Trip Reports

Aconcagua - 7 to 29 January 2023

Aconcagua summit 23 January 2023
Trip Report

Written by Leader Adrian Hawkins (Ade), February 2023

New Year was a dim and distant memory and now it was our acclimatisation plan to source a ma-hoosive steak and the best wine Mendoza could muster.

Over that fine supper the newly assembled team chittered about the plan to scale Aconcagua. So, without delay snacks were bought, dollars sourced and after a rapid kit check off we trundled in the team bus.

So who was this team? Well, we had three father/son combo’s, a brace of lawyers, a surgeon, one of the ‘IT crowd’ and a manager of great projects. The oldest trio were all in their 70’s, the remainder hovering either side of middle age, oh and a hip and youngster pair to balance out the boat. We certainly felt experienced, a few were qualified in something and all ready to deal with whatever came our way… or at least we hoped!

After the usual splitting of kit into various bags at Penitentis was completed and the park rangers certified our passes we started those first dusty steps towards Confluencia Camp. The early ascent and windy track became our constant for the next few days. So 4 hours of the first day passed easily and we made it to camp and enjoyed the camp hospitality, here we rested, settled and took a wander from Confluencia out to Camp Francis and had our first real view of Aconcagua. That first week was crucial in bedding in our bodies to the height gain and routine of the trek and it felt as if all of us were responding well to the task. Unfortunately, out of left field came a challenge that took Giles and James home. We had started out as 9 and had quickly shrunk to 7.

The first obstacle for many was the medical screening that enables upward travel to base camp. The fighting fit aspirations of several team members were bruised at this test, blood pressure or oxygen levels were found to be out of limits. A dash of rest, a sprinkle of pharmaceutical support and another test proclaimed us all clear to proceed… but the stress of that event did shake a couple of the team.

So we were soon into the next phase and we set off for the long, ‘rewarding’ trek from Confluencia to Plasa d’Mulas (PdM). On the activity tin for that day it clearly states, ‘open for a long 18km trek, follow a rocky valley river bed, oh and gain almost a 1000 metres with most of that in the last 2 hours…so enjoy!’.

Opening cautiously we set off for what was a fantastic day, the rhythmic pace and routine of regular stops simply meant the distance disappeared underfoot and the height gain absorbed in our stride. Mid-afternoon and Base Camp (PdM) was the reward, and it’s massive! Such an eclectic mix of tents and climbing company styles and as we walked its length its was rather surreal from our day spent in virtual isolation.

Looking ahead, we would build on our acclimatisation foundation from the previous week and ascend higher, followed by a rest in camp. But before this exposure we would need to pass a second medical assessment/screening/test thing. Yet again it wasn’t without some excitement for a couple of the team. Unfortunately, the night prior to the examination one of the team had begun to really suffer with oxygen levels, which then became something far more sinister. Pulmonary oedema had taken hold so it was additional medical support overnight for Martin and the next morning a quick helicopter ride to the park entrance and onward to Mendoza. We now shrunk to a group of 6. Plus, one of our guides had to retire with an altitude cough so a rapid replacement was arranged with Fernando. The attrition rate was getting a bit crazy!

During the next 48hrs we rested and took a wee canter up to bag Berneti Peak, at 5004m it’s a lovely desert rock with some snow at the top and tons of long scree runs to hone our skills needed for Aconcagua. Later that day we also took stock of the shrunken team’s capabilities and had a detailed look at our fitness, energy, the weather, and our plan. Those ongoing reviews are often done behind the scenes but it was useful this time to get the diminished team to understand what was on the table…so we pulled apart our options and came up with Plan B. Now we would add an extra day of rest, miss out a trek to Camp 2, take food to Camp 1 and basically re-configure energy levels to still try and get all the team to the summit.

And so it began. On Day 13 (or 19 Jan 23 in real money) we set off for Camp 1 on what was our ascent up the mountain, we had been there a couple of days prior to drop of stores and food so were aware of the ground and knew what to expect. Confidence was high and after portering some loads the trek was easily completed. That evening we ate burgers, slept high with an amazing view of the setting sun to the west and settled down for what was a ‘buttkicking’, wind whipping, tent flapping night on the ridge we were perched upon. A night of mixed reviews and fairly average sleep!

