Mount Aconcagua
Aconcagua…the Sentinel of Stone. On its inhuman slopes, where the ice and the wind are sovereign, often the extremities touch each other; the beginning and the end of a road, success and failure, life and death.Mythic mountain that raises its summit to the stars, while its shadow is projected across the desert to the ocean. Scene of uncommon stories, of great acts of courage and heroism. Also discoverer of vanities and fears. In this hard environment a man displays himself as he is. The only answer is up there. Nobody in the charm of quiet and safe life should judge the person who seek an experience with the impossible. High-altitude mountaineering is a game. A game of fantasy and power where technique , physical capacity, experience, ethics, power and determination converge. Mountains as alpine objectives only exist in man’s imagination, in his fantasy. We imagine that the problem is the climbing. The game is searching for a solution. The game consist in overcoming the greatest difficulties using the least technical means possible and with the highest degree of skill, training, and boldness. As human beings, we never reach the end of our growth , but mountaineering bring us closer.We do not have to fight against nature, we have to adapt ourselves to her, to understand her , to respect her rhythm, an to try to assimilate the power she has. Only in this way , the great problems of mountaineering will be solved in an elegant way. The person who play the game with this vision will have access to unsuspected dimensions of his own being and the whole world.
The Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the two Americas. This is one of the reasons why it is work famous. But it’s fame is mainly due to the great alpine attractions it offers.According to some international climbing experts with experience in the Himalayas, the almost 7000 meters (22850 feet) of the Aconcagua represent, psychologically and physiologically, several hundred meters more. Although some of the reasons for this remain unknown , there are know aspect of this mountain which make it seem like much more. In the Himalayas there is vegetation until 5000 m ( 16500 ft). In the central Andes mountains there is only vegetation until 3500 m (11500 ft). Also, the relative humidity of the air is very low, and the thickness of the atmospheric layers in this area of the world have peculiarities that cause these effects.
The Aconcagua is an appropriate place for the climber to prepare and test himself before going on to try eight thousand meters mountains. It is an outstanding scene to give fun, where the climber can be completely satisfied and where he can accomplish the greatest alpine ambitions.The East Ridge, The Polish Glacier, The Southwest Ridge, The West Face- all present the proper wide range of conditions for a visitor to display this capacity at many climbing levels. The Normal Route is in the Northwest Face of the mountain. Without technical difficulties, it allows either recreational and/or high altitude climbing. Still, it is suggested that the climber go on this route only with a mountain guide and excellent equipment. About the south wall, it’s desolated and severe environment, bad quality of the rock, permanent threat of seracs detachment, snow and rock avalanches, altitude, versatility, sudden changes of the weather, isolation, are all elements that give this face the characteristic of savage.From the technical point of view, the south wall present all kind of difficulties on ice, snow and rock. He who decides to climb it must have an excellent technique, strong physical shape, experience and very important , a lot of enthusiasm and perseverance.
On this huge mountain it’s is possible to do first class climbing as well as living unforgettable adventures. The “Sentinel of Stone” , ancestral pyramid for the Incas, still now hides Mysteries. Its magnificent silhouette still excites the dreams of unnumbered alpinist.