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Climbing Misti 066

Volcano·PeruPeru

Misti

5,825m

Cordillera Volcanic

Summit weather

Andrew Otto · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation
5,825m
Prominence
1,785m
Relief
2,724mabove the lowest point within 5 km
Steepest slope
41°within 1 km of the summit
Snow at the summit
Jan–MaySee month by month ↓
Summit
16.2964°S, 71.4108°W

Stratovolcano in Peru

Misti is a volcano in the Cordillera Volcanic (Peru). Its summit stands 5,825 m above sea level. Its prominence — how far it rises above the highest saddle linking it to a taller summit — is 1,785 m.

From the lowest point within 5 km (3,101 m), it rises 2,724 m. The steepest side is the north-west face: 33° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 41° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.

The nearest town is Chiguata, 12 km away at 3,023 m: 2,802 m below the summit.

Read more on Wikipedia

Scores

Misti for skiers and climbers

Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.

Hiking & mountaineering

5.6/10

Difficulty to the top

Mountain walk

Most path sections around the top are T3 on the SAC hiking scale.

Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.

  • 0.7/2.51 waymarked routes and 7 path sections nearby
  • 0.0/1.50 huts and shelters
  • 2.0/22,802 m of ascent from the valley
  • 1.4/1.51,785 m of prominence
  • 1.5/1.512 months with summit afternoons above −5 °C
  • 0.0/1via ferratas, climbing and glaciers

Ski score

—

No ski runs within 12 km in OpenStreetMap.

How these scores are made

Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.

Plan your visit

Stay, climb and get there

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

Snow

When there is snow on Misti

At the summit, snow from January to May (some years from December to July). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Summit5,825 msnow from January to May (some years from December to July)
Snow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow on the ground all monthSnow some of the timeSnow some of the timeNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowSnow some of the time
Halfway up4,424 mno snow
No snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snow
Chiguata3,023 mno snow
No snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snowNo snow
  • Snow on the ground all month
  • Snow some of the time
  • No snow
  • This month

Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.

Summit weather

Misti, month by month

Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.

On an average October afternoon the summit reaches about 3 °C; on July nights it falls to about -15 °C. Afternoons at the top are above freezing in every month of the average year. In October the 0 °C line climbs to about 6,330 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, June is the driest month (0 mm) and February the wettest (47 mm).

3,000 m4,000 m5,000 m6,000 mSUMMIT · 5,825 mCHIGUATA · 3,023 mJanuary: 6,070 mFebruary: 6,010 mMarch: 6,080 mApril: 6,150 mMay: 6,050 mJune: 6,010 mJuly: 5,960 mAugust: 6,130 mSeptember: 6,250 mOctober: 6,330 mNovember: 6,330 mDecember: 6,180 mJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0 °C on an average afternoon 0 °C at dawn the summit
MonthSummit high °CSummit low °CChiguata high °C0 °C line (m)Rain & snow (mm)Wet daysSun h/day
January2-11206,0703598.6
February1-11196,0104797.3
March2-11206,0802568.8
April2-12206,1506210.5
May2-14206,0502011.2
June1-14196,0100011.0
July1-15195,9602011.1
August2-14206,1301011.5
September3-13216,2503111.8
October3-12226,3307112.3
November3-12226,3304112.5
December2-11206,18016410.9

Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 3,330 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.

Relief

The mountain in profile

Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.

West – east
5,825 m2,735 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmWE
South – north
5,825 m3,211 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 km16 kmSN
Steepness by direction
30°N: 26°NNE: 24°NEE: 11°ESE: 14°SES: 26°SSW: 30°SWW: 27°WNW: 33°NW

Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.

Around the mountain

Huts, lifts and trails around Misti

Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.

Misti seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 5 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

  • —mountain huts and shelters
  • —cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and rack railways
  • —ski areas
  • 1waymarked hiking routes

    Ruta Chiguata

  • —via ferratas
  • —climbing crags and routes
  • —named glaciers
  • 1viewpoints

    Tres Arbolitos

  • 4campsites

    Campo Pyramde, El Misti Base Camp North Face, Campamento

  • —hotels, B&Bs and chalets
  • —restaurants and cafés

How hard are the paths?

7 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).

T3T4
  • T3 demanding mountain hiking
  • T4 alpine hiking

Towns at the foot

  • Chiguata12 km · 3,023 m
  • Selva Alegre15 km · 2,455 m
  • Mariano Melgar15 km · 2,474 m
  • Miraflores16 km · 2,403 m
  • Arequipa18 km · 2,397 m
  • Cono Norte18 km · 2,593 m
  • Ciudad Satelite20 km · 2,336 m
  • Cono Norte22 km · 2,705 m

OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Photos

Seen by climbers and visitors

Salinas and Aguada Blanca Misti guanacos
Max Berger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Volcano Misti outside Arequipa
Hans Brian Brandsberg Berg · CC BY 2.0

Recent years

How each month compared at the summit

Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
1991–2020 average212221123332
2020−0.1−0.2−0.5−0.1+0.2+0.2+0.6+0.1+0.6+0.7+1.1−0.3
2021−0.7+0.5−1.0−0.1+0.2−0.4+0.8−0.1+0.6+0.9−0.3+0.3
2022−0.6+0.5−0.5+0.6+0.6−0.9+1.1+0.3−0.4+0.1+0.8−0.5
2023+0.3+0.4−0.7+0.4+0.9+1.1+1.9+0.9+1.0+0.9+1.1+1.6
2024+2.2+1.4+0.9+1.1+1.6+1.4+1.6+0.3+1.9+0.9−0.2+1.0
2025−0.3+0.1−0.9−0.5+0.5−1.2+0.5−0.8+0.4−0.1+0.6±0.0

+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual

About these numbers

Names, elevation, prominenceWikidata (Q572865) · CC0
Relief, 3D view, profilesCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0
Around the mountain© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons

Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.

The family

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