How I Climbed Aconcagua

When I climbed Aconcagua, I spent months preparing for the altitude, weather, heavy packs, and long days on the mountain. This page is a record of what worked for me: how I trained, the gear I carried, what I experienced at each camp, and how Aconcagua compared with other major mountains I had climbed.

This isn’t meant to be a current professional climbing guide. Gear changes, conditions change, and every climber is different. But if you’re curious what it actually took for an amateur climber like me to prepare for and reach the summit, this is exactly what I did.

What’s Aconcagua Like?

There are two types of people who judge Aconcagua. The first are average Joe Shmoes like me: amateur climbers who might climb a major mountain only occasionally as a hobby. The second are professionals who frequently do technical climbs around the world and might even tackle an 8,000-meter peak.

Some professional climbers look down on mountains that are non-technical and have relatively straightforward routes to the summit. You’ll hear things like “one of the easiest high-altitude mountains,” “you can walk to the summit,” or “no experience necessary.”

In context, some of that is true. Compared with 8,000-meter peaks and many 7,000-meter mountains, Aconcagua’s Normal Route is technically straightforward. It doesn’t normally involve climbing walls or crossing heavily crevassed glaciers.

But that creates a dangerous impression for inexperienced climbers. Should someone new to mountaineering approach Aconcagua thinking it’s an easy mountain that you simply walk up? Absolutely not.

The altitude, cold, wind, weather, physical demands, and length of the expedition can be brutal. If you’ve never attempted a serious high-altitude mountain before, prepare for Aconcagua as though it could be one of the hardest physical challenges you’ve ever attempted.

How I Trained

Training is different for everyone, so what follows is simply what I did before my climb. I originally began preparing about six months before the expedition, although an injury interrupted my training for roughly two months.

For me, the most useful training was anything that resembled what I would actually be doing on Aconcagua: hiking uphill for hours while carrying weight. When I couldn’t get into the mountains, I used stairs, running, cycling, incline workouts, and the gym.

Mountain Climbing

Actually climbing mountains was the best training I did. During some of my training hikes I carried a 70-pound pack and climbed about 2,200 vertical feet. I didn’t have convenient access to mountains with much more elevation gain, so I worked with what I had.

The most I eventually carried on Aconcagua was around 45 pounds, so training with heavier loads made the expedition pack feel much more manageable. I built up to those weights rather than starting there.

Stair Climbing

After hiking, stair climbing was one of my favorite substitutes. The mountains I trained in were more than an hour away, so sometimes I went to a hotel, climbed to the 14th floor, took the elevator back down, and repeated the whole thing.

Stairs aren’t a perfect substitute for a mountain. Every stair is flat and evenly spaced, while Aconcagua gives you rocks, loose terrain, steep slopes, and awkward footing while you’re balancing a pack. But for building endurance when I couldn’t get outside, it worked.

Gym

The gym obviously helped too. My biggest problem with it was boredom. I could hike half the day without thinking much about the time, while an hour inside a gym felt much longer.

I concentrated heavily on my legs with exercises such as squats, leg presses, and calf exercises, along with general upper-body and core training.

Running

I also ran regularly for cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Running obviously isn’t the same movement as carrying a pack uphill, but I found it useful for improving my overall conditioning.

I’d once read someone argue that running was useless for mountaineering because you don’t run up a mountain. I couldn’t disagree more. Specific mountain training was more important to me, but having strong cardiovascular endurance certainly didn’t hurt when I was moving slowly at high altitude with my heart pounding.

Mountain Biking

Mountain biking was another fun way for me to work my legs and endurance. Hilly terrain was much more useful than simply riding around on flat streets.

My Actual Aconcagua Training Record

I kept a record of my workouts because it gave me a way to see my progress and kept me motivated. This isn’t a training program I’m recommending everyone copy. It’s simply my actual log leading up to Aconcagua.

You can see that this log covers only about three months. I had actually started training six months before Aconcagua, but an injury forced me to stop for about two months.

I also traveled during my training, which definitely made things more difficult. Still, I tried to find some way to exercise wherever I was. If I could go to Sudan and still find a way to jog and climb stairs, I figured I could train almost anywhere.

I also tried to do at least one “super workout” each week. That’s just my own term for something particularly intense that lasted more than four hours.

