Legendary Guatemalan mountaineer climbs 14 volcanoes in 14 days for fastest ever ascent

Jaime Viñals is a mountain-master.

The 63-year-old Guatemalan climber has been steadily scaling some of the greatest peaks on our planet since 1987, as part of his incredible travels around the world. 

In 2001 he became the first person from Latin America to climb Mt. Everest, and the first person ever to take the North Col route. With this amazing trip, he also completed the challenge of the 7 World Summits, where he did his first travel around the globe to conquer the highest peaks on each continent.

And his impressive climbing history continued as he summited the highest points across the Andes, Alps, and Himalayas, as well as the highest points on the seven largest islands in the world and across Central America and the Caribbean. 

As of January 2023, he’s travelled around the world three times, becoming the first person to complete the “World Trilogy”, after climbing the highest seven summits, islands, and volcanoes on the planet.

Basically, if you can think of the mountain, Jaime has climbed it.

Yet despite all his accomplishments, the lifelong Guinness World Records fan always wanted a place in the record books – and he wanted to do so while representing his home country of Guatemala.

So he organized his fastest, and perhaps most rewarding, climb to date – the fastest ascent of all Guatemalan volcanoes.

The trip would take Jaime across the 14 highest volcanoes in Guatemala, two of which have constant activity, as well as numerous smaller mountains in the region. 

Each of the highest volcanoes are over 3,000 m (9,842 ft), and would require Jaime and his team to crawl up narrow pathways, over and under rock formations, and through miles of vegetation. 

Nevertheless, Jaime was convinced he could traverse his way up and down all 14 volcanoes in 14 days, so he started his preparations.

And on 24 March, he set out at 3:30 a.m. with his crew to climb his first volcano – Tacaná Volcano, the second-highest peak in Central America, located just between Mexico and Guatemala. 

After conquering his first volcano, the team headed southeast to take on their next challenge – Tajumulco Volcano, which was steep and had almost no stops to rest. They then went on to the Seven Ears Volcano (Volcán Siete Orejas), with its seven hilly peaks. 

Volcano #4 was called Santa Maria, which provided Jaime an incredible view at the summit of nearby volcano Santiaguito in full activity.

Jaime’s next few volcanoes – Cerro Quemado and Pecul – were more difficult, with varied terrain and constantly changing weather conditions.

But they both provided stunning views:

After summiting Pecul, the team travelled to the Horqueta, a point that connects both volcanoes, and began the ascent to the Zunil volcano. From the outset, they faced challenging terrain, with steep slopes of dry and loose soil that required constant effort and proper technique to avoid slips. But they eventually overcame the struggles, and Jaime said “the feeling of achievement and satisfaction was indescribable.”

They next took on the Cuxliquel Volcano, the San Pedro Volcano, and the Atitlán Volcano, which were easier but still difficult, as the team took care not to slip on any of the loose rocks scattered across the paths.

From this point, Jaime prepared for his final four summits by camping out overnight at 2,300 m above sea level to get a proper night’s rest before climbing Tolimán Volcano. They left their camp at 3:00 a.m. to climb the forested and sandy volcano, which was very steep and slippery.

The next day, Jaime wanted to conquer volcanoes #12 and #13 in one day, which were also two of Guatemala’s most famous summits. They climbed Acatenango Volcano by midday, but immediately had to begin their descent if they still wanted to summit the Volcano of Fire. 

They rounded the corner of the crater and reached the summit of the Volcano of Fire by late afternoon, and Jaime described the excitement as “palpable”, saying “we knew we were making history.” 

And on 7 April, Jaime summited his 14th and last volcano – Agua Volcano – in what became an incredibly moving moment for the illustrious mountaineer.  

“We knew that each step brought us closer not only to one more summit, but to the culmination of a historic goal,” said Jaime in a social media post. “The emotion was immense: hugs, smiles and tears accompanied that unrepeatable moment.”

Reflecting later, he said: “This ascent represented the culmination of an ambitious project that demanded meticulous planning, physical strength, mental resilience and, above all, teamwork. 

“The summit of the Agua volcano, more than a geographical goal, symbolized the realization of a collective dream and the confirmation that, with passion, discipline and perseverance, limits are only an illusion.”

In celebration of Jaime’s historic achievement, he was met in Antigua, Guatemala by a giant party, including Guinness World Records representatives, who awarded him with his long-awaited certificate.

He was also named by State representatives as a distinguished citizen and ambassador of Guatemala – a title that very few people can possess.

So a massive congratulations is due to Jaime Viñals, who truly is Officially Amazing.