[1] Iván began climbing mountains in Ecuador such as Illiniza Norte, Rumiñahui, Tungurahua and Carihuairazo and soon enough, his hobby became a passion.
In 1988 he started climbing in the Cordillera Blanca (Peru) and in Bolivia, having summitted mountains such as Artesonraju, Alpamayo, Huascarán and Illampu.
The following year, he returned to Nepal and reached the summit of Ama Dablam (6,856 m) and in 1997, he stood on top of his first eight-thousander – Manaslu (8,163 m).
In 1998, he climbed Broad Peak (8,048 m) and in 1999, he summitted Mount Everest for the first time, thus becoming the first Ecuadorian to reach the top of the world's highest mountain.
"[4] These include "Somos Ecuador" which aims at climbing major mountain peaks around the world, as described in a TEDx talk from Everest North Face Advanced Base Camp.