Aconcagua is the
highest mountain in the
Americas at 6,962 m (22,841 ft). It is located in the
Andes mountain range, in the
Argentine province of
Mendoza and it lies 112 kilometres (70 mi)
west by north of its capital, the city of
Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from
San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the international border with
Chile. Aconcagua is the highest peak in both the
Western and
Southern Hemispheres. It is one of the
Seven Summits.
Aconcagua is bounded by the
Valle de las Vacas to the north and east and the
Valle de los Horcones Inferior to the West and South. The mountain and its surroundings are part of the
Aconcagua Provincial Park. The mountain has a number of
glaciers.
The largest glacier is the Ventisquero Horcones Inferior at about 10 km
long which descends from the south face to about 3600m altitude near
the Confluencia camp.
[2]
Two other large glacier systems are the Ventisquero de las Vacas Sur
and Glaciar Este/Ventisquero Relinchos system at about 5 km long.
However the most well-known is the north-eastern or
Polish Glacier, a common route of ascent.
The mountain was created by the subduction of the
Nazca Plate beneath the
South American plate during the geologically recent Andean
orogeny; however, it is not a volcano.
[3][dead link] The origin of the name is contested; it is either from the
Arauca Aconca-Hue, which refers to the
Aconcagua River and means 'comes from the other side',
[citation needed] the
Quechua Ackon Cahuak, meaning 'Sentinel of Stone',
[citation needed] or Quechua
Anco Cahuac, 'White Sentinel'.
[4]
Climbing
In
mountaineering
terms, Aconcagua is technically an easy mountain if approached from the
north, via the normal route. Aconcagua is arguably the tallest
non-technical
mountain in the world, since the northern route does not absolutely
require ropes, axes, and pins. Although the effects of altitude are
severe (atmospheric pressure is 40% of sea-level at the summit), the use
of supplemental oxygen is not required.
Altitude sickness will affect most climbers to some extent, depending on the degree of
acclimatization.
[5]
The second most frequented route is the Polish Glacier Traverse
route, also known as the "Falso de los Polacos" route. This approaches
the mountain through the Vacas valley, ascends to the base of the Polish
Glacier, then traverses across to the normal route for the final ascent
to the summit. The third most popular route is the Polish Glacier
itself.
The routes to the peak from the south and south-west ridges are more
demanding and the south face climb is considered very difficult.
The camp sites on the normal route are listed below (altitudes are approximate).
- Puente del Inca, 2,740m (8,990 ft): A small village on the main road, with facilities including a lodge.
- Confluencia, 3,380m (11,090 ft): A camp site a few hours into the national park.
- Plaza de Mulas, 4,370m (14,340 ft): Base camp, claimed to be the second largest in the world (after Everest).
There are several meal tents, showers and internet access. There is a
lodge approx. 1 km from the main campsite across the glacier.
- Camp Canadá, 5,050 metres (16,570 ft): A large ledge overlooking Plaza de Mulas.
- Camp Alaska, 5,200 metres (17,060 ft): Called 'change of slope' in
Spanish, a small site as the slope from Plaza de Mulas to Nido de
Cóndores lessens. Not commonly used.
- Nido de Cóndores, 5,570 metres (18,270 ft): A large plateau with beautiful views. There is usually a park ranger camped here.
- Camp Berlín, 5,940 metres (19,490 ft): The classic high camp, offering reasonable wind protection.
- Camp Colera, 5,980 metres (19,620 ft): A larger while slightly more
exposed camp situated directly at the north ridge near Camp Berlín, with
growing popularity.
- Several sites possible for camping or bivouac,
including Piedras Blancas (~6100m) and Independencia (~6350m), exist
above Colera, however they are seldom used and offer little protection.
Summit attempts are usually made from a high camp at either Berlín or Colera, or from the lower camp at Nido de Cóndores.
History
The first attempt on Aconcagua by a European was made in 1883 by a party led by the German geologist and explorer
Paul Güssfeldt.
Bribing porters with the story that there was treasure on the mountain,
he approached the mountain via the Rio Volcan, making two attempts on
the peak by the north-west ridge and reaching an altitude of 6,500
metres (21,300 ft). The route that he prospected is now the normal route
up the mountain.
The first recorded
[1] ascent was in 1897 on a British expedition led by
Edward FitzGerald. The summit was reached by the Swiss guide
Matthias Zurbriggen on January 14
[6] and by two other expedition members a few days later.
The youngest person to reach the summit of Aconcagua was Matthew
Moniz of Boulder, Colorado. He was 11 years old when he reached the
summit on December 16, 2008. The oldest person to climb it was Scott
Lewis who reached the summit on November 26, 2007 when he was 87 years
old.
[7]
