Category: Aconcagua Guided Climb

A Guide To Finding An Appropriate Guide For Your Trek

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Is this one of the first times you have thought about going on a hiking adventure such as an Aconcagua climb? If the answer is yes, it is quite normal for you to not know what to do or how to get the best benefits. However, is that a good enough reason for you to give up? No.

That is because there are hike guiding professionals available that you can hire to take care of your tour details accordingly. These are professionals who will support you throughout your expedition to make sure you are safe and comfortable without any difficulty.

Because of the growing attention to the tourism industry, the number of guides accessible today has grown significantly. As a result, you should ensure you are getting your hands on the ideal one by considering a few factors. They are:

  1. Check Their Experience

The first aspect that you need to pay attention to if you are trying to find the most reliable trekking guide for learning how to climb Aconcagua is to check their experience. It can be quite beneficial to opt for somebody who has been in the industry for a long time because they are more likely to know the best routes.

Moreover, anybody with prior knowledge will also be able to attend to your different requirements in the best possible ways. Other than that, having a seasoned expert to guide will also help you learn more about the area.

  1. Have A Thorough Conversation

Before you book your package with any guide for your upcoming vacation, remember to have a thorough conversation with them. This is a great way to gain more knowledge about the professional while giving them an idea about your plans thoroughly.

Not only that, but having a prior meeting will also enable you to make sure you and your chaperone are on the same page. You should also ask them different questions to clear your confusion about an Aconcagua climb.

  1. Find Out Which Company They Are Associated With

The third thing that you may do to locate the most trustworthy and efficient tour guide is to find out which company they are associated with. Various people make the mistake of overlooking this aspect and have problems in the future.

You must ensure the firm which is offering you the escort is well-known and reputable because they are more likely to have educated professionals at their disposal. Moreover, any guide that is affiliated with an organization will also follow guidelines for a better experience.

  1. Learn More About The Type Of Trips They Conduct

Last but not least, you should make sure to learn more about the type of trips each guide conducts before hiring them for your endeavors. If you are somebody who is thinking about taking a solo trip, opt for a professional who is well-experienced in conducting them.

However, if you are thinking about joining a team of trekkers to have a unique adventure, you may select an escort who can support people in large groups. All of these elements will boost your possibility of having a great time when learning how to climb Aconcagua.

Conclusion

You should always remember to be cautious about finding a reliable trek-guiding professional when booking your package. This expert will ensure your well-being and enjoyment in the most appropriate ways. You will learn more about selecting the right guide with the help of this blog.

Which is the Best Route to Reach the Aconcagua Summit?

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Despite being the highest peak in America, Aconcagua mountain is the primary attraction of Mendoza city. Many climbers worldwide come to Aconcagua every year to reach its summit. Reaching the top of this mountain can be rewarding because of the beautiful view from the top and the solitary environment. But many more exciting facts about Aconcagua will make you eager to climb this mountain. However, if you want to climb Aconcagua, you must choose different routes. So, this guide will help you learn about various courses and which is best for your journey.

Normal Route

As the name suggests, the normal route is the most straightforward route to climb Aconcagua Argentina; thus, this route is trendy among climbers. The usual route is also known as the North Route as it goes Northwest. If you do not have enough climbing experience, this route is best for you. You can reach the summit by this route only by hiking, and you will require crampons and fixed ropes, which will help you to walk on snow or ice at a higher altitude. The normal route is well-liked for its nearly technical challenges.

360 Polish Route

Climbers have access to exceptional landscapes through the Polish routes. Climbers can witness splendid Polish glaciers, the greatness of the Andes mountains, and every face of Mount Aconcagua. On this route, climbers climb Aconcagua across the Vacas Valley to a base camp named Plaza Argentina. After that, climbers move to the Polish Glacier Traverse route and switch to the usual route. With this route, climbers climb to Aconcagua from the west and east sides. Moreover, this route also allows better acclimatization, which increases the chances of reaching the Aconcagua summit.

