Aconcagua - the path to success
MCS AlexClimbMy mountaineering programs in Argentina
What is the secret of successful ascents to the highest mountain in South America - Aconcagua, 6962 m high? How not to find yourself in a losing situation when trying to climb to the summit of Mount Aconcagua?
In recent years, in the Argentine province of Mendoza, where several large national parks are located, there has been a significant increase in demand for services related to mountain sports. In particular - with climbing the highest mountain in Argentina and South America - Mount Aconcagua.
With a high and constantly growing flow of people wanting to climb to the summit of Aconcagua, the cost of related services increases and the economy of the region is developing.
At the same time, the "Kilimanjaro syndrome" is becoming noticeable on the Mount Aconcagua Classic ascent route - with an increasing number of attempts to climb the summit, the percentage of successful ascents is noticeably decreasing.
The reason for this phenomenon is not climate change or pronounced seasonal features of the Mount Aconcagua ascent route. Most failures or even accidents occur, to a greater extent, due to subjective factors: due to overestimation of one's own strength, lack of experience or (most generally) lack of altitude acclimatization.
The essence of the problem is quite simple: it lies in the significant altitude of the Mount Aconcagua summit and, accordingly, specific requirements for the tactical plan of the ascent, acclimatization and physical fitness of the participants.
As a rule, when forming commercial groups, the focus is made on the commercial optimization of the program. The ascent schedule is shortened in terms of time, participation in the expedition becomes (conditionally) accessible to the clients without mountaineering experience or sufficient physical fitness.
It is not surprising that such an approach leads to frequent failures, health problems and general disappointment in mountain climbing.
Nevertheless, if a number of conditions are met, it is possible to significantly reduce the risk of failure when climbing Mount Aconcagua. First of all, we are talking, of course, about high altitude acclimatization.
Most companies selling the Mount Aconcagua ascent program offer to their clients "acclimatization" along the main route - additional overnight stays and radial hikes, without altitude drops and recovering from the high-altitude load.
This approach has the highest risk of failure for the people coming from locations close to the sea level.
Theoretically, Mount Aconcagua ascent route is possible for such an approach - the route is 37 km long, it is divided into 7 day hikes with overnight stays. However, a continuous gain of altitude, even stretched over a significant distance, is not optimal for acclimatization tasks.
At the same time, acclimatization or pre-acclimatization is the key factor for a safe and successful ascent. Both on Mount Aconcagua and on other peaks in the "symptomatic acclimatization" zone.
The optimal solution would be to add another training / acclimatization (easier) ascent to the program. But for many clients, extending the overall program by at least a week becomes unacceptable in terms of time.
It would seem that extending the program schedule with a high probability may make it unsuitable for a commercial format.
This is a misconception. If the acclimatization is carried out on another route, more compact in time, then it becomes possible to reduce some of the days on the main ascent of Mount Aconcagua, which are usually reserved for acclimatization.
Thus, even adding another acclimatization climb to the Mount Aconcagua expedition, we do not go beyond the reasonable time frame of the ascent - 12-14 days, making the overall program more diverse and interesting, and the Aconcagua climb - more probable.
Understanding the main reason for the low level of success in the Mount Aconcagua climbs and continuously being in Argentina for the last two years, I was developing an effective acclimatization program for the Mount Aconcagua climbing program.
My main goal was to combine into one "set" two of the most famous mountaineering challenges of Argentina - climbing volcano Ojos del Salado and Mount Aconcagua.
As a result of my work, it became possible to connect the logistics and test several training and acclimatization programs, smoothly leading participants of the expeditions to the safe climb to the critical altitudes of 6000+ m.
These programs not only make it possible to distribute the altitude load on the body when climbing volcano Ojos del Salado or Mount Aconcagua, but also, under ideal conditions, to make a magnificent "combo", the best in South America - to climb Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua within one expedition.
Text by Alex Trubachev
Your mountaineering and rock climbing guide in Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Chile
MCS EDIT 2024