What I Brought

The following is the gear I personally carried on Aconcagua. Some of these specific products are obviously old now, so think of this as a snapshot of my expedition rather than a current shopping list.

Personal Equipment

Expedition Backpack: I used a Gregory Denali Pro. I had owned it for several years and it proved extremely durable and reliable. It had plenty of room, and the top could be separated and used as a day pack, which was perfect for smaller hikes and summit day.

Sleeping Bag: I used a North Face Solar Flare rated to -20°F (-29°C). Being warm and comfortable at night is extremely important. Sleeping at high altitude can already be difficult enough without spending the night freezing.

Cell Foam Pad: A basic foam pad gave me insulation and a protective layer between my inflatable pad and the cold, rocky ground. They’re thinner than mattress toppers, but on a mountain they serve a completely different purpose.

Self-Inflating Pad: Aconcagua was my first time using one. It wasn’t absolutely necessary, but sleeping better meant recovering better for the next day.

Compression Sacks: These saved a huge amount of room. Without them, my sleeping bag and down jacket alone would have occupied a ridiculous amount of my backpack.

Eating Gear: I carried lightweight titanium silverware and a bowl. Someone on the mountain pointed out that metal utensils scraping against a metal bowl can make both harder to clean, so mixing plastic and metal can actually make sense.

Sunscreen: The sun at altitude is intense. I brought strong sunscreen and enough of it to last several weeks.

Lip Balm: A tiny item, but essential for both the sun and wind.

Water Bottles: I carried two one-liter bottles with insulated covers. On Mt. Elbrus I had learned what happens without insulation when I pulled out my water bottle on summit day and discovered that I had carried a block of ice up the mountain.

Thermos: Heavy, but useful. Hot water was great for tea and coffee and could also be used to thaw water that had begun freezing in my other bottles.

Pee Bottle: This is by far one of the greatest mountaineering inventions. On Elbrus I had been sick and felt like I was getting dressed every 20 minutes to leave the tent at three in the morning. I started Aconcagua with a one-liter bottle and quickly discovered that wasn’t enough. I upgraded to 2.5 liters.

Knife: A small pocket knife can be useful for all kinds of unexpected things. I actually used mine to take my camera apart after spilling juice into it and discovering it would no longer turn on.

Hygiene Bag: I kept this simple: toothbrush, floss, and toothpaste. I wasn’t particularly worried about shaving or smelling wonderful halfway up Aconcagua.

Hand Sanitizer: Small, light, and useful before eating.

First Aid Kit: Because I was on a guided climb, our guide carried a larger medical kit. I carried smaller personal items such as Band-Aids and moleskin.

Hand & Toe Warmers: I brought several and made the mistake of leaving them behind on summit day because I felt warm when we left camp. Later my extremities became numb even though my body still felt relatively warm. If I climbed Aconcagua again, I’d carry them on summit day regardless.

Trash Bags: Almost weightless and useful for waterproofing, separating dirty clothing, and, obviously, trash.

Headlamp: I used a Black Diamond LED headlamp and it worked great.

Head Gear

Ski Hat: A normal warm wool hat. Mine barely left my head after reaching base camp.

Balaclava: I found this extremely useful above base camp. It blocked the wind from my face and made climbing much more comfortable.

Sun Hat: On the lower slopes I used a baseball cap for protection from the intense sun.

Buff: Aconcagua was the first time I used one and I became a fan. It protected my neck from the sun and could be pulled over my face when needed.

Bandanna: Useful and versatile, although after using a Buff I personally preferred that.

Glacier Glasses: Essentially sunglasses with side protection to block reflected sunlight.

Ski Goggles: At the higher camps these were great not only for the sun but also for keeping the wind out of my eyes.

Clothing

Light Long Underwear: I used lightweight synthetic base layers from a climbing store.

Heavy Long Underwear: For my legs I had thick wool layers. For my upper body I carried polyester layers and a fleece.

Soft Shell Jacket: I used a Gore-Tex windbreaker that doubled as my casual jacket.

Soft Shell Pants: I wore Gore-Tex Mountain Hardwear pants. Full side zippers were particularly useful.

Insulated Pants: I carried insulated pants for the colder upper mountain.

Expedition Down Parka: I bought a North Face Himalaya Parka. Ironically, my expensive $500 expedition jacket spent more time serving as a great pillow than keeping me warm. I never actually needed it on summit day, but Aconcagua’s weather is unpredictable enough that I was still glad to have it available.

