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 Truly the “Roof of the Americas,” Cerro
Aconcagua, at 22,834 ft. (6,959 meters) is
not only the highest mountain in South America,
but
also the highest peak outside of Asia. The
name Aconcagua is most likely a derivative
of the Incan words “Akon Cahuak,” meaning
Stone Sentinel. Located on the Chilean-
Argentine border, it is easily accessed through
the Argentine city of Mendoza.
The Mountain Trip Difference
Mountain Trip brings our high level of personal service to South America. In the age of big box commercial groups, our small team, personally tailored expeditions really stand out. We have completely restructured our Aconcagua program for 2009 to provide our climbers with an unparalleled level of service, aimed at giving you the best chance for success.
We are excited to offer expeditions via the Ameghino Valley Route . We plan for extra days and support our upper camps, which gives our climbers a better opportunity to acclimatize and prepare for the rigors of summit day. Our program also lessens the workload of the expedition, and increases your enjoyment of the dramatic landscape you are climbing through.
Why
is our Ameghino Valley Route THE best choice?
1. . We plan extra days into our itinerary to acclimatize at Base Camp, and make three higher camps instead of the traditional two camps on the Polish Traverse route. By spending extra time in the relative comfort of the Plaza Argentina Base Camp, we help develop a solid foundation of acclimatization. Acclimatization is of utmost importance to succeed at high altitude and we feel that one of the keys to our success is been our acclimatization schedule.
2. . We stock our upper camps with food, fuel and equipment, so that our climbers are carrying much less weight on their backs than unsupported climbers. Our goal is for our climbers to carry no more than 30 lbs (14Kg) as they ascend and descend the mountain. This lessens the physical stress which could help you acclimatize better, and definitely makes for a more enjoyable experience.  3. . The Ameghino Valley route enables us to utilize three camps on the upper mountain, which lessens the workload of each day, eases the acclimatization strain, and enables us to leave the crowds of climbers headed to the traditional Polish Glacier High Camp.
4. . All of our climbers in our 2008/09 expeditions expressed how much they really enjoyed traversing the mountain. The juxtaposition of the Vacas and Horcones Valleys made for a very special conclusion of a true circuit hike, instead of just walking out the valley you had seen on your approach. There are tangible benefits as well. After summiting from our White Rocks high camp, it is much shorter to descend the Normal Route to the tent city at the Plaza de Mulas Base Camp, than to re-trace our route. We spend the night in Plaza de Mulas following our descent, and have our expedition gear ferried out on mules the next day, allowing us to enjoy the walk out with only light daypacks.
Why go with Mountain Trip?
Mountain Trip guides have been leading climbers to the summit of Aconcagua since 1996. All of our expeditions are lead by our our lead guides who have done multiple ascents of Aconcagua
and have great relationships with the local outfitters
and the park rangers. We have raised the bar on high altitude cuisine and across the board service.
Nowadays, there are a number of low cost alternative guide services working on Aconcagua. Some of them do a pretty good job, but we believe that the level of training and client care that our guides are able to provide is well worth the additional expenses incurred by having to fly them down to Argentina and paying them the salaries that they deserve. You need to have faith in your guides' abilities to look after you when the going gets tough, which is why we only send our proven guides on our expeditions.
For the 2009/2010 season, we have restructured our entire Aconcagua program to provide you with the very best service available. Examples include:
-
Dining on wood grilled Argentine meat on the hike in, while neighboring teams are cooking pasta on camp stoves. -Comfortable Base Camp facitilites complete with tables, chairs and even access to hot showers, if you are so inclined. -Supported upper camps, so that you can climb with a very moderate load and enjoy your time on the mountain instead of suffering under a huge pack.
Look at your expedition as an investment. We will work with you for months preceding your climb and will supply you with the very best service and highly trained guides on the mountain, so as to help ensure that you get the very best return on your investment.
A Sample
Itinerary:
 Day 1: Our group will meet in the small, lively city of Mendoza, Argentina,
capital of the world renowned Argentine wine country. The guides will check
everyone’s gear and you can pick up any last
minute necessities.
Day 2: We will pick up our climbing permits and drive to the ski resort of Penitentes where we will organize
our gear for the mule drivers to carry in on our three day approach to Base Camp. We’ll
eat and sleep one last night in a hotel at 9,000
ft. (2750 m) before hitting the trail in the morning.
Day 3: After a short drive to the trail head, we set out from the mouth
of the Vacas Valley. About six hours of hiking through a desert valley
(reminiscent of parts of the Grand Canyon) will get us to “Pampas de Lenas,” our
first camp on our approach, located at about 9,000
ft. (2750 m) After we establish camp, our Arrieros (mule drivers) will cook Argentine steaks for us, gaucho style!
