First View of Aconcagua – snowy and tall

Usually my first view of Aconcagua is from the trail on day two. But today, hospital I had a perfect vantage point from the air. Just as the dinging stopped, signaling our approach into Mendoza, I glanced out the window on the left side of the Airbus; and there she was.

Aconcagua, standing strong and clearly the highest peak in the range. But it was totally snow covered, not something I had expected.

Arriving at the Mendoza airport, I met up with our two IMG guides, Peter and Josh plus one teammate, Simon. The others will arrive tomorrow. We loaded into a van with all our gear and made a quick drive to a small hotel nestled on a tree lined street in downtown Mendoza. The temps were mild in the shade, again something I was not expecting, but still I quickly changed into shorts. What I was expecting was the memory of what a great city Mendoza is with it’s style and friendly people; and I was not disappointed

Given this is the season to climb; both at the airport and at the hotel, I met other climbers also focused on Aconcagua. It was like old home week renewing some friendships from past expeditions. Also, I met up with a  couple from South Africa who I have been emailing for a few years as their son is climbing the 7 Summits and is currently on Aconcagua. It was great to meet face to face.

So now it is time to relax a bit before hitting the trail. After the rest of the team arrives, we will make our way over to the Park office in Mendoza to our climbing permits. They have really gone up and now cost $760, oh and you must pay in cash – US Dollars preferred! Last year the permit was $500 in the high season or now.

What is interesting about these permits fees is that as climbing continues to gain in popularity, the fees are seeing serious increases. Currently the US Park Service is considering raising the climbing fees for Denali from $250 to $500. And of course on Everest, the single person permit is a world high at $10,000.

Anyway, it is what it is!

So back to the conditions for a moment. I talked to some people who had climbed Aconcagua this season and they said it is unusually cold, snowy and windy up high this year. The past two seasons have been very dry so it looks like Mother Nature is making up for it this year. The mountain is also not as crowded as in previous seasons according to the locals. So between the poor weather stopping climbers and the lack of climbers, this may be a very low season for summits.

Off to dinner. Woops I have to wait for 10:00PM when the restaurants open 🙂

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything