Trip Report - Aconcagua Expedition 24 Dec 2017

Aconcagua Expedition

24th December 2017 – 15th January 2018

Leader: Sean James

There was a common theme amongst the group of 6 Aconcagua aspirants who flew out on Christmas Eve 2017 towards South America. They would all have Christmas lunch in the air and they had all climbed Mount Elbrus.

Landing on December 25th in the city of Mendoza and the wonderful Argentinian summer, we went directly to one of the delightful pavement restaurants around the Plaza Independencia. Those who had not been to Argentina before, that is, everyone, was astonished at the friendliness of the people and the simple quality of the food.

However this was not a food or wine tour. Yet. Boxing Day arrived and we quickly picked up the climbing permits, having applied beforehand online, and took the private bus to the ski resort of Penitentes at 2200m, stopping of course for an asado (bbq) at lunch.

Settling into the apartment, the guides sorted through all the food and equipment while the clients enjoyed the stark mountains and stretched their legs with a short walk. It is Argentina so we had another fantastic meal in the evening.

Our trek into base camp at Plaza Argentina along the Vacas Valley took 3 days and was blessed with blue skies and asados each night prepared by the muleteers. The walking was not too strenuous and the local guides ensured the pace was steady and kept a look out for guanacos and condors. We were lucky.

Arriving at basecamp we were checked over by the doctor and all pronounced “fit to climb”. To celebrate we took a rest day and prepared personal equipment to carry up the next day to Camp 1. We had porters to carry all our group gear such as tents, gas, stoves. Some clients grouped together to hire personal porters and cut down on their weight, intending to enjoy their expedition and maximise their chances of a summit.

New Year was spent at basecamp and the local outfitters made us feel so welcome in their celebrations and with the quality of food some said it was their best New Year ever.

We had a schedule and never wavered from it, despite having the flexibility to do so if necessary. One bad day of weather during our rest day at Camp 1 had us slightly worried but with the addition of the new huge dome tent at Camp 1 we all enjoyed cooking, eating and hanging out. So much is packed into the period that we had to keep moving up the mountain and the carry to the next camp, named Guanacos Camp, surprised everyone at not being as tough as they had expected. Often reading too many novels and listening to too many explorers’ tales is not a good idea. The views from Guanacos Camp were stunning and we couldn’t wait to move up. When we did we had a rest day as planned, and donned our crampons and ice axes for a bit of practice.

The weather forecast was perfect for the 7th and 8th January with the famous Aconcagua winds lowering in speed. We were hopeful. All we had to do was keep our strength up and hope our nerve held. We did have 4 reserve summit days in case we had to sit it out. Our thoughts were on the summit on the 8th and using those spare days sampling the Malbec in Mendoza. Aconcagua was the first “expedition” style climb for many and all admitted a fair increase in challenge which was  different to Elbrus.

The 7th January came and we saw many people summit in blue skies. The afternoon and evening brought a lot of snow but still no winds. The temperature had risen slightly although still cold and we set off at 5am. We joined with another group from Adventure Peaks, led by Carrie, who had all just been to Ojos del Salado and were well acclimatised. Our numbers and energy had swelled. The weather held and so did our spirit. By the end of the day, of the 13 people who started out, all 13 had stood on the highest peak outside of the Himalaya. Some were surprised. Some excited. All very pleased.

The next day we completed the traverse of the mountain and descended to Plaza de Mulas, the basecamp on the normal route. We had another base there and our bags that we had left at Plaza Argentina many days ago on the other side of the mountain were magically waiting for us (transported by mules all the way around).

The hike out to the road head the next day was spectacular and the geologists amongst us took full advantage to practise their humour and knowledge on the rest of us lay people.

Again logistics were perfect and we were met at the road and transferred back to Mendoza, driving through a massive rain and hail storm with an accompaniment of thunder and lightning. We were in our rooms and showered by 10pm.