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Cerro Aconcagua
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The purpose of the page is to give anyone who is interested in climbing Aconcagua a rundown on what to bring and what to expect. I'll also compare this to other mountains I've climbed and share my training program which worked for me. See my main Aconcagua page for my trip report where I share dozens of photos and write about the day to day experiences while climbing.
Aconcagua Links
There are two types of people who judge Aconcagua. The first type are average Joe Shmoe's like me who are amateur climbers and only do the sport a few times a year if that for a hobby. The second type are professionals who frequently do technical climbs around the world and here and there maybe even an 8,000 meter peak.

Some professional climbers look down on mountains that are non-technical and are relatively straight routes to the summit. When you come across websites written by these types of people, you will hear things like, "one of the easiest high altitude mountains", "wear your tennis shoes" "walk to the summit" "no experience necessary" etc. All these claims are actually true. Considering 8,000 and most 7,000 meter peaks, which would be the most difficult and dangerous in the world, Aconcagua is of course easy in comparison. The main routes don't involve climbing walls or crossing crevasses, so no technical experience is essential. This information is good to be shared with other professional climbers, but it creates a problem for amateur climbers. Should a new climber go to Aconcagua with the mindset that this is an easy mountain where you 'walk' to the top and that no experience is necessary? Absolutely not!

It's this mindset among inexperienced climbers that causes Aconcagua to have one of the highest failure rates and death tolls in the world. Common problems are people underestimating the cold and weather, underestimating the altitude, and not being physical fit. If you've never done any serious climbing and are interested in Aconcagua, then you should plan and expect this challenge to be the hardest thing you will have done so far in your life.
This information is easily found all over the internet, but I will also share my specific training that actually got me all the way up to the summit. First off, all of this information is different of course for every person, but in general you should train at least 4 months prior to arriving to Aconcagua. Of course if you're completely out of shape then you may want to start as early as 6 months prior. Many websites suggest different types of training, but all agree that actually climbing mountains is the best way to get in shape for one. Depending on where you live, this might not be an option, so you'll have to rely on the gym, stair climbing and other exercises. Below are some key workouts. Mountain Climbing - Like I said before, climbing mountains is the best way to get in shape for them. When I trained I carried a 70lb pack and hiked until I got an elevation gain of 2,200 feet. Websites suggest getting at least 3,000 feet gain, but where I live I didn't have this option. The weight you carry should start off easy and slowly build up. The most I carried on Aconcagua was 45lbs, so training with 70lbs was more than enough. Stair Climbing - After climbing mountains themselves, stair climbing is another great exercise. The mountains I trained in were over an hour away, so sometimes I went to a hotel and climbed to the 14th floor and then took the elevator down and then climbed back up again. The problem with stair climbing is you don't get the random terrain that you'll have when you're on Aconcagua. With stairs they are all spaced the same distance and are all flat. On Aconcagua you'll be on steep terrain and will take steps on uneven ground while balancing yourself and your pack.Gym - The gym is a great place to get in shape of course. The biggest problem with the gym, at least for me, is that it gets very boring after an hour, where as if I go hiking I can easily do it for half the day. In the gym there are many exercises that can help you train for mountaineering. Of course you want to focus on your legs, doing things like squats, leg press, and calf exercises.Running - Running is good for burning fat and training your heart and lungs. By running often you can lower your heart rate and also build your long term endurance.Mountain Biking - This is a fun sport that focuses on your legs and will build endurance, and like running will help your heart.Plenty of other exercises can be beneficial as well. A big part of getting in shape though is not just working out but also getting enough sleep and watching what you eat. I'm terrible at eating out, for me its just something I do socially with my friends on a daily basis. Before climbing Aconcagua I had a very difficult time watching what I eat, but I did manage and stayed dedicated.Below is my actual training record. I believe keeping a record is a great way to see results and motivate yourself to keep training.
