San Jose volcano guided ascent

We loved Gaston - he was very nice - BUT - one of the team members was not prepared - at all - for this type of climb which significantly hampered the performance of the other team members. I would STRONGLY encourage a stronger process of weeding out those who have no business signing up for such a climb - I will admit, my entire experience was 'ruined' because of the weak climber - we had to take long, long, long breaks in order for her to catch up making the rest of us extremely cold - it was so unfortunate - additionally, I would suggest a higher hiker to guide ratio - since we were required to carry our own gear to the high camp - and one of the members was not strong enough to pull their own weight - this added additional burden to the other climbers! I am so frustrated that due to the lack of training, responsibility, and knowledge of one climber it ruined the entire experience for the rest of us!

We had an incredible time on our trip! Gaston was amazing, and we were very fortunate to have him as our guide. He has spent a lifetime hiking in Chile, and it reflected in his planning and preparation for the trip. With his help we were able to push to the top, and make awesome memories along the way!

Gaston Oyarzun is obviously an excellent climber/mountaineer, but he lacks a great deal of organization/logistics. This applies to all aspects of the expedition, from food to itinerary.

It has been difficult for me as the one group member who did not speak Spanish fluently to be and feel included, as most group conversations happened - understandably - in Spanish. Very fortunately, two fellow climbers spoke English very well, which was very important to exchange information and have good conversations in general. I recommend to non-Spanish speaking climbers to either join a trip like that with a friend or learn to speak Spanish very well. I can get through while traveling in South America with my rudimentary Spanish, but it is insufficient for me to follow or participate in Spanish spoken conversations.

Gastón is incredible and so professional! He met with us before the trip to make sure we were prepared and to go over all the details which was extremely helpful. Dinners with his great cooking and good conversation were one of my favorite things. When we hiked, he set the perfect steady pace for acclimating to the altitude and not getting too tired. This trip wouldn't have been the same without Gastón. I wouldn't go with anyone else!