Entries from Aconcagua
February 14, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 19,600'
Today, we feel loved, extra loved, some might say. In honor of Valentine's Day and our loved ones, who let us choose to be climbing Aconcagua rather than be at home, we want to say thank you and we love you. Our climb early this morning was no easy feat. We battled high winds and cold temperatures; so much so that we were covered head to toe in every layer we brought on this trip. Our loved ones would have barely recognized us. We did, however, accomplish our goal of standing on top of the Stone Sentinel. We are back at high camp safely, but also looking forward to some much deserved rest before making our full descent home over the next 5 days. Some people might ask, "Why do you put yourself through such grueling tribulations?" It's because of love; our love for the mountains, our love for the people we get to share these experiences with, and our love for the memories we get to obtain and cherish. But this post is for our loved ones back home. We love you, we miss you, we are safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon when we return home.
RMI Guides Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum & Team
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 14, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 22,841'
The final four just topped out on Aconcagua!
Ben Luedtke reported that it took the team 7 hours 20 minutes to reach the summit. The winds were blowing at 35 mph and it was cold.
They will report more on their summit day when they return to High Camp.
Congratulations Team!
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 13, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 19,600'
There are times when one has no option but to perform. As we sit here at Camp 3 with the summit of Aconcagua towering three thousand feet over us, it is clear that tomorrow will be one of those times. With a less-than-ideal weather window, we have our work cut out for us. We hope to have good news tomorrow.
RMI Climber Yev "Freyverissimo" Freyvert
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 12, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. In an en route update for everyone. It seems that we are experiencing some minor mechanical issues with one of our engines. This is nothing to be worried about but as a precaution they would like us to make a diversionary landing. RMI has informed us that the new aircraft will be able to continue from Camp 2 to the summit without any other issues. Unfortunately Nick will have to stay behind with the original aircraft. We have been told that it should be a minor fix and that he will see you in Basecamp for the flight back to the original starting point. Hopefully all will go well and the Summit window will stay open long enough for the four of you to accomplish what you set out to do. Otherwise Yev will be crying for years. Best wishes for the next two days and may the mountain be kind to everyone up there.
RMI Climber Nick Hanson
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 11, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
The Fellowship of Climbers, bound by their quest to conquer Mount Doom (i.e. Aconcagua), set forth from Camp 1. Sauron (i.e. Ben), the dark lord of the mountain, led the way, his all-seeing eye detecting all possible overhead hazard.
Gollum (i.e. Yev) crept alongside, whispering "precious summit, we wants it, we needs it." Hannah, Jim, and Nick followed, their hearts steeled for the trials ahead.
As they ascended, the winds howled and the scree tumbled. Yet the Fellowship pressed on, driven by their quest to reach the unattainable summit of Mount Doom. At last, they reached Camp 2, weary but undaunted. The vastness of the mountain loomed ahead, but they stood ready to face its windy challenges."
RMI Climber James Loudin
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 10, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 18,000'
Aconcagua dispatch 2.10.25
After a night of witnessing a spectacular Andean thunderstorm, we awoke this morning to a beautiful cloak of snow on the ground, ~5cm of white magic. We rustled out of our sleeping bags to a warm breakfast, then prepared our packs to carry a load of supplies to Camp 2. Up up and away, we reached our destination at 18,000', in the early afternoon. We didn't spend long up high -just long enough to cache our supplies - before we flew back downhill to the warmth and comfort of Camp 1. We had a lazy afternoon in the sun filled with eating, sleeping, & hydrating.
Dinner rolled around just in time to fill our empty bellies, then off to bed we went. Serenaded by the roar of the nearby river, we drifted off to sleep. Much needed rest for the big days ahead.
RMI Guide Hannah Blum & Team
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
Sounds like you’re having a great time! Be safe.
Posted by: Jim Esrey on 2/11/2025 at 8:11 am
February 9, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 16,200'
Sunday, February 9, 2025, Day 10.
It was a bright and beautiful morning. We sat in silence, slurping our coffee, and enjoying the last bites of our final basecamp breakfast. Our last for the foreseeable future. We embraced our basecamp staff members with smiles on our faces and set out to begin our official climb on Cerro Aconcagua. "¡Buenas Suerte!" they said, as we waved goodbye. "¡Hasta luego!" we said, as we know we will get to see them again.
As we journeyed up the trail to Camp 1, we could still feel the cool breeze from the early morning freeze. It wasn't long, however, before the high altitude sun warmed us. It was another tough day getting to our destination, but we arrived in high spirits and indulged in some much needed rest. We again witnessed a stormy spectacle as we ate tasty bites for dinner. Now we're settled into the warmth of our sleeping bags, excited to see what all the hooplah is about at Camp 2 tomorrow before returning to Camp 1 for another night.
RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 8, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Greetings from base camp at Plaza Argentina!
Today we had a much-needed rest and logistics day after yesterday's heavy carry to Camp One. Strategic packing, a scenic acclimatization hike, a medical clearance visit, and a tactical nap were all on the agenda for today. The day closed with an unexpected thunderstorm that soaked base camp but provided much-needed relief from the high altitude glare of the sun.
As we prepare for the higher mountain, there is a palpable sense of excitement. If we make it to the top, Aconcagua will be a personal altitude record for all but one of us. Wish us luck!
P.S. No large language models were harmed during the creation of this post :)
RMI Climber Yev "Freyverissimo" Freyvert
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 7, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
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Goooooood afternoon ladies and gentlemen, from the flight deck we would like to welcome you aboard Aconcagua 2025.
We are finishing up our final preparation before we push back from the gate. Ben and Hannah are two of RMI's finest guides and they are here primarily for your safety so please listen to their briefings even if you're a frequent climber. The climb will take approximately 10 days and hopefully reach an altitude of 22800 ft. Otherwise sit back and enjoy the trip as best as you can and we will get back to the weather and arrival information closer to our destination.
This morning's departure time was delayed for about 30 minutes due to unexpected issues but after a discussion with Maintenance, we are cleared for departure. This then began our 7hr round trip to Mountain Camp 1 to drop a large load of supplies for our climb. After 5hrs on the Mountain Stair master we started our return trip to rest and recharge at Basecamp. We had some unfortunate news today when we were told that Jim E. would not be able to continue with us due to a medical issue. We all hope for the best for him. He will be missed by our other Jim and all of us of course.
Enjoy.
RMI Climber Nick Hanson
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Aconcagua Expedition January 31, 2025
February 6, 2025
Posted by: Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Elevation: 13,800'
Rest: A period of time when you relax, sleep, or do nothing after being active.
Although this sounds nice, it's not all sunshine and rainbows doing nothing at almost 14,000 feet. Fortunately for us, we did get to sleep in this morning, but we also got to go on a short climb along the first leg of our route to Camp 1. Active rest days are important. We take the time we need to rest our bodies and our minds, but it helps a lot to also keep those muscles busy with small activities. Mindfully, we also packed our large backpacks for our first big carry day tomorrow. It may be heavy, but we're feeling ready. We are excited to start our second half of the trip: the climb.
Per request, a huge congratulations to Daniel and Sydney on the new baby!
RMI Guides Ben Luedtke, Hannah Blum, & Team
The pics keep getting better and better! The only thing more awesome would be live video! When you all get to the summit keep an eye out for low flying 757’s.
John B. In Rhode Island USA.
Posted by: John Buckett on 2/12/2025 at 6:29 am
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