Date       Weight    Night W     Waist    Work Out Exercises
11/15/2007  174        175        36      None                                               Rest
11/16/2007  175        176        36      None                                               Rest
11/17/2007  174        175        35.75   2200' Climb @ 70lb, Descend 40lb, 15 Miles Total   Super Work Out
11/18/2007  175        176        35.75   None                                               Rest
11/19/2007  174        175        35.75   None                                               Rest
11/20/2007  172        174        35.75   None Ride, 30 Minutes                              Work Out
11/21/2007  174        174        36      Rest                                               Rest
11/22/2007  173        174        36      (Traveling NYC)                                    Rest
11/23/2007  174        172        35.7    (Traveling, Gym NYC)                               Work Out
11/24/2007  173        173        35.75   (Traveling NYC)Running, Stair Climbing             Rest
11/25/2007  173        172        35.5    None                                               Rest
11/26/2007  173        174        35.5    2200' Climb @ 70lb, Descend 40lb, 9 Miles Total    Super Work Out
11/27/2007  173        172        35.75   6.4 Mile Run @ 1 Hour 0% Incline, XC, 35P          Work Out
11/28/2007  172        174        35.75   XC 40P                                             Work Out
11/29/2007  173        172        35.5    Lower/Upper Body Work Out                          Work Out
11/30/2007  173        172        35.5    Bike Ride, 20M                                     Work Out
12/1/2007   173        172        35.75   6 Mile Hike @ 60lbs                                Super Work Out
12/2/2007   173        172        35.75   9 Mile Hike @ 40lbs                                Super Work Out
12/3/2007   173        172        35.5    None                                               Rest
12/4/2007   172        171        35.5    6.2 Mile Run @1H 0%I                               Work Out
12/5/2007   170        172        35.25   Leg Press, Lower Body Work Out                     Work Out
12/6/2007   169        173        35.25   None (Opera)                                       Rest
12/7/2007   172        172        35      None (Long Hours)                                  Rest
12/8/2007   171        172        35      2200' Climb @ 70lb, Descend 40lb, 9 Miles Total    Super Work Out
12/9/2007   170        171        35      Bike Machine Level 10 @45min                       Work Out
12/10/2007  171        170        35.25   Leg Pressx6, leg liftx3, 450C Calfx3, 25 pull ups  Work Out
12/11/2007  170        170        34.75   None                                               Rest
12/12/2007  169        171        35      50 Mile Bike Ride  RT to Work                      Super Work Out
12/13/2007  170        170        35      Rest Day (Long Hours)                              Rest
12/14/2007  170        170        34.75   Leg Press, Lower Body Work Out, Crunches           Work Out
12/15/2007  169        169        34.75   Chest/Tri/Back/Bi 5 sets of 8 work outs            Work Out
12/16/2007  168        171        34.5    Stair Climbing, 1400 steps @ 65lbs                 Work Out
12/17/2007  169        170        34.75   4 Miles Wind Sprints, Crunches                     Work Out
12/18/2007  169        170        34.75   Chest/Tri/Back/Bi 5 sets of 8 work outs            Work Out
12/19/2007  168        169        34.5    None (Long Hours)                                  Rest
12/20/2007  168        170        34.25   Walking 15% Incline 45 Minutes                     Work Out
12/21/2007  169        169        34.25   Leg Press, Lower Body Work Out, Crunches           Work Out
12/22/2007  168        170        34.5    Chest/Tri/Back/Bi 5 sets of 8 work outs            Work Out
12/23/2007  169        169        34.5    None                                               Rest
12/24/2007  168        170        34.25   30 Minute Bike Ride                                Work Out
12/25/2007  169        171        34      2200' Climb @ 70lb, Descend 40lb, 9 Miles Total    Super Work Out
12/26/2007  169        170        34.25   None                                               Rest
12/27/2007  169        169        34.75   Walking Incline 20 Minutes Back, Bicep Lifting     Work Out
12/28/2007  169        169        34.75   Bike Ride 40 Minutes                               Work Out
12/29/2007  169        169        34.75   Traveling (Disney World)                           Rest
12/30/2007  169        169        34.5    Traveling (4 Mile Hike flat terrain @60lbs)        Work Out
12/31/2007  168        168        34.5    Traveling (4 Mile Hike flat terrain @60lbs)        Work Out
1/1/2008    168        168        34.5    Traveling (Savannah/New Years)                     Rest
1/2/2008    167        166        34.5    1 Hour jog 7.5% Incline, Crunches                  Work Out
1/3/2008    167        166        34.5    None                                               Rest
1/4/2008    166        166        34.25   Leg Press, Lower Body Work Out, Crunches           Work Out
1/5/2008    167        166        34.25   None                                               Rest
1/6/2008    165        166        34      2200' Climb @ 70lb, Descend 40lb, 9 Miles Total    Super Work Out
1/7/2008    165        166        34      Crunches, stretches, walking                       Work Out
1/8/2008    166        165        34.25   4 Mile Lake Run with hills, 31:51 (New Record)     Work Out
1/9/2008    165        168        33.75   None                                               Rest
1/10/2008   167        168        34      Chest/Tri/Back/Bi 5 sets of 8 work outs            Work Out
1/11/2008   167        168        34      4 Mile Lake Hike with hills@70lbs (Flight to Sudan)Work Out
1/12/2008   167        168        34      Traveling (Sudan)                                  Rest
1/13/2008   167        168        34      Traveling (Sudan)                                  Rest
1/14/2008   166        167        33.75   30 Minutes wind sprints Traveling (Sudan)          Work Out
1/15/2008   166        167        33.75   Traveling (Sudan)                                  Rest
1/16/2008   166        167        33.75   Traveling (Sudan)                                  Rest
1/17/2008   166        167        33.75   Stair Climbing 30 Minutes @35lbsTraveling (Sudan)  Work Out
1/18/2008   165        166        33.5    Push Ups, Leg Raises Traveling (Sudan)             Work Out
1/19/2008   165        166        33.5    Scuba Diving, Push ups Crunches Traveling (Sudan)  Work Out
1/20/2008   165        166        33.5    Traveling (Sudan)                                  Rest
1/21/2008   165        166        33.25   Traveling (Sudan)                                  Rest
1/22/2008   165        164        33.25   Traveling (Flight home from Sudan)                 Rest
1/23/2008   162        161        33.25   2200' Climb @ 75lb, Descend 40lb, 9 Miles Total    Super Work Out
1/24/2008   161        164        33      Chest/Tri/Back/Bi 3 sets of 7 work outs            Work Out
1/25/2008   163        162        33      None                                               Rest
1/26/2008   162        162        33.25   30Min 7.5 Inc Run, 15 Min Hike, Crunches           Work Out
1/27/2008   160        162        33      1 Hour stair climbing                              Work Out
1/28/2008   162        163        33.25   Rest                                               Rest
1/29/2008   163        164        33.25   Incline Hiking, 55lbs                              Work Out
1/30/2008   164        165        33.25   30 Min Run, Crunches, 20 Minute Incline Walk       Work Out
1/31/2008   164        164        33.5    Chest/Tri/Back/Bi/Legs 5 sets of 9 work outs       Work Out
2/1/2008    164        164        33.5    None                                               Rest
2/2/2008    164        164        33.5    None                                               Rest
2/3/2008    163        164        33.5    1500' Climb @ 65lb, Descend 40lb, 5 Miles Total    Work Out
2/4/2008    163        164        33.5    1 Hour 15 Incline, 65lbs                           Work Out
2/5/2008    163        164        33.5    None                                               Rest
2/6/2008    163        164        33.5    1 Hour stair climbing                              Work Out
2/7/2008    161        162        33.25   Lower Body Lifting, 20 Minute Incline, Crunches    Work Out
2/8/2008    161        162        33.25   1 Hour stair climbing                              Work Out
2/9/2008    162        162        33.25   4 Mile Hike with 70lb on flat terrain              Work Out
2/10/2008   161        162        33.25   1 Hour stair climbing                              Work Out
You can see that this is only 3 months of working out and that I started off pretty light. I actually began to train 6 months prior but because of an injury I had to stop for 2 months. You can also see that I traveled during my training and it definitely took a toll but I was still able to do some type of exercises. If I can visit Sudan and go jogging and stair climbing then you should be able to do some type of work out in just about any country. I also tried to do at least one super work out per week. I consider a super work out any activity that is pretty intense and lasts over 4 hours.
Personal Equipment
Expedition Back Pack - Denali Pro built by Gregory. I bought this pack a few years ago and it has proved to be very durable and reliable. It has plenty of space and I'm confident I wouldn't find any broken straps or buckles unless I purposely tried to break it. The top part of the pack can be separated into a day pack which is perfect for small hikes and summit day.
Sleeping Bag - I used North Face's Solar Flare which is rated to -20F or -29C. For this climb a sleeping bag rated to at least 0F is recommended. I found that the -20F wasn't much more money than any 0F rated sleeping bag so I went with the Solar Flare. Being warm and comfortable at night is extremely important while climbing. At high altitude its very hard to fall asleep because of the lack of oxygen. The last thing you'll need is to get even less sleep because you were rolling around all night or too cold.
Cell Foam Pad - Cell foam pads are just light mattresses that you put on the floor of your tent. They provide a cushion between you and the cold bumpy floor. If you put a self-inflating pad directly on the ground you can risk it popping on a sharp surface.
Self-Inflating Pad - On Aconcagua this was my first time using a self-inflated pad. This is basically just an air mattress that goes over your cell foam pad and makes sleeping much more comfortable. It's not absolutely necessary but the better you sleep the better you can climb the following day so I highly recommend one.
Compression Sacks - Compression sacks are just bags that have straps on them and are perfect for making extra room in your pack. Without a compression sack my sleeping bag and down jacket alone probably would have taken up over half my pack.
Silverware - I used some very light titanium silverware from a camping store.Bowl - My bowl was also made of titanium and I actually got it with a kit. Someone on the mountain suggested using either a plastic bowl or silverware because metal on metal can scratch each other and make it harder to clean.
Sunscreen - I would bring the strongest sunscreen you can find, at least rated at a 50. Also you'll spend several weeks on Aconcagua so make sure you bring enough.Lip Balm - A small stick of lip balm is all you will need. It's good for the sun and essential to prevent wind burned lips.
Water Bottles - I brought two one liter bottles along with insulated containers for them. The insulation is essential because of the cold weather. On Mt. Elbrus I learned this when I brought a regular plastic bottle to carry water. On summit day I pulled it out for a drink and instead I only had a block of ice in my pack.
1 Liter Thermo - These can be pretty heavy but for some they are well worth it. Hot water keeps your warm and is also good for tea and coffee. Sometimes my other bottles would freeze even in their insulated containers, so adding a little hot water was enough to thaw out the ice.
Piss Bottle - This is by far the best mountaineering invention. Bring an extra bottle with you so that you can use it to pee in the middle of the night. On Elbrus I was sick and every 20 minutes I felt like I was getting dressed and going outside at 3 in the morning. I brought a 1 liter bottle to Aconcagua and found that it wasn't enough for the night. I ended up upgrading to a 2.5 liter.
Knife - A small pocket knife is a useful tool for a variety of situations. I actually used mine to take apart my camera after I spilled juice into it and it would no longer turn on.
Hygiene Bag - I brought with me only a tooth brush, floss, and toothpaste. I wouldn't worry about deodorant or razor blades.Hand Sanitizer - This is good to wash your hands before you eat. Everything around you is usually frozen so you're not likely to get sick, but a little bottle of hand sanitizer is worth it to be on the safe side.
First Aid Kit - If you do a guided climb your guide will have a large first aid kit. In this case you can just bring small items like some bandaids or mole skin.
Hand & Toe Warmers - I brought with me several pairs of hand and toe warmers and I didn't use any of them. On summit day I felt warm in camp 3 in the morning which is the coldest part of the day so I left the warmers behind. Later my extremities began to get numb from the cold even though my body felt pretty warm. Many people get frost bite above 6,000 meters on Aconcagua and they are so light they are worth carrying. I would definitely bring these to Aconcagua if I were to climb it again, and more importantly bring them with you on summit day.
Trash Compactor Bags - These are so light you might as well bring them. They are good for lining your back pack and separating dirty clothes from clean clothes. Also of course its good for trash.
Head Lamp - I brought a Black Diamond LED headlamp that worked great. Petzl are also supposed to be a good brand.
Head Gear
Ski Hat - A normal wool ski hat found in an outdoor or ski shop is all you will need. This thing almost never left my head after I arrived to base camp.
Balaclava - I found a balaclava extremely useful after base camp. It completely blocks the wind from your face and stops your nose from running all the time, makes climbing that much more comfortable.
Sun Hat - On the lower slopes you'll definitely want a sun hat because its easy to get burned. I used a baseball cap.
Buff - I never used a buff until Aconcagua but from now on I think I'll always bring one for outdoor trips. A buff is just an elastic gaiter that you can wear around your neck to protect you from the sun. Some people stretch it around their face and use it as a super light balaclava as well.
Bandanna - A bandanna is a useful item just because it's flexible. Some people use it instead of a buff and wrap it around their neck. I prefer a buff to a bandanna and on my next trip I'll probably leave the bandannas at home.
Glacier Glasses - These are nothing but sunglasses but with side shields to completely block out the sun.
Ski Goggles - On higher camps you'll probably put your glacier glasses away and only wear the ski goggles. Ski goggles are great because they also block out the wind from your eyes.
Clothing
Light Long Underwear - For light long underwear I simply bought some spandex type gear I got from a climbing store.
Heavy Long Underwear - My heavy long underwear for my legs was some thick wool I got from REI. For my upper body I used some random polyester and a north face fleece. I never ended up wearing the polyester top.
Soft Shell Jacket - A goretex windbreaker that I also used as my casual street jacket was my softshell.
Soft Shell Pants - Goretex mountain hardware pants were used for my legs. Make sure you have full side zippers.
Insulated Pants - Micropuff pants were suggested on the internet and I agree they work great. These also had full side zippers so that you can slip them off if you get too hot without having to remove your boots.
