The team summited today at about 3:30 PM Argentina time!
12 people from the team summited!
A great success.

The team is safely at high Camp tonight and they will descend to Base Camp tomorrow

A big congratulation to all of them!

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Summit day on Aconcagua is a tremendous challenge no matter which route you are on. Reaching Aconcagua’s 22,834’ summit, especially the final 3,600’ to the summit, for many will be one of the toughest physical and mental challenges they will ever encounter. It is the most demanding and serious day of the expedition. It is here where taking the time to properly acclimatize by ferrying loads and taking extra days in Base Camp will pay off. It is here where it pays off to have followed the equipment list. It is here where you feel that you are getting your money’s worth by having expert High Altitude Guides guiding and pacing you closely, and constantly assessing how your body is coping with the altitude. A good window of weather is needed for Summit Day. We have several days for the summit set aside on our itinerary. A calm, windless day is optimal.

After an early start it is not unusual to spend 12 hrs climbing up to the summit, leaving camp with headlamps from Piedras Blancas, at 19,200′. An hour later we connect with the Normal Route trail, often a cold morning with a light breeze, where -20 F is not unusual for Summit Day before the sun comes up. Gentle slopes will take us to Independencia, an old abandoned wooden hut at 20,790’. Normally the sun shines here for the first time that day. It is pleasant but still very cold. The next section is called “El Paso del Viento” (meaning the Pass of the Wind), where often there is a strong breeze even on calm days. This pass is entirely in shadow this time of the day, and it is critical to move with efficiency through this section to avoid frostbite, and worse case scenario, to abort our summit attempt due to severe cold or weather.

The next section is called the Canaleta, at 21,450′. This can be the crux of the entire climb, depending on conditions. Sometimes it can be covered with hard packed snow. Snow in the Canaleta is ideal. Or sometimes the slope is dry with loose boulders and scree. Pacing yourself becomes difficult, due to altitude and the loose scree and boulders underfoot, making upward progress frustrating and challenging. We often rope people up through some sections where a potential long slip could occur. Note: remember that you DO NOT need a harness for this route. Guides carry a rope and webbing to quickly rig a harnesses if needed. After the Canaleta The Summit Ridge is reached, just 300 from the Summit. This last section takes normally up to 1 hour. From the Summit Ridge you can look down the spectacular South Face of Aconcagua, a gigantic 10,000 face of rock, snow, and ice. The South Face is one of the hardest and most renowned routes in the Andes, a serious undertaking for even the expert climber.

After summiting the group will return to High Camp and get a well deserved rest The next day they will descend the Normal Route to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. Here we they will spend the night and arrange the gear for the mules to carry out. The next day is a one day walk out to the trailhead where transport will meet the team to be driven to Mendoza for a well deserved rest at the Mendoza Park Hyatt.

Let’s hope for the best on this summit day, they are working hard up hill as we write this. We are attaching a pic of Aconcagua’s summit ridge on a previous Aventuras Patagonicas Expedition.

Best
The Aventuras Patagonicas Team

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Today they will be moving to High Camp since winds are slowing down significantly. They will be at High Camp tonight and possibly tackle the summit tomorrow AM or the next day. Group will work hard today moving up and setting Camp at 5,850 mt (19,200′).

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The weather is looking very reasonable like this weather forecast shows.

We will keep you posted with more exiting news!

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We will keep you posted. I am attaching a picture of the team on DAY 5 approaching to Base Camp, this picture was taking a few days ago and sent to us from Base Camp

Best,
The Aventuras Patagonicas Team

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The team reached Base Camp yesterday. All members doing well. Rest and acclimatization day at Base Camp today. We want everyone to have the best possible chance to make the summit. The most effective way to do this is to take the time to acclimatize to the low oxygen environment. We will incorporate rest days into our schedule and climb in traditional expedition style. We will be carrying loads up to the next camp and returning to sleep below at the previous camp. The next day we will move to the higher camp. This is an excellent method of acclimatization, which is our main focus throughout your expedition.

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Yesterday (Feb 5th) our 8th expedition of this season departed from Mendoza to Penitentes to start our acclimatization process at 2,700 meters.

Today they will start hiking the Vacas and Ameghino Valleys to Base Camp. Mules will carry their gear. Here they begin the route, which was established in 1934 by a Polish Expedition. After three days of spectacular, colorful, high desert scenery they will reach our Base Camp, at 13,800’. The hike to Base Camp is approximately 40 kilometers and gives them the perfect chance to begin their acclimatization.

Lead Guide Wesley Bunch and Guides Pablo Borja and Bernardo Oliver, will be calling us every 3 days or so for weather updates and team news, so we will keep you posted.

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Today the team reached the summit of the highest mountain in the World outside the Himalayas (with an altitude of 22,834 ft). A great achievement that they surely never forget!

Now they will complete the Aconcagua traverse, by going down by a different route to the base camp of the normal route, Plaza de Mulas. And after that they will go down to the city of Mendoza to rest and have a celebration dinner.

Congratulations to the group and the guides for the great effort!

We are attaching a picture of summit, taken by a previous group.

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Today the team reach the High Camp, at almost 6.000 m!

They are doing a great job and looking forward to reach the summit tomorrow. They will get up early and after breakfast they will begin the to the top of the highest peak outside of Himalayas.

We attach a picture taken  in a previous trip.

We will keep you posted.

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The group reached Camp II (17,700 ft) today. They are working hard and trying to gain altitude while keeping the energy.

They are now resting and tomorrow will see if they can move forward to the High Camp, at almost 6,000m (19,600 ft). Otherwise they will stay resting in camp II.

We are attaching a picture  from a previous trip.

We will keep you informed.

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