Argentina - Aconcagua - Ruta Normal

Argentina

Ruta Normal (Northwest Ridge)

Cerro Aconcagua (22,841')

Overview

Difficulty Rating: Aconcagua, F
Experience Level: Advanced Beginner
Duration: 23 days
Climbers: 6-8
Guides: 3
Land Cost: $4600

Expedition Code

AGRT-10-01080130

Dates

Jan 8 - Jan 30, 2010

Expedition Goals

Cerro Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemisphere, the highest mountain outside of Asia, and one of the Seven Summits. Our route is the Ruta Normal (Standard Route), a non-technical ascent along the northwest ridge; the less challenging of this technically forgiving mountain’s two normal routes, offering spectacular vistas and moderate climbing at high altitude.

Prerequisites

Participation in this climbing expedition requires intermediate mountaineering skills. You must have a good working knowledge of the techniques for staying warm and dry while climbing, traveling and camping in extremely cold conditions, and the proper use of ice axe and crampons. High altitude experience up to 14,000 feet and glacier travel experience, though not required, would be helpful. For reasons of personal and team safety and success, it is imperative you arrive for this climb in excellent physical condition.

Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive in Argentina; transfer from airport; hotel check-in; administration & logistics. Arrive in Mendoza (2,600’), where an Expedition-Logistics guide will be waiting to greet you. After a gear inventory and hotel check-in, take some time to relax or explore the city. This evening, get to know your guides and teammates at the welcome dinner and expedition briefing.

Day 2 — Casual wake-up; transfer to Puente del Inca. This morning we depart Mendoza and load into 4x4s for the four-hour drive to Puente del Inca (8,900'), a geological natural bridge spanning the river, and a once popular, but now run-down hot springs spa. We overnight in a dormitory building.

Day 3 — Early wake-up; transfer to trailhead; trek to Confluencia. After breakfast we load into 4x4s for the short drive to the trailhead, where we meet up with our mule drivers. We load up the pack animals and begin our approach hike. For today’s six-mile leg of the approach we follow the Rio Horcones for a couple of hours, eventually arriving at the confluence of the Upper and Lower Horcones Rivers. Crossing the Lower Horcones, we continue up the valley to our camp at Confluencia (11,450').

Day 4 — Early wake-up; trek to Plaza Franzia; return to Confluencia. This morning we take an acclimatization hike to Plaza Franzia (12,800’), basecamp for those expeditions attempting the massive South Face of Aconcagua; by anyone’s estimation one of the world’s most difficult alpine climbs. After a leisurely lunch at Plaza Franzia, we return to Confluencia for a second night of acclimatization.

Day 5 — Casual wake-up; mandatory rest day. Today is a rest day to promote recovery and allow for proper acclimatization. It is important to remember that rest and recuperation are vital to the acclimatization process and the prevention of altitude sickness. Our well thought-out and proven system of active acclimatization – incremental increases in altitude and exertion in combination with sufficient recovery time and proper nutrition – has paid off time and again with a consistently high success rate summit days. We will use our time reviewing skills, exploring the surrounding area and organizing food and gear for tomorrow’s trek to basecamp.

Day 6 — Early wake-up; trek to basecamp. This morning we continue our approach to basecamp along the Upper Horcones River. Today’s 12-mile leg of the approach is mostly flat, steepening slightly towards the end. We arrive at Plaza de Mulas basecamp (14,200’) in the late afternoon and spend the rest of the day getting settled in and recuperating from the day’s hike.

Day 7 — Casual wake-up; mandatory rest day. Today is a rest day to promote recovery and allow for proper acclimatization. We will use our time reviewing skills on the Upper Horcones Glacier, exploring the surrounding area, and organizing food and gear for tomorrow’s carry to Camp Canada.

Day 8 — Early wake-up; carry to Camp 1; return to basecamp. This morning we shoulder packs loaded with food, fuel, climbing gear and other items we’ll need in the coming days as we climb higher up the mountain, and make a carry to Camp 1. After several hours worth of climbing, we arrive at Camp 1, also known as Camp Canada, (16,200’) and cache our loads. We take a short break to eat, hydrate and catch our breath, then descend to basecamp to recuperate. Our strategy is the time-proven adage “climb high; sleep low,” and is the cornerstone of our system of active acclimatization.

Day 9 — Casual wake-up; mandatory rest day. Today is a rest day to promote recovery and allow for proper acclimatization. We will use this time to organize additional loads to carry for tomorrow’s move to Camp 1. Our climb of this massive mountain requires more food, fuel and gear than we could ever fit into our packs on one carry; a problem solved by this system of leap-frogging loads ever higher up the mountain.

Day 10 — Casual wake-up; move to Camp 1. This morning we once again shoulder our heavy loads and climb the steep scree slopes that lead to Camp 1. After setting up camp we spend the remainder of the day organizing gear and recuperating, and enjoying views of the upper reaches of Aconcagua.

Day 11 — Early wake-up; carry to Camp 2; return to Camp 1. Today we depart early, carrying loads of food and fuel to Camp 2. After a long, ascending traverse we arrive at a small camp called Cambio de Pendientes, where we take a short break. We continue climbing on a more direct line, and finally arrive at the saddle separating Aconcagua and Cerro Cuerno, the site of Camp 2, also known as Nido de Condores (17,750’). After caching our gear, we take a short break to recover from our climb, take in the views, and descend to Camp 1. We spend the remainder of the day recuperating from our carry and preparing for tomorrow’s move to Camp 2.

Continue to next page