Cerro Aconcagua Climbing

Aconcagua is the highest summit in Argentina and the tallest mountain outside of the Asian continent.

First known ascent was on 14 January 1897 by Swiss mountain guide Matthias Zurbriggen on an expedition led by Edward Arthur FitzGerald. Entirely possible the peak was ascended in prehistory.

Dr. Paul Güssfeldt made a strong attempt on Aconcagua in 21 February 1883 turning back on a 31 hour day less than 1800 feet from the top from a distant basecamp at an elevation of only 11,752 feet. His attempt on Aconcagua became the most popular route on the mountain. Güssfeldt and his Chilean companion reached the height of 21,030 feet “and although exhausted by the effort of speaking, had no blood flow from mouth or nose.” They measured the summit height at 22,867 feet. Impressive feat.

First American ascent by noted author James Ramsey Ullman with British climber Edward de la Motte on 5 March 1928.

“The reports of the various parties who have battled their way to its summit are unanimous in declaring that, from the point of view of climbing, it is one of the most unattractive mountains imaginable. In the alpine sense there are few, if any difficulties.  There is little call for climbing skill or generalship.  Yet its altitude is so great, its cold so bitter, its storms so frequent and savage, that the ascent ranks among the most grueling ordeals known to climbers.” James Ramsey Ullman

The most popular route to the summit, the Normal Route, follows an approach up the Horcones Valley from Puente del Inca. Folks typically camp at Confluencia (3368m/11,050 feet) enroute to the basecamp of Plaza de Mulas at 4230m/13878 feet.

The next two routes in popularity, Falso de los Polacos (false Polish) and Polish Glacier, approach from the trailhead at Puenta de Vacas. Typical camps gained by following the Valle de Vacas are at Pampa de las Leñas (2950m) and Casa de Piedra (3250m). The approach to Plaza Argentina (4200m), basecamp, is up the Relinchos valley.

Several routes and variations exist on the South Face of Aconcagua which is sure to challenge world class alpinists.

Due in part to Aconcagua being one of the “seven summits” and the tallest peak outside of Asia, as well as having a reputation of being not much more than a hike via the normal route, the mountain sees quite a bit of traffic. As well, several climbers die every season on Aconcagua due to sheer numbers of climbers but also partly due to the severe conditions (high winds especially) and easily gained high elevation that are often under anticipated and underappreciated.

At 6962m/22,841ft tall, Cerro Aconcagua attracts hundreds of climbers each year. It is often considered "easy" or "straightforward" due to the relatively non-technical nature of the mountains two most popular routes, however the mountain should not be taken lightly. The summit success rate is roughly 30-40% (via Normal Route), and the mountain claims around three lives per year, though five people died in January 2009 alone.

Weather is one of the largest concerns when it comes to the mountain. It changes rapidly, and the mountain is notoriously windy year round.