Basic alpine
PD — Jamapa Glacier at a steady 30–35°
Glacier travel: crampons, ice axe, rope teams.
2–4 days
Fee / registration
Small national-park fee; 4×4 transport to the Piedra Grande hut is the real logistics item.
Tlachichuca
Crowds: medium · most parties climb guided
The dry season (November–February) is prime: cold, clear, stable. The rest of the year brings cloud, precipitation, and lightning.
Orizaba is the high-altitude bargain of the continent: sleep at the 4,260 m Piedra Grande hut, climb the Labyrinth's rock-and-snow gullies in the dark, then crampon up the smooth Jamapa Glacier to a crater-rim summit at 5,636 m. Nothing is technical, but the glacier is relentless and the altitude real — most parties warm up on Iztaccíhuatl or Malinche first. December summits with views to the Gulf of Mexico are the reward.
America's glacier school — the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 and the classic Denali tune-up.
A solitary Cascade giant — 2,200 m of snow climbing that teaches the whole craft in a weekend.
The Pacific Northwest's single-day classic — a pre-dawn snow climb with a real alpine finish.