Page 19 - 1996 AMA Spring

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A R M Y M O U N T A I N E E R ------------------------------------
Escapade
The mountain is said to be similar to that of Cotopaxi not a diffi­ cult technical climb but because of its altitude makes it a hard mountain. Midnight we set off heading for the summit, Chimborazo is less interesting as a climb but holds a certain attrac­ tion by being Ecuador’s highest peak.
After several hours of negotiating one steep slope after another, the process became something of a slog and I began to wonder if the summit will ever appear, we plodded onto what looked like the summit but as we approached it became obvious that the highest point was still in the far distance. In spite of the harsh physical demands the body had been under for what seemed like an eterni­ ty, the final summit came into view and our pace speeded up with excitement, well worth the effort, 8 hours walking saw us on the top. After the summit, we descended to the refuge hut, and a brief rest before heading back for Quito. It was once claimed by Charles Marie de la Condamine a French Scientific Explorer, to be the highest peak in the world. He was proved wrong by a English mountaineer Edward Whymper who became the first man to con­ quer Mt Chimborazo in December 1879. To get to Quito we head­ ed west from Whymper hut round the mountain’s lower slope to the road, to catch a bus to Quito.
We had achieved our aim and had also scaled three “bonus”peaks. It was a time for a break. So we booked a four day jungle trip to Cuyabeno Nature Park north near the Columbian border where we spent two days canoeing down the river to a lagoon, a day swim­ ming with fresh water dolphins and walking through the jungle and then the last day in a motor boat back up river.
Twenty three days after arriving in Ecuador our expedition was over Saturday 1st July we flew back to England. The expedition was a great success We are now planning an expedition to finish off South America, by climbing Mt Aconcagua ( 22,000ft ) in Argentina. We would appreciate any information that anyone has on climbing this mountain.
Cyprus is not the first destination one would think of for a climbing trip and in my eighteen months here I have con­ cluded that there are far more appealing destinations to head to in search of warm rock. That said, many readers will at some stage visit the island either on posting, with the UN, as exercising troops or even on holiday. For those people it is worth packing boots and a harness.
Several areas exist which are worth a visit. In the East these are Cape Greco and, to a lesser extent, Pyla Cliffs. Both have routes at a variety of grades, though rarely above one-pitch. In the West there are some possibilities in Happy Valley (situated in Episkopi) and on the back of Aphrodite’s Rock. The best climbing though lies in the extreme west on Drouseia Hieghts. Here some very sound rock can be found with a wealth of climbs of all grades. It is possible to wild-camp in the area and there is an excellent shaded camp-site in Polis, some twenty minutes to the north.
Recently the climbing scene has been markedly improved by two climbers from the UN. Sergeant Paddy Ryan and Bombardier Dick
Underwood used their six months here to climb and, more impor­ tantly, catalogue everything. They have produced a new guide to Cape Greco and will shortly publish a guide to Drouseia. These are a marked improvement on previous guides, being well graded and summarised and featuring Paddy’s excellent topos. A journalist from ‘On the Edge’ magazine commented to me that they were of superior quality to MOST found in UK guides!
The other positive aspect to Cypriot climbing is the weather . Cyprus enjoys 300 days sunshine per annum and it is extremely rare for the temperature to reach freezing at the crags.In addition all the climbing areas enjoy stunning locations and the guarantee of never having to queue for routes. Whilst the climbing is certainly no match to that closer to home, I would argue that those already- planning a visit would easily find enough to keep their hand in. Those seeking further information or copies of the guide should write to Major Crawford on the following address:
Commandant, CJSATC,BFPO 58 (Fax 4185).
inCyprus
17