Expedition Down Parka - I bought the top of the line North Face Himalaya Parka. This $500 jacket was a great pillow in all my camps but I never wore it on summit day. I plan to use it on other mountains of course, but I'd still bring or rent one for Aconcagua because the weather is always unpredictable.
Hand Wear
Bunting/Fleece Gloves - I brought with me some Mountain Hardware Fulcrum gloves. These worked well until I lost one of them in base camp. Afterwards my guide gave me another pair of lighter gloves but I'm not sure what the brand was.
Hardshell Mitts - I brought some Black Diamond Expedition mitts that I love. On summit day I found that I didn't need two pairs of gloves on, and the expedition mitts alone kept my hands really warm.
Foot Wear
Plastic Double Boots - Supposedly the warmest boots ever made, I used Koflach's Arctis Expe. I wear a size 10 street shoe and bought the size 10.5 Koflach boots. They were slightly too big but I think a 10 would have been too tight.
Trekking Shoes - Some low top hiking shoes would be perfect for Aconcagua, but with all the money I blew on gear I didn't want to buy any and just wore my street shoes. My street shoes worked pretty good until I hit snow and brought out the boots.
Light Sandals - Light sandals are used to cross rivers mostly, but on the normal route in February we never had to use them. They were nice to use in base camp though on the days that were warm.
Gaiters - My pants have some built in gaiters so I didn't use any additional ones even though I had carried some to Camp 3 just in case. Gaiters depend on your boots and pants, if you think there is a chance of getting snow inside then definitely bring them.
Wool Socks - I brought 3 pair of thick wool socks that were labeled for mountaineering.
Liner Socks - 3 pair of liner socks are essential to avoid blisters.
Climbing Gear
Ice Axe - You'll probably only use an ice axe on summit day. On my first day climbing Mt. Elbrus a group of four climbers all died because they slipped and none of them brought ice axes to stop their fall.
Crampons - I wore Black Diamond Sabre Tooth crampons with my Koflachs. I saw some people wearing crampons in Camp 2.
Ski Poles - These aren't essential but they are a good tool that almost every enjoys using. I definitely wouldn't climb without them since they are useful while trying to balance yourself and can avoid falling on slippery terrain.
 
Now that you've gotten all your gear and are in shape you're ready for the actual climb. I'll try to give a brief explanation of what you can expect on a day to day basis and a quick comparison to other mountains.

Camp Confluencia - From the park entrance you'll have an easy mostly flat hike to Camp Confluencia. For the first few days you'll carry only a day pack so won't have to worry about extra weight. Once in Confluencia you will also do local acclimatization hikes to 4,000 meters before moving to base camp. I found all of these very easy.

Base Camp - The hike to base camp is about 8 hours from Confluencia. The majority of it is on very flat terrain until the very end. The last part is a called strong hill in Spanish and goes up a very steep hill for about 15 minutes. The hill was definitely more challenging than the other part of the trek but I didn't find it very difficult. Someone in our group said he found this hill alone harder than summit day on Kilimanjaro. Statements like this are all a result from training. I can promise you this person hadn't trained much for the climb and as a result didn't summit. After climbing once a week with 70lbs, a steep 15 minute hill with a day pack wasn't very difficult for me at all, while another person on the same trip felt it was extremely challenging.

Local Hikes - After you reach base camp you'll do some local hikes to acclimatize some more. Most of these were pretty easy, but we did a climb to 5,000 meters on a peak known as Cerro Bone. I found this day to be challenging, but I believe it was a result of acclimatizing and not physical fitness. Once on the summit I felt pretty mellow and wanted to go back down.

Camp 1 - We reached Camp 1 twice on our expedition. Once to drop off some gear and then the second time on our way to the summit. The first time Camp 1 was dry and rocky and the terrain was kind of annoying. The second time it was covered in snow so a little easier. Camp 1 is at 4900 meters and we carried about 30lbs the first day to it. All of the high camps are challenging, but I felt Camp 1 of course was the easiest.

Camp 2 - We carried about 40lb to Camp 2 taking about 4 hours. Our guide promised Camp 2 was the hardest camp to reach and that Camp 3 was easier. I didn't find Camp 2 hard at all until the very end. The first 3 hours I felt like this was a joke, even with the 40lbs on my back. The last hour I couldn't wait to reach camp even though the terrain wasn't as steep as in the middle of the day.

Camp 3 - Both myself and my climbing partner felt that the reaching Camp 3 was equal to or worse than Camp 2 even though our guide had said it wasn't nearly as bad. While we hiked to Camp 3 we had terrible weather and a snow storm so this was probably the biggest reason for us feeling that way. Most of the hike was semi steep but the last 20 minutes were very steep.

