Is it possible to climb Mount Teide from sea-level in 2 days for a reasonably fit person? Essentially, I was thinking of walking up to the Altavista mountain refuge on the first day (can that be done in about 10 hours walking?) and then up to the summit (and back) on the second day (but probably take a bus back down to sea-level).
PS: I originally asked it on the travel site but was referred to this site as being more appropriate.
I wouldn't recommend gaining 3700+ meters in 2 days. It's not about fitness. It's just about how well your body adapts to altitude. I agree that 3700 meters is not too high to get severely sick due to AMS, but then, it's not recommended to gain more than 1000 meters of vertical distance per day.
Also, I know friends who have suffered from altitude sickness at as low as 8000 feet (2500m approx).
Things to keep in mind:
Cheers!
I did Teide last year aged 60; I'm fit, but not a climber as such - I occasionally do a few of the Scottish Munros and run 5 - 10k twice a week only. 20 years ago I did Mont Blanc in the Alps, which I found desperately hard, and didn't acclimatise at all well despite 3 days altitude preparation.
Getting up and down Teide was easy in comparison. I left Puerto de la Cruz about 7.30 in the morning, drove to the little Montana Blanca car park (there is a small notice board to confirm where you are), did the climb of 4,500' or so up past the Altavista quite straightforwardly, back down the same way and was back in Puerto de la Cruz by about 7.00 in the evening. Above the Altavista I took it at more of a plod, and stopped for a wee breather every 5 - 10 minutes; breathing is definitely affected up here, but I didn't have any of the severe headaches, sickness and disorientation I had on Mt Blanc.
Back at the hotel, I felt great, had a shower, then started a beer; I couldn't finish it; went straight to bed, had a poor nights sleep, didn't feel at all well the next day, couldn't eat, and only started getting back to normal the day after that - all absolutely classic altitude after-effect symptoms.
One other minor complication doing it this way is getting the right permit time slot for the summit; I actually arrived at the checkpoint about 1/2 hour before the start of my slot, but the guard let me through after my best pleading look. I have looked at doing Teide in a day from sea level but don't think there's enough daylight - for me anyway; I don't fancy the prospect of stumbling around in a remote, exposed, high altitude volcanic landscape in the dark!
If you are still interested in doing the walk up from the sea-level, don't hesitate. It is a fabulous walk and easy. Just take the traditional 'Camino de Chasna' described here.
It takes you from Puerto de la Cruz to the high plain of Las Cañadas. There you take the standard route to the peak from the Portillo information centre. As you walk, you acclimatise a lot better than driving up. You can get to Altavista by 21 hrs, if you don't take very long breaks on the way up. Be sure to take enough water because there are no springs from the urban areas of Orotava until you reach the Portillo. In the refuge at Altavista you can buy water or drink their not potabolised water. I did the walk in June and it was a dream.
Yes it is quite possible.
I just did it last week in 1 day, starting at 6am at Porto de la Cruz and after 10h20 of walking with few stops I reached the summit at 3,718m a bit after 4pm. Then you can go down for the night at Altavista (c. 3,200m) and see the sun rise the morning after (with a great view of the shadow of the Teide).
You need to book in advance the permit to reach the summit (at least a good month in advance), for the sun rise from Altavista there is no need of a permit. You can get water at Portillo and also in the bathrooms at the top of the cable car (c. 3,500m) (I drunk both and did not get sick).
Obviously you need to be fit and cope with the altitude (I have been at 4,200m before but after 3 days of progressive climbing).
I did it in 11 hours last year and had a great time doing it. Will always remember this hike! I see there is some discussion about how fit you need to be to do this - I can run a half marathon in just below 2 hours. And I weigh 90kgs, so I have some weight to carry.
I started from Playa del Socorro early in the morning, it's a few kilometers west of Puerto de la Cruz. It is not clear what the perfect path is, but I used a very good map from the (free) app 'CityMaps2Go'. So I just used my smartphone to navigate all the way up, it covers everything from driveable roads to barely visible paths. The first part of the hike for me was to walk up to the small town called 'Icod el Alto'. Then I think (it was foggy...) I walked on the road near the cliff, looking down towards the east - check out the area on Google Earth and you'll understand. Use the app and plan the next few km's ahead whenever you sit down for a drink and a snack, and you'll be set.
