Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Aconcagua ? Anyone try this climb

I am thinking about training for a hike up Aconcagua in 2009. Anyone on this site done this one before? Any details or books that would be helpful would be great.

Thanks.

You could start here.

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/...=true#Post35339

RJ Secor's guidebook on Aconcagua is pretty good. You can look at it here.

If you have questions about the mountain feel free to ask. I've climbed it many times since 1994. It's a great mountain.

All the best,

Kurt

anacapabandit - We need to talk, as I too am training for Aconcaqua in 2009. I was first going to try it in 2008, but things came up that forced me to push it back one year. One training hike I plan to do in August 2008 is Rainier.

Get the book "Aconcaqua - Summit of South America" by Harry Kikstra. It is a small pocket-sized book with some good information in it.

Whitney Mike

Actually, there are a number of books that talk about this climb, and if you are considering doing it, I'd recommend you read them ALL. This is a serious undertaking, involving money and time, and you really want to know as much as you can about it.

There are also a lot of internet resources that will fill in many details, and you want to check those out.

G'luck with the climb!

Ken, you're right, there are several good books out there about Aconcagua. I have a few, including Secor's and the one I mentioned in my earlier post. All are good, and give excellent advice for those, like myself, who are considering Aconcagua.

As I have found out this past year, hiking at the expedition level is quite expensive. I have already spend nearly $3,000 in my gear preparation for Aconcagua, and still have a bit to go. $400 for a -20 degreee sleeping bag, $400 for a Marmot 8000 meter parka, $300 for double-plastic mountaineering boots are items I already have, but the list goes on.

The big thing of course is training for such an endeavor. When you live in Southern California, getting to anything higher than Whitney is a challenge in itself. I do want to do Rainier next summer to get some experience with crampons, ice ax, and carrying weight in the snow at elevation.

I probably will want to talk with Kurt a few times, someone that has done Aconcagua before (several times), and could offer a wealth of information about the expedition. I also am hoping to hook up with someone like anacapabandit, to see if I can possibly get a training partner.

Whitney Mike

You might also search the trip report database over at climber.org. Their members have climbed Aconcagua, among many other peaks, and you can get some ideas about different routes, guides, etc.

Aconcagua is on my to-do list, as well, but I want to give McKinley/Denali a try first as it's on my list of the 50 state highpoints. (41 down, 9 to go...)

Hey Mike,

You can get that kind of experience on 15 mountains in CA. It's cheaper than going all the way to Rainier. Of course, if you wanted to climb a glaciated mountain, that's a different story. IMO, Rainier is not a prerequisite for Aconcagua.

Cheers,
Kevin

it depends on the year.

Rainier (or suitable substitute) might be good to have under the belt. Some years you can walk up Aconcagua in regular boots, some years not.

North Face/Standard Route can still be big problem. The year I went in Feb(end of austral summer) we took, needed, and used ice ax, double plastic boots, crampons, route-flags, and even ropes,etc in the canaleta due to el Nino, viento blanco winds, and hard snow/ice. The snow line was only 15,500 feet, just above base camp. That left another 7,000+ vertical feet of trouble.

Harvey

Mt. Shasta is easy to get to, and has many routes to choose from. I climbed it last spring for the first time, and it was much more difficult than I expected. Plenty of opportunity there to practice with crampons and ice ax

Kevin:

I have several mountains on my list to do, Rainier and Shasta being two of them. I also am looking for a few that can give me practice on high angled (30 degree +)scree slopes to get me prepared for the Canaleta on Aconcagua. Any suggestions there?

Whitney Mike

Did Denali,Aconcagua,Rainier,No.Cascades. I train in So.Cal. Mt. Baldy (10K). Carry 5.5 Gal container full of water in backpack to train for expeditions. If you can acclimate OK in So.Cal. or in the Sierras you can acclimate on Denali or Aconcagua. It's all relative. Would recommend a Mounaineering course such as Alpine Ascents International 6 Day No. Cascades course. One thing to realize is the weather may prevent a summit attempt. Feb which is normally the best month for Aconcagua only had 4 days in Feb 07 where it was possible to summit. So if you're not at high camp and acclimated on one of those 4 days you don't even get a chance for a summit bid. Same type of deal with Denali, Rainier, etc.

You will love it! The Secor books are great. Basically, all you need is COLDDDDDDDDDDD weather gear & elevation acclimitization and a few extra days for the weather. We got to 22000 and had to turn around because a storm blew in. You can get the permit for less if you hit the trail the very last day before the fare increase which I think was 14 DEC. The people on the mountain make it an unforgettable and rewarding experience :o) The 'hiking' stores in Mendoza are all mostly very helpful. They have maps and you can rent gear if you need to. We are going back in 2009..see ya on the mtn!