Summit Day - When you reach base camp you'll have an 8 hour hike, but most of the other days you won't do more than 5 hours. On summit day prepare for 8 hours from Camp 3 to the top with another 3 or 4 hours back down. The biggest problem people have with summit day is the Canaleta which is a steep gravel like area causing people to slide backwards and making a frustrating climb. For us, the Canaleta was covered in snow so I found the traverse immediately before it much harder. Deep snow made the climbing difficult but most of it had been cleared by previous climbers. I never really felt like any area was extremely steep including the Canaleta. Prepare to climb up to 30 degrees on summit day with a day pack.

Descending - I think I had prepared very well for this trip as far as my gear and training goes, but descending was where I failed. After summit day I returned to Camp 3 and went to sleep like everyone else. No one eats dinner because it's so late, but in the morning I listened to the altitude when it told me I wasn't hungry and pretty much skipped breakfast. I figured we were going to base camp which wasn't very far and I could eat whatever I wanted to there. How stupid can I be! While going up the mountain I was always right behind the guide and I never felt that I wouldn't be strong enough to continue. During the descent I found that I was lagging behind everyone even though I wasn't out of breathe and felt fine in regards to the altitude. The problem really was common sense, I must have burned 10,000 calories on summit day and never replaced them with anything. Going down I had no energy whatsoever and it took me a hell of a lot longer than it should have. Once in base Camp I ate plenty of food and the next day I was back to normal again. I've read about this mistake plenty of times but somehow I still let it happen to me, when you reach the top of the mountain you are only half way finished. Many people let their guard down, and this is why most accidents happen coming down, making a descent a on a mountain the most dangerous part.

Comparing to Mt. Kilimanjaro - In a way, Aconcagua is like Kilimanjaro in the sense that it is high altitude and for the most part hiking, just that it is a whole 1,000 meters higher. In that regards many people who do Kilimanjaro consider Aconcagua the next logical step in climbing, but this might not always be a wise decision. By comparison, what this comes down to is Aconcagua is at least a level or two higher in all aspects compared to Kilimanjaro. You will climb 1,000 meters higher, carry up to 40lbs of gear, spend three or four times longer on the mountain, experience harsher conditions and weather, and you're level of fitness will need to be double the needs of Kilimanjaro. A climber I met who didn't reach the summit of Aconcagua but did climb Kilimanjaro said that he felt Aconcagua was twice as hard, and I would agree with that.

Back in 2000, I was also one of those who had recently climbed Kilimanjaro and immediately had my eyes set on Aconcagua. I had even emailed a climbing group and asked if I was ready and they had encouraged me to join. My training for Kilimanjaro was nothing more than running a few times a week which was enough to get me to the summit. There is no doubt in my mind if I had gone to Aconcagua at that time I would have been shocked by the demands of the mountain and suffered and failed miserably. Anyone who dedicates them self to training likely won't find Aconcagua extremely difficult, but the bottom line is this is a long and challenging climb and it should never be underestimated!
Zelly from Mexico: I love this enformation!
Rawi from Germanh: Great information. Honest, helpful and entertaining! Thanks for this page.
Robert from USA: Thanks much for the pics and the info. I will attempt to climb the mountain in Feb.09. How many days should I plan above plaza de mulas? In researching, I noticed a lack of snow on the normal  route. what about water?. will a -20F bag be adequate? is the route well marked if I solo?
 
George: Hi Robert, I have two pages about Aconcagua, one being a travelogue and photo page and the other you might not have seen, my how to climb Aconcagua page which gives more details on what was done to get ready, the gear I used and a brief explanation of each camp. When I climbed Aconcagua we spent 6 days at plaza de mulas before sleeping at Camp 1. From there on the plan was to spend only one night in each camp but because of bad weather we ended up spending two nights in Camp 2 and three nights in Camp 3, if you include the night after summiting. A 0F sleeping bag is recommended but I used a -20F as well and slept warm at all camps. Aconcagua is generally rocky and dry so the trails are actually easy to follow. If you climb in February like I did then you're likely to have snow. This will completely cover the trails and can potentially put you in a dangerous situation because you won't be able to recognize anything, including your own tent in the distance if there is enough snow on it. If it snows at night or the day before then you can probably get away with following other climbers and their footprints. But, Aconcagua is known for being a very windy mountain so even with clear skies strong winds can blow enough snow around to cover fresh footprints. In other words the trails can be easy to follow if there is no snow, but you will need to bring an elevation map, compass, altimeter etc and plan on them not being visible. There are many glacier run offs on the normal route so it should be easy to find water. There is a large ice formation with a big creek by base camp and even some small stores. I'm not sure where run offs are located by the other camps because we got our water by melting snow that came down after a big storm. Good luck on your climb!
Sam from USA: Excellent Journal of your experience.  Thanks for the effort and diligence in preparing such a valuable account. I will  certainly use this information and it has been very helpful.
Lou from Australia: Excellent Information and thank you for taking the time to enlighten people like me who are about to attempt the climb. It is evident you took photos - What type of camera did you use and more importantly how many batteries did you take , and how did you keep everything warm so that you did not lose the battery power.
George: Lou, at the time I used a Panasonic DMC-FZ30 camera. This camera worked great during the whole climb. Many websites warn about digital cameras not working in high altitude but I never had any problems with mine. Cold weather will definitely shorten the life of your batteries so I brought three with me. I kept two of them in my back pocket so they would stay warm. My intention was to use two batteries during the climb and save the third one until summit day. A day or two before summit day I used my second battery and that was more than half way full when I got off the mountain so I never used the third.
Lou from Australia:George, do you actually sweat while walking and did you lose any weight? Does anything dry like thermals if they get sweaty? Did you take any elctrolyte tablets or powders or powerade (drink) to replace loss of water or energy. Did you consume any chocolate bars when actually walking? I sweat perfusely and have suffered servere cramps after and during strenuous exercise from dehydration. What is the chance of this happening? Thank you again.
George: These are some good questions, things I should have wrote about earlier but I forgot about them.
Minerals & Energy Bars: Since the water you are drinking is from melted snow, it has probably been sitting on the mountain for a very long time. This means there are almost no minerals in the water so it is extremely important to add them yourself. Bringing powder or tablets that you can mix in is essential, if you are doing a guided climb then this should already be covered. I did bring energy bars for the climb but I forgot them in Chile and I definitely wished I had them on the mountain. I lost about five or more pounds on Aconcagua so this is hard to avoid.
Sweating: The issue you have with sweating/dehydration is very critical.Sweating while mountain climbing is one of the most dangerous situations you can find yourself in. Wet clothes put you in a much higher risk for getting hypothermia if there is a large drop in temperatures which is quite normal on large mountains that create their own weather. Before you start your day you should be slightly cold so that when you warm up while hiking you are neither shivering nor sweating. The key to this is to add several layers of clothing that can easily be removed so you can adjust for the changing temperatures. Bring some pants that have full length zippers on the sides. This way you can unzip them and take them off easily without having to sit down and remove your boots.
Dehydration: There is a lot that isn't known about acclimatizing yet but so far it seems clear that the fitter you are, the better pace you have, the more you are hydrated, and the better mindset you have, the less likely you are to have altitude problems. On Aconcagua it is recommended to drink at least 5 liters of water everyday. Climbers who are dehydrated are much more likely to have altitude problems and not summit. It is very difficult to force yourself to drink five liters a day for a couple of weeks straight but do not forget how important it is!
Sivia from India: Really I am very happy for this information.
John from Canada:  Great tips and full of information. I'm wondering what you did for water filtration/purification?
George: Hey John, I just dumped my water bottle in the stream and drank it straight and didn't get sick, otherwise you should use purifying tablets. I didn't filter it either so the bottom of the bottle gets pretty sandy
Rodrigo from Argentina:  Hi nice page! A comment: It is "Horcones" and not "hornocos".
George: Thanks, I hate spelling mistakes!
Tyler from USA: Thanks for the info. It is good stuff. A lot better than anything else I found.
Gary from USA: Thanks for the very helpful information. On Kilimanjaro I had to pee every few minutes all night every night (so also others who were climbing with me), and we only drank 3 liters per day.  How did you get any sleep above 5000 meters with drinking so much water?
George: I tried to avoid drinking water a few hours before sleeping. If you have cotton mouth or are thirsty before sleeping then you definitely need to hydrate, otherwise if you've been sipping water throughout the day it won't cause a problem. Even if you don't drink a few hours before you're still likely to have to wake up and pee, so keeping a pee bottle in the tent will make it a 1 minute ordeal instead of having to get dressed and go outside.
Patrick from USA:  Superb pictures and info!!! just climbed Kili and thought Id look into a few of the other peaks. Congrats!!!
Jujo from Finland:  I love reading these climbing reports! Thanks!
Jakub from Ireland:  Great info! Thanks for sharing!
Hassan from Azerbaijan:  Climbing Mt. Aconcagua is definitely a dream for me. Someday!
