Entries from Aconcagua
Hello RMI Family! Yes...I know, our first
Aconcagua team photo certainly doesn't look like a mountaineering expedition. But you have to start somewhere. And you might as well start out in style.
The entire team made it into Mendoza with all our mountaineering gear. Today was a busy day for Geoff and I. Between airport pickups we did some food shopping for fresh vegetables, fruit and a little filet mignon.
We had our team meeting where we discussed gear, food and what lies ahead. However, for now...it is time to enjoy Mendoza. The land of spectacular food and amazing wine. Stay tuned and we will continue to provide updates of how much fun we are having.
RMI Guides
JJ Justman &
Geoff Schellens
With RMI's very successful
Aconcagua season wrapped up and our
Everest Expedition just a few days from being underway,
RMI Guide Linden Mallory discusses how our dedication to
Responsible Climbing and the fundamentals of
Leave No Trace influence our climbs as a guest writer on the
Leave No Trace Community Blog.
From the planning and packing of our climbs to the daily activities around camp, Linden outlines how we approach our climb and offers some good advice for planning of your own adventures.
Check out his
blog post here.
Read more about RMI's dedication to
Responsible Climbing here.
Great news everybody!
We are back in Mendoza after an arduous 3 days walking off the dreaded beast that is
Aconcagua. Sunburned, dehydrated, exhausted, all of the fun stuff about mountain climbing had finally caught up with us and the team was really feeling it by the time we hit the trailhead at Punta de Vacas. But all of that was nothing a cheeseburger couldn't fix... and after a great lunch with a few beers in Penitentes we shuttled back to Mendoza and checked in to our hotel. Showers and aggressive cleanup are definitely in order before we head out tonight for a celebratory steak dinner! Thanks to everyone who followed along for the duration of the expedition. We had tons of fun and appreciate all the support from back home.
Until next time,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Well, despite Mother Nature's best efforts 100% of our team stood on the summit of
Aconcagua, South America's highest point, at approximately 1:00 pm local time. We were accosted by moderate winds and cold temps most of the evening at Camp Colera so we decided to push back our departure to 5:30 a.m. We were hoping to avoid subjecting the team to too much cold. Well, despite our best efforts to mitigate the weather, we were thoroughly brutalized by wind and cold for the entire climb except for the last 2 stretches of the descent. Our climbers all did a terrific job taking care of themselves and preventing cold injuries. They climbed so efficiently that what is normally a 12 hour summit day we accomplished in 10! Maybe it was the short/lack of breaks, maybe they all possess mutant strength...
Regardless, we're heading for Aconcagua Basecamp tomorrow!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Greetings from the beautiful (albeit a little smelly)
Plaza Colera, our high camp at 19,600'! We endured a very cold night last night at Camp 2 but awoke to clear skies yet again so we got ourselves in gear and broke camp. Three relatively pleasant stretches later the team arrived at Colera and quickly set up shop. Right now everybody's chilling in their tents, resting up. Hopefully, we won't be here more than a couple of nights as we intend to set out very early tomorrow morning for the
summit! Much love to our friends and family following along back home...
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Leon Davis and Team
On The Map
Hello from Aconcagua,
We are sitting here at Camp 2 with intermittent snow falling. Another
scheduled rest day but luckily this one coincides with our first lousy patch of weather. We ate cheerios with craisins for breakfast! Exciting, I know... Maybe tomorrow we'll have some news that's a bit more breathtaking, like "we just moved to high camp 2," or something like that.
That's about it,
RMI Guides Billy, Leon, and the gang.
Hola amigos de
Guanacos Camp (Camp 2)! We awoke to perfectly clear, blue skies so we took advantage by breaking down camp early and ascending up to Camp 2 where we are currently well established. However, this morning's blue skies have given way to some clouds and flurries. Seems like we've timed tomorrow's rest day perfectly with some crappy weather. Right now there's an ominous lenticular cloud engulfing the summit but the team remains optimistic because there should be a break in the weather beginning Monday evening. We are all feeling great and climbing exceptionally well. Tonight is also Michael's birthday and we intend to do our best to celebrate it at well over 18,000'.
Ciao,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Not much to report from Camp 1, which is to be expected on a rest day. The good weather continues to hold and the team seems rested and eager for tomorrow's move up to
Camp 2. We've been passing the time catching rays (Mark--shirtless!), jamming our iPods, and of course good old fashioned reading. A full day in the tent can inspire some serious restlessness, which we hope will propel us upward tomorrow.
Signing off,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Another day of near perfect weather! So, we took advantage by bringing another load of supplies further up the mountain to our
Camp 2 or Chopper Camp. There used to pieces of a wrecked helicopter strewn about camp but today's visit confirmed the fact that most of the wreckage has been removed. All of the guys on the team performed extremely well on our first mission above 18,000'. Upon returning to camp it seems that several teams moved up today so there's lots of room in Camp 1. Right now we're laying around after the day's work contemplating our next move...
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Today we made our first big move up the mountain as we left basecamp and have settled in at
Aconagua's Camp 1. Despite a couple hiccups (negotiating with some Russians over tent platforms, some minor blisters, and acquainting ourselves with the bio-bag human waste system) today's move was the smoothest I've seen. The guys are all in great spirits after having a great meal and a hot drink before crawling in for the night. We hope to take advantage of more good weather forecasted for tomorrow by pushing another carry up to our Camp 2, also know as
Chopper Camp.
We'll check in again tomorrow evening,
RMI Guides Billy Nugent & Leon Davis
On The Map
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A friend of mine attempted Aconcagua in his 50s with a group of people and guides. Some young guys looked at him and complained that they’d probably have to be carrying his stuff near the top. Near the top, only my friend and one guide were capable of going on. But they had to turn back, because everyone else was sick or injured. ;-(
Posted by: Hank Halle on 12/15/2012 at 3:19 pm
JJ - Looks like a great start. Please leave a little wine for the Jan 2 trip!
Posted by: Peter Rogers on 12/6/2012 at 11:26 am
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