Climb Aconcagua by Polish Glacier Direct Route

If you are a climber who wants to reach the summit technically and have high experience, then you should choose the Polish Glacier Direct route. This route goes by Vascas Valley and base camp at Plaza Argentina and requires experience in ice climbing. By climbing through the Polish Glacier, the Polish Glacier Direct route uses only two high-altitude camps

Climb Aconcagua by Polish Glacier Traverse Route

The Polish Glacier Traverse route goes by the Vascas river valley for around two days, then goes up the Relinchos Valley to Plaza Argentina base camp. It is the most varied and complete of the routes and covers the northeast side of Mount Aconcagua. This route has three centers above base camps, and the high camp is on the normal route. Polish Traverse descent through normal way. This route also requires considerable expertise in technical climbing. The Polish Glacier Traverse route also requires crampons for several icy and snowy areas.

Conclusion

You can climb Aconcagua on a budget by taking different guides, but you still have to choose a better route. Hopefully, from the above information, you will understand the different paths of Mount Aconcagua. If you are an experienced climber and know how to climb technical routes, you can choose a 360-degree Polish router. Otherwise, the normal course is the best option for trekkers with less experience.

Why Opt for Polish Glacier Route To Climb Aconcagua?

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Aconcagua is one of the best mountains to climb worldwide because of its various astonishing features. You can reach the summit of Aconcagua by two different routes—the Normal Route and the Polish Glacier route. The normal route is best for trekkers with less experience in ice or rock climbing; on the other hand, the Polish Glacier route is a technical route that allows a massive scale of challenges. Still, all of these challenges are worthwhile. So, let’s look into the article to know the advantages of choosing the Polish Glacier Route.

Polish Glacier Route- A Primer 

A group of Polish mountaineers introduced the Polish Glacier route in 1934. This route was the first route discovered after the Normal Route. The Polish Glacier route is well-liked worldwide for its enormous landscape and numerous natural beauties, making it the most classic route for technical climbers. You can witness the magnificent beauty of all sides of Mount Aconcagua, the greatness of the Andes, and the gorgeous Polish Glacier by this route.

However, this route allows the climbers to take a more wild and remote course. For its complex and more challenging nature, very few climbers choose the Polish Glacier route to reach the Aconcagua summit so that they can experience a uniquely solitary ascent. Aconcagua Ascents via this route also require complete training and prior high-altitude experience. Climbers also get well-equipped camps and straightforward logistics on this route.

 

How to Climb Aconcagua by Polish Glacier Route?

The Polish Glacier route is long and extremely challenging; thus, it takes around 15 to 20 days for the expedition. You must reach the summit with experienced expedition guides on its complicated and risky route. It is a technical route; thus, a climber must have solid specialized experience and excellent physical shape. The Polish Glacier route requires fixed ropes and crampons to walk on snowy and icy roads. However, you have complete knowledge to use belay and ice ax techniques to go by this route. This route goes through Vacas Valley and Upper Guanacos and begins with a trek to base camp at Plaza Argentina. The hike to Aconcagua Argentina, carries the road to Camp 1 and up a steep climb to the second camp. This trek to this route also includes normal and Traverse paths to reach the peak.

 

Moreover, the ice conditions determine the trekking line between the direct Polish glacier line and the classic Piedra Bandera line. The direct glacier line is the most in-demand and steepest; on the other hand, Piedra Bandera does a zigzag climb to the peak. By following these lines, you can successfully reach the summit and feel the immense beauty and solitude of the mountains. The descent from Mount Aconcagua follows the normal route via base camp at Plaza de Mulas and Horcones Valley.

 

Conclusion

If you are a well-trained and experienced climber, you should opt for the Polish Glacier route. This route offers the trekker a more technical and adventurous experience than the normal route. However, it would be best if you also choose the best guide for Aconcagua to reach the summit by this route. The route features various natural beauties and wild experiences; thus, it is a rewarding route for every climber who loves challenges. Prior preparation, knowledge of coping with unpredictable weather, and using different climbing techniques are vital in choosing this route.

