We would like to extend a hearty welcome to the members of our January 5th Aconcagua expedition!  The team members have been arriving in the small, vibrant city of Mendoza, Argentina over the past couple of days.  Located in the heart of the Argentine wine country, Mendoza is a fun place to spend some time, and the climbers have been exploring the sights, sounds and numerous verdant parks of the city.

The climbers are joining us from very different parts of the US, and all but one of th eteam have climbed with Mountain Trip on previous expeditions.  Let’s meet the team!

J.Y. Jones is joining us from Georgia
Allen Wilson is from HoustonJonathon Sugarman hails from Seattle
Reinette Marek is also from Houston

Our guides are Fermin Avila from El Bolson, Argentina and Nick Shepherd from Anchorage, Alaska.

The team will spend today finalizing their preparations, reviewing their equipment and going out for a nice welcome dinner.  Tomorrow, they will head to the small ski resort of Penitentes, located near the trailhead for the Vacas Valley, which they will follow for the first two days of their approach to the mountain.  Penitentes is a couple hours drive from Mendoza, and along the way, the team will stop and have lunch at the high desert town of Ushpallata, which is somewhat famous as the area in which the film Seven Years In Tibet was filmed.

We will post updates as we hear from the team, meaning that we hope to post daily.  The guides will encourage each climber to call in audio posts, so that you can hear about the trip in the words of the climbers.  On occasion, the team could be too busy to call in or the terrain or weather might prevent them from connecting via satellite phone.  If there is no post for a day or two, please keep in mind the axiom, “No News Is Good News!”

Enjoy!