What Do You Wear to Mount Teide at Night?

I have had five night climbs on Mount Teide and this in practically all seasons, so here I can share with you my own first-hand experience about what to wear on such tours. Keep reading.

Can you go up Mount Teide at night? If so why?

The answer is yes, you can, I did it several times, and here are the reasons why you would want to do this.

Watching sunrise from El Teide

If you want to be on the summit to watch sunrise, you have two options:

• Climb overnight.
• Stay at Altavista hut.

I climbed three times from Montagna Blanca parking and this is described in several texts here in the site. So this is very doable by anybody and it may be a nice adventure.

The top picture above as well as the photo below show how spectacular can dawn be on Teide. So if you do the same, you will climb overnight, but you will walk back during the day.

Staying at Altavista hut may be problematic because it is always booked months in advance. But if you manage to book a reservation, this will include Teide permit as well. In this case, only climbing the section from Altavista hut will be in the dark.

Watching sunset from El Teide If this is what you plan to do, you will climb during the daylight. So you will descend when it is dark. This should not be so difficult, you will know the route if you walked it when ascending.

You may try to find a place at Altavista hut instead of descending at night. It costs nothing to ask, you will be passing the hut in any case if you descend towards Montagna Blanca parking.

Teide permit reason

So this is the third reason why you might be forced to climb Teide at night, and it can be the most important one. Namely, you officially need a permit.

This may include either watching sunrise or sunset, but again, this is the way to be there without a permit. I have discussed this issue in my separate text about climbing Teide without a permit, so please follow the link to read more.

What to wear to Mount Teide at night?

So this is the main topic of this post, and I have mentioned essentials above, here just to elaborate this a bit.

El Teide summit is at an elevation of 3718 meters, so this is a very high mountain and you definitely need warm clothing. This holds in particular at night.

I have experienced the strongest winds ever in the mountains exactly there. This is why you should not consider going without a good windproof jacket. If you have a rain shell jacket, it will do. One fleece jacket must be in your backpack. You can have what is called 3-in-1 jacket or interchange jacket and you will be perfectly fine.

If you use trekking poles, you will definitely need gloves. I never go into mountains without gloves and a warm cap.

So use the usual principles of layering that you do in high mountains. It may happen that you will not need everything you carry, but better play safe.

How about layering when it comes to pants?

I have never needed a second layer for the lower part of the body. But I normally always have waterproof pants in the pack in the case of rain, so this is what I can use if it is cold.

I am pretty sure you will not need a second layer, but you know yourself better. No need to buy anything, put your yoga pants or anything similar in the pack if you wish.

In any case, forget jeans and cotton in general. It is heavy and it remains wet if you sweat in it. It kills as people say, with all the bad reasons.

What footwear to use for Teide at night?

Make no mistake and forget trainers or any similar light sports shoes. This is a harsh volcanic terrain. It is hard even during the day, and it is much worse in the dark.

So if you have no idea what kind of boots may work, I can tell you what I used. A few times this was a pair of Lowa Renegade boots, and you can also use Salomon Men’s Quest Prime GTX Backpacking Boots. These are boots that I own and I can fully recommend them. If you have something even stronger, certainly use them.

In this video you can see how this can be, have a look:

Summary

So this is what I had to say on what to wear on Mount Teide at night, my focus here is only on essentials. You can follow the links mentioned in the text and read about my climbs in detail. This will give you some idea of how it can be on Teide at night. Note that it is more or less the same regardless of season.

I did all my night tours solo, so you can do the same, there is no need to hire a guide. There are two possible routes, but for a night climb it is best to follow the one that goes over Montagna Blanca. It should be easier to find the route at night, and you also have a hut on your way up, so you might feel safer.

Thank you for reading, there is a comment box below so let me know if you have questions. Bookmark this site and come again. Have a nice day.