As I entered the national park at app. 2000 meters, it was easy to just follow the signs from there. You need to approach the mountain from the east (unless there is some path I haven't noticed).
I did not encounter any stores/restaurants along the way, and don't know how to find one without a big detour. I brought 8 liters of water and drank most of it
The Alta Vista hut is at 3260 meters above the sea level. That means you would need to do all those hight meters in one day. While not undoable, as we can see from the other comments, you have to be quite a beast to accomplish it. I personally would never plan anything more than 2000 height meters for a day. But if you hike, you should know your own limits yourself.
As hiking goes, the hike itself is fairly easy, you don't need any particular experience or equipment for it. Just bring (lots of) water and food for the trip. Keep in mind that the hut does not serve any food whatsoever, well, they do sell some overpriced candies, that's it. You can cook though, and the water is sort of OK for drinking there, at least after boiling it first.
I believe you have done your research, but in case you did not: you will need a permit to climb to the summit. Permits are free and easy to apply for online, but the amount of them is limited, and they run out really fast. If you stay in the hut, you are allowed to go to the summit the next morning. The hut fills up pretty quickly too, but there always are cancellations.
And what concerns altitude sickness, I would not be too worried about that. At this altitude (what matters is the altitude you sleep at), there is very little chance you will get altitude sickness. And if you do, it is really easy to descent, even at night.
I did something a little like this in 2008, though less impressive than Lars & co. I hiked up to the observatory above Puerto de la Cruz on one day, and did Teide from the Montana Blanca bus stop a few days later. So not a continuous ascent, oh dear no, but it did acclimatise me to the altitude. Two wrinkles: if you don't have a summit permit, the 'legal' Mirador de Forteleza has a cool view; but do watch out for the sulphur fumes. If you are awake, the stink will drive you off, but do not take a nap up there!
Some years ago I climbed Teide from sea level, Playa del Soccorro at the north coast. I spent 9 hours 45 minutes on the 3718 meters climb, walking slowly all the time. After the summit I went down to the refuge at 3200 m and stayed there overnight. I am not a runner, but used to long climbs. A very strong friend of mine hase done the whole climb from sea level in 4,5 hours, running. There is no water along the climb, so bring enough to drink.
The answer is absolutely yes. DO IT! If you do have trouble with the height just go back down. As somebody said it's not about how trained you are, the affect is individual and you have to get up there to see how it specifically affects you and the adjust to the situation. Needless to say your heart must be healthy doing this.
I did a badly planned and equipped little trek for one day in 2013. I went from sea level (Puerto de la Cruz) to about 2,500 m and back again after some beer and water in Las Cañadas del Teide. It was dark when I got back after this 60k walk. As you can see I didn't go straight at all and had to battle with dogs and thirst since I had too little water with me. But besides some ill tempered dogs and really dumb path choices there was great trails and small roads all the way up up and it was truly epic. Some of the descent was pretty much jogging down in a straight line through the the terrain, which was a bit gnarly, until I hit the roads further down. I didn't want to end up on the mountain in the dark.
I had trainers and shorts, t-shirt, sunglasses, sun screen and a hoodie in a little backpack. Food wise I had two candy bars, an apple and 1 liter of water with me... as I said badly planned, time and food wise. The clothes and trainers worked really well.
I could really feel the height (heavy in the head/head ache, swollen hands, breathing like pregnant hippopotamus) but other than feeling tired with a "few" blisters on my feet I felt freaking great when I got back!
With better planning and maybe some advise from any of you of the straightest/fastest path up, or if someone wants to join, I'd like to see if I can do Teide (view point at 3 500) from sea level and back again in one day. I'm 46, healthy and in OK shape and I have done a few really average marathons done in the past. I'll be in Puerto de la Cruz Nov 23rd to 30th 2014.
You can see the plot from my trek. The spike in the end is from a 2 km car ride I got from a local since it was getting dark and I had no clue which way to go except down ;)
/Lars, Stockholm