Aconcagua Climbing – Never underestimate the “age” of Aconcagua

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The cabinet tests carried out on the matrix of the deposits were carried out according to the operating conditions and are described below.

Mineralogical analysis: The mineralogical composition, except clays, has been analyzed from 2-3 grams of an 80-gram sample, ground to a size less than 35 μm, through X-ray diffraction, using a D5000 diffractometer ( Bruker AXS). The Aconcagua 360 Route used Cu radiation and an accessory graphite monochromator. Diffraction data were taken from 4° to 70° 2θ, with a scan width of 0.02° and a counter tube scan time of 2 seconds per step. We worked with 40 KV and 30 mA. The quantitative analysis of the phases was determined using the Rietveld technique contained in the BG MN/AUTOQUAN software (Bergmann et al. 1998).

Grain size analysis: For this type of analysis, 12-15 grams of sample were used. The organic components were dissolved through treatment with H2O2. The remaining material was sieved into two fractions: larger and smaller than 63 μm. The first was screened at all phi divisions (phi > -2). From the material smaller than 63 μm, the clay-sized fraction was separated using the Atterberg method, while that corresponding to silt was analyzed with a Micromeritics SediGraph 5100 in all phi divisions.

Grain roundness grading: Some of the remaining material was sieved at 250-500 μm and 100 grains from each sample were graded using Turner’s two-dimensional visual roundness tester. Bearing in mind that Confluencia is the site where both types of deposits are best exposed, we first How to Climb Aconcagua proceeded to define their lithological characteristics there, to compare later what was observed in the different valleys. With this information, the proper genetic interpretation was carried out. The Confluence above profile is exposed in the ravine located on the left bank of the Inferior Horcones River, just in front of its junction with the Superior Horcones River. This profile, of approximately 20 meters, presents two types of deposits recognizable by their different color and stratigraphic position: 1) reddish, the oldest, and 2) gray, the youngest (upper third of said profile).

The upper, grayish deposit comprises a breccia with blocks several meters in diameter (recognized up to 5 Aconcagua Guided Climb meters) scattered in a poorly selected, also breccia matrix (from gravels to clays), predominantly of the same composition as the blocks. The latter shows the typical lithologies of the volcanoes of the Aconcagua Volcanic Complex, made up of lavas, breccias, and tuffs, of andesitic and dacitic composition. It is important to note that this breccia level covers most of the Confluencia sector.

Aconcagua Climbing – Expedition or climbing alone?

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Some small sinkholes in the distal part of the deposit and very few depressions with lagoons, which indicates the presence of an impermeable substrate. The mounds are rounded and smooth on the surface and soils have developed in the depressions. In a profile product of a road cut, a soil has been observed in these depressions, covered by detrital material from the mounds that surround the hollow, as converging microslopes. This remobilization of material from the top of the mounds into the surrounding depressions has considerably smoothed the original surface of the deposit. In addition to gravity, periglacial processes, Aconcagua Argentina surface weathering and wind deposition have contributed to it. Towards the distal zone, at the Confluence with the Cuevas valley, the deposit is divided into two lobes; one penetrates perpendicularly to the valley of the Cuevas river, in the same direction that it brought in the Horcones, while the second lobe extends downstream in the valley of the Cuevas river, advancing approximately 2,000 m in it. The cross-sectional profile of the Horcones deposit indicates that it is higher in the center than towards the flanks. The distal edge of the Horcones deposit is therefore located at the Confluence of the Horcones and Cuevas river valleys. This distal edge of the Horcones deposit is perfectly defined and has a variable height between 5 and 10 meters, which allows the deposit in question to be separated from the surrounding land. The latter correspond to a lithologically similar deposit located just below, and Mount Aconcagua also has an irregular morphology, although smoother than that of the Horcones deposit. In accordance with what was mentioned above, the study of the filling material of the valleys of the area made it possible to distinguish essentially two types of deposits, also well distinguishable by their field (megascopic) and morphological characteristics, previously considered as till by other authors.

