Tag Archive for: Atacama Desert

Departing from the Atacama for Mendoza, Argentina!

One summit down, one more to go! The Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua expedition team has touched down in Mendoza, relaxed in the summer sun, ate good food, and are ready to hit the trail once again, this time towards Aconcagua. The team will fly by helicopter tomorrow morning to their base camp, marking the start of their second climb on this special, combo expedition. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Argentina:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) combo expedition – today is January 9th, 2024.

Today we spent a rest day in beautiful, Mendoza (746m/2,449ft)! The temperature was just perfect after being up on the cold, dry Atacama Desert. We relaxed by the pool, packed, and prepared for our flight from the Horcones Valley trailhead to Plaza de Mulas base camp (4367m/14,327ft) tomorrow morning.

It was a beautiful day! We enjoyed the food and wine here in Mendoza and now we’re feeling recharged and ready to take on the highest peak in South America. So, all is well here in Argentina and we will be in touch tomorrow!

The team at our hotel in Mendoza!

The team at our hotel in Mendoza!

Dining in Mendoza!

Dining in Mendoza!

Fueling up with steak and wine before the upcoming climb!

Fueling up with steak and wine before the upcoming climb!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

The team ready to move to their base camp on Ojos del Salado!

After a period of rest following several acclimatization climbs, the Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua expedition team is recharged and ready for their first objective, Ojos del Salado! The team has enjoyed the beautiful scenery and dips in the lake and hot springs, have packed their bags once again, and are en route to their base camp. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Chile:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) expedition – today is January 4th.

This morning we’ve been packing up our camp here at beautiful, Laguna Verde. Our guests went for a dip in the lake and then a nice soak in the hot springs. Now we’re all ready to go, we’re going to head back up the hill behind us and drive a little ways to the southwest, then we’ll split off the carretera, and head up the valley off-road to Atacama Base Camp (5251m/17,227ft), which is base camp for Ojos del Salado. That’s at a little over 5,000 meters!

So, it’s a beautiful day here! Not a cloud in the sky this morning, a little bit of normal afternoon build-up right now, but since this is the driest non-polar desert on the planet, we don’t expect any precipitation. The weather forecast looks good for the next few days while we acclimatize a bit more, and then make our summit push on Ojos del Salado!

We’ll be in touch via inReach message over the next few days.


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

On the summit of Cerro San Francisco with views of Incahuasi volcano. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

With another successful acclimatization climb in their bags, the Madison Mountaineering team is taking a rest day today while they prepare to make their move to Ojos del Salado base camp! The team started today with a soak in the hot springs – a perfect way to recover after several days of activity! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Laguna Verde:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) combined expedition – today is January 3rd.

Yesterday, the second, we had a great climb on Nevado San Francisco (6018m/19,744ft)! Started early in the morning, left our beautiful lakeside camp here at Laguna Verde, and drove to about 4,900 meters. We had a really pleasant climb –  excellent weather, not a cloud in the sky for most of the day to the summit San Francisco at just over 6,000 meters, 6,017 meters. From up top, we had excellent views of the massive Incahuasi volcano (6638m, 21,778ft), El Fraile volcano (6061m/19,885ft) a little farther away, Laguna Verde with all of the 6,000-meter volcanoes around it, and in the distance our next objective, Ojos del Salado which is the second highest peak in South America and the planet’s highest volcano!

In the evening we came back down to Laguna Verde where we had a great dinner of grilled chicken and guacamole and fresh salad. And then we got a good nights sleep!

Today, we are taking a rest day here at Laguna Verde! We’ve had a nice soak in the hot springs here and are just enjoying the almost Caribbean vibes beside this amazing turquoise lake here at 4,300 meters on the Altiplano.

Tomorrow, we plan to move to base camp at the foot of Ojos del Salado! So all is well here in Chile and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.

