Trip Reports

Aconcagua 15 Dec '14 - 6 Jan '15

On the way up
Trip Report

Written by Leader Matthew Parkes, February 2015

ìYou have to be in it to win itî - a phrase that has stayed with me in my mountaineering career for a long time, I'm not really sure where it came from but its a good philosophy....

I have been involved in the planning of many expeditions to Aconcagua over the years working for Jagged Globe. It has to be said that I was intrigued by this mountain; whilst technically straight forward, many people fail to reach its summit. It has a harsh reputation for poor weather, mostly cold and windy conditions. Combine this with several camps on the mountain, plus load carrying and you have a challenge on your hands! Preparation is key if you are to succeed.

We started our expedition from Mendoza after a long flight via Madrid and Buenos Airies. I have to say that leaving the cold dark winter behind and arriving in warm sunshine was a sheer pleasure. Having checked into our hotel I introduced our local guides Ulises and Augustin to the team. Between them they had experience of over 50 summits on Aconcagua and, if successful, this was to be Uli's 49th time on top. Fingers crossed!

After a short briefing and equipment check, we headed into town to purchase last minute items and soak up the atmosphere in Mendoza. As you can imagine there is much to do here. In 2008, National Geographic listed Mendoza as one of the top 10 historic and sustainable tourism destinations in the world (http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/nd08-historic-places-rated.pdf). The area's main industries are wine making and olive oil production (two products I happen to like very much) throw in steak to die for and you have a winning formula. You wont be disappointed.

The following day our adventure began, the team set off for the mountain. We arrived in Penetentes where group equipment is organised. Penetentes is a very small collection of hotels built primarily to service the ski slopes either side of the valley and groups of climbers in the off season.

The first phase of the expedition is all about acclimatisation. We trekked up to a camp called Confluencia following the new Jagged Globe itinerary and spent three nights there. It's a dusty place and although rugged and rocky, the landscape is full of colour. From sunrise to sunset these different colours shine in reminding us that this landscape is constantly changing. We took our acclimatisation a step further at Confluencia by walking around to Plaza Francia. From here you get magnificent views of Acancagua's South face. We returned to camp in strong winds, giving us a taste of what we could be faced with on the mountain.

Acclimatised a little better it was time to move to base camp. As we departed it was clear the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The walk to base camp was to be the first test for the team, taking 7 hours in cold and windy conditions. We arrived in camp and the place seemed very inhospitable given the poor weather. Tents were erected and after some good food and and warm drinks most people retired to rest and take an early night.

The following morning we awoke in camp to clear skies and warm sunshine. Base camp felt like a different place and down jackets were exchanged for shorts once more. On this day we took a well earned rest and most people spent the day becoming acquainted with the local community. You can send emails, call home and also visit the world's highest art gallery.

Once rested and ready to go again we set our sights on the next phase of our acclimatisation programme. First we climbed Bonete Peak and all of the team made it to the summit on a perfectly sunny day. We had lunch on top and enjoyed some magnificent views of Aconcagua and the surrounding peaks in bordering Chile. The following day things stepped up a gear and we set off on our first load carry to camp 1. Everyone performed very well and it was apparent we had a very strong and capable group. This was good news because it was time for the second test, a full load carry from base camp straight to camp 2. I knew that if everyone could achieve this difficult task then we had a good chance of getting everyone to the summit.... given the weather predictions! Everyone in the group completed the test and feeling tired but determined we hit the scree run back down into base camp and Christmas dinner. The food was fantastic, roast whole goat and a glass of well deserved Malbec.

With everyone in good spirits feeling confident and acclimatised, it was time to look towards the summit. The weather was still excellent, which was starting to give me a little cause for concern. The weather definitely comes in cycles here, a week to ten days of sunshine is usually followed by four to five days of stormy conditions. Having already had a good week of fine sunshine there were rumours that a storm was on its way. Looking at the reports we would hopefully summit before this following our scheduled itinerary.

We set off for camp one and made the climb easily completing the first leg of our summit bid. Tents were erected and the endless task of melting snow began. Dinner consisted of Uli's award winning cheese burgers cooked in the guides tent and dished out to the team dining in the relatively warm evening sunshine. The food was great but the drawback was that I spent the next few days smelling of hamburgers, I enjoyed this for a short while but the novelty value soon wore off! In the evening I checked the weather report and my concerns about the storm became more pressing. The poor weather was closing in and looked like it would arrive sooner than expected. At this stage I took some relief in the fact that Jagged Globe offers a conservative itinerary so we had some days to play with, but not many.

After breakfast and a relaxed start we set off for camp two, again everyone arrived in good form. Back to the regime of cooking and melting snow, it was a priority to keep everyone well hydrated if they were to succeed. The following day was supposed to be a rest day, but after checking the weather it was clear that I had to change the itinerary if we were to have a chance. With 130km/h winds looming we made the decision to move to camp three the following day and try to summit the day after that. I put the plan to the team and went to bed with a feeling that our chance of making it to the summit was starting to slip away.

