MENDOZA BETA

Howdy Folks,

I'm headed down to Argentina for an attempt of the East or Polish Glacier on Aconcagua. I'll have almost of a week to kill once our permit runs out and we head back to Mendoza. I've heard of a great climbing location named Los Arenales that's about an hour and a half south of town. Climbing looks amazing and I'd love to visit the area. Cash will be running low at this point some I'm looking for some first hand beta in regards to the following:

• Renting a car in Mendoza (is it worth if for about 4 days), what are some good options? Public Trasit?
• Good gear shop where one could obtain good beta
• Recommended Guidebook for the area
• Recommended Routes (may just have a light rack and alpine harness, nice sport or moderate trad routes)
• Good Food

Hello,

I was in Mendoza January last year to climb the standard route of Aconcagua.

Although we brought a rope and rack we never ended up using it during out trip. My partner forgot his shoes... Their was a few gear shops in the main square, although they did sell a small amount of rock climbing gear they were largely unhelpful other then for Aconcagua and extremely overpriced.

With that said if you haven't already I would research the "blue dollar" before you go down there. It will make your trip cost significantly less. At the time we went the exchange rate we got for cash we brought from the US was 13.5 pesos to the dollar, but when we went to a bank or took money from an atm the rate was 6 pesos to the dollar.

Permit prices are cheaper as well if you contract some service for the mountain. I'm sure you read it is typical to enlist donkeys to take your gear to base camp. Contracting with a company before you leave town reduces the price of your permit which in our case actually saved money.

We did not rent a car, taxis and buses down their were simple enough to use, but again we did not go to a climbing area.

Sorry, I don't have any more info on the climbing but let me know if you have any other questions.

Jonathan, when will you be in Mendoza?

I am planning to go for the holidays (12/27 - 12/30) and would be up for meeting in Mendoza if you happen to be there.

If not, I'll be happy to share the beta with you as soon as I return :)

Eddie,

Thanks for the reply. My climbing partner mentioned the Blue Dollar and it sounds like a no brainer. Is it sketchy at all, and can the service/exchange be done in Mendoza? My partner is flying into Buenos Aires a week earlier and could exchange cash for me if need be.

We're booking our mules through one of the major guide services and they mentioned that we would receive a discounted rate on the permit. Not to mention we have access to their latrines and water source while in base camp - definitely a plus!

Andy,

I'll be in Mendoza from around December 16 through the 22nd. Looks like we'll just miss each other. I'll post any useful beta here post-trip. Thanks for the interest!

The exchange can be done in Mendoza. The bluedollar rate fluctuates daily, actually it is published online just google it. It seems kind of sketchy because people on the street "Cambio men" ask you if you want to exchange money and then they bring you into their shops to actually do the transaction. For the most part the rate is consistent between vendors, but we did find that are logistics guy got a slightly better rate then we did. Also the rate is for $50s and $100s. In addition they will not take your money unless it looks brand new. It is impossible to get US dollars once in Argentina so make sure you have enough when you board the plane. Also, on Aconcagua if you do need cash it is better to have US dollars then Argentinian pesos. I actually did not know this initially, and was traveling around south america for a few weeks before Aconcagua. We had are climbing partners bring extra cash for us, it saved us so much money.

Have a good time on your trip. What service are you using? We used lanko.

Jonathan - looking forward to hearing the beta!

If you meet any traveling climbers in Mendoza who are looking for a partner in the last week of December, feel free to put us in touch!

My email address is andymcao@gmail.com

I lived in Argentina for a while and the best way to get the blue dollar rate is to use a website called Xoom. No sketchy transactions and no need to carry large amounts of cash (which can be dangerous and I don't recommend it). You can send money from your bank account and pick it up at any of their locations. There are some in Buenos Aires and at least one in Mendoza.

Thanks for the beta everyone.

Eddie,

We're utilizing Aconcagua Trek's mule services to shuttle gear to basecamp; otherwise the climb is completely unsupported. Thanks for the tidbit on having some USD for Aconcagua.

