This is how the UCundinamarca expedition to the Tolima snow-capped mountain went

By: Pablo Arciniegas – Communications Advisory Office

Luis Navia, Juan Felipe Hernández, and Eduard Ceballos are three professors affiliated with the Sports Science program at the Soacha campus who are designing an inclusion project called Women on the Summit. This initiative aims to establish a group of female university students who will participate in mountaineering activities with the support and professional experience of guides who are also university students.

The pilot and data collection phase for this project took place on April 13th, during an expedition to the Tolima snow-capped mountain by the three professors and the SUMAK Adventure and Experiences group (comprised of students Johan Gómez, Jorge Mendez, and Felipe Pinilla). “Snow-capped volcano,” Professor Luis Navia clarifies.

This expedition to one of Colombia's most iconic peaks took them four days. “We started on April 13th and on the 14th we were arriving at Juntas, where the first base camp is located at 3,200 meters above sea level (masl). We reached the second camp, at 3,800 masl, the following day, and in the early morning of April 16th we made our first summit attempt, which we achieved at 4:50 am,” says Professor Navia.

The summit: a miracle

Reaching the summit is one of the greatest satisfactions for mountaineers; it's the culmination of prolonged physical exertion, rewarded with a breathtaking view from the heights. Professor Navia expresses this sentiment, stating, “Reaching the summit is a miracle. The mountain is honest and brings out the best in us. On this expedition, for example, we were very fortunate that the weather didn't work against us, especially given the rainy season we're currently experiencing. In fact, we completed the final stretch of the ascent by the light of a moon as bright as our headlamps.”.

Professor Navia also acknowledges that this activity would not have achieved the expected results without the participation of the students from the SUMAK group. “They are students in the Sports Science program who decided to become certified mountain guides on the snow-capped mountain. Thanks to them, we not only reached the summit, but they also put our MEDIT program into practice, taking the knowledge beyond the classroom.”.

Likewise, the data and experience gathered from this expedition to the Tolima snow-capped mountain will also be treated as a research product, since the Women on the Summit project will be anchored to the Alternative Human Movement and research groups in nutrition, fitness and sport (SINNFID).

“With this information, we hope to carry out our first Women's Summit mountaineering activity in November; it is important to mention that this project opens its doors not only to students, but also to female professors and administrative staff of the University,” concludes Professor Luis Navia.

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