The team descended to the bustling city-like atmosphere of Plaza de Mulas, the Base Camp for the western approach to Aconcagua. Thousands of climbers pass through this camp, attempting the “normal Route” up the west side of the peak. The team did well on the descent, dropping down over 5000′ in about four hours. They…
Johnathan Sugarman just called in minutes ago from the summit of Aconcagua! He, Allen and Fermin are all standing on the summit after a long climb up from High Camp. Fermin and our guide Nick Shepherd are in radio contact with one another, so we’ll hear from the remaining climbers soon. Summit day is a…
Nick called in this evening from high camp on Aconcagua. It was another beautiful day and they are settled in and resting up for their summit try tomorrow. The forecast sounds good for the next few days, so they are in a great position to get a shot at the top of Aconcagua. They’ll have…
The team enjoyed good weather today for their carry to Camp 2. They woke up, packed up a load of food, fuel and supplies, and ascended the broad bowl of scree at the uppermost portion of the Relinchos Valley. From this point, the team headed north to follow the Ameghino Valley, that separates Cerro Ameghino…
Nick Shepherd called in from Camp 1 at about 16,400′ on the east side of Aconcagua. The team moved up today and all the climbers did well. The climb takes between 4-5 hours, and gains a lot of elevation, close to 3,000′. This camp is nice, as it has some great views looking far, far…
The team took a rest and acclimatization day today, enjoying the amenities of Plaza Argentina, the Base Camp on the east side of Aconcagua. This is an important extra day of acclimatization before the crew launches up to Camp 1 tomorrow. Johnathan Called in two posts this afternoon, one with a nice description of the…
Nick Shepherd called in a post, which was unfortunately a bit garbled, due to the challenges of satellite phones in the mountains. The team took a rest day yesterday, allowing their bodies to acclimatize a bit from the big, 1000m climb up from the camp at Casa de Piedra. Today they awoke refresh and rested,…
The team had beautiful weather today for their move up to the Plaza Argentina base camp. It was a bit over 6 hours of trekking to reach what will be their home for the next several nights. At base camp we have a big dining tent with tables and chairs and a cook providing great…
I spoke to both Allen and Nick yesterday, and they reported that the team made good time to Casa Piedra, “stone house,” the team’s second approach camp. Nick mentioned that it was a particularly windy day, but everyone is doing great and feeling good. Today the team plans to depart Casa Piedra, cross the Vacas…
Today the team made its way up the Vacas Valley to camp at Pampa de Lenas, located at approximately 9,000 ft. The team followed the Vacas river for about four hours before reaching camp. Nick reports good weather (hot! 80 F) and good company! The team is in for a treat tonight for dinner. The…