Slideshow

Itinerary

Equipment List

Dispatches

Second Summits

Extras

Aconcagua is the world's highest mountain outside of central Asia and, as such, is one of the Seven Summits. It stands at 22,842 feet (6962 meters) in Argentina, just a few miles east of the Chilean border. It is about 225 air miles northeast of Santiago and 600 miles west of Buenos Aires. The peak was first climbed on January 14, 1897, by Swiss guide Matthias Zurbriggen on a British expedition led by Edward Fitzgerald, but the peak did not start receiving regular ascents until the 1960's.

In both past and present times, most ascents have been made by way of the Horcones River valley and the western slopes of the mountain. That route offers a non-technical ascent almost entirely on rock and scree; the route is not visually attractive, is littered with debris, and offers little of interest to the mountaineer except the chance to reach the summit.

The first exploration of Aconcagua by a valley other than the Horcones was made in 1934 by a Polish expedition which explored the Relinchos Valley southeast of Aconcagua and opened a route on the peak's east side. Now referred to as the Polish Glacier route, this line of ascent involves a gradual approach to the base of the mountain, an initial stage on glacial moraine, and a very attractive climb the rest of the way by one of two routes.

The Upper Guanacos, is an excellent route that includes an ascending traverse of the spectacular upper peak on easy rock and occasional snow and a finish on the less technical, upper north side of the mountain. On the direct Polish Glacier route, called the Polish Direct, we tackle significantly exposed 45-degree ice climbing on the upper glacier. In recent years this route has involved belayed climbing on very hard ice, so we now only guide it at a maximum 2:1 climber-to-guide ratio.

Join us for the Polish Traverse if you have basic level alpine mountaineering skills and experience with cold-weather camping. Consider joining us for the Polish Direct route if you additionally are a solid snow and ice climber on 50-degree faces or steeper and have experience at or above 19,000 feet. Both routes offer a significant high altitude and physical challenge on a major expedition, and to have a good chance for success, you must be in excellent physical condition. The combined challenges of altitude, distance, cold weather, and varied terrain make this a great expeditionary climbing experience, and the aesthetics of both these two routes place them among the most sought after in the Western Hemisphere.

This journey to the heart of South America begins with travel to Santiago, Chile, and we continue from there on a very scenic flight that takes us across the Andes to the beautiful provincial capital of Mendoza, Argentina. While in the city before and after the expedition we'll enjoy sharing our favorite restaurants for great food and excellent wine.

In Mendoza we conduct an expedition orientation and make a final gear check before driving west to Penitentes, near our trailhead, where we spend a night to begin our very carefully orchestrated schedule of acclimatization. There we pack gear and food that will be carried by mules to base camp and most importantly, adjust to the 9000-foot altitude.

When we set off on our three-day approach to base camp, situated below the Polish Glacier at 13,800 feet, we spend our first day following a steep-sided river valley by way of a gentle trail. The next day the valley broadens, and in the afternoon we gain our first views of the East Face as we continue to ascend along the Rio Vacas. On the final day of our approach we enter the much narrower Relinchos Canyon and then ascend steeply to reach the foot of the mountain and our base of operations.

To make our climb to Aconcagua's 22,842-foot summit, we establish three camps beyond our base. As part of our carefully structured program of acclimatization, we make double carries to each of the camps and allow for a full day of rest in the process of establishing each camp. Over AAI's three decades of history guiding Aconcagua, this pattern of ascent has allowed our expedition members to acclimatize thoroughly, to maintain their health and strength, and to maximize their chances for success on summit day. Other guide services place more camps for "more gradual acclimatization," but in fact inadvertently wear out climbers who end up with fewer rest days because they are moving camp so often. The Institute's unmatched success rate of 95.4% over a twenty-eight year period bears out the wisdom of this approach.

Leaving Base Camp on our climb to Camp 1, we move up a moraine to the glacier where we encounter rock-covered ice. Higher up we ascend another moraine that finishes with a 500-foot, 30-degree snow face. We often encounter huge nieve penitentes - pinnacles of ice sometimes up to seven feet high with ribs and troughs between them that are formed through uneven melting of the glacier. Perched at Camp 2 on a little plateau protected by a moraine at 15,500 feet, we can escape the periodically challenging furies of the local winds.

Camp II at 19,200 feet. Tim Connelly

Our route to Camp 2 takes us to the Ameghino Col, and from that point we get our first views to the north, which include glaciated alpine peaks in a part of the Andean chain that has been rarely visited.

