Tag Archive for: Plaza de Mulas

Aconcagua team tops out!

On the summit of Aconcagua with blue skies over head!

Exciting news from the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua expedition team: the team topped out at the highest point in all the Americas yesterday! Waking up for their alpine start, the team emerged from their tents, scarfed down some food, shouldered their packs and set off for the summit. Step by step up the route, the team pushed on moving strongly and swiftly with the top coming more and more into sight with every step. Upon reaching the top at around 2pm local time, the team slapped high-fives, snapped some photographs, and took in their incredible achievement. Now on their way back to base camp, the team looks forward to continuing the celebration in Mendoza and then on to their home countries. Strong work and a huge congratulations goes out to the team! Expedition leader, Cacho Beiza checked in with this brief update from Aconcagua:

We summit (6961m/22,837ft) yesterday around 2:00pm, sleep again in Camp 3 (5989m/19,650ft). All the team is in good condition!

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:

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Aconcagua team to Camp 2

Climbing up to Camp 2 with Aconcagua towering high above!

The Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua expedition team reached Camp 2 (Nido de Cóndores) after a strong and steady climb up the Normal Route. Despite some challenging weather and a blanket of snow on the mountain, the team moved strongly above base camp and looks forward to moving up to Camp 3 soon!

After departing Plaza de Mulas, the route climbs gradually but relentlessly, with expansive views of the Andes opening up behind us. The team maintained a smooth pace, managing the increasing altitude well as we ascended to roughly 18,000 feet / 5,500 meters. Spirits are high, and everyone is feeling strong and well-acclimatized as we continue to move up the mountain.

We’ll continue to monitor conditions closely and move thoughtfully as we work higher on the mountain. The team plans to move to Camp 3 tomorrow and eyes a potential summit date of December 18. Expedition leader, Cacho Beiza checked in with this message from Camp 2:

The team reached Camp 2 (5522m/18,117ft) today. Team feels good!

Great views of the Andes as we climb higher up the mountain!

Great views of the Andes as we climb higher up the mountain!

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:

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Aconcagua team reaches Plaza de Mulas Base Camp

Blue skies for the trek to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp.

After several days trekking up the Horcones Valley, the Madison Mountaineering expedition team has reached their base camp at the foot of Aconcagua. The team worked on building acclimatization along the way, and are psyched to begin moving up the mountain! With carries up the mountain set to start soon, we’re in good spirits and feeling prepared for what’s to come. Expedition leader, Cacho Beiza checked in with this brief dispatch from Plaza de Mulas Base Camp:

We arrived today at Plaza de Mulas Base Camp (4367m/14,327ft) with all the team. Now resting after dinner. All the members in a good mood and condition!

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:

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Aconcagua season is underway!

Team photo in Mendoza!

The first of the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) expeditions is underway for the 2025 / 2026 season and boy, is it good to be back on the highest peak outside of Asia! The team came together in the beautiful city of Mendoza (746m/2,449ft), enjoyed a welcome dinner together, and conducted a quick gear check before making their final preparations to begin the trek towards Plaza de Mulas Base Camp (4367m/14,327ft).

The team hit the trail yesterday and arrived in Confluencia Camp (3436m/11,273ft). After settling in, we enjoyed a nice barbecue for dinner and crawled into tents for a good nights sleep. Today, the team plans to work on their acclimatization by climbing to Plaza Francia (4228m/13,871ft), and then they’ll return back to Confluencia Camp once again for one more night before continuing onto base camp.

The weather has been excellent so far and everyone on the team is doing great. Check in soon!

The team under blue skies and with Aconcagua towering high above.

The team under blue skies and with Aconcagua towering high above.

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:

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Aconcagua Expedition Wrap-Up

Our Ojos del Salado + Aconcagua climbers enjoying a wine tour with guide, Terray Sylvester. More than 1,300 wineries are located in the Mendoza area, producing more than 75% of Argentina’s wine.

Another successful Aconcagua expedition has come to a close! The team is back to the comforts of Mendoza and has enjoyed a day of rest, good meals, and celebration after an exciting couple of weeks in South America. Congratulations to the teams on safe and successful climbs! One more expedition on Aconcagua is still to come led by legendary mountaineer, Ed Viesturs! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this departing dispatch from Mendoza:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) expeditions – today is January 16.

Today is the wrap-up day for our regular itinerary on Aconcagua, as well as our Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua combination expedition. We flew out of base camp (4367m/14,327ft) yesterday via helicopter, and then drove to Mendoza (746m/2,449ft), and arrived here just in time for a late dinner – or a normally scheduled dinner according to Argentina time! Today we’ve been relaxing back here in the lovely summer temperatures of Mendoza, enjoying a wine tour, and some good meals.

So our guests will begin departing for their home countries early tomorrow morning, and that will wrap up another successful expedition on the highest peak outside of the Himalayas. Our next Aconcagua expedition starts in just a little over a week led by U.S. climbing legend, Ed Viesturs! We’ll be in touch.

