Sleeping Woman Preparation Climb

On Friday, December 17th 2010, at 10:30pm, my cousin Roberto & I began our summit attack on Iztaccihuatal (Izta). We knew the hike would be long, we estimated an 11 hour trek to the summit. However things are never quite how you plan them out.

Halfway up the mountain Roberto really started to breakdown. His pace was very slow and from a distance I could see he was really struggling. I know Roberto pretty well, we have climbed together on numerous occasions and I know when at his best he is a fit and fast climber. This time around however, the mountain got the best of him.

At around 4800m we reached the Shelter and Robert passed out. He slept for about 4.5 hours. I managed to get a couple of hours of shuteye but after a while I started getting very impatient and cold. So I had a little team meeting with Robert and told him I was going to climb a little higher, I was pretty determined to get over 5000m. Man I tore it up! I climbed  like monster, fast and decisive, no breaks, no looking back. I got up to where I wanted, took a few shots and get the down ASAP. I went back to the shelter, got my partner who was feeling better and we began the long voyage home.

Although the expedition was not a success I must say it was beautiful. During the night we climbed with only the moonlight to guide us, no headlamps were necessary, Shooting stars & clear skies, the conditions were perfect. We witnessed one of the most gorgeous sunrises ever, tints of orange, red & purple lit the Eastern sky, adorned by three of Mexico´s most impressive peaks (Malinche, Perote and Orizaba). It was a sight to remember.

We did not reach the summit but we were on the mountain for about 15 hours, got over 5000m and to be honest, I felt great! My mind can only think of Aconcagua, of triumph and victory. Three weeks now to game day, Time has a life of it´s own, tic-toc, tic-toc.

On a different note, we will receive the Klymit gear on Monday, once I have it I will check it out and post some remarks about it, I am so excited!!

Our last Big climb before Aconcagua will take place January 8^th 2011, we will be testing our new gear and attempting to climb the summit of Mexico for the 3^rd time.

 Stay tuned….

Expedition Memeber Profiles

Team Leader: Javier Leyva

Nationality: Mexican

Age: 45

Professional Mountain Guide, co-owner of one of Mexico's most prestigious adventure tourism companies. They service customers from all over the world looking for outdoor/extreme activities in Mexico and South America. (www.guiasdemexicoaventura.com)

Owner of one of Mexico City's most popular climbing gyms (Roca X-Trema).  Javier Leyva has initiated many mountaineers and rock climbers,  some have achieved celebrity status, it is because of this that he is known as the "Sensei".

 His adventure curriculum is extensive, most impressively are his successful climbs in the Andes (Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina), North America and the Himalayas (two climbs over  26,000 ft), just to name a few.

Mauricio  Lopez

Nationality: Canadian/Mexican

Age: 30

Co-owner of an export/import company with years of experience selling and tending to the largest retailers in Mexico.

Majored in International Relations with a specialty in International Business and Marketing.

Adventure Curriculum includes,  peaks of over 4,000 meters (14,000 ft. ) in Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica  and Guatemala.

Has climbed Mount Rainier ( Washington State) & Mount Elbert (tallest mountain in Colorado).Multiple ascents over 5,000 m (16,00 ft.) in Mexico (Pico de Orizaba & Iztaccihuatl), Peruvian Andes (Pisco, Yanapacha & Vallunaraju), Ecuador (Cotopaxi) & Kilimanjaro in Tanzania ( summit of Africa).

Mitchell T. Horn:

Nationality: USA
           
Age: 30

Masters in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

He is currently working as a Financial Executive for Unilever.

His adventure curriculum includes climbs over 5000 m. (16,000 ft.) in Mexico (Pico de Orizaba & Iztaccihuatl) & Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

Has trekked the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern USA.

The Two Amigos...

The Two Amigos…

 It all started in a bar in Mexico City, a "chilango" and a "gringo" sharing shots of Jaggermeister and speaking of success, of greatness!  These two were friends from the past that destiny had put together, a rolling of the dice, if I may. They had studied together for a semester in The Netherlands back in 2001. During those six months they shared many adventures, tales of trains, bandits and international conspiracies. Eventually each parted on their own way.

Nine years later they are reunited in this most Mexican of cantinas. Mitch was sent to work for his company on a Big Project, me, well, this is the city that I call home.

By 2009, I had already established myself as a part time adventurer. Climbing the snow capped volcanoes of Central Mexico, the lonely summit of Central America, the awesome Mount Rainer in Washington State, the colossal peaks of the Peruvian Andes. I was in a sense, past the point of no return.

