Questions & Answers about La cumbre a la que íbamos era tan blanca como el hielo.
Why do we need the la in a la que? Couldn't we just say a que?
After a preposition like a, you usually need a definite article before que to point back to the noun you are talking about. Because the phrase refers back to la cumbre (a feminine singular noun), we must use la que. Saying a que in this specific type of relative clause would be grammatically incorrect.
Could we use a la cual instead of a la que here?
Yes, absolutely! a la cual is grammatically correct here and means the exact same thing. The main difference is tone: el cual and its variations tend to sound a bit more formal or literary, whereas el que and its variations are very natural for everyday conversational Spanish. Both work perfectly after a short preposition like a.
Why are íbamos and era in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
The imperfect is used here because both verbs are setting a descriptive scene in the past. íbamos describes the ongoing background action of the journey (we were going), and era describes the physical appearance of the summit at that time. Because neither action is presented as a completed event with a clear start and end, the imperfect is the right choice.
I sometimes mix up tan and tanto. Why is it here?