It doesn't matter where you view it from, this ancient and extinct volcano is the most impressive in Ecuador's Andes. The fifth highest, it is the most technical of all the mountains in Ecuador. Known as "Capac Urcu" in Quichua for Sublime Mountain. El Altar presents the hardest climbing in Ecuador.

A legend says that El Altar tried to steal Tungurahua, Chimborazo’s wife. Chimborazo went to war against El Altar and won, leaving El Altar smashed. According to Indian legend, the collapse happened in 1460; geologists say that the collapse happened a lot earlier. The Spanish named the mountain El Altar, for it resemblance to a cathedral; German explorer and climber Hans Meyer christened the peaks with their individual religious names. El Altar is made up of nine major summits arranged in a reverse C-shape. Starting with the highest in the south and going around counterclockwise the peaks’ names are as follows: Obiso; Monja Grande; Monja Chica; Tabernaculo; the three Frailes, Oriental, Central and Grande; and Canónigo.

El Obispo 5.319m / 17,451 ft is the most popular peak of El Altar because it is the easiest to get to and the highest. It has also some of the best climbing in Ecuador, which in good conditions is excellent. The choice of which the three standard ways up to Obispo, depends on the snow conditions.

Summit day on El Altar begins early as we climb in the predawn hours on the route we decided upon the day before. Steep snow and ice leads to the upper superior glacier. Form here a narrow gully of steep ice leads to a very exposed notch in the summit crest. From the notch we can look north into the deep inner cirques of El Altar. The last section of the climb is often the hardest with a steep rock wall above the notch presenting technical rock climbing difficulties. The holds are large but the rock is steep. Descent is by rappel and down climbing. El Altar is a long summit day with varied climbing. It is no wonder it was the last of Ecuador's 5000 meter summits to be ascended!