Hand Wear

Fleece Gloves: I started with Mountain Hardwear Fulcrum gloves until I managed to lose one at base camp. My guide later gave me a lighter replacement pair.

Hardshell Mitts: I used Black Diamond Expedition mitts. On summit day they were warm enough that I didn’t need another pair of gloves underneath them.

Foot Wear

Plastic Double Boots: I used Koflach Arctis Expe boots. I normally wear a size 10 street shoe and bought 10.5. They were slightly large, although I think a 10 would have been too tight.

Trekking Shoes: Low hiking shoes would have been ideal, but after spending so much money on everything else I just wore my normal shoes until conditions required the double boots.

Light Sandals: These can be useful for river crossings. We never needed them for that on the Normal Route in February, although they were nice to have around base camp on warm days.

Gaiters: My pants had built-in gaiters, so I didn’t normally use separate ones.

Wool Socks: I brought three pairs of thick mountaineering socks.

Liner Socks: I also brought three pairs of liner socks to help prevent blisters.

Climbing Gear

Ice Axe: I mostly needed mine for the upper mountain and summit day. An ice axe isn’t something I would leave behind simply because conditions initially looked easy.

Crampons: I used Black Diamond Sabretooth crampons with my Koflach boots. Conditions determine when they’re necessary.

Trekking Poles: Not absolutely essential, but I wouldn’t want to climb without them. They helped enormously with balance, especially on loose or slippery terrain.

What the Climb Was Like

Once I had the gear and training behind me, the actual expedition became a very different experience at each stage of the mountain.

Camp Confluencia

From the park entrance, the hike to Camp Confluencia was relatively easy and mostly straightforward. During these first few days I carried only a day pack, while mules transported most of the expedition gear.

We also made acclimatization hikes from Confluencia to around 4,000 meters before continuing toward base camp. I found this portion of the expedition pretty easy.

Base Camp

The hike from Confluencia to base camp took us roughly eight hours. Most of it crossed relatively flat terrain until the final section, where the trail suddenly climbed steeply.

Someone in our group said that short hill alone felt harder to him than summit day on Kilimanjaro. I didn’t find it particularly difficult, and that showed me just how much training changes your perception of the same terrain. After spending months hiking with a 70-pound pack, climbing a steep hill for 15 minutes with a day pack didn’t feel like much.

Acclimatization Hikes

After reaching base camp we made additional local climbs to acclimatize. Most were easy for me, although climbing Cerro Bonete to around 5,000 meters was more challenging. I think altitude rather than fitness was the biggest factor. By the time I reached the top I felt pretty mellow and was ready to descend.

Camp I

We reached Camp I twice: once to cache gear and again when we actually moved higher toward the summit. The first time the camp was dry and rocky. The second time snow covered much of the terrain.

Camp I sits at roughly 4,900 meters, and on our first carry I had around 30 pounds on my back. Every high camp became progressively more demanding, but for me Camp I was the easiest of them.

Camp II

We carried roughly 40 pounds to Camp II and took about four hours. Our guide told us this would be the hardest camp to reach and that Camp III would be easier.

For the first three hours I remember thinking the climb was almost a joke, even with the 40 pounds on my back. Then the final hour arrived. By the end I couldn’t wait to drop my pack, even though the terrain itself wasn’t necessarily the steepest we had encountered.

Camp III

Both my climbing partner and I thought reaching Camp III was at least as hard as Camp II, despite our guide predicting otherwise. Weather probably made the difference. We climbed through a snowstorm and poor conditions, and the final 20 minutes became particularly steep.

Summit Day

Most of our days above base camp weren’t extraordinarily long, but summit day was different. We prepared for roughly eight hours from Camp III to the summit followed by another three or four hours back down.

The Canaleta has a reputation for being one of the most frustrating sections because its loose terrain can make every step feel as though you’re sliding backward. During our climb it was covered in snow. Because of that, I actually found the traverse immediately before it more difficult.

The deep snow slowed us down, although previous climbers had already broken much of the trail. Despite the altitude and exhaustion, I never felt that the terrain itself became extraordinarily steep.

The Mistake I Made Coming Down

I think I prepared extremely well for Aconcagua when it came to my training and gear. Where I screwed up was the descent.