Penitentes just below the summit of Cerro San Francisco at about 6000m. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Penitentes just below the summit of Cerro San Francisco at about 6000m. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing Cerro San Francisco. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing Cerro San Francisco. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing Cerro San Francisco. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climbing Cerro San Francisco. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Summit photo!

Summit photo!

The team’s trusty 4WD in camp at Laguna Verde.

The team’s trusty 4WD in camp at Laguna Verde.


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

Summiting Doña Ines! (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua expedition team packed up their camp and drove through the Atacama Desert to their next stop, Laguna Verde. It’s been a beautiful New Year’s Day and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the New Year! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Chile:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) combination expedition – today is January 1st, 2024.

Today, we are moving from our camp beside the Pedernales Salt Flat down to Laguna Verde, which will be our new base camp for the next few nights while we acclimatize on Cerro San Francisco (6018m/19,744ft). Then from there, we’ll move to Ojos del Salado base camp (5251m/17,227ft).

It’s a beautiful day here, very pleasant drive through the Altiplano. We had a nice New Year’s celebration yesterday evening with steaks and guacamole and some champagne, which was the same color as the rosey alpenglow on the peaks across the salt flat.

We’re looking forward to getting to Laguna Verde where we can set up camp and relax in the hot springs there! All is well here and we’ll be in touch.

Celebrating the New Year and a successful acclimatization climb of Doña Ines!

Celebrating the New Year and a successful acclimatization climb of Doña Ines!

Flamingoes near our camp at Pedernales Salt Flat. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Flamingoes near our camp at Pedernales Salt Flat. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

En route to Laguna Verde with the Salar Maricunga in the distance.

En route to Laguna Verde with the Salar Maricunga in the distance.


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

On the summit of Volcano Doña Ines, our first acclimatization ascent at 5,070m.

The first acclimatization hike is done and the team is preparing to ring in the New Year! On New Year’s Eve, the Madison Mountaineering team set off on their first acclimatization hike to prepare for climbs of Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester called in from a windy summit before their descent, filled with excitement after a successful climb up to over 5,070 meters and for a fun evening celebrating the New Year ahead:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) combo – today is December 31st, New Year’s Eve!

We are on top of Volcano Doña Ines (5075m/16,650ft) right now. We just had a fantastic ascent and made good time up here. It’s our first acclimatization ascent of this trip. This summit is about 5,070 meters. We didn’t expect to have any cell service until we get back to Copiapó, but it turns out there’s a little bit of reception up here so I’m sending in a dispatch from here.

In just a minute we will take an hour and a half or two hours to descend back to our pickup truck, and then we’ll drive back to our camp on the outskirts of the Pedernales Salt Flat where we’ll relax and then have a nice New Year’s Eve dinner with some champagne to ring in 2024!

All is well here in Chile and we’ll be in touch!

Blue skies over the Atacama Desert on New Years Eve!

Blue skies over the Atacama Desert on New Years Eve!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

We’ve kicked off an exciting combo expedition to Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua! Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano on the planet and Aconcagua is the tallest peak outside of Asia, together combining for a challenging duo for a few intrepid climbers! The Madison Mountaineering team has arrived in Chile where they’ll first attempt Ojos del Salado, before turning their sights towards Aconcagua. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from El Salvador:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) expedition – today is December 30th.

Yesterday, everyone arrived in the Copiapó (390m/1,280ft) airport in the Atacama region in northern Chile, and then we drove to the little mining town of El Salvador at about 8,000 feet or just over 2,000 meters. We spent the night here and just had a nice breakfast. This afternoon, we’ll have lunch here and then we will continue to our first campsite on the Pedernales Salt Flat to the east of us. We’ll be there for a night and then will do our first acclimatization ascent on Doña Ines volcano (5075m/16,650ft).

All is going well! The team is in great spirits and good health. It’s beautiful weather here in the Atacama, really pleasant summer temperatures, and clear skies – but the skies are almost always clear because it’s one of the driest deserts on the planet.

So, we’ll be in touch via inReach over the next few days. We won’t have much cell service or WiFi, but we’ll be able to communicate by satellite text. That’s all for now!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

Warm meals in the dining tent, fueling us for the climb!

