Where to go mountaineering in March

While skiing and ice climbing are still doable in northern America and Europe this month, if you’re after higher and more remote mountaineering objectives then look a little further afield.

Here are our suggestions for where the best mountaineering can be found this month, but as always, you’ll need to check up to date information regarding access and logistics, particularly for those areas subject to geo-political tensions (and volcanic activity!). Here’s a little inspiration for the month of March. And if not this year, why not next?

North America

March is the last month of the dry season in Mexico when you can still climb snow covered volcanic summits such as Pico de Orizaba (the highest volcano in North America at 5636m). You’ve probably heard of the second highest volcano (Popocatepetl) which is currently quite active and therefore not recommended – better to admire the view of it from Iztaccíhuat (5286m) instead. The name Iztaccíhuat translates as ‘white woman’ because the profile of the snow covered mountain apparently looks like a woman lying down. We’re not convinced, but maybe it’s a matter of perspective!

South America

In Columbia you can enjoy climbs that start in the jungle and take you up to around 5000m on snow and ice covered volcanoes such as Nevada Santa Isabel and Tolima. There are also alpine peaks of similar height in Venezuela in the Sierra Nevada, but March is really the last month of the season for this region.

The Puna de Atacama area in Northern Chile/Argentina is home to Ojos del Salado (the highest volcano in the world at 6893m, and the second highest peak in the Andes). The route isn’t particularly technical, although there is a short rocky climbing section right near the summit for a little lung-busting sting in the tail. The area has the highest concentration of peaks over 6000m in the whole of the Andes, but its remoteness has left it relatively under explored. The peaks are largely volcanic, so aren’t technically very difficult – there are even Inca ruins on the summits of some including Nevado de Chañi (5930m). There’s probably even some first ascents still to be made in the region.

Further south the Andean Lake District spans the Argentina/Chile border with an abundance of forests and (you guessed it) lakes surrounding a mixture of volcanic and snow-capped peaks of between 3000 and 4500m. Most are technically straight forward ascents, some which are done-in-a-day whilst others can take a couple of days (Volcan Lanin for example). The weather is often the most challenging aspect of mountaineering in this area, with it not uncommon to experience what feels like four seasons in one day!

 Volcan Lanin (3,747m) rising above Laguna Huenfuica in Argentina (Credit: Rodrigo Yuraszeck)

Africa

Winter still clings to the High Atlas at this time of year, making for an interesting time to climb Toubkal in Morroco. March is one of the many months of the year where Kilimanjaro can be climbed in Tanzania, and it’s also still possible to climb Mt Kenya although at this point in the season the less technical routes are advised.

Asia

Come March, the spring season is just beginning in central Asia, with early season ascents possible in Nepal. The main climbing and trekking season really gets going in April, so if you want to avoid the crowds and are prepared for it to be a little colder then March can be a good time to go.

Looking south down the upper Khumbu valley in Nepal.

In the Everest region Island Peak, Mera Peak and Lobuche are good introductions to climbs of around 6000m altitude with lower technical difficulty. They all lie off the main trail to Everest Basecamp, which can get very busy with both trekkers and climbers later in the season 

Australasia

Carstenz Pyramid is arguably the most technical of the Seven Summits, with plenty of rocky scrambling terrain and often a tyrolean traverse required to reach the top. It’s location near the Equator means the weather is tropical and wet a lot of the time, even in the ‘drier’ season. Over in Malaysia, there are plenty of other interesting rocky peaks including Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo which are climbable in March.

So there you have it, there’s plenty of mountain adventures to be had around the world in March.