January fifteenth, 2025
IMG staff on the summit of Aconcagua (Stu Johnson)
IMG’s first Aconcagua program simply wrapped up. Led by Stu Johnson and Tincho Lucero, the staff had a profitable journey, reaching the summit regardless of snowy situations. Stu shared his expertise guiding the journey with the next abstract:
The sensation of climbing into the sky is tough to explain, however it’s one our staff felt as we climbed via completely different layers of clouds to only below 23,000 ft and the summit of the tallest peak outdoors of Asia – Aconcagua within the Argentinian Andes.
After 11 days of the expedition, we might climb no increased. We started at Puntas de Vacas, the place a delivery container homes the park ranger station. The setting is dusty, yellow, beige, with bursts of inexperienced from the sharp clumps of the spiked Yareta plant. We adopted the Vacas Valley for 3 days, slowly acclimatizing and dealing our approach in direction of the bottom camp – Plaza Argentina. The mules and yellow-capped Sierra finches are fixed companions on the decrease elevations. At night time, we dine in geodesic dome tents; Argentinian barbecue fuels us because the air will get thinner. We stroll from the domes to our tents below a vivid night time sky.
As soon as at Plaza Argentina, we relaxation, proceed to eat to our hearts’ (and stomachs’) content material, and provides our our bodies time to adapt to 14,000 ft. The jagged, darkish peaks rip the sky open round us, and the Polish Glacier is poised imposingly on the skyline that results in the summit massif.
We started our sequence of substances carries and camp strikes: strategically protecting floor, giving it up, solely to ascend once more the next day. Following the sage recommendation of climb excessive, sleep low, we made our approach ever upwards. The climate remained agreeable till Camp 2 (Guanacos Camp), with piercing blue skies and the form of wind that cools you off while you want it. On our relaxation day at Camp 2, wisps of clouds started to develop across the summit – condensing rapidly into darkish airships that blocked out the solar. Shortly after, they let free their artillery on our little camp, and the snow started to build up round our tents.
Tincho and I studied the climate and noticed a break within the week-long high-pressure system – a day when the skies have been open, the winds light, and the temperatures reasonable. Our staff was sturdy, and the route was snow-covered, which made for barely faster motion over a agency and predictable floor. With that info in hand, we moved to Camp Colera at 19,600 ft on the afternoon of the ninth.
We woke as much as dazzling stars and the Milky Approach painted throughout the night time sky. By 5:30am we have been shifting up, and after 10 hours and 45 minutes of laborious work and willpower, we stood on high. We have been within the clouds. Pockets of solar broke via, the clouds ebbed and flowed round us, respiratory us in and condensing on our pores and skin. We snapped our pictures and let gravity help us down.
Again at camp, we disappeared into our down sleeping luggage, ate some ramen, and slept nicely. The next morning, we broke camp, descended over 5000 ft in simply over two and a half hours, and have been again within the comparatively nutritious air of 14,500 ft, this time on the opposite facet of the mountain on the base camp Plaza de Mulas. The subsequent morning, we cruised downhill for 16 miles and have been again on the highway, finishing an up-and-over of the mighty Aconcagua. An expedition price experiencing by all!
