Tag Archive for: South America

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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From the mountains to the coast!

The team on the summit of the planet’s highest volcano!

The Madison Mountaineering team continues to relish in the recent memory of their successful climb on the world’s highest volcano, Ojos del Salado! Their next stop takes them to the Chilean coast where they can spend some time relaxing and eating good meals before they start to look ahead to their next objective, Aconcagua. 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 7th.

Yesterday we had a fantastic climb on Ojos del Salado! 100% of the team summited, we had excellent weather to the top of the planet’s highest volcano and South America’s second-highest peak. Right now we are en route to Bahía Inglesa (10m/30ft), a nice little beach resort town on the Chilean coast. We’ll spend the night there and then we’ll start making our way to Mendoza, Argentina (746m/2,449ft) for our next climb, Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America.

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

Dawn on the slopes of Ojos del Salado at about 6,200 meters above sea level (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Dawn on the slopes of Ojos del Salado at about 6,200 meters above sea level (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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100% Summit Success on Ojos del Salado!

Photo pulled from the Madison Mountaineering archive (Photo by Ted Hesser)

Cumbre! It was a perfect day for our Ojos del Salado and Aconcagua combo expedition team on their first objective. The team reached the summit of the highest volcano on the planet under perfect weather and looks forward to a day of rest ahead before they turn their sights to Aconcagua. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester checks in with this dispatch from Chile:

100% summit success on Ojos del Salado today! We had a great climb in perfect weather to the top of the planet’s highest volcano, and the second-highest mountain in South America. We’re now resting in base camp and looking forward to our hotel near the beach in Bahía Inglesa tomorrow evening.

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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Next stop: Ojos del Salado!

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:

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Gearing up for Ojos del Salado!

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:

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