Day 4: A similar day of hiking with day packs rewards us with a fantastic
view of Aconcagua! We’ll make camp at 10,000 ft. (3050 m), at the junction
of the Relinchos and Vacas Valleys, where we can look right up at perhaps the
most magnificent aspect of the “Stone Sentinel.” Once again, dinner and entertainment will be provided by our Arrieros.
Day 5: We cross the Rio Vacas in the early morning on horseback and will follow the Relinchos Valley
as it climbs steeply to the bustling Plaza Argentina Base Camp at 13,800 ft. (4200 m). The valley expands after the initial climb, and we spend the day hiking right under the most stunning aspect of the mountain. Dinner will be provided by our base camp staff and served in spacious dining tents.
Day 6: Acclimatization day. We just gained a lot of altitude climbing to Plaza Argentina, so we'll slow down, rest and enjoy the relative luxuries of Base Camp.
Day 7: Carry to Camp 1. Much of our food, fuel and supplies will already be at Camp 1, so we will hike with light packs in order to maximixe our acclimatization to this new altitude of 16,300 ft. (4970 m).
Day 8: Acclimatization day in Base Camp. The climb to Camp 1 was about 2,500 feet (800 meters), and we are trying to average about 1000 feet (300 meters) per day, so this additional acclimatization day at Base Camp will help keep us on schedule.
Day9: Move on up to Camp 1. This
camp looks over the entire Relinchos Valley,
so our views are
growing.
Day 10: Load carrying to Camp 2 at 18,000 ft. (5480 m) will take us off the beaten path and through the beautiful Ameghino Valley to camp. Once again, our packs will be light, as the bulk of our food, fuel and supplies will already be at camp, waiting for us.
Day 11: Move up to Camp 2. The views here are staggering! The
summit of Cerro Ameghino is just to our
east, to the north we can see the 22,000
ft. (6700 m) Cerro Mercedario dominating
the horizon and the
array of peaks we had been
looking up at from our previous camps
are now below us.
Day 12: Rest and acclimatization day. We may go for a short hike above camp, or we may make a carry to High Camp by
climbing over the remnants of a dead glacier
and
continue in a rising traverse
through a surreal landscape
of multi-colored
rock
towers as we make our final carry to
our high camp at White Rocks.
Day 13: Up we go to White Rocks, which is perched on the north ridge of
Aconcagua at around 20,000 ft. From
here we can look down upon the upper
camps of the Normal Route and
look up at our goal for the
next morning-the
summit.
Day 14: Summit day! A pre-dawn start is necessary for this, the longest
day of our trip. We’ll work our way up, past the wreckage of the
old “Independencia” hut, to a rising traverse into the broad gully
that leads to the summit; the “Canaleta.” Depending on conditions,
ice axes, crampons and ropes might be necessary along the traverse. Above
the Canaleta, we’ll skirt along the south ridge, with views down the tremendous
South Face of the mountain, to the final rocky steps up to the summit! Save some
energy for the descent, keeping in mind that the summit is only halfway today. Round
trip time can take anywhere from 7-12
hours, depending on conditions.
Day 15- 17: Contingency days. If the weather or altitude slows us at some point, these days will give us a better chance of making a summit bid. If we do not use them on the mountain, we can enjoy them touring vineyards, whitewater rafting or just enjoying the lazy lifestyle of Mendoza.
Day 18: After sleeping in a bit, we’ll break camp, load up, and drop
down the Normal Route to the Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. We will employ local porters to help us move our gear down to Base Camp. Three hours
down hill with a light pack is much easier on your body than five hours with a heavy one! At Plaza de Mulas, we'll meet up with our mule drivers, who will deliver our gear to the trail head the
next day. Plaza de Mulas is a veritable tent city with restaurants, taverns
telephone and internet service. There’s
even a hotel on the far side of the valley!
Day 19: The hike out the Horcones Valley goes relatively quickly as it’s
mostly a gradual descent and we only have our daypacks to carry. The valley
is huge and fascinating, both aesthetically as well as geologically. At
the mouth we’ll check out with
the park rangers and be driven back to
the hotel at Penitentes for showers
and a celebratory meal!
Day 20: Back to Mendoza. Though
it is sometimes possible to change flights
in order to fly out this day,
it is worth taking
some time to explore
this interesting city.
: Airport Transfer to hotel in Mendoza, Welcome Dinner, two nights accomodation in hotels in Mendoza, all scheduled land transportation between Mendoza and Penitentes, hotel in Penitentes, all food and group gear on the climb, scheduled mule support to Basecamp and from Plaza de Mulas back to the trailhead, porter assistance for all upper camps and on the descent, and Mountain Trip's expert American guides.
: Mountaineering Permit fee for Aconcagua Provincial Park, additional meals and lodging in Mendoza, personally incurred on-mountain expenses.
Looking over the Pacific Ocean from High Camp
***Special thanks to our guide Drew Ludwig for the use of his photos. All photos are copywrite by Drew Ludwig, 2007 |