All evening we endured strong winds and after a discussion with Uli and Augustin there were concerns about even getting to camp three. We set about melting snow for breakfast and checked the weather again. The report was poor with strong winds forecast, getting worse tomorrow and thereafter. It did not look like a move to camp three would be possible, let alone having a go at the summit. Whilst cooking breakfast we had a visit from several people descending from camp three, with reports of at least five tents flattened and several even blown off the side of the mountain. We abandoned our move up and decided that we would remain at camp 2. BUT, not wanting to give up, we reconsidered our options. In my experience of climbing mountains you cannot always rely on a weather report, instead you need to combine the use of this helpful tool with sticking your head out of the tent door and making some good decisions. With this in mind I realised that now our only hope was to climb direct to the summit the following morning and try to beat the full force of the storm. I was very doubtful that we would make it, the weather forecast predicted winds in excess of 50 knots, increasing throughout the day. The forecast was telling me our summit bid was over. I called a meeting with Uli and Augustin to discuss the situation, feeling somewhat disappointed having got so far with such a strong team. After much discussion we decided we would give it a try and look at the conditions in the morning. It was a big ask to expect the group to climb direct from camp 2 in marginal weather. Knowing that the team would need all the support they could get, we planned to situate two additional local guides at camp 3. On arrival they would supply us with hot water and snacks before we climbed on to the upper reaches of the mountain. We would depart camp 2 at 3:30am, this would give us extra time to reach the summit. I briefed the team and we all got an early night.

We awoke as planned at 2am, to my surprise the wind was not as bad as forecast! Breakfast was quickly eaten and Uli set off with the team whilst Augustin and I flattened the tents, worried that the camp would be unmanned in potentially high winds. After about 40min we caught the team as they slowly climbed to camp three. By this point Karen had made the early decision to descend, not feeling too well. Augustin dropped down with her and then rejoined the group just below camp three. At this stage the winds were getting strong but still just about manageable. On arrival at camp three we met our support guides and sank several well earned cups of hot tea. Sid was suffering from the altitude and the decision was made for him to remain. This was disappointing as Sid was one of the strongest members of the team, it just shows you how the altitude can affect people in different ways. It was a shame to lose Sid and Karen, but a sensible decision made by them both.

It was hard to leave the warmth of camp three but we pushed on wondering what the next few hours had in store for us. There was only one other team attempting the summit that day, everyone else had made the decision to descend, due to the poor weather report. Just above camp three Jeff decided to go down, it was unfortunate to lose another member of our team. The ascent was difficult in the cold strong winds and the remaining group plodded on. Before we knew it Independencia was in sight as the rising sun beamed across the mountain, offering some welcome warmth. At this point we stopped for a break and Uli pointed out that if we can cross the snow crest above, just before the traverse, then we may be in with a chance. Here the wind rips over the col and can be what denies you the opportunity to gain the upper reaches of the mountain. I looked up to the summit and the wind looked strong, with snow streaming off the top. We pressed on but I was anxious as we approached the col. As we reached the top, to our surprise, the wind was strong but manageable again and we hit the traverse with a new sense of hope - we might just make this! The traverse is a long, exposed section of the climb so we pushed our way along taking a battering from the gusting winds. From here we gained the climb below the cave; a relentless, loose section of scree with icy patches of snow. Everyone was starting to feel tired and such a big day was really starting to take its toll. Halfway up the slope the altitude started to get the better of Zoe and after a while, I reluctantly advised her to descend. This was a difficult decision and her partner Cameron decided to descend with her. Once again it was tough to lose more fit and determined members of our team.

With dwindling numbers we reached 'the cave' which turns out to be a large overhanging rock feature on the route. To my disappointment it was not really a cave at all and does not offer any protection from the driving winds. Concerned about worsening weather we quickly pushed on. Uli, John M, Jo and Mark at the front and myself, Nicola and John Z close behind. The climb from here is relentless and just seems to go on and on over loose and difficult scree. The team kept going; spurred on with the revived hope of reaching the top, the extra adrenalin boost certainly helped. We finally reached the summit (just as Augustin rejoined the group) and felt the full force of the wind scouring the top of the mountain. I looked out into Argentina and could see the impending storm on the horizon. Worried about our descent I hurried the team on to take quick photo and then we were off back down the mountain, we still had a long way to go. The descent was as tough as the climb but we slowly retraced our steps. As we reached camp three the winds increased so much it could blow you over if off balance, giving us an idea of just how bad it could have been. I was very relieved to be down off the summit and even more relieved to be back in camp two fourteen hours later.

I could not believe that we had snatched a summit in such conditions. I did not think that we would have been successful on our summit attempt but it just shows you; be well prepared, never lose hope and you do have to be in it to win it!

Thanks to such a great team of determined people and thanks to the local guides Uli and Augustin, who truly wanted to see the team succeed and offered us relentless support to do so.

Summiteers ñ Matt (leader), Uli (Leader), Augustin (leader), John M, Jo, Mark, Nicola and John Z Congratulations to Kilian Jornet who passed us on his record breaking speed ascent of Aconcagua in an unbelievable time of 12 hours 49 minutes! Amazing.... « | »

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