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You cannot download interactives. Explorer Kit DesLauries was the first person in the world to have climbed and skied off the top of the 7 Summits, the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. Physical fitness in itself will give people confidence to climb the mountain, but the preparation should also involve reading about the mountain, and working on camping skills. We have a page entitled ' Acclimatising Safely ', both of which should give you some excellent knowledge on what is happening to your body up high.
This is something that you cannot train for at home and understandably there is sense of apprehension about what will happen. The more you know the less afraid you will be, and the more confidently you can climb the mountain.
It is best to climb during the official season because the weather is more stable and it is warmer. You are more likely to have longer periods of high pressure bringing good weather.
Aconcagua is affected by the maritime weather coming from the Pacific Ocean and storms can come very quickly, along with high winds and heavy snow. When this happens it is possible to wait for several days before there is a change, after which there is likely to be deep unstable snow conditions up high. High season is, therefore, best, but it is also possible to still get the good weather at the start of the shoulder season in February.
Also, the necessary logistics are more likely to be available in the high season and shoulder season, for example, mules, porters and base camp provisions like meals, showers and so on.
The shoulder season is also fairly busy so the facilities will still be there. One downside is that at the zenith of the climbing season, mules and porters are often pre-booked and accommodation facilities full, and the cost of virtually every product, including a permit, is higher.
You will need to fill in the registration form online first of all and this is then countersigned by our local agent. On arrival in Mendoza, we take the signed form to a local Government cashier and pay the required fee for the permit in local currency pesos. Having got the receipt, we then take the form to the visitor's centre and the Aconcagua park office where they will hand out the actual permit. The office is open 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday, but only 9 am to 1 pm on weekends.
The validity of the permit is 20 days for a full ascent, which starts from the date you enter the park. Prices do change year to year and are also dependent on the season. You can check the current prices at aconcagua. There are porters on both sides of the mountain who are available for hire.
Adventure Alternative will sometimes use porters for group equipment tents, food, stoves etc although generally, we carry everything as a team. It is possible for individuals to hire a porter or to club together with other members and hire a porter for heavy items. The cost depends on how far they have to carry. This figure covers doing the carry up and down.
The porters only accept cash and normally only in Argentinian pesos or US dollars. Some of them have their own rucksacks, but you should be prepared to use your rucksack for this purpose if necessary. It is possible to call the base camp service station from the high camps using VHF radios and order a porter, for example, to help with the descent. Mendoza - i n the city we use a comfortable hotel with twin rooms and ensuite bathrooms. The city has a fantastic range of restaurants and bars, and is famous for its wine.
We suggest you fully enjoy your time here, it's a wonderful place to spend time and eat and drink. Puente del Inca - on the way to the mountain we stop for a night in a local hostel or hotel in this village at the base of the mountain. The accommodation here is in shared dormitories with communal bathrooms and hot showers.
There is a moderate range of food on offer which is likely to include chicken and pasta and lots of local red wine. Confluencia - a simple camp with tents and a mess tent with toilets nearby on the way up the Horcones Valley.
Base camps Mulas or Vacas - facilities are provided by our local provider Aymara and the area effectively turns into a semi-permanent village. We will be camping in two-person tents but there are communal showers and toilet facilities to use. Meals are served in large mess tents furnished with tables and chairs and we will have a chance to meet other climbers of various nationalities who share the facilities. Expect plenty of high carb meals, meat with vegetables, soups and plenty of hot drinks.
On the Mountain - above base camp, anything we wear, sleep in or eat must be carried up to the camps. We will generally sleep in teams of 2 or 3 to each tent. We cook on Soto gas stoves and melt snow for drinking water and cooking purposes. We will buy all of our supplies in Mendoza and some will be dehydrated meals such as pasta, noodles, soups, oatmeal etc.
We will be bagging and carrying out all of our own waste. The weather can be brutal, the cold can be intense, the wind can be biblical and the physical and mental requirements are large. But it is not a precipitous climb, there are no severe objective climbing obstacles like crevasses and in the right weather, the summit day can be a dream. It will also be an extreme test of your ability to self-preserve and manage cold weather conditions. This is the big difference between climbing, say, Kilimanjaro or Elbrus, and Aconcagua.
You will be expected to show a great deal more experience and knowledge of self-preservation in the mountains, camping, cooking, keeping yourself healthy, sleeping well, hydrating, avoiding cold weather injuries, personal movement and working as a team in a mountain environment. This sort of knowledge does not just come from a book, it comes from experience, and those who are lacking will find this trip stressful. People without the experience of being in a tent in a gale in very cold weather may find the trip quite frightening.