Rika,

Thanks for the information on Xoom - definitely will be taking that approach.

Andy, I'll send your information on to anyone looking for partners during those days.

Sorry I didn't mention xoom. I really didn't see the advantage to using it unless you ran out of cash. Just a heads up the actual place where you pick up your xoom transaction in mendoza is called MORE, but it is the same company. In fact it is located in the same slightly sketch minimall where you can exchange your cash that you brought.(One of our group members ended up using this service because they were short on cash). Xoom will only give you peso's and the exchange rate is about 1 peso less then the street rate, but they charge a transaction fee, of around $10. Which is discounted if you put in your bank account number... Either way you still will have a bunch of cash when you are in Mendoza. The only advantage I see is that you wouldn't have to carry that cash through the airports, which is probably the most safe of all.

I was there last year to climb the Polish Traverse. You will not need to rent a car and it would not be worth the hassle. You can take a bus from Mendoza to the Pentitente's for about 60 pesos. It takes about 3.5 hours and is super luxurious. Its basically first class plane seating on a really nice bus. Last season saw no ascents of the glacier as a result of low snow and super cold temps with high winds. At the hotel Ayelene in Pentitentes, (It's a hundred bucks a night to stay in a 5 star hotel run by Aussies) they have guide books for crags and alpine climbing there. Pretty rad stuff. Don't expect to buy anything worth while as far as food and gear is concerned in Mendoza. I'm a vegetarian who learned that the hard way. Also find a local guide service to exchange money with. You will get a 12% exchange rate, as opposed to the 8% government rate. This will make your $900 summit permit, about $150 bucks cheaper. Enjoy.

Mendoza is quite easy to get around in. If you speak a little Spanish it will help but not necessary. I was there (Aconcagua) over New Years '13/'14. Getting around is pretty straight forward. You can walk almost everywhere you need to go while in Mendoza.

The bus system is quite good and cheap. You may need to take a taxi to the bus station though as it is quite far from down town. On your return from the climb just wait at the bus stop in Los Pen and the bus will stop for you. Might be handy to have the bus schedule on hand. If I remember the last bus goes through around 8pm.

I stayed at Hostel Mora. It's 5 mins from the tourist office and all the stores downtown. Including the restaurants. I would recommend it and stay there if I ever return.

As for the exchanging of money. For the best dollar blu rate just exchange on the street right down from the tourist office. You will go back into one of their office but it's all good. I exchanged money a half dozen times while there and never felt like I was in any sort of danger. Any guide service that will exchange for you will take a cut. Just look for the "cambio" guys on the street. Or not, they will find you - lol.

There's tons of restaurants, food stores and even some big Carrafor grocery stores all within the core of the city. You can find most anything you need there. Mendoza is really quite a nice city and very modern.

Looks like the street rate is around or over 15:1 and the official rate is around 9.4:1 and climbing. Either way I'd try to negotiate everything in Peso and then get the better rate on the exchange to maximize your frugalness. When I was there the permit was processed in Pesos but with the higher exchange rate I saved quite a bit. I think the official website posted the amount in US dollars but the permit itself was in Pesos.

If you have more specific questions please don't hesitate to post them here or send a PM.

Have Fun! I loved Mendoza and the climb itself. It was a great trip.

I climbed for two weeks in Cajon De Arenales last December winter. It was awesome! A alpine harness would be ok since most routes have good ledges. I would want a double rack, but you could get away with singles if your solid. You can get a bus to Tunuyan and then a Taxi($40?) to the Refugeo trailhead without to much difficulty. There are few dozen pure sport routes there, but the best stuff in my opinion are the alpine multipitch routes that are blessed with sweet crack systems. The Canyon is pristine, should be a nice change from the Aconcagua scene. Feel free to email me with any question. Jeromemsmart@gmail

Tagging for interest in recent beta on the Acancagua routes