As the days grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, why not chase the sun and head south?!?  A team of climbers from various latitudes in the US are headed to the western edge of Argentina to attempt to climb the highest peak in all of the Americas, Cerro Aconcagua.

Rising to almost 7000 meters, this peak is known as the Stone Sentinel and the moniker makes sense to this climber, as you can gaze all the way to the Pacific Ocean from the top of the mountain.  The team will climb a variation of the classic route known as the Polish Traverse, which approaches the peak from the southeast, ascends the east side and drops down the the west after summit day.  The climbing is not technical, but the high altitude and the notoriously windy weather make the route very challenging.

Let’s meet the team!

Climbers:

Rich Cochrane from Washington State

Ron Pichler from Alaska

Scott Tippet from Colorado

Jack Strickland from Texas

Laura Duncan (our intrepid Office Manager!) from Colorado

Guides:

Joe Butler from Alaska

Agustin Karriere from Mendoza, Argentina

We will endeavor to post daily updates while the team is on the mountain, but please understand that, due to the complexities of communicating from such rugged terrain, this is not always possible.  Feel free to contact our office for the latest news, but if a day or so passes without an update, hold onto the age-old axiom of, “No News is Good News,” because less than good news always finds a way to get communicated.

Please post comments to support your friends and family members.  We cannot always convey those comments to climbers on the mountain, but they will really enjoy reading them once they are back down in “civilization.”

Enjoy!