The Illinizas

The Ilinizas massif is located in the Pichincha Province, Western Cordillera, at the western end of the Tiopullo node. it's formed by two inclined peaks that rise above 5000 meters. Etymologically, the south peak should be called Iliniza and the north one Tioniza; words originated from the Atacameño and which respectively mean “male hill” and “female hill”. Currently we called them referring to their cardinal position: Iliniza Sur and Iliniza Norte. Both mountains are separated by a depression called La Ensillada, which refers to a saddle. The Nuevos Horizontes Refuge is located at this place, second in antiquity in Ecuador, named in honor of the Mountain Club "Nuevos Horizontes". This refuge was opened in 1965 at the foot of the South Iliniza rock walls (and ice). The south peak with its 5266 meters has historically had glaciers on all its flanks; but due to global warming it has lost many of them, and those remaining have been constantly reducing its size. Recent years technical analyzes indicate that the current rate of global warming will dry it up completely in the coming decades. The north peak with its 5139 meters is composed mainly of sand and rocks, despite having an elevation just below its companion, it has not had glaciers for more than a century.