We are so excited to be offering an adventure to summit 2 of Mexico’s 5 tallest peaks–Nevado de Toluca and Iztaccihuatl (Ixta). Neither of these peaks are particularly technical, but their elevations (15,387ft and 17,103ft) represent a very significant challenge that should not be underestimated.
The elevation of these mountains presents such a challenge that we are encouraging every team member that lives at sea level to consider adding two additional days to their trip at elevation to better acclimatize themselves for these mountains. Though this is not required, we believe that it will certainly aid in your success.
This can be accomplished in one of two ways: 1) Team members can travel to Colorado on or before Saturday, March 23rd and spend two nights (at their own expense) at moderate elevation in Colorado, and then travel down with our Colorado based team members on Monday, March 25th. Or, 2) Team members can choose to travel to Mexico City on Saturday, March 23rd (this will add an additional $350 to the trip cost…we will handle logistics) to begin the acclimatization process. Those traveling to Mexico City on the 23rd will also attempt to summit La Malinche (14,636ft) as a second acclimatization climb.
We are still nailing down some of the trip logistics, but we expect to spend four nights in hotels/airbnbs and one night in a hut/tent. Discipletrek will provide the tents if we end up using them, but you will need a sleeping bag and sleeping pad for this adventure. As well, summiting Ixta requires some specialized gear (crampons, ice axe, & helmet), all of which can be rented for very reasonable price (<$50 total) for anyone that either does not have these gear items or does not want to travel with them.
Dates: March 25-30, 2024
The trip includes flights to and from Mexico City departing from either Denver, Dallas, or Houston. We can accommodate different departure airports for an additional fee. We will do our best to work with team members to accommodate their travel needs.
Cost: $1,450 per person
- A non-refundable $725 deposit is required at the time of registration to secure your spot on the team. This is more than our usual deposit, but we do not have a lot of lead time for this trip and we will be purchasing plane tickets upon registration. Please read our Trip Cancellation and Refund policy before registering for your adventure.
- $1,450 is due before March 1st, 2024.
- *If you are traveling down to Mexico on March 23rd to begin acclimatization, your total trip cost is $1,800.
What is included:
- All meals and lodging (4 nights hotel/airbnb & 1 night in hut/tents on Ixta) while in Mexico
- Flights to Mexico City from Denver/Dallas/Houston
- All ground transportation in Mexico
- All trekking fees and climbing permits
- Local guide service on Ixta climb
What is NOT included:
- Team members are responsible for their own trekking gear (backpack, clothes, hiking shoes/boots, trekking poles, head lamp, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc.) We will provide an extensive and detailed packing/gear list for all of our participants.
- Team members are responsible for their own additional snacks.
- Climbing insurance (recommended, but not required ~$150); we will help you arrange this.
- Crampon/helmet/ice axe rental (~$50)
Trek Difficulty: Very Difficult
This adventure includes one moderately challenging day (Nevado de Toluca) and one extremely challenging day (Ixta) on trail. Summiting Nevado requires the approximate effort of climbing a reasonable Colorado 14er like Mount Yale or Humbolt Peak. Summiting Ixta is a much more difficult undertaking. It is more akin to summit day on Kilimanjaro than really anything in the USA. Like Kilimanjaro, Ixta is not a technical climb, but it is very high elevation and the nature of the climb keeps you at high elevation for several hours along the summit ridge.
We recommend all of our team members devote themselves to a season of training before attempting this adventure. The more cardio fitness you can obtain before your adventure, the more you will enjoy each of the climbs.
Itinerary:
***Optional Pre-Acclimatization Days (Mar 23/24)***
Team members choosing to pre-acclimatize in Mexico City and traveling down on March 23rd will travel from the Mexico City airport to the city of Pueblo and check in to the team hotel. The team will attempt to climb La Malinche (14,636ft) on March 24th. After the climb, they will return to the team hotel in Pueblo to spend a second night before traveling back to Mexico City on the 25th to pick up the rest of the team from the airport.
Day 1 (March 25th)
Team members will fly to Mexico City and get settled into our hotel/airbnb. We will enjoy a nice dinner out and enjoy a relaxing evening.
Day 2 (March 26th)
This is our designated rest day. We will have a relaxing morning before transferring midday to the city of Toluca where we will check in to our hotel and ready ourselves to tackle our first peak, Nevado de Toluca on Day 3.
Day 3 (Mar 27th)
We will get up early and make our way to the Nevado de Toluca trailhead. This is the 5th tallest mountain in Mexico and due to it’s proximity to Mexico City, it is one of the most popular climbs in the country. Nevado is a very steep climb with a class 3 scramble near the summit. We expect it to be a significant challenge, but the views are stunning. After we finish our climb of Nevado, we will return to Mexico City for dinner and a relaxing night in our hotel.
Day 4 (Mar 28th)
We will have another restful morning before being picked up by our Ixta guide and transferred to the trailhead for Ixta. We will either spend this night in a hut or a tent at the trailhead (we are still working this out), but expect a reasonably easy day in preparation for our Ixta climb on day 5.
Day 5 (Mar 29th)
We will wake up very early to begin our climb in the dark (~4:00AM). The beginning of the climb is pretty manageable, but it will get much more difficult as we reach the Grupo de los Cien hut at around 15,000ft. After the hut, the climb up the scree slope is very difficult until we reach the ridgeline around 16,000ft. Though we will have gained most of the elevation, we still have quite a long traverse along the ridgeline to the true summit, including a trip across a small glacier and several false summits. We will utilize our crampons and ice axe to cross the glacier. One of the reasons that Ixta is so difficult is because it requires a very lengthy traverse at very high elevation. Once we reach the true summit, we will retrace our steps back down the mountain and make our way back to Mexico City for a celebratory dinner near our team hotel.
Day 6 (Mar 30th)
The team will depart Mexico City and return to the States.