Dec 17-31, 2010
High Altitude Expedition climbers: Tim Turay, Kat Lange, Stuart Lowden, Tamsin Ainscow, Ahmad Baasiri, John Davis, and Ruth Hartmann.
Illiniza / Antisana Expedition climbers: Ty Speer and Natalie Garner.
Lead Guides: Pepe Landazuri and Henry Moya
December 29, 2010. Pepe called today at 8:00 AM Ecuador and US Eastern time.
“This is Pepe calling from Chimborazo. I’m calling again from 5,000 meters, and it’s still early morning here. We tried last night and into the early morning hours today to summit Chimborazo.
We had six rope teams, and two of them got to a little over 6,100 meters, just two hundred meters below the summit, but the winds were extremely high and there was wind loading of snow in some areas up high, and those areas didn’t have the stability that we were looking for. The two teams that reached the high point were Ruth with Ramero, and Ty and Natalie with Henry. 
Everyone is back at the refuge just now, and we’re going to have a break for about an hour. Time for a little rest, food, and a lot to drink! After that, we’re going to leave the mountain and head down to the town of Banos for the hot springs there. Banos is on one of the routes to the Amazon, and it’s low enough to have a tropical feel with lots of flowers and colorful birds, so that will be a nice contrast to the mountains where we have been spending our time. And the hot springs are calling us!
Even though no one summited Chimborazo, everyone’s happy and satisfied that we made a good effort. All these guys really did a great job on the climb. I’m very proud of each of these rope teams for their focus and all their hard work. The really made an excellent attempt in very cold conditions. I’ll call again tomorrow and let you know how our rest and relaxation is going. We are committed to doing a great job with that too! OK, so long for today!”
[Banos]
