Why Does Hiring A Professional Guide Make Climbing Pico De Orizaba Safer?
When planning to take on an adventure as large as climbing a mountain such as Pico de Orizaba, you should never let your budget hold you back from the experience of a lifetime. While not everyone can afford swanky hotels and first class airplane food, everyone can and should hire a professional mountain guide when attempting to scale Pico de Orizaba or any other extreme weather location. There are many ways to accommodate this expense, by cutting down on the accommodations, shopping, touring and airfare.
A professional mountain guide has valuable experience that you can benefit from, especially if they are local to the area. A professional guide travels up and down the mountain countless time, and each time adds to their cache of knowledge about the climb. You can have the peace of mind knowing that your trip up Pico de Orizaba will be safe and enjoyable, with an experienced handler guiding you on your way. As a novice climber, this peace of mind is even more important, especially if you've never climbed a glacier before.
Pico de Orizaba is a popular mountaineering destination, and so there will be a plethora of guides to choose from. Allow the experiences of others who have climbed the mountain before you to guide you in choosing a professional guide. Listen to who they are recommending. Always climb a mountain with at least one other climber. Even experienced climbers never climb alone, in case of an emergency on the mountain.
Maps and topographical images can never prepare you for stepping foot on the mountain itself. An experienced guide's knowledge and understanding of the terrain and weather specific to the mountain will be a huge benefit to you. The terrain of the mountain can change instantly depending on climate and weather conditions. Even if you are an expert climber, you will never be able to have the first hand knowledge that a professional, local guide will have of their particular mountain. Trusting their instincts, knowledge and climbing ability may very well save your life.
Hiring a professional mountain guide can also give you the benefit of their experience with the best climbing gear for their mountain. They can tell you what gear you will need for the trip and provide transportation, technical equipment, meals on the mountain, 4x4's for traveling from town to base camp and they can even arrange the transfer from the airport to the hotel and back.
Pico de Orizaba is an "alpine style" climb, which means you start out before dawn and carry your own gear. While we are all capable of packing our own gear, we are not all so easily roused before the sun comes up. A late start could be dangerous situations on a climb, and keeping to the itinerary is key. A professional guide can keep you on track, keeping safety in mind above comfort.
So you are seriously considering climbing Orizaba, the you should seriously consider hiring a professional guide. The cost is far outweighed by the many benefits you will reap from your guide's experience and skills. In the end your climb will not only be more convenient and safer, it will be far more enjoyable, as well.