Our Aconcagua climbers relaxing over breakfast in Mendoza (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our Aconcagua climbers relaxing over breakfast in Mendoza (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

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:

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Success on Aconcagua!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive.

It’s with great excitement to share that the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua expedition team has safely and successfully reached the summit of South America’s highest peak! Leaving from Camp 2 rather than the usual Camp 3, our team made an ambitious push taking advantage of a small window, ultimately getting all boots on the summit, sharing some high-fives and hugs before returning down to lower camps. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Aconcagua:

Success on Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft)! With very high winds predicted to start tomorrow, our team took advantage of a brief weather window today and summited via an ambitious push straight from Camp 2 (5522m/18,117ft) instead of the usual start from Camp 3 (5989m/19,650ft). They enjoyed perfect weather on the summit! Now they’re safely back in Camp 2 and looking forward to beginning the journey back to the comforts of Mendoza (746m/2,449ft) 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:

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Up to Camp 1

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

Bags are packed and the climb has begun! Our teams left base camp today and are currently on the move up to Camp 1 on Aconcagua. While high winds persist on the mountain, the team is motivated and in good spirits! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) expeditions that are currently heading up the mountain – today is January 12th.

Right now, we’re just getting our things together for our move up to Camp 1 (5060m/16,600ft). We’ll leave around noon today and spend a few hours, maybe a bit longer, going up to Camp 1. The weather is nice today! Winds continue to be high on the mountain, but today’s been overcast which makes for a pleasant change.

All is well here! We’ll check in via inReach when we get to Camp 1. Right now we have two teams moving up to Camp 1. Our Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua combo expedition which is climbing the two highest peaks in South America – we already completed Ojos del Salado, the second-highest peak in South America. As well as our regularly scheduled Aconcagua expedition that began on January 5th.

So, all is well here and we’ll be in touch from Camp 1!

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:

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Barbecue in Base Camp!

Our climbers on an acclimatization hike near base camp this morning. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

It was a busy day in base camp for the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua expedition teams! Three teams crossed paths on their respective expeditions, coming together for a barbecue and socializing before each team goes their separate ways. Blue skies allowed the teams to bask in the sunshine as they prepare to make their way up the mountain. With good weather tomorrow, they’ll be back on the move again up to Camp 1! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from base camp:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Aconcagua (6961m/22,837ft) expeditions – it’s January 11th.

Today three of our expeditions crossed paths here in Plaza de Mulas base camp (4367m/14,327ft) on the west side of the mountain. Our Vallecitos (6120m/20,080ft) and Aconcagua combo came down from Camp 3 (5989m/19,650ft), our Ojos del Salado (6893m/22,615ft) and Aconcagua combo spent a rest day here before moving up to Camp 1 (5060m/16,600ft), and our expedition on our normal itinerary that started on January 5th was doing the same thing today here in base camp.

We had a fantastic asado all together – that’s an Argentinian barbecue. And now we’re just all sitting down to dinner in one of our cozy dome tents.

So tomorrow, the Ojos and Aconcagua combo team and the regular expedition, we will all move up to Camp 1 tomorrow. The weather is fantastic and we’re looking forward to a good day! All is well here in Argentina and we’ll be in touch.

Our three teams on Aconcagua enjoying an asado (barbecue) today in base camp!

Our three teams on Aconcagua enjoying an asado (barbecue) today in base camp!

Guide Javier “Cacho” Beiza preparing asado!

Guide Javier “Cacho” Beiza preparing asado!

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:

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Plaza de Mulas by Helicopter!

Flying to Plaza de Mulas base camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua expedition team has arrived in Plaza de Mulas! Their previous acclimatization in Chile allows them to speed up their ascent, which they’ll look to start in the next day or two. Flying by helicopter today gave the team great views all around and with fresh legs as they unloaded their bags and settled into their tents for the night. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Plaza de Mulas:

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 10th.

Today we woke up early and drove out of Mendoza (746m/2,449ft), arrived at the Horcones River trailhead here at Aconcagua at about 8:00 AM. Then we hopped on a flight directly here to Plaza de Mulas base camp (4367m/14,327ft), which is base camp on this side of Aconcagua. We had a beautiful flight with excellent views of the famous south face of Aconcagua and the spectacular Horcones River Valley.

Usually, we would have to spend several days hiking up the Horcones River Valley in order to acclimatize to be at Aconcagua base camp. But, since we’ve already climbed Ojos del Salado, we were just able to skip that and fly here directly.

Tomorrow we will either take a rest day or start our ascent up the mountain by moving to Camp 1 (5060m/16,600ft). But, that will depend on the weather forecast.

Alright, all is well here at Aconcagua and we will be in touch tomorrow!

Our climber, Serge, disembarking at base camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Our climber, Serge, disembarking at base camp (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Plaza de Mulas base camp during an afternoon hike today (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Plaza de Mulas base camp during an afternoon hike today (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

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:

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Ojos del Salado to Aconcagua!

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:

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