Stacy from USA:  Fantastic info, George!  I just summited Kilimanjaro 22 Feb. 2010 and now that I've been back for a few months, I have this bug again to climb. Aconcagua makes the most sense, but I'm also considering Mt. Elbrus although from what I'm reading about Elbrus, it doesn't seem like you do that much climbing but a lot of riding on trains or other types of transportation to get to the top.  I want to work hard for my success!  You've provided great info on the prep work you feel is necessary for Aconcagua so I appreciate that.  I'm already in decent shape, but what I'm not used to is carrying the 40+ lb. pack. Guess I need to start loading up and hitting the trails!  Thanks again! Stacy
Mattias from Belgium:  In Novembre/Decembre we want to climb Aconcagua's normal route. But first we are going to help the people of Haïti for two months. Because of that we can not take a lot of our own alpinismgear with us. And now I want to know if it's possible to rent gear over there? Where do we have to be? What's the quality of the gear? What are the prices?
George: Hey guys, you can practically purchase all the gear you would need from local shops and also rent things like ice axes, plastic boots etc. Of course it's always better to bring your own stuff but here you'll find plenty of options. I found this website: http://www.orviz.com/ I haven't been there personally but they are located in Mendoza Argentina, where you'll have to visit anyway to get your climbing permits. They can better answer your questions and make certain everything is prepared for you. Good luck on your climb and congrats for helping Haiti!
Kim from Canada:  Thank you for this information. I just summited Kilimanjaro on Sep 13, 2010. Like how you were, my mind is set on Aconcagua now. I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment that Aconcagua cannot be underestimated. I respect this mountain like any other, and I will train seriously before attempting it.
Rich from USA:  Awesome stuff George!!! Bookmarked. Now I just need to prepare myself for '11-12 climbing season. Still deciding if I should do it earlier (early December) or later in the season (mid February/early March)...Thanks for the confirmation above about renting stuff in Mendoza. I'll be cycling from Bolivia's Altiplano and don't want to carry my 'heavy' climbing stuff with me. This way I don't need to even have it shipped to me. Great;)
Fransesco from USA:  Did you ever have knee or ankle problems while training or hiking because i have problems, not if I travel light though. is there a way to make ones pack lighter than 45lbs? did you feel like you could have lightened up with any of your gear like excess clothes and stuff?
George: You can definitely carry less than 45lbs if you carry half your gear and drop it off at the next camp and then return to the previous one and sleep, the 'carry high sleep low' technique. On my trip I carried all my own gear and we went straight from one camp to another so that is why my gear was about 45lbs. The best thing for you might be to hire porters which are available on Aconcagua, they can be paid to carry your gear all the way to the highest camp, so you'd only have a day pack.
Daniel from USA: George, I enjoyed reading your account of Aconcagua. I did Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp, both with guide companies . Now I want to do Aconcagua with 3 friends--no guides, although one of the friends climbed Aconcagua about 5 years ago by himself. But I am scared. Should I be? Is it really as dangerous a trek as it seems? Thanks.
George: Of course I can never be in a position to give advice on whether or not you are capable of doing an unguided climb but from what you've told me it sounds like your group is more than capable. The reasons for death on Aconcagua are mostly due to high altitude effects on the body and people getting caught up in high altitude storms. Since you have experienced high altitude before and the fact that you are concerned and taking the time to email me, I would assume you understand the importance of patience and letting your body adjust and that you would not take unnecessary risks. Having a member who has already climbed Aconcagua will be a great help to your group, but you also have to consider what happens if he gets injured at some point in the climb and has to descend leaving two of you on your own. This is probably unlikely, but would the two of you continue climbing to the summit or would this end the trip for everyone? Just things to consider, good luck!
Yash from USA: Great information. I am in Mendoza now getting ready for the climb in January 2012. Your information is very useful and encouraging. Just like you, I did Kilimanjaro in Jan 2011 and immediately set my eyes on Aconcagua. Hope it works out ..
Kareem from Singapore: Hi. thank you for so much information. Amazing facts and explanations. I have 2 questions: i: Is it possible to do a solo climb? ii; Do i need a tent?
George: Aconcagua expeditions normally last at least two weeks, so of course you would need a tent. Solo climbs are not uncommon but are done by experienced climbers. I would personally be comfortable soloing Aconcagua now because I have already been to the summit and know the route and how my body will react to that altitude. Experience is critical in climbing solo but still does not guarantee safety. An experienced guide who had climbed Aconcagua dozens of times mistakenly took his group down the wrong side of the summit which ended up not only getting himself killed by members of his team as well. Good luck and stay safe!
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