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Looking for some guide suggestions for Pico de Orizaba. English and/or Spanish options are ok. Ideally a 2-3 day program in and out of Mexico City. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and contacts!

In case you didn't see this recent TR:

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=22919

Hi

I just did Orizaba last month. Conditions were great. We used Mountaineering Logistics for transportation and food. He didn’t guide us, but he can guide you if you want. He has hundreds ascents of the mountain and lives in the town right below Pico. He was fantastic for us… on time, flexible, good food, speaks English. Can’t recommend him enough. As a matter a fact I sent a friend to him for guiding and it went great for her as well. Feel free to say I recommended you to him. Have fun. Richard

I think the best way to get in touch is txt him on What’s App number below.

Mountaineering Logistics
Ulysses (Owner)
+52 245 116 1880
mountaineering.logistics@gmail.com

I used Nomada when I climbed Orizaba and some other Mexican volcanoes in 2017. Good experience with them.
https://nomadamexico.org/

Good luck with your climb!

I've used Orizaba Mountain Guides and Nomada. Both offer similar itineraries at comparable prices. I had a great experience with both as a solo traveler who speaks very rusty Spanish. Nomada did seem to have a quicker response time to questions which made planning much easier. My guide with OMG was Juan and my guide with Nomada was Pedro. They are both excellent guides and great people so I would ask for them if you go with either company. If you have the time, I'd highly recommend doing Izta first. It has some of the most unique views of any mountain I have ever climbed and the acclimatization benefit will greatly increase your summit chances on Orizaba.

Also another vote for OMG. Covered all details including transportation to and from the 4x4 trailhead.

nyker wrote: ↑Wed Jan 01, 2025 10:48 pm Also another vote for OMG. Covered all details including transportation to and from the 4x4 trailhead.

Yep, they were awesome.

For those of you who have attempted it, can you say if the ice/snow conditions stay more or less the same during the dry season (Nov-Mar)? Thank you!

skyrme17 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2025 1:36 pm For those of you who have attempted it, can you say if the ice/snow conditions stay more or less the same during the dry season (Nov-Mar)? Thank you!

I did it in February 2008. Ice in the labyrinth. Good snow to the summit. I haven't done it in any other months, so I have nothing to compare it to (re: outside of the dry season). But the snow was pretty soft coming down, which was kind of a PITA. Trip report: https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/tripreport.php?trip=4107

skyrme17 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 14, 2025 1:36 pm For those of you who have attempted it, can you say if the ice/snow conditions stay more or less the same during the dry season (Nov-Mar)? Thank you!

No. November typically has the best snow conditions and it gets icier with each subsequent month. While climbing throughout the season is possible, November and December generally have a lot better conditions than February and March.

Yea, when planning with folks there, they had recommended I come in October or November in the future for more reliable weather and better glacier conditions on top (though I wasn't able to travel during those months back then).

Did it in late march. Labyrinth was icy, the glacier was fairly icy but very brittle. And so footing wasn't that bad, because it basically shattered around your feet.

We did it unguided, but with ride/hostel stay from the Conchalas. IMO, if you've done a bunch of 14ers or 13ers, its very doable unguided. Its not like theres a lot of routefinding.