Mitch was just off the plane from New England, he was new in Mexico City and was eager to live life to the max. And so, it was in that bar which´s name I do not remember that we sealed a pact; to climb Kilimanjaro, the summit of Africa.

We prepared by climbing the physically torturing volcanoes of the valley of Mexico, the Ajusco, the Sleeping Woman (Iztaccihuatal) and Star Mountain (Citlatepetl). After six months of training we were off to Africa for the trip of a lifetime.

We arrived to Tanzania as tourists, we left as champions. We rocked that mountain! On it´s summit we established out next challenge… Aconcagua….

Since July we have been preparing, going to the gym, climbing, going to the gym, climbing. Apart from that we have been on the extraordinary task of sourcing the right gear and clothing for such an extreme environment. It was then that our paths crossed with the folks from KLYMIT. We checked out their webpage and were amazed by their cutting edge and very promising new technology.  Little did we know that they would become our partners, they believed in us and we believed in them…

They have sponsored us with the newest and most advance technical gear in the market. It is our mission to put this gear to the test. Through this expedition we intended to prove two things:  1) that the human spirit can overcome even the most powerful of adversaries and 2) that Klymit gear will allow the athlete to perform at its utmost best level of performance, even in the most hostile and lonely of places

The adventure begins today…

The Journey to the Top...

The Journey to the Top…

I first met Javier Leyva, aka “The Sensei” back in 2007. He was the one who introduced me in the world of mountaineering.  There are two distinct volcanoes which are an essential part of Mexico City’s scenery, the Sleeping Woman and her eternal guardian “Popocatepetl”. I had driven past these glacier topped volcanoes on numerous occasions, every time I passed them I was mesmerized by their beauty and the eternal grace. One afternoon, out of nowhere I decided I was going to climb the Sleeping Woman.

I went online to try and find out exactly how I was going to do this. It was then that I came across “Guias de Aventura Mexico”, a top of the line adventure company that provides guides and equipment so that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.  It was then that I made first contact with “The Sensei”, owner of the company.  I gathered a few friends, established a date with Sensei and everything was sent in motion.

The expedition was a fiasco, one of our members got AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), we had to evacuate him off the mountain, another member went AWAL and well to make a long story short, we had to turn around only a few hundred feet from the summit. This experience, while not a complete success, initiated me in the world of man vs. mountain.

After that experience, my cousin Roberto and I teamed up to tackle Pico de Orizaba, the summit of Mexico. At 5700 meters above sea level, this peak was my first real triumph. For 3 months I trained with Roberto, going to the Gym, running laps around the track and ascending the lower but very respectable peaks of Malinche & Nevado de Tolcua. Finally game day came.

We teamed up with Sensei once again. Halfway on our ascent Roberto got hit hard with AMS, vomiting constantly and falling to his knees, he was forced to turn back. Sensei and I looked each other in the eyes and decided to go for it. It was a long and cold night. After 8 hours of treacherous climbing we reached the summit. The wind howled like a raging wolf, we were on the summit for no more than a few minutes, unable to stand because of the intense wind currents threatened to blow us off the mountain. Success!! We had put two men on the tallest volcano of North America.

After that experience my cousin and I decided to take things to the next level. We had a meeting with Sensei and explained to him our desires and dreams. After a couple of hours we had established our next goal, The Peruvian Andes.

For eight months Sensei trained us in his rock climbing gym. We learned how to use ropes, how to tie knots, how to rappel, belay, survival 101 & basic first aid. We were astonished by Sensei´s stories, he told us about his ascents in the Andes, of the high plateaus in Bolivia, the unforgiving “Cordillera Blanca” in  Peru, the towering volcanoes of Chile, the giants of Argentina and of course he told us his adventures in the Himalayas, his conquest of two peaks above 8000 meters. He also taught us the history of mountaineering, the pioneers of old, the French Expedition of Annapurna, the Brits and their obsession of Everest, his stories reminisced of the great adventurers; of Mallory, Hillary, Herzog, Messner, Carsolio, The Polish, The Italians, The Chinese, The Americans, The Mexicans. And then the time came, for us to conquer South America.

In a period of two weeks we climbed three peaks over 5000 meters. We ice climbed the great pitches of Yanapacha, negotiated our way through the immense crevasses of Pisco and the edged our way along the ridges Vallunaraju. In the end, 100% success rate, we had become the real deal, at last we were high altitude climbers.