From the Col we work our way up to our highest camp at 19,900 feet. This spectacular camp is positioned perfectly for amazing views of the surrounding peaks as well as of the tiny tents below on the "Routa Normal."

On the Upper Guanacos Traverse, we begin an ascending traverse soon after leaving camp. We avoid steep rock bands and carefully make our way on moderate terrain, primarily on rock and occasionally on snow. The views of the central Andes that stretch out to the north are quite spectacular as dawn approaches. Aconcagua's shoulders enlarge into sub-ranges as they fall away below us, giving an added appreciation of the immensity of the peak that we are climbing. We complete the rising traverse and join the standard route at about 20,500 feet on the North Face and continue up the rocky slopes to the airy 22,842-foot summit. The impressive views are a good match for our intense sense of accomplishment as reach the highest point in the Western Hemisphere.

When climbing the Polish Direct route, we begin the climb first on gentle ground, then on 35 to 40-degree terrain of mixed ice and wind-blown snow. At 21,000 feet we traverse to the south margin of the glacier over ice slopes and bulges ranging up to 45 degrees. At 22,000 feet we step onto the crest of the Southeast Ridge, and we suddenly gain a stunning view down Aconcagua's famous 9000-foot South Face. The steepness of the terrain quickly lessens, and we easily move up the spectacularly photogenic ridgeline. We pass a series of false summits, finally leaving the snow and ice to make an easy finish on rock to the 22,842-foot summit.

Our final day of climbing by either route takes us over some remarkable alpine terrain, and the intricacy of the routes combined with remarkable views create a fittingly dramatic finale to this major expeditionary climb.

Starting out on summit day. Tim Connelly

The Institute has enjoyed a very high rate of success on Aconcagua since its guides first began leading expeditions on the Polish Glacier in 1981. Almost every expedition led by the Institute has succeeded and helped most of its members reach their goal of getting to the summit.

AAI's success is due to a several factors. First, the expeditions are led by professional guides of the Institute, who do an outstanding job at the highest of international standards; they combine their great technical and judgmental skills with a dedication to their clients' goals and a willingness to work hard to achieve them. Over the years AAI expeditionary teams have helped many other guided and non-guided groups extricate themselves from serious trouble with storms, gear, and altitude illness.

Second, we ask clients who wish to join us to do a thorough job preparing for the expedition. We help each team member construct a suitable training program that will maximize their chance for success. And finally, we follow a carefully crafted itinerary that provides excellent acclimatization and that includes enough extra days to wait out storms while still leaving adequate time and resources to make a summit.

At 19,350 feet on Aconcagua. Tim Connelly

We hope you will consider joining us for one of these rewarding expeditions and take advantage of our three decades of experience helping climbers reach the summit of Aconcagua. Through these years we've helped the climbers who have joined us really enjoy the whole process. advancing personal skills and mountaineering judgment as we proceed and maintaining a high level of safety throughout the expedition. We would enjoy sharing with you our love of this mountain and our vision for expeditionary success. Please give us a call to discuss joining one of our climbing teams, and let us be of help to you in your training and planning.

Every AAI expedition uses satellite communications equipment to provide daily updates on their approach and climb. Dispatches are posted on the Dispatches page of our website so family and friends can follow each climber's progress and get the flavor of the experience from the details describing the day's activity.

Inclusions:
Lodging (hotels and tents on a shared basis) for two nights in Mendoza and three in Penitentes split between the beginning and end of the expedition; meals while in the mountains; group cooking equipment; group climbing equipment. We use some freeze dried food in these programs but, where weight is not a problem (helped greatly by our use of animals to haul supplies to base camp), we enjoy a varied and nutritious diet of fresh and dried foods.

Exclusions:
Airfare; personal equipment; meals except while climbing; government and airport taxes; National Park individual permit fee; inoculations; personal insurance; excess baggage; gratuities to guides; additional hotel nights in Mendoza should the expedition summit early; and additional expenses for horses, local transportation, and hotel should a climber leave early.

"With three decades of expeditions, AAI is by far the most experienced guide service in the Andes."
Adventure Travel

"Our guide was excellent - he really covered all the bases. He was extremely sensitive to where each member of the group was at, and encouraged us to be independent. He was very laid back, friendly, and had a great sense of humor, while at the same time being very safety conscious." Jim Ledvinka, Athens, GA

Excellence in a guide service."
Forbes Magazine

"What great, skilled, personable, physically strong climbing companions the guides were...absolutely top tier expedition leaders!" Richard Sorgun, Broomsfield, CO