After summit day I returned to Camp III exhausted and went to sleep. It was too late for a normal dinner. The next morning altitude had killed my appetite, so I barely ate breakfast either. I figured we were only descending to base camp, where I could eat whatever I wanted.

How stupid can I be?

On the way up the mountain I had consistently been near the front and never seriously worried that I wouldn’t be strong enough to continue. Going down, suddenly I was lagging behind everyone. I wasn’t out of breath and altitude wasn’t the main problem. I simply had nothing left in the tank.

I had probably burned an enormous number of calories on summit day and replaced almost none of them. Once I finally reached base camp, ate properly, and slept, I felt normal again the following day.

I’d read the warning plenty of times and somehow still made the mistake myself: reaching the summit means you’re only halfway finished. The descent still deserves your full attention.

Comparing Aconcagua to Kilimanjaro

In one sense, Aconcagua reminded me of Kilimanjaro. Both involve high-altitude climbing that, on their standard routes, consists largely of hiking rather than highly technical mountaineering.

But Aconcagua rises roughly 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) higher, and in my experience it was significantly harder in almost every respect. I carried much heavier loads, spent far longer on the mountain, and dealt with harsher weather and more demanding conditions.

A climber I met who had climbed Kilimanjaro but failed to summit Aconcagua told me he thought Aconcagua was twice as hard. That’s obviously subjective, but from my own experience I would agree with him.

Back around 2000, shortly after I climbed Kilimanjaro, I immediately started looking at Aconcagua as my next step. I even contacted a climbing company and asked whether I was ready. They encouraged me to join.

Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t.

My entire training program for Kilimanjaro had basically consisted of running a few times a week. That was enough to get me to the summit there, but if I had shown up on Aconcagua with the same preparation, I think I would have been shocked by the demands of the expedition and probably failed miserably.

Aconcagua doesn’t have to be an impossibly difficult mountain for someone who trains properly, but it is a long, high, serious climb. I would never underestimate it.

Comparing Aconcagua to Denali

I personally found Aconcagua roughly twice as hard as Kilimanjaro, while Denali felt at least twice as hard as Aconcagua.

I’ve heard people argue that Aconcagua and Denali are similar in difficulty. Having climbed both, I don’t see them that way at all.

The First Days

Aconcagua: For the first few days, most climbers have mules transport their heavy gear to base camp. I hiked in warm weather with little more than a day pack and camera. At times I was comfortable in a T-shirt and pants. Physically, this part felt like a normal summer hike back home.

Denali: From the beginning, Denali was work. I was moving well over 100 pounds between my backpack and sled, traveling on a glacier, setting up tents, and fortifying camps. The two experiences weren’t remotely comparable for me.

Middle of the Expedition

Aconcagua: Once we reached base camp, we spent considerable time acclimatizing and making local hikes. Base camp itself was relatively comfortable, and at the time there were even luxuries such as showers and internet available.

Denali: On Denali, reaching 14,000-foot camp required days of moving heavy loads, pulling sleds, making cache carries, and building camps. Crampons or snowshoes were often part of everyday travel, and storms could pin us down for days.

The High Camps

Aconcagua: Above base camp was when the real load carrying began. We moved our tents and gear through three increasingly high camps. This portion was certainly hard, but our travel days were generally shorter and setting up camp was comparatively straightforward.

Denali: By the equivalent point on Denali, we’d already spent roughly two weeks repeatedly hauling loads and building camps. Moving camp could take six hours or more, followed by several more hours building snow and ice walls to protect our tents.

That’s the biggest difference I remember. On Aconcagua, I’d reach camp, put up my tent, and I was basically finished. On Denali, reaching camp sometimes felt like the beginning of another job.

Summit Day

Summit day itself was one area where I thought the two mountains could be reasonably compared. Weather, snow conditions, temperatures, and the individual climber obviously change everything, but pound for pound I didn’t feel that either summit day was automatically much easier than the other.

The expedition as a whole was another story. For me, Denali was clearly harder because of the cold, weather, heavier loads, sled pulling, glacier travel, cache carries, camp construction, and the sheer amount of physical work required before you ever get a chance to attempt the summit.

My Aconcagua Climb

Training plans and gear lists can tell you only so much. If you’d rather see what actually happened once I got onto the mountain, my full Aconcagua story follows the expedition from the hike into Confluencia through base camp and the summit.

See my complete Aconcagua climb and photos