Trip Reports

Aconcagua - 14 Dec to 5 Jan '20

Written by Leader Mara Larson, January 2020

Where has the time gone!

It’s been just a week since Team Aconcagua packed up bags a final time and bid a dusty adieu to all things South America.

But in reality we could’ve done with a week more to celebrate what was an epic trip with a doubly epic team.

Team 2020 saw out one decade and welcomed in a new one with about six months worth of adventure packed into what was actually less than three weeks. We had Christmas singalongs decked out in a few Santa hats and trimmings, a champagne and explosives filled New Years, an epic Christmas Eve “family stroll” of a mere 12 hours, and then finished things off with a few days of six-packs poolside in the heart of Argentine wine country at the height of summer. It’s really a miracle the team actually boarded the plane home that last Saturday to civilian life.

Oh and in the middle we just so happened to climb a very big mountain.

So the mountain side - since otherwise both those in Sheffield as well as our merry team of 10 might just bring on the attack! We had what can only be described as a ridiculously strong crew - bottom to top. Heading the charge purely from the calendar-year perspective were Laurie and Peter. Our 45+ crowd ;) Laurie aiming to dirty the boots after a little time away from the high peaks. Not sure our nightly meals of steak and Malbec would’ve fit with his decades of previous snow-hole outings in Alaska and Matterhorn bivvies, but he certainly gave all of us a taste of humble pie if we don’t keep our fitness regime up to standard at the ripe young age of 75. Peter humbled us with some impressively sound load carry days before getting hit unluckily with a bout of HAPE. A swift evac back to civilization had him greeting us poolside looking nearly back to form so a happy finish to a wild battle with the mountain.

Next up was our young guns of Joe, Sam, Josh and Ali. And fine - we’ll add Kristian and Ben in with the young whipper snappers, too. Keeping a steady pace just on Lucas’s steady gate the team steamrolled essentially from the starting line all the way to the top. Mornings began without alarms - either sun or the barking chirps of Wake Up Vietnam from our American-Argentine camp mates. Josh typically on beverage duty. Joe strolling in flip flops and headphones keeping the vibe as beach chill as possible. And Sam, before and early departure, making sure to hand out daily awards for exceptional behavior.

And high up on the mountain is where the fun really began. Ben rallying the full crew to do this thing - determined to tame this beast his second round on the mountain and equally determined to bring the rest of the team along with him. Kristian in true anti-establishment form still somehow managed to keep in line, on time, and on pace. And along with Ben was regularly deputised to reel in the troops. Ali for her part, kept her sly dry wit somewhat under the radar until really splashing out for her final mountain farewell - christening a memorable feature her own at just under 6500m. The summit will be hers another day - her altitude strength is obvious. But her mark on the mountain is certainly longer-lasting.

And last but certainly not least Rachel with her determined enthusiasm for everything high elevation kept her charging ahead all the way to 6000m. A high point and a significant foundation of training for the next steps in her project. She was the envy of the entire team returning to base camp, sharing a quick pint with me, and then hopping on a chopper for a mountain night down in relative civilization back in Penitentes for a New Years toast with a temporary adopted family, a hot shower, and a proper bed. Showing us how to climb and recover in proper style. Both Rachel and Luke bid us adieu in Mendoza after a few solid days of beers poolside (as mentioned) by escaping for more South American explorations. Rachel to Santiago and parts unknown. Luke to similar - though with all of our strict requirements to make eye contact with all drivers before attempting cross-walks. Oh, what a lively team this was!

If we could, I’d require the whole crew to reunite for round two next year same time, nearly same place. Maybe Patagonia?? What a team and what a trip to usher in a new decade.

A hearty congratulations to Kristian, Ben, Lucas, and Josh for sharing the summit with Lucas and myself. To Ali for sharing the day together all the way to the cave. And to Joe for smashing previous elevation records to hit nearly the same. Ditto Rachel. To Sam, Peter, and Laurie - sometimes even the toughest among us who got unlucky with the altitude there’s no doubt this mountain is not your last stand and we’ll no doubt connect on another mountain someday soon. Many thanks to Jagged Globe for the excellent organisation and our local team for the support here on the mountain.

A happy new decade from all of us on Team Aconcagua!

« Previous report | Next report »

Jagged Globe Newsletter

We publish an email newsletter with trip reports and latest availability, plus features, competitions and general news of our climbing, trekking & skiing activities.