Numerous mineralogical, granulometric and roundness analyzes were carried out on the matrix of both deposits present in the different valleys, in order to capture the complete lithological characterization of Aconcagua and precisely define their genesis. Sampling was carried out in the Horcones Inferior, Horcones Superior and Horcones valleys (both proximal and distal, already at the intersection with the Cuevas River). The underlying deposit exposed by the deepening of the Cuevas River, only had a microscopic study of the loose grain of the sandy-silty material in order to determine its mineralogical composition. A synthesis of the lithological characteristics of the Quebrada de Horcones deposit was presented by Lagorio et al.

Information about the type of terrain on the hill

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This characteristic meant that various types of deposits were located there. Espizua (1989) described six drifts in the area (Punta de Vacas, Penitentes, Horcones, Almacenes, Confluencia and undifferentiated moraines). Of these, the moraines of the Punta de Vacas, Confluencia and Penitentes drifts can be identified in the Confluencia zone as glacial deposits because they preserve the morphology imposed by the process. But part of the deposits mapped as Horcones moraine, Almacenes moraine and undifferentiated moraines have a morphology and composition that complicates their interpretation as glacial deposits. The detailed genetic characterization of Aconcagua Expeditions constitutes, consequently, one of the objectives of this contribution.

These deposits, here under review, are distinguished by a landscape of gentle elevations and depressions (hummocks) composed of a greyish, almost monolithological breccia of internally fractured clasts and angular blocks, which correspond to outcropping volcanoes in the upper part of Aconcagua hill ( Aconcagua Volcanic Complex). At the mouth of the Tolosa ravine, a deposit with similar characteristics is observed.

Precisely in the area of ​​Confluence, in the ravine located on the left bank of the Horcones Inferior valley, a profile of approximately 20 meters is presented, where the contact between said grayish gaps and the underlying reddish glacial deposits assigned Aconcagua Climb is clearly exposed. previously by Espizua (1993) to Drift Penitentes. Between Confluencia and the Durazno ravine, the Horcones valley narrows. Here there are only few remnants of lateral moray eels.

The valley of the Horcones river, downstream of the mouth of the Durazno stream, is filled by the deposit here called Horcones. It stands out in the landscape due to its large volume and a very particular surface morphology. The Horcones River is lying on the left bank of the valley, where it carved out a narrow gorge.

The area covered by the Horcones deposit is approximately 6 km2. Although no complete profile is observed in this valley section, unlike what was described for Confluencia, it is estimated that it is probable that the deposit exceeds 30 m thickness throughout most of its area. Climbing Aconcagua According to this, its volume could be at least 180 x 106 m3 for the sector under analysis. Taking into account that there are remains of the deposit from the Horcones Inferior valley, the total volume of the flow must have been even greater.

Its surface morphology is characterized by a succession of elevations and depressions, represented by conical or elongated mounds 5 to 10 m high and between 15 and 30 m in diameter.

Aconcagua Climbing – A hill of millions of years

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For all these analyses, a photo interpretation was carried out, with frames at a scale of 1:50,000; Aster satellite images were also interpreted, from which digital topographic models were made and, finally, field tasks were carried out. During the latter, observations were made of the sedimentological characteristics of the deposits located along the aforementioned valleys, collecting samples to carry out Climb Aconcagua compositional (mineralogy) and textural (granulometry and roundness) analyzes in order to fully define the lithological characteristics of the same. Lastly, absolute dating was done using carbon 14C methods on fluvial and lacustrine deposits, and cosmogenic nuclides (NC) on surface blocks of the deposits under discussion. The analysis of all this information finally made it possible to interpret the genesis of the different deposits, the age of the processes that originated them and to evaluate what could have been the determining factors and triggers that produced them.

The work has been organized in such a way as to first present the field observations, the mineralogical and textural data and the absolute ages of the deposits, then the interpretations that arise from the analysis of all this information and, finally, the conclusions.

