Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Participants should have either climbed/ trekked at
altitude (over 15,000 feet) or have had extensive backpacking
experience. No technical climbing experience is necessary. However,
climbing Aconcagua is notorious for being physically challenging.
The weather is cold and the mountain is tall. It is imperative that
you are in excellent physical shape, and able to hike in rugged
terrain for long days. We are happy to detail training programs as
needed to get you ready for this expedition.
Aconcagua, 22,841
feet, is famous for many reasons – it is the tallest peak in the
Western hemisphere; it is the ideal training ground for 8,000 meter
peaks like Cho Oyu and Everest; it can be climbed without prior
technical experience; it occasionally sees huge storms, cold
temperatures and savage winds. A summit of Aconcagua is a proud
achievement, and takes two
weeks of hard work – acclimatizing, setting camps, and carrying
loads – before you earn your
summit bid.
Aconcagua is, however, a mountain that can be attempted without years
of mountaineering
experience. Far more important are aerobic training, a positive
attitude, and excellent logistical
support. Our expedition is designed to maximize your enjoyment of
this mountain while fostering
education in the skills of high-altitude climbing. We focus on
bringing each climber to a point of
being a competent and active teammate and partner in our climb.
To accomplish these goals and maximize your summit chances, we climb
a route called the
Polish Traverse. The Polish Traverse avoids the crowds, trash, and
general overuse of the
normal route, yet still allows us a moderate summit day without any
technical climbing.
After meeting the team in Mendoza, we spend four days driving and
trekking to our basecamp.
This approach is not only a fantastic opportunity to see more of
Argentina’s Andes. It is also
essential to our acclimatization. From our 14,000 foot basecamp, we
spend the next ten days
placing and stocking three camps and progressively moving up the
mountain. During this time we
utilize a method of “climbing high and sleeping low” to help us
acclimate. Our highest camp is
placed at 20,300 feet, and when we arrive there we will be ready for
our summit bid.
The summit day itself is very challenging. We climb over 2,500
vertical feet over sand, scree, and,
in some seasons, snowfields. Our reward is to stand on the highest
point in the Americas, with
stunning views of the Andes in every direction. After summit photos
and celebration we descend
back to high camp to rest and recover. Our expedition finishes with
a two day walk back out from
the mountain, and then some well-deserved celebration in Mendoza
over the best steaks and red
wine you’ll ever enjoy!
Our Aconcagua expedition will be led by one of Alpenglow’s
AMGA certified lead guides. AMGA (American Mountain Guides
Association) certification is the highest possible
training available to guides, and only the most experienced and
dedicated attain it. Our lead
guides have also traveled and climbed extensively in South America
and know the Andes
intimately. Their knowledge of Andean culture as well as the
mountains, combined with their
passion for teaching others to become competent mountaineers,
guarantees that your experience will be one to remember! We combine our guides’
experience with the local
expertise of one of Argentina’s best logistics operators.
