Discover the Top 15 Fascinating Fun Facts About Cotopaxi That Will Blow Your Mind!

1. Sulfur Selfie Fiesta

Hold onto your hats, mountain men (and women!), Cotopaxi is both a smoking-hot challenge and a smelly summit selfie fiesta: this Ecuadorian giant is the world's highest active volcano, where climbers don respirators to fend off sulfurous fumes while striking a pose at 19,347 feet. After a little volcanic grin and bear it from August 2015 to January 2016, Cotopaxi reopened in September 2017, and dauntless souls can once again tackle its slopes in pursuit of exhilarating adventure.
Source => alpenglowexpeditions.com

2. Whack-a-Mole on a Volcano

Ever wondered what it would be like to play whack-a-mole atop a massive volcano? Picture this: You're standing at the summit crater, armed with your mighty ice axe, ready to battle the icy obstacles awaiting you: Cotopaxi's famous crater stretches 800 meters wide and 250 meters deep, boasting a snow-covered flat interior encircled by ice cornices, and the ultimate prize – the highest point of the volcano – sits subtly on the northern outer rim, daring courageous climbers to conquer it.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

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=> Fun Facts about The-Andes-Mountains

3. Equatorial Ice Dance Floor

Eager to do the limbo on an icy dance floor near the equator? Well, Cotopaxi National Park has got you covered: this glorious destination is home to one of the few equatorial glaciers, providing a frosty paradise amidst the majestic snow-capped volcano landscape.
Source => national-parks.org

4. Playground for Brave Hearts

Scaling the heights of success like a boss, Cotopaxi was once the playground for brave hearts like Edward Whymper and the trailblazing Annie Peck - who showed up to conquer 1872's version of "Who runs the world?": Whymper triumphantly became the first person to summit Mount Cotopaxi, while our heroine Peck, in 1903, marked her territory as the first woman to plant her flag atop this beastly peak.
Source => ncpedia.org

5. Icy American Gladiators

Cotopaxi's weekends are much like an icy episode of American Gladiators, with crampon-clad climbers scaling up to its frosty summit: Up to 100 avid adventurers tackle the North side: Glacier/Snow Climb (Grade PD-) route every weekend, beginning their ascent around 12:30 am for a 6-hour climb. The goal? Reaching the summit by 7:30 am and making it back to Refugio José Félix Ribas before the snow melts and glacier crevasses reshape the landscape.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Cotopaxi's Greatest Hits & Godly Admirers

If Cotopaxi were a pop star, it would have a greatest hits album dedicated to its 87 explosive eruptions and an entourage of godly admirers: Cotopaxi, reaching an impressive 5,000 meters, not only boasts of being one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, but it also enthralls its audience with its rare equatorial glacier, and enjoys a sacred status among the local Andean people who worship it as a rain sender and divine residence.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Party Like It's 1599

Cotopaxi, the volcanic mountain that loves to party like it's 1599, really knows how to blow its top: Since August 2015, this feisty Ecuadorian firecracker has been actively erupting with seismic activity, ashfall, and lahars, all while standing tall at a staggering 5,897 meters (19,347 feet) above sea level!
Source => volcano.si.edu

8. Summit Shimmying Sensation

Although Cotopaxi might sound like the newest salsa dance craze sweeping the nation, it's actually a volcano that specializes in summit shimmying: Standing at 5,897 meters high, Cotopaxi in Ecuador offers a vertigo-inducing climb rewarded by panoramic views of the country's volcanic landscapes, with climbers advised to acclimatize at 4,800m before embarking on a midnight trek to the top.
Source => bbc.com

9. Feisty Grandma Volcano

Who would've thought Cotopaxi was just as feisty as a grandma after bingo night? Well, the sassy Ecuadorian volcano had its first eruption in 70 years, spewing ash like there's no tomorrow: The eruption sent steam-and-ash plumes as high as 1-2 kilometers, with ash fall affecting local communities and even reaching the Pacific Ocean, giving the livestock a truly "ash-tounding" experience.
Source => wired.com

10. Smokin' in the Magma Chamber

If Cotopaxi were a hit song, it would be "Smokin' in the Magma Chamber": Behind its fiery remix in 2015, seismic activity, deformation, ash plumes, and lahars grooved to a beat, giving scientists a chance to study the volcano's magma shimmy like never before.
Source => volcano.si.edu

11. Stuffed-to-the-Brim Glacier

Why did the glacier refuse to finish its dinner? Because it was already stuffed to the Cotopaxi brim! And believe it or not: Cotopaxi is home to an impressively vast equatorial glacier, sitting at a staggering 5,000 meters (16,400 ft) and feeding a whopping 10 rivers cascading down the volcano's slopes.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Frozen III: The Volcano Kingdom

Cotopaxi could easily be the ideal filming location for Disney's "Frozen III: The Volcano Kingdom," thanks to its icy enchantments and heartwarming lava: This marvelous Ecuadorian wonder is an active volcano adorned with breathtaking glaciers, including a circular one at its peak, and the picturesque streams originating from their magical melting.
Source => volcano.si.edu

13. Explosive Grandparent of Volcanoes

Cotopaxi may be the volcanic version of an explosive grandparent with a heart of gold: currently dormant, this temperamental force of nature hasn't had a significant eruption since the early 20th century, but maintains its status as an active volcano, occasionally causing ash explosions and pyroclastic flows.
Source => ecuadorhop.com

14. Tall, Steamy, Mysterious Wilderness Lover

If Cotopaxi was a contestant on a volcanic dating show, it would definitely be the tall, steamy, mysterious type with an affinity for the wilderness: This stunning peak is the second highest summit in Ecuador at 19,347 feet (5,897 meters) and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, surrounded by a national park that hosts Andean condors, deer, and pumas.
Source => britannica.com

15. Smoking Puffing Mountain Show

Cotopaxi: the mountain that just can't quit smoking and puffing away, treating onlookers to a whimsical display of ash, gas, and steam, like an overworked chimney sweep from a Charles Dickens novel: Despite its visual charm, Cotopaxi's frequent emissions can be detrimental to nearby areas and infrastructure, resulting in temporary closures of the Cotopaxi National Park and re-routing of flights to steer clear of the ash clouds.
Source => volcano.si.edu