Geomorphological features

It stands out in the landscape due to its great elevation and is also notable for the presence of glaciers located on it at different heights (Upper Glacier, Middle Glacier and Lower Glacier) The Upper Glacier draws attention, because it communicates through a small step with the Ventisquero de Los Relinchos, a glacier that flows into the valley of the Las Vacas River. On the other hand, this last Aconcagua Expedition glacier also has very particular characteristics, since it ends on the southern wall of Cerro Aconcagua without a feeding basin or glacial cirque. Starting from the morphological observation, the Superior Glacier and the Los Relinchos Glacier can be united in a single glacial tongue, considering that they would have flowed, in the past, in a valley to the east as the East Glacier and the Ameghino Glacier do. These three glacial tongues coincide in height, Aconcagua Hike, unlike the Horcones Inferior glacier, much deeper in the landscape due to differential erosion, as a consequence of the asymmetry in the size of the glaciers, in relation to the orientation of the valleys with respect to of sunstroke. To complete this scheme, all that is needed is a watershed or interfluve that currently does not exist, between the valley of the Superior Glacier-Ventisquero de Los Relinchos and the valley of the Inferior Horcones. It is interpreted that said divide, absent today, would have existed in times of the Quaternary glaciation, as will be analyzed later.

The confluence area:

This area bears that name because the valleys of Horcones Inferior, Horcones Superior and the Tolosa ravine meet there. The sector is a little wider than each of the valleys individually.

Do I need technical knowledge to climb Aconcagua?

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If we move from the foothills to the high basin of the Mendoza River, Espizua (1989) describes the Penitentes, Horcones and Almacenes drifts. Subsequently, the Horcones deposits were assigned by Pereyra and González Díaz (1993) to flows originating from rotational landslides. Recently Fauqué et al. (2008a and b) considered the three drift deposits as distal flows of rock avalanches. In this case there is no doubt that the area was glaciated during the Pleistocene, but what is being discussed here is the Aconcagua Mountain Guides validity of the glacial stratigraphy of the Mendoza river basin, based on the mass shear deposits identified .

These antecedents allow us to observe that glacial deposits and mass removal deposits have been confused for more than 60 years. Therefore, the need arises to review and reinterpret the morphology together with the sedimentological characteristics of the high mountain Quaternary deposits. The incorrect identification as moraines made of deposits corresponding to rock avalanches that have survived erosion in previously glazed terrain, has been pointed out by Hewitt (2002) as frequent in many parts of the world. Detailed mapping of Quaternary deposits has been insufficient in many high mountain regions, despite the fact that it is linked to knowledge of geological risks.

It was precisely a study linked to the Aconcagua Ascents geological risks that affect the town of Puente del Inca, the reason for which the issue of the genesis of the deposit located in the Horcones ravine was addressed, in order to discern if it is of glacial origin or associated with mass removal. The resolution of this problem made it necessary to extend the observations to the Cuevas river valley and to the deposit assigned to the Penitentes drift.

The recent reinterpretations of the Horcones, Almacenes and Penitentes drifts were presented in abstracts at the XVII Argentine Geological Congress, therefore we intend here to provide all the information on which the new interpretation of the three deposits is based. We will start with the Horcones deposit and finally we will refer to the one located immediately downstream from the town of Penitentes. In the investigation of the Aconcagua Treks Horcones, Almacenes and Penitentes drifts, special attention was paid to the surface morphology of the deposits, their location and extension in the valleys and their volume. The morphological characteristics of the valleys of Horcones Inferior, Horcones, Tolosa, Cuevas and Mario Ardito were also analyzed, comparing them with other valleys in the area. The southern wall of Cerro Aconcagua was also studied in detail, as some anomalous and/or unusual morphologies were noted in it.

