Iztaccíhuatl Arista del Sol

Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park · Mexico

Moderate2 daysNorth America~£550 est.

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Overview

The Aztecs saw a sleeping woman in Iztaccíhuatl's skyline — you climb along her body, from the Knees to the Breast, on the Arista del Sol, the 'ridge of the sun'. At 5,230 m she is Mexico's third-highest mountain and the country's finest weekend mountaineering objective, with the smoking cone of Popocatépetl filling the southern view the entire way. From the La Joya trailhead at 3,950 m you climb to the Grupo de los Cien refuge or a high camp near 4,700 m, then follow the undulating summit ridge over false tops and the remnants of the Ayoloco glacier to the highest snowfield. Nothing is technical in good conditions, but the ridge gives and takes back altitude cruelly, and the final hour is a genuine slog. Go between November and March, based out of Amecameca an hour from Mexico City. Guided two-day climbs cost around £550 including park fees and 4x4 transfers. The catch is acclimatisation: people fly into Mexico City on Friday and feel 5,000 m on Sunday. Build in a night at altitude, carry water for the whole route — there is none — and start pre-dawn for frozen scree.