It’s with great excitement that we share the first of our Ojos del Salado expeditions this season has come to a close with a successful ascent of the world’s highest volcano! The team reached the summit on December 18 after several acclimatization hikes and climbs around the Atacama Desert. The team experienced great weather throughout the expedition and topped out on Ojos del Salado under beautiful, clear-blue skies on their summit day. It was the perfect way to end the expedition before returning back to civilization.

Going to the Atacama Desert is like traveling to another planet. It’s one of the driest places on Earth, and is world-renowned for some of the best star-gazing on the planet.

Coming up this February, 2024 we’ll head back to Chile for another expedition on Ojos del Salado. The dates are set for February 8 – 19, 2024 – come join us for an unforgettable expedition and see what the hype is all about!

Summit photo!

Summit photo!

Relaxing on the summit of Ojos del Salado under blue skies!

Relaxing on the summit of Ojos del Salado under blue skies!

On the shores of Laguna Verde.

On the shores of Laguna Verde.

Climber, Chuck Clement nearing Ojos del Salado.

Climber, Chuck Clement nearing Ojos del Salado.

The team nearing the summit!

The team nearing the summit!

Basking in the sunshine after a successful climb!

Basking in the sunshine after a successful climb!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

Our climbers John, Joe and Kris on the summit of Cerro Doña Inez! Photo: Terray Sylvester

Our Ojos del Salado expedition is nearing its conclusion, complete with multiple summits, amazing food, incredible views and many memories to take away! The team is all safely off of Ojos del Salado and will return to Copiapó shortly. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with one final dispatch before the team departs back home in the coming days:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the 2022 Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado expedition – it’s December 19th.

Yesterday was our summit attempt on Ojos! The day started windy and pretty cold actually, but conditions improved quite a bit as we climbed higher and we had just spectacular views of the surrounding Atacama and all the volcanoes near us here. We made it to the summit crater at about 6,700 meters, and at that point we made the difficult, but I think correct decision to turn around to ensure our climbers safety on the descent. It was a tough decision, but the wise one.

Now we’re back in base camp! Our team is all happy and healthy, and we’re packing up and preparing to drive back to Copiapó. That will wrap up our itinerary! Right now, our climbers are deciding whether they’ll fly directly home, or whether they’ll head over to the coast nearby and spend a few days relaxing on the beach.

All in all, it was a great expedition! Beautiful scenery, great food and we got to soak in hot springs as well. We summited two other volcanoes: Cerro Doña Inés at about 5,000 meters and Cerro San Francisco at over 6,000 meters. And, all over our climbers set new personal altitude records which was gratifying too.

So, that’s a wrap and can’t wait for the next one!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering archive. Photo: Ted Hesser

The Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado team took an active rest day today, going for a hike above base camp and preparing for their summit push ahead! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with a brief update from base camp:

Hello from Ojos Base Camp (5251m/17,227ft)! Today we went for an acclimatization hike above camp, then spent the afternoon resting and packing for tomorrow’s summit push. Since the “road” is passable to Camp 1, we’ll begin our ascent by driving that high. The forecast looks good and the team is excited for tomorrow’s climb. We’ll be in touch!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram:

Photo pulled from Madison Mountaineering archive.

The Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado expedition team completed their first carry up to camp 1 today, touching 20,000 feet and returning to their base camp. Tomorrow, the team plans to move up to Camp 1, and hopefully make their summit push the following day! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with another brief update from Atacama Camp:

Hello from Ojos del Salado Base Camp (5251m/17,227ft)! Today we hiked above Tejos Hut (Camp 1) while acclimatizing for our summit push. Since we’re currently able to drive to about 19,000′, we touched 20,000′ during our hike today then returned to our base camp at the Atacama Hut. We had a lunch of seafood soup and are relaxing until dinner.

All is well here. We’ll be in touch tomorrow!


In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.

Instagram: