New - Climb Aconcagua with oxygen in 12 days
Climb Aconcagua with OXYGEN in half the time! (Porter Option Available)
Overview | Full itinerary | Cost Includes
New! Increase your chances of getting to the top by using Supplemental Oxygen on summit day. A Game Changer concept! You'll be able "run" up the mountain, no more cold feet and hands! You'll need a VERY strong Guide...so they can keep up with YOU!
Overview
Regular Aconcagua trips are 20 days long. We have shaved 10 days off the climb for you. You will still be able to successfully get a shot at the summit of Aconcagua, and in less time, because you will be on Supplemental Oxygen the toughest day of the climb. We still encourage the Hypoxico Training System and come pre acclimatized, if you wish to use supplemental O2.
Advantages of using Oxygen
There are multiple reasons why you might choose to use Oxygen on Aconcagua:
- To reduce exposure to high altitude, extreme cold and the risk of frostbite
- To take advantage of a shorter summit window during a shorter 12 day climb
- To increase your chances of success and safety
- To familiarize yourself with Oxygen system as part of Himalayan Training
- To just make your summit day experience less strained and more enjoyable!
For these reasons and more, we are pioneering a new alternative way to climb Aconcagua, by offering you supplemental Oxygen on summit day. By doing so, you will be able to "lower" the summit by about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). Climbing up the 7,000 meters of Aconcagua will feel more like a 6,000 meter peak, significantly increasing your chances of summiting, and leaving you feel more rested afterwards. Using supplemental oxygen can also shave 2 days off our already fast and very successful 12 Day speed ascent. There's no faster way to climb Aconcagua!
How does it work?
We will have a Summit System and an On-Demand System available throughout your climb. Our guides train clients on Oxygen use extensively at Base Camp and also briefly before leaving in Mendoza, to ensure you feel comfortable with how to use the equipment.
Climbing Aconcagua with supplemental Oxygen does increase prices significantly vs. our regular 12 Day Climb, because a porter has to carry your bottle/s all the way to High Camp and then down to Base Camp. Furthermore, Oxygen is expensive and so are the regulators you will use. We insist on using the highest quality equipment and refuse to cut corners when it comes to such critical gear, so this is also reflected in our price.
Is Oxygen necessary?
While climbing Aconcagua is certainly possible without Oxygen, we believe it should be up to individual climbers to decide what options are best suited for their goals and needs. Some people have criticized using Oxygen on Aconcagua, however we like push back on this perspective. There are already multiple services and equipment, such as porters and helicopters, which most expeditions use to make the mountain safer and within reach of more people. Using Oxygen is simply an extension of this that has the potential to make climbing Aconcagua safer and significantly increase the chances of reaching the summit.
Our 12 Day Climb with Oxygen program also offers the following options:
Helicopter flight from the trailhead to Base Camp
This shaves 2 days off the approach to Base Camp (this is optional and will need to be arranged at the last minute depending on flying conditions. Cost is ~USD $1800 for 3 people) Call or email us for more info on this.
Rental of Altitude Training System
Hypoxic tent, ONLY available in the US & Canada (possibly the UK) for shipping. If you live outside of the US & Canada you can buy the system.
We have done the research and tried it ourselves and the Hypoxic tent system really works! If you are willing to sleep for 4-6 weeks at home in this tent, you will be pre-acclimatized for Aconcagua. You can even watch a movie at home in your Hypoxic chamber, among other things, and regulate your elevation right where you are, increasing it week by week!
Important: We STRONGLY recommend using a Hypoxic tent if you are planning to climb Aconcagua in 12 Days. The pre-acclimatization is critical to ensuring you have a successful climb.
Hypoxico offers altitude training equipment starting at $150 a week. They also offer a special Rent-to-Own program. If you decide to keep the unit after your rental period, you can apply up to 8 weeks of your rental cost towards a full buyout! The Rent-to-Own program is a great way to test the equipment and ensure it delivers the performance benefits you are looking for. Please let us know if you are interested and we can arrange the Hypoxico rental for you, or feel free to reach out to Hypoxico directly and let them know you are climbing with Aventuras Patagonicas to receive a 10% discount!
Methods and Explanations of Altitude Training
There are three main training methods used to gain the benefits of Altitude Training:
- Sleeping at altitude
- Exercising at altitude
- Intermittent Hypoxic Training
By engaging in these, you can expect the following physiological reactions to occur:
- Amplified pulmonary oxygen absorption
- Boosted production of Erythropoietin Hormone (EPO) by the kidneys, stimulating generation of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and enhanced oxygen transportation through the body
- Increased capillarization for greater oxygen delivery to the tissues, muscles and brain
- Enhanced production and rejuvenation of mitochondria (the cell’s hub for aerobic energy production) and mitochondrial enzymes, allowing more efficient use of oxygen for energy production and superior enzymatic anti-oxidative defense.
Visit the Hypoxico website for more info on Hypoxic Training.
Dates of Trips
2024 – 2025
Nov 30 – Dec 11, 2024
Dec 7 – 18, 2024
Dec 17 – 28, 2024
Dec 27, 2024 – Jan 7, 2025
Jan 4 – 15, 2025
Jan 11 – Jan 22, 2025
Jan 18 – 29, 2025
Jan 25 – Feb 5, 2025
Feb 1 – 12, 2025
Rates
$6,950
Cost for reserving: $800
Deposit amounts are insurable through Global Rescue and IMG.
Waiting List: If an expedition departure you are interested in is full, please contact us to be put on the expedition’s waiting list. In the event of a cancellation, qualified applicants will be able to get that new spot and register.
Itinerary
Cost Includes
- Professional Mountain Guides
- Oxygen for summit day (more 02 available if needed at extra cost)
- Porter to bring your O2 for summit day
- 2 nights hotel accommodation in Mendoza at the
- Mendoza Park Hyatt Hotel with breakfast buffet (1 night at the beginning of the expedition and 1 night at the end of the expedition)
- Mules
- All expedition food
- All land transportation (except for airport drop off, we leave this as leisure since many people travel afterwards etc, this can be arrange directly at reception at the Hyatt as well)
- All community gear such as: tents, stoves, state of the art Base Camp, cooking gear, medical kits, satellite phones, radios, gamow bag, pulse-oximeters, etc.
You are responsible for
- Round-trip flights to and from Mendoza, Argentina
- Aconcagua climbing permit fee ($700 to $900 depending on season) which you will pay in Mendoza, accompanied by your guide. South Americans pay about half of this amount and Argentinean Citizens about 1/4 of that amount.
- Flight out of Base Camp to trailhead (cost is about USD$1,800 for 3 people ($600 each))
- Meals in Mendoza
*PORTERS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE, BUT NOT INCLUDED, YOU NEED TO LET US KNOW IF YOU WISH A PORTER AND WE WILL HAVE IT ALL ARRANGED FOR YOU.
Porters cost from $160 to $320 per load carry depending on Altitude they carry to. You will need a maximum of 5 to 6 load carries from Base Camp to High Camp and back down to Base Camp again (about $1,200 USD), if you choose to have a porter for each carry, and move, and for the descent of the mountain.
Porters will be available at Base Camp. The final number of estimated load carries may be decided at Base Camp.
A Porter will be included only to carry your Oxygen to high camp for summit day.
- Personal equipment
- Passport
- Personal items and services (laundry, snacks, drinks, tips, etc.)
- Expenses incurred in the case of a rescue or early departure from the expedition
- SAT phone charges
- *Porter fee (If used) . Porter is included to bring your summit O2
- Extra O2 besides the provided by us for summit day