Brief tips for climbing the Colossus

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In the event of the preparation of a susceptibility map to the mass removal processes that affect the town of Puente del Inca, the controversial genesis of the Horcones deposit was reviewed. The morphology of the deposit and the surrounding landscape, the mineralogy and texture of its materials were analyzed and finally radiometric dating was performed. Based on these studies, it is concluded that the Horcones deposit is the result of a saturated flow derived from a rock avalanche or mega-slide, caused by the collapse of a watershed on the southern wall of Mount Aconcagua, during times late glacial or postglacial Aconcagua 360 Route. Deposits similar to Horcones fill the Cuevas river valley to the east and are covered by others, which were also previously considered glacial (e.g. terminal moraine of the Penitentes Drift). The analysis of this material in the vicinity of the town of Penitentes, using a similar methodology, reveals that it corresponds to a large-scale flow coming from the Mario Ardito creek. According to these new interpretations, the need to carry out an exhaustive review of the glacial stratigraphy in the area is clear. New ideas also arise regarding the genesis of the Puente del Inca natural monument. Finally, understanding the geomorphological evolution of the southern wall of Mount Aconcagua sheds light on the Horcones glacier surges. The southern wall of the How to Climb Aconcagua hill (6,965 m a.s.l.) constitutes an unusual morphological feature; With a drop of around 2,700 m, it is one of the great walls of the Earth. In it, rocky outcrops alternate with hanging glaciers, from which ice avalanches break off, giving this slope a greater risk. We rarely stop to think how these walls originated or, if we do, we combine: tectonic ascent, erosion and thousands of years, to finally give rise to a free interpretation. In the case of the southern wall of Aconcagua, among the erosive processes that the Aconcagua Guided Climb modeled, there were no less than two rock avalanches, which we will also call mega-slides (because of their enormous volume), which originated flows whose deposits have been previously interpreted by other authors as glaciers. The discrepancies about deposits assigned indistinctly to the Pleistocene glaciations or to mass removal are long-standing in our geological literature. During the studies carried out in the foothills of Mendoza, Dessanti (1946) described the “Morena del Quemado”, reinterpreted by Polanski (1953) as Cenoglomerate del Quemado and assigned to flows associated with rising debris. In fact, based on the different interpretation criteria of the deposit, the existence of an extensive englazation of the piedmont was being discussed.

Aconcagua Climbing – The challenge of reaching Colera

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Finally we arrived in Berlin, we made the tents since there was no room in the shelters, Esteban, who arrived first with Graciela, had a strong dispute with the guide of another expedition who was reserving places inside the shelter, as you can see the “criolla liveliness” it is immune to high altitudes, we look for snow far from the shelters so that it is not contaminated and we make water. Aconcagua Guided Climb

The fatigue at this height is incredible, to set up the tent, look for snow or simply change clothes. I took photos on the ascent. We are all very tired and the lack of oxygen is very noticeable. Tomorrow we plan to leave for the summit at four in the morning, I hope that the weather will be with us and we will achieve it because the effort is tremendous.

It’s a pity that the photos I don’t think show the imposing mountain landscapes and the precipices on the side of the path in their true dimension, when I look down I feel chills, a fall here must be more than 1000ms and without a doubt it is from the path to eternity, there is no chance of surviving something like that, the other big problem and what I see when looking up in some sections are avalanches, those avalanches of thousands of tons of ice and stones that bury everything in their path. However, at no time did I feel fear, only exhaustion and a tremendous desire to reach the summit. Aconcagua Mountain Guides

Arriving in Berlin we see a large number of lower snow-capped hills that surround us and the summit of Aconcagua covered by rock formations. We set up the tents with great effort and again go looking for snow to make water. Melting snow seems simple, but to make a liter of water from snow takes about forty minutes, the specialist in melting it is Mario and I go looking for it, Eduardo is the taster, he does the quality control… an efficient team .

Meals are quick and basic, based on instant soup, cheese, cold cuts, 4-cheese noodles, sausages, and cookies.

At this altitude, it is necessary to hydrate well, approximately 3 liters per day, to prevent the complications of altitude. In general, one is neither hungry nor thirsty despite great efforts, but eats and drinks liquids even if one does not feel like it, because dehydration and weakening due to lack of calories is fatal. I also take a vitamin pill every day. Aconcagua Ascents

The temperatures in Berlin are 15 degrees below zero, in the tent I estimate 5 degrees below zero.The tent moves a lot but it holds, I don’t know if we can go to the summit tomorrow.