMaxim summit is therefore attributed to Arturo Eichler,[3] Horacio Lopez Uribe and Jean Morawiecki[4] in 1951.[5] Whymper and his companions ascended in cloudy conditions, believing the east peak (Mocha) to be the higher one. When the clouds cleared on their descent, Whymper said they could see they had climbed the west peak. It is likely that he meant the central summit, which is just west of Mocha.[6]
Due to theglacier retreat and its consequences climbing Carihuairazo has shifted from aPD glacier route with some rock scrambling to anAD route with a technical climb to the summit tower (Maxima, 5,018m).
The normal route to Carihuairazo Maxima (5,018m) starts from a camping spot at ~4,600m, reaching the main ridge either via the SW-ridge or from West via the glacier, followed by a difficult technical climb to reach the summit tower.
![[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fweb.archive.org%2fweb%2f20080627110716%2fhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.igm.gov.ec%2fcms%2ffiles%2fcartabase%2fenie%2fimagenes%2fENIEIV_C1_ALTA.jpg){kind=link}