A lot of people can just stop operating, stop eating and drinking, and just lie in the sleeping bag, feeling disorientated and fearful. This is a dangerous position to be in, and it is important to say that although this is a guided trip, there is only so much that one or two guides can do. You will be expected to display a level of self-sufficiency at the high camps.
People who feel insecure and uncertain will generally exhibit quite wayward and often startling changes of character; they can become withdrawn, moody, angry, upset, and distraught. The base camp facilities are fantastic. A tented city with showers, bars, toilets, double walled mess tents with wooden floors, amazing food, lots of people to meet This is a very busy place and it can get a bit overwhelming. Once up high you do get more of the sense of being out in the mountains though.
Illness is common , and predominantly because of a combination of high altitude symptoms and some small issue like a cough or a bit of diarrhea. Remember that being at altitude is essentially like hypoxia to your system, so anything you get will be affected to a greater degree up there.
Up high, you make your own toilet area and carry all your waste and paper off the mountain. This is perhaps one of the worst aspects of the descent when the sun is up and the contents have liquefied. Take lots of non-clear plastic bags and wrap it well. Going to the summit even in good conditions is a real test of physical and mental reserve.
The route is not difficult to follow unless you end up in a whiteout in which case the huge slope below the Independencia Hut can be a nightmare to find your way off, but it is unrelenting and the wind whips across continually.
The one saving grace is the simply astounding view of the South Face in the last half hour or so, which would give anyone a major emotional boost. Remember to keep strength in reserve for the descent , it is a long way back to the tent and the weather may well have picked up in the afternoon; make sure you have supplies of food and drink and get a warm tea or coffee in there, and something to eat.
You come down with energy to spare, mind lucid, ready to put the water on to boil, and feeling nicely tired after a big day out. Aconcagua has been described by some detractors as a great big slag heap with nothing really to say for itself, apart from being the highest peak in South America.
See more information on Facts about visiting Argentina and preparation for climbing Aconcagua. The expedition is 19 days in-country, but this does not include flight times or extra days in-country.
Many people choose to arrive a day or so early to acclimatise to the climate and overcome the long flight, and of course some people stay on afterwards to visit the vineyards and enjoy the area round Mendoza. You need to get to Mendoza in Argentina. You can fly there with a number of variations, via Santiago, Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo being the main nearest hubs.
Flights can become very expensive s st to to book early. Long distance coaches in South America are very comfortable, the semi cama class has a seat which lies flat to make a bed and the ticket includes meals. The journey begins in the main bus terminal in Santiago and there are many coaches which drive the trans-Andean Highway that passes Aconcagua on the way to Mendoza.
Arriving in Mendoza you will need to take a taxi to the hotel we have allocated. The Aconcagua ascent through the Normal Route is the most popular one. Given its peak altitude 6, m , acclimatization is central to the itinerary. This is one of the parameters that account for the duration of the different expeditions. These ranges of days include some extra days in case of bad weather, so you still have the chance of reaching the summit.
The Normal route consists of the ascent through the North-Eastern ridge, entering through the Horcones valley. The base camp is at the famous Plaza de Mulas. Local EPGMAT certified guide Sebastian offers an day program via the Normal Route , as well as an extended version of 20 days , for those who need extra acclimatization. It is not to be confused with the Polish Glacier Route with its two variants, the Original and the Direct , which involves actually reaching the summit via the Polish Glacier, which requires experience in glacier traverse.
It starts off at the Vacas Valley and has its base camp at Plaza Argentina. Later, the descent is the same as in the Normal route. Other much harder and challenging routes require vast rock and ice climbing experiences, such as the ascent through the South face, which is a top goal only suitable for extremely advanced and pro mountaineers. To pursue the Aconcagua ascent you will need a very good fitness level , in order to keep up with the high altitude over a period that ranges between 18 and 20 days.
Yet, given that it is not a difficult ascent from a technical point of view, it is a goal reachable by people with different levels of experience. He suggests to start training at least 6 months in advance. Furthermore, you should dedicate 90 minutes to training 5 days a week, and schedule an additional outdoor excursion every 2 weeks. The tailored programs that Sergio offers, which can be done at a distance , are created based on an initial assessment that includes a psychological and physical evaluation.
The training plans, which are carefully designed to meet the particular needs of each climber, consider various capacities: strength, endurance, tolerance to maximum effort, overcoming the VO2 max, and the immense general performance that any person who wants to reach a high altitude mountain must-have.
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