Aconcagua January 2015
This January I returned to Argentina to guide a group for Madison Mountaineering up Aconcagua. We all met in Mendoza where we had our gear check and the last preparations before we took the bus to Penitentes. Here we enjoyed the last good wine, dinner, nice bed and a shower in a long while…
We start our 3 days trek in to Base Camp (BC) where we after the first day enjoy BBQ together with our cowboys. The second day we can see Aconcagua for the first time and the third day we finally gain some altitude and ends up at Base Camp Plaza Argentina at 4200m.
Base Camp is always a nice place to be: here we meet friends, rest and shift focus to the upper mountain.
Now we start moving up: first we have one carry day where we try to carry up as much as possible to the next camp. The following day we move up to low Camp 1 at 4800m. Here we establish camp and a nice outdoor kitchen together with two other teams. As we have very good weather prognoses we follow our schedule and have carry day and then moving day up to Camp 2 Guanacos at 5400m. Here we establish camp together with 6 other teams. This is a beautiful camp with amazing view and a little stream running through camp which provides us with water during daytime when not frozen…so convenient!
Now we get weather prognoses saying high wind so we put in one extra rest day here in Camp 2. Then we move up to Camp 3 Colera at about 6000m. This is high camp for both routes: the Vacas route and the Horoconas route (normal route) so here are many teams. Some on their way up and some on their way down.
We establish camp and start preparing for next day: our summit day!! We finish packing our backpacks, have some food and hot drinks and goes early to bed.
Next morning we have our wake-up-call at 4am and start climbing at 5:30am.
It is amazing to walk with so many others with the same goal: the headlamps as diamonds moving slow up the mountain, then the orange light from the first sun reihs, the silhouette of Aconcagua mirrored in the atmosphere and the long shadows of us climbing slowly up. We take a long break at «the cave» before we carefully climb Canaleta and in amazing weather and nearly no wind can stand on top of Aconcagua and enjoy the view.
We stay as long as possible at the top before we return to Camp 3; hot soup, tea and a good nights sleep.
The day after we pack up and «clean» the mountain. Now we are taking everything with us down to Base Camp Plaza de Mulas (4300m) at the Horoconas side of the mountain.
It is a long days climb down with heavy backpacks but only to enjoy: the view is amazing the whole day!
When we all are down in Base Camp we gather with the two teams we have climbed parallel with and enjoy dinner and wine. We celebrate under the stars until we all «crash» in the dining tent. The day after is the trek out from BC Plaza de Mulas out the Horoconas Valley and one night in Penitentes before we meet the civilization again in Mendoza.
Thanks to all for an amazing trip, I hope to come back soon!
Maybe you’ll come with me next time?
This January I returned to Argentina to guide a group for Madison Mountaineering up Aconcagua. We all met in Mendoza where we had our gear check and the last preparations before we took the bus to Penitentes. Here we enjoyed the last good wine, dinner, nice bed and a shower in a long while…
We start our 3 days trek in to Base Camp (BC) where we after the first day enjoy BBQ together with our cowboys. The second day we can see Aconcagua for the first time and the third day we finally gain some altitude and ends up at Base Camp Plaza Argentina at 4200m.
Base Camp is always a nice place to be: here we meet friends, rest and shift focus to the upper mountain.
Now we start moving up: first we have one carry day where we try to carry up as much as possible to the next camp. The following day we move up to low Camp 1 at 4800m. Here we establish camp and a nice outdoor kitchen together with two other teams. As we have very good weather prognoses we follow our schedule and have carry day and then moving day up to Camp 2 Guanacos at 5400m. Here we establish camp together with 6 other teams. This is a beautiful camp with amazing view and a little stream running through camp which provides us with water during daytime when not frozen…so convenient!
Now we get weather prognoses saying high wind so we put in one extra rest day here in Camp 2. Then we move up to Camp 3 Colera at about 6000m. This is high camp for both routes: the Vacas route and the Horoconas route (normal route) so here are many teams. Some on their way up and some on their way down.
We establish camp and start preparing for next day: our summit day!! We finish packing our backpacks, have some food and hot drinks and goes early to bed.
Next morning we have our wake-up-call at 4am and start climbing at 5:30am.
It is amazing to walk with so many others with the same goal: the headlamps as diamonds moving slow up the mountain, then the orange light from the first sun reihs, the silhouette of Aconcagua mirrored in the atmosphere and the long shadows of us climbing slowly up. We take a long break at «the cave» before we carefully climb Canaleta and in amazing weather and nearly no wind can stand on top of Aconcagua and enjoy the view.
We stay as long as possible at the top before we return to Camp 3; hot soup, tea and a good nights sleep.
The day after we pack up and «clean» the mountain. Now we are taking everything with us down to Base Camp Plaza de Mulas (4300m) at the Horoconas side of the mountain.
It is a long days climb down with heavy backpacks but only to enjoy: the view is amazing the whole day!
When we all are down in Base Camp we gather with the two teams we have climbed parallel with and enjoy dinner and wine. We celebrate under the stars until we all «crash» in the dining tent. The day after is the trek out from BC Plaza de Mulas out the Horoconas Valley and one night in Penitentes before we meet the civilization again in Mendoza.
Thanks to all for an amazing trip, I hope to come back soon!
Maybe you’ll come with me next time?
