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Aconcagua 2004 Live Reports
Follow our Aconcagua expeditions here. Heidi Kloos is leading our Aconcagua trips down south this year with assistant guide, Brian Miller. They will be reporting back via sat phone every few days. Check back here, to stay updated on their progress.
Click here, for information regarding our Aconcagua Expeditions for the 2004-05 season.
January 23rd, 2004- Mendoza Argentina- Just heard from Heidi. She and Brian are down in Mendoza now finishing final preparations for our Aconcagua expedition which departs tomorrow, the 24th. Pre-departure arrangements are set, all the logistics are in place, and the guides are just waiting for team members' flight arrivals today. This expedition party will be comprised of 6 climbers and 2 guides. Our team members include: John Eng and Dorcas Teall from Alaska, Jim Peace, Steve Vidal, and the father-son duo of Alan and Tom Lloyd-Smith from the UK. Mendoza is a beautiful Latin city well known to be “muy tranquillo”. With beautiful tree lined streets, great street side cafes, it is the perfect place to relax before or after the expedition!
January 26th, 2004- Vacas Valley- Heidi just reported in. Everything is going well. They drove up to Penitentes the day before yesterday and stayed in the Aylen Hotel, a beautiful 4 star ski lodge where we organize all our equipment and supplies to be carried by mules into base camp. Yesterday the team began the three day trek into basecamp, following the Vacas River from the trailhead at Punta Vacas. Last night they made camp at Pampa Lenas, near the Park Service Ranger Station. This morning they are hiking farther up the Vacas Valley to Casa De Piedra, the second camp on the approach to base camp. So everything is going on schedule with no problems. Weather is again great with some wind. It's an interesting hike up the Vacas today, and tonight, they'll get their first view of the mountain!
January 27th, 2004- Basecamp at Plaza Fondo, Vacas Valley- Just talked to Heidi, they are in Basecamp now and everything is going very well. The beautiful weather is holding with little to no wind. Everyone's a bit tired this evening after a long trek into camp today, but basically super good. Base camp at Plaza Fondo, elevation 12,500 ft, is located right at the head of the Vacas River, and below the start of a steep scramble up towards camp 1. Tomorrow they will carry the first load of equipment up to Camp 1, then return to BC to sleep at the lower elevation. Stay tuned for more progress reports in the next few days.
January 29th, 2004- Basecamp, Vacas Valley- Heidi called in this morning to report that "life is good". The expedition team was enjoying a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes, looking forward to a rest day in basecamp. The carry to camp 1, elevation 14,500 ft, went well yesterday, and they will move up there tomorrow. The team is following an acclimatization schedule we've perfected over the past several seasons; we plan a very minimum of 14 days, typically 15 days to the summit. The number of camps and rate of ascent are critical to a safe and enjoyable trip. Aconcagua is a true expedition, carrying packs at altitude is extremely demanding, and one has to be well acclimatized to sleep at the higher camps. The reason most groups and individuals do not summit on Aconcagua is not because of bad weather; but simply because they move up the mountain too fast, and are not well acclimatized, therefore not strong enough to sustain their efforts high on the mountain. Adventures International utilizes a series of 4 camps above base camp, which dramatically increases safety, and summit success because of better acclimatization! We double carry between camps to minimize loads; and each carry between camps is less than 2000 vertical ft. The camps on this side of the mountain are better protected from Aconcagua’s notorious winds.
February 1, 2004- Camp 2, Upper Vacas Valley- The expedition team moved up to camp 2 today. Everyone arrived "healthy and happy", Heidi says. They are now at 16,350 ft above sea level. Tomorrow they will carry a load up to camp 3, returning to sleep low another night at camp 2. The weather remains nearly perfect; they have encountered very little snow so far, skirting a few small snow fields with remnants of penitentes-large formations of ice cupped by the Andean sun.
February 2, 2004- Camp 3, Upper Vacas Valley- Heidi called in from camp 3, elevation 18,000 ft, during their lunch/rest break today. She reports that our assistant guide, Brian, continued climbing above camp this afternoon and summited nearby peak Fitzgerald. "Maybe he needs to start carrying bigger loads!" she quipped in regards to his seemingly inexhaustible energy. All the climbers are feeling good and spirits are high!
Stay tuned, this is where things pick up and get interesting as the team approaches high camp. They have one more camp in between, aptly called camp 4. Their first opportunity for a summit bid will be Friday or Saturday...
February 5, 2004- High Camp, White Rocks- The team is at high camp this afternoon. Heidi says they made good time today, cruised up to camp in just over 3 hours! She also reports that the "weather is perfect, not a cloud in the sky!" Needless to say, everyone on the team is excited as they prepare to go for the summit tomorrow. They are planning a 4am start. It will be a big day: summit day is usually 9 to 10 hrs, but can be up to 12, with small packs. Not to be underestimated, at this altitude it makes a tough day, but spectacularly rewarding. On a clear day, as they are anticipating, the view of the Andes stretching to the north and south is amazing. From the summit ridge, one can see all the way down the South Face, over 9000 ft below! Wishing each team member all the best tomorrow--go big, go high!
Check back tomorrow evening for summit report...
February 6, 2004- Summit, Aconcagua- Our expedition team reached the summit at 22, 829 ft, about 11:15am local time today! Congratulations to all the expedition members! They are all safe, back in high camp resting at this hour after a very big day. Heidi reports that "everyone was itching to go at 3:30am". So departing camp even earlier than planned, they made excellent time to the summit, arriving before noon, and back down to high camp a bit after 3pm. Way to go!
High camp is located at White Rocks, elevation 19,800 ft. At this point, the climbers joined the Normal route to the summit via Independencia and the infamous Canaleta. After a well deserved night's sleep, they will traverse down the Normal route to Plaza De Mulas base camp, where mules carry the gear on out to Puente Del Inca and Penitientes. Hiking out the Horocones Valley is spectacular; completing a circle trek as well as a climb of Cerro Aconcagua. Special kudos goes out to team member Teall, this was her 3rd attempt at the summit of Aconcagua since her first climb with us in 2000. Way to persevere, we're thrilled for you!