aconcagua Nov 2011

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polishruben
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aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by polishruben »

I am trying to climb Aconcagua ( rain or shine ) this Nov, possibly leaving Denver Nov 14, coming back Dec 2nd-3rd ( somewhere around there ). I am planning on doing it solo, unless there are some folks who are also interested.
drop me an email at frombug at gmail.com I can hook you up with details.

- Ruben
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Dave B
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by Dave B »

Which route?

I've no interest in returning to Aconcagua (Mendoza yes, Aconcagua no) but I think that November might be a bit early for a solo attempt on that mountain without an abundance of high altitude experience.

While Aconcagua can be a rather tame mountain (considering it's elevation) we caught it last January in unusually bad weather - it was far from tame.
Make wilderness less accessible.
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jbchalk
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by jbchalk »

I definitely agree that perhaps you should postpone your solo attempt later in the seaason, i.e. after Christmas. November is likley too early as there will still be significant snowfall and unstable weather.
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climbing_rob
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by climbing_rob »

+1 on mid-Nov being too early. Late December or January much better odds of success IMHO. Analogous to May (Nov) vs. July (Jan) in Colorado. I hear, though, that the permit is now less for earlier climbs, and who knows, you could get lucky. Just be cognizant of the odds. A pal of mine was there last November. His pack blew away from INSIDE his vestibule. Trip over. And many neighboring tents failed completely (his held up, miraculously).

FWIW: Fun climb is a gorgeous setting. I may actually return someday (in January)
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polishruben
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by polishruben »

thanks guys for comments. the normal route. Rescheduling is not an option for me, so I have to give it a try in nov. I will have around 24 days, so some room to wiggle.
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ulvetano
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by ulvetano »

p.s. I did my attempt last Nov/early dec and the weather was fine. granted...i didn't make it, but that wasn't due to the weather. good luck!
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by SteveBonowski »

Some CMC friends of mine went right after Thanksgiving a few years ago. They had perfect weather the entire trip. You just never know. I'm returning there with a CMC group in early February.
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polishruben
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by polishruben »

Ulvetano, thanks for the post, good to hear that you made it there and back alive. As you said in your email in 2009, the mountain will be there for years to come. Sucks I had to give up the trip that Nov, but .. oh well. Life. Luckily I was able to cancel the air tickets without too much $ penalty. by the way, what pants did you use during the summit ? I am thinking of doing the mh Compressors with combination of silk longjohns and g.tex as shell. Did you have something warmer / lighter ? I can go as high as the absolute zero pants, but everyone says it will be an overkill.

Steve good to hear your input, thanks! All your tips paid of so much during our Elbrus climb.
Hope you guys are well.
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ulvetano
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by ulvetano »

I just did a light layer of Patagonia, then a medium/heavy layer of Mammut long underwear over those, then some thin Grammicci pants, with my ski bibs over the top. :) I pretty much mashed everything together to get a workable solution - and it worked well. I did however also have a pair of down pants for the tent which were AWESOME!
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Dave B
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by Dave B »

ulvetano wrote:I did however also have a pair of down pants for the tent which were AWESOME!
+1

The down booties were well worth their weight as well.
Make wilderness less accessible.
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polishruben
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by polishruben »

For anyone interested, I created a chart of the standard route, the elevation chart for Aconcagua. Please do not use it as your guide map of any kind. The distances are approx, and data is pulled from bunch of different maps that I currently have ( also in connection with Google Earth ). No idea if they are accurate ( especially the hike times ), but for what it is worth - here is the link.

Aconcagua Elevation Chart - Standard Route http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1262549/aconcagua-chart.pdf.
PS. Staples can print that in larger format for like 5 bucks. It will come in handy to plan the days, meals etc. etc. :). There is no copyright here, use it at will - just leave the credits on the bottom, and let me know that you used it. Thanks!
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polishruben
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Re: aconcagua Nov 2011

Post by polishruben »

Is http://www.snow-forecast.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; the only service that offers meteo historic data on high peaks ( like acon ), that is available ? Does anyone know ?
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