Today the team left Quito to hike up the nearby peak, Pasachoa. We hiked through the forest and up the grassy slopes of the extinct volcano, making our way to the 13,800 summit. Clear skies and a warm breeze greeted us at the top. We are back in Quito tonight for dinner then heading out […]
Our Aconcagua climbers had a wonderful climb of the highest peak in the western hemisphere! Now all climbers are back in Mendoza and are in transit or preparing to head home to friends, family, and loved ones. We look forward to returning to Aconcagua in December of 2015 next season! A big congratulations to Vibeke […]
I’m happy to report that today our team made it to the top of Aconcagua (22,834′) at approximately 3:30 PM local time. The conditions today were near perfect, hardly any wind and clear views. It was a long climb up from our high camp, and after about 7 hours we reached the “roof” of South […]
After a long climb today we are now in high camp and preparing for our summit attempt. If the good weather continues we may leave early tomorrow morning and set out for the summit. The views from high camp are amazing, and it feels really good to have come this far. Everyone is doing well […]
Today we climbed up to our Camp 2. It was a good push but everyone did fine today and now we are resting and taking in the spectacular views! We are camped alongside another group of climbers and have become good friends with them over the recent days. Things are looking good and we hope […]
After a few days resting in base camp, organizing gear, and carrying loads, we have now moved up to Camp 1. We have a nice view looking down into the valley below, now we really have begun the climb! This is probably one of the toughest parts of the mountain as there was a lot […]
We have just arrived in Plaza Argentina base camp (14,000′) after the three day trek from the trail head, and are happy to be here, after having said good bye to our team of Arrieros and mules. It’s a very social environment, with some other climbers that we know from previous expeditions / climbs. Our […]
As we set off from the trail head at Punta de Vaca (8,000′), we are happy to report that the weather is very nice. We are excited to finally get the expedition underway as the last few days we have been preparing our food and equipment. Our trek will take us three days as we […]
Tonight we are in Penitents enjoying our last night in ‘civilization’ before beginning the trek to base camp. The Ayelen hotel does a fantastic job with the meals and services and its great to see my old friend Steve Allen who runs the place. Tomorrow we will start at Punta de Vaca and trek up […]
The Madison Mountaineering team is arriving in Mendoza, Argentina over the next few days and will soon begin our expedition and ascent of the highest mountain in the western and southern hemispheres. Aconcagua (the stone sentinel) stands at an impressive 6962m (22,834 ft.) above sea level and is great training for high altitude peaks in […]