Aconcagua 25th Nov 17

Aconcagua Expedition

25th November – 17th December 2017

Expedition Leader: Carrie Gibson

11th December

First Success of the season on Aconcagua. Carrie called this evening to say that they made their summit bid on the 10th. They set off from Camp Colera at 5am in a clear night sky and with very little wind; the forecast had been proving accurate with respect to the wind speeds. Rob made it half way up the Canelletta, just 150m vertically from the top before calling it a day. Tristan pushed on and reached the summit. On the way down the weather closed in and so the team were relieved to make it back in to camp before the pea soup clouds enveloped everything. Today the tired, happy climbers made it down to Plaza de Mulas base camp on the other side of the mountain and are looking forward to a good nights sleep before trekking back to the road head and back to Mendoza.

8th December

Carrie called in this morning to say the team had a comfortable night last night and so far the winds are not as strong as forecast. Let’s hope it stays that way. They will spend their time relaxing keeping hydrated and eating. If the weather stays reasonable they may stretch their legs with a short walk up towards Camp Colera, but with no intention to go as far as the camp. The weather is still looking good for the 10th & 11th, but winds picking up after the 11th.

7th December

Bad weather is due to come in tomorrow so the team decided to move up to Camp 3 today and be in place to sit out the strong winds rather than battling their way up to camp tomorrow. There is a narrow weather window forming on  the 10th and 11th that the group have their eye on, so fingers crossed they get their chance when the winds ease.

5th December

Carrie and the team have now moved up to Camp 1 today. Alex was not feeling good enough to head back up to Camp 1 so has made the difficult decision to head back out with a trekking guide.

4th December

Carrie has sent through some stunning shots of the sky today.

3rd December

With the luxury of wifi at basecamp, Carrie has sent another update. Yesterday we set out from base camp on a lovely sunny day. The breeze is a wee bit chilly so we have moved to the warmer layering and I’ve had to ditch the shorts. There is very little snow on the route to BC so the penitentes aren’t so big. We carried a load that mainly consisted of the food we will eat once we move up on the mountain. The weather closed in for the second part of the day, and we arrived in Camp 1 in the middle of a hail storm. We stashed the food and put stones on the bag so it’s still there when we go back and made a hasty retreat! We made good time on the way back down. We arrived to tea and donuts which was fab, followed shortly after by our dinner. We have had great food – pizza, lasagne, roast chicken – lots to power us through!

Today is a rest day and we’re organising our kit for going higher. We have to be ruthless and leave all the luxuries behind.

2nd December

The team are now happily at base camp at Plaza Argentina, 4200m. Carrie says the base camp cooks are the same team as last year so it’s nice to see them again and their food is excellent so far. The team have enjoyed lasagne for dinner, chicken at lunch and the BBQ a couple of days ago was also amazing – bodes well for stocking up on energy before they move up to higher climes. Since arriving at base camp it’s been the usual story of sorting food, stoves, tents and kit for the next stage of the expedition, and ensuring everyone is prepared for camp life higher up the mountain. Today it’s a hike up to Camp 1 and load carry for their next camp. Walking up to Camp 1 and then returning to base camp to sleep will help the acclimatisation process, as they say ‘climb high, sleep low’.

29th November

Adventure Peaks clients always like to claim a first at something. Well our intrepid travellers are the first and only team on the way into base camp at the moment, although that will change as we head into December. The upside is they get first dibs on all the best camping spots. Carrie reports that it’s been hot on the first couple of days trekking, but the team have been moving well. It’s windy at Casa de Piedra, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. The group also got their first views of Aconcagua looking down the Relinchos valley. This approach into Aconcagua offers by far the most dramatic views of the mountain with the large sweeping glacial slopes of the South Face and the Polish Glacier. Large cloud plumes are blowing from the summit at the moment. Tomorrow the team have the pleasure of the early morning river crossing (Brrrr! It’s very cold), before they head into the Relinchos valley en-route to Plaza Argentinas, the base camp on this side of the mountain. After that they will have a rest day as they acclimate to the heady heights of base camp at 4200m.

28th November

After driving to Penitentes yesterday afternoon the team made their final preparations ready for the start of the trek into base camp. Today they make their way to the first camp at Pampa de Lenas, which takes about 6 hours. The team are excited to be on their way and looking forward to the challenges ahead. Tonight the mulateers will lay on a BBQ to celebrate the start of their adventure.

27th November

Today has been spent organising permits, shopping for food and last minute bits. The team are happy to have arrived in Mendoza and are looking forward to starting the expedition.

25th November

All checked in and ready to go! How many pairs of socks did you say you needed?