Onwards and upwards, both literal facts as we headed to Camp 2 at another steady pace, perfect as the route up the main western face is now more direct with a steady flow rather than zig-zags. Yet again the guides kept the team together and we arrived at our upper terraced camp mid-afternoon. Camp 2 was now our rest place to eat and savour the altitude, keep strong and assess weather, our plan and prepare kit to take upwards for our summit window.

The climb from Camp 2 to Camp 3 starts right out the tents and it looks gentle until you’re just out of sight, then it swings to the right and up a steep face with several switchbacks. It was a hard start to the day and despite perfect conditions and the team moving well it was clear that one of our band had lost momentum. Ross felt rubbish and rather than delay the inevitable he took a rapid decision to descend and with porter and he would head ‘rapido’ to Mendoza. Now we were 5.

Camp 3 is in a perched position nestled tightly in a rock crevice, the tents lumpy, the loo the biggest risk on the mountain, the water flowing in several tents and is really high to sleep at almost 6000m. Comfort is an illusion, wind and noise a constant, chitter from the local guides permeate the space and all you can do is rest, drink, eat and wait. For us that wasn’t a long time as our 3 day summit window had now shrunk to 1. This we had known for some time, so our arrival was geared to one event… a 0330 wake up!
Suddenly there it was, the inner tent frosted, a rustle of waking bodies, the guides cry out to give us water and food, the relentless chitter of another group leaving and then we 5 were stood in our favourite summit clothing looking at each other, grunting pleasantries, trying to be as awake as possible and slowly forming into a climbing team ready for Aconcagua. At 05:30 we were off, no great noise or excitement, just the gentle crunch of crampons and the bright flicker of headlamps moving up the snow. For over an hour we steadily climbed and just before our first major stop the sun rose. To our front Aconcagua was still dark in the twilight, to the left was a bright orange sunrise throwing the east facing slopes into light, behind and to our right the Andes stretched out and in the middle of all this was the massive shadow of Aconcagua cast against the nearest peaks. There was a lot to take in and soon after we had the chance to rest at Berlin Refuge for food and drink. I for one at this point felt lousy and if I’d had half a brain cell, I think I’d have skipped on down. To my pleasant surprise one or two of the team who I thought might be suffering looked tip-top, so without hanging about we all carried on to seek out the mystical traverse and see what the snow conditions had become.

Oh and yes, yes, I know…, a traverse is a level path cutting across a slope, unless you mean this traverse that climbs gently to begin with then more acutely towards the Cave. This traverse was to become something of a moment for our team, it was tough going, but steady. It was at the beginning mixed with scree to our flanks then became a massive snow slope tumbling all the way down to Camp 2. Underfoot it went from a level snow path to random and loose climbing steps. It wasn’t ideal and the team had walking poles or an ice axe, or both to steady themselves. It was not easy to protect, and a rope may have created new and potentially unmanageable problems, so personal skills, steady walking and care were our best defences. It was a risk that we carefully progressed, unfortunately one of our sure footed suffered a trip but was instantly supported by team members as he wriggled back to his feet. Mercifully Phillip is a strong man with experience, so all was well.

The Cave was our next stop and getting there had taken a huge chunk of energy. Sitting back under the overhang the team had a chance to see the route they’d taken and then up the Canalete to the summit. Sat at 6690m we were for most of the team, at their highest point they had ever achieved. This was a super achievement and something they felt comfortable turning around at. So, the team of 5 split. 2 were guided upwards and 3 heading back to Camp 3. That return journey was not to be plain sailing as Richard became unwell and his condition deteriorated on the decent. He was closely supported by Fedi and Graig (our surgeon) plus Phillip as back up. It was a tough return that I’m not sure Richard will recall in detail and its testament to both our professional guide and great team spirit that brought them back to safety.

Further up the mountain the remaining pair of Mathew and Steve along with Fernando and myself were slowly eeking up the Canaleta. 3 hours after saying goodbye to the guys at the Cave we were to be the last team making it to the top of Aconcagua that day. We summitted at 1532 hrs on 23 January 23.

This was a fantastic team, each of them found their limit, were gracious in supporting each other, relentless in poking fun, knew when to push, pull or step back and above all, were fantastic at just doing what made them happy.

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