Aconcagua expedition with Emma Svensson

Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America and one of the Seven Summits. With its 6962 meters above sea level it attracts climbers from all corners of the world. Aconcagua a great challenge even if the climb is not technically difficult. The mountain is notorious for its moody weather and strong winds.

So therefore this expedition has extra many summit days, we know from experience that it may be needed. Many expeditions to Aconcagua have only two extra peak days, which can make it difficult to get a chance at the top if the weather is not with one.

We make the slightly longer 360 route to experience the whole mountain. It is the most beautiful way up and it also means better acclimatization. The route is less crowded and in basecamp you will be treated as family. There is a reason why we choose this route. We love it!

Acclimatization is very important to us and therefore we also have an extra day at altitude before we even start the hike towards Basecamp.

On the way to Basecamp, you only carry a daypack as your pack and duffelbag is transported to each camp by mules. But when we leave the base camp and go up to the higher camps, you carry your pack yourself (porters can be hired if you wish for an additional cost). You will also be involved in pitching your own tent, melting snow and cooking so you will learn valuable skills to become independent on expeditions. After the ascent, you will feel proud that you did this on your own.

 

This is an exclusive trip for women led by Emma Svensson together with a local guide. After climbing and guiding on Aconcagua many times, Emma saw how many guides only guide for the strongest and fastest in the group and how there often was a macho attitude on the expeditions. She have heard countless stories from women who have experienced the same thing. That´s why she have put together an expedition where macho culture is banned. Where we guide for the whole group, not only the fastest ones.

 

Climbing Aconcagua is not a sprint to the top, it´s a long expedition where you need power and energy each day for two to three weeks on a high mountain. Self care and making sure the group is healthy in every way is the most important thing. So we walk in a nice pace that fits everyone. We take enough breaks when we hike. Aconcagua is a dry mountain so it´s important to drink enough and to be able to do that we need to make sure it´s possible for everyone. We want everyone to come to the next camp and having enough energy to pitch their tents in a good way and be able to take care of themselves, not totally exhausted. We also want everyone to have a chance to recover properly for the next day.

 

We will work as a team, help each other, look after each other, learn from each other. Our guides will let the group in on plans, strategies, decision making and listen to you. They will also teach you things so that you can become more independent in the mountains.

This is how we want to guide Aconcagua. This is the expedition we dream of doing. An experience where you can enjoy each day, learn and grow.

 

• Extra many summit days

• Extra acclimatization before we enter the park

• Female guide

• 16-week training program, developed by a licensed personal trainer with experience in Aconcagua 

 

You do not need to have any previous experience of alpine climbing to join this expedition, but it is good if you have hiked and camped before and been at high altitude. Having climbed Elbrus or Kilimanjaro is a good experience for example. You need good condition and the strength to walk with a backpack 8-10 hours a day. Feel free to ask us if you feel uncertain about your experience or have any questions.

Emma Svensson will be your expedition leader. She is a mountain leader and AMGA apprentice alpine guide. We will also have a certified local guide joining the expedition. Someone we know well from before, who is nice, soft and have good social skills. It will probably not be a woman since there is very limited of certified female guides on Aconcagua but it will be someone great who share our values that we know from before.

 

Before the trip we have a online meeting to prepare you for the expedition.

 

Due to the uncertainty of flights and luggage handling in South America we strongly recommend you to arrive one day before the expedition. We can help you arrange hotel to an additional cost in that case (or you can book a room somewhere you prefer) 

 

You go to Mendoza on your own and check in at the hotel. For transport from the airport, Uber works really well and cost around 5 USD. When you arrive, we welcome you and do a gear check. In the evening we have an information meeting where you get to meet the other participants and we have nice welcome dinner together. Now the expedition begins!

 

This day you also have time to get any additional gear you might need. Due to inflation, imported gear is really expensive in Argentina so we recommend you to get your expedition gear before arraving to Argentina, only buying gas and some smaller stuff here that you might need. 

Accommodation: Share in a double room in a hotel with breakfast

After breakfast we fix with our permits to Aconcagua and then we go by public transport to Penitentes, a ski resort at 2600 meters altitude. Here we will spend two nights and begin our acclimatization.

Accommodation: Share in a double room with breakfast & dinner

After breakfast we do an acclimatization trip up to 3200 meters where we have a coffee and enjoy the view. Maybe wild horses will run past. We will return a few hours later and prepare the last thing for the hike into Basecamp.

Accommodation: Share in a double room with breakfast & dinner

After a short drive to Vacas Valley where we meet rangers and announce that we are starting our expedition on Aconcagua, the hike begins to the evening camp Pampas De Lena 2950 m. The hike goes through a beautiful valley and it is mostly flat landscape with a slight slope uphill. It takes about 6 hours. Arriving at our camp, we pitch our tents and cook our dinners on our stoves.

Accommodation: Tent

We wake up to the sun's rays warming the tents. After breakfast we pack up and let the mules carry all our heavy stuff on to the next camp: Casa de Piedra 3250 m. Just like yesterday, the slope is slightly uphill and mostly flat during the hike which takes about 6-7 hours. Now we will for the first time be able to see Aconcagua along the way!

Accommodation: Tent

Now it's starting to get really exciting: The day begins with crossing a glacier river. A cold bath for the feet later we are guaranteed to wake up and it's time to hike all the way to Basecamp: Plaza Argentinas at 4200 meters altitude. This part of the hike is beautiful and varied but with much more uphill than previous days. A big day with 1300 altitude meters with all the ups and downs. We stop and pause as often as we need to. Arrive in Basecamp waiting for lunch, maybe it will be pizza! And it is possible to take a long-awaited shower.

Accommodation: Tent. Lunch and dinner included.

 

We have deserved a day of rest and spend the day chilling in Basecamp. We also take the opportunity to carry out the obligatory doctor's visit to the doctor. A must to continue higher up the mountain. We want to make sure everyone is well enough before we continue.

Accommodation: Tent. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included.

After breakfast we head to camp 1 at 5000 meters altitude. The hike takes about 5 hours and we carry with us some stuff and equipment that we leave in camp 1 for the coming days. We also take the opportunity to have a picnic lunch and enjoy the view before we go down to basecamp again.

Accommodation: Tent. Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner are included.

Today we have another day of rest and gather strength before it is time to leave base camp and head up to the higher camps. We pack our equipment and get ready for tomorrow.

Accommodation: Tent. Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner are included.

It's time to leave basecamp. We walk again up to camp 1. This time you will notice that it is much easier. We set up our tents, collect water either via a stream that we clean or by melting snow. Learning these skills is important when you are on an expedition. Then we cook dinner. The simplest thing in the higher camps is to eat freeze-dried dishes.

Accommodation: Tent. Breakfast and picnic lunch are included.

Today it's time for new views as we hike up to camp 2 at 5500 meters altitude to leave more of our equipment. The hike takes about 4 hours. The day begins with a steep uphill but after that it flattens out and a whole new landscape opens up. In camp 2 we stay for a while and eat our lunch to improve the acclimatization before we go down to camp 1 again where we spend the night.

Accommodation: Tent.

We pack up camp 1 and move up to camp 2. It will be even easier to go up there today after we have been up on the hill before. We will stay here until it's time to move up to Plaza Colera for the top try!

Accommodation: Tent.

Today we have planned a rest day in camp 2, but depending on the weather and wind and how the group feels, we can use the day in different ways. Here we also have the opportunity to practice walking in crampons and use ice axes to improve our knowledge.

Accommodation: Tent.

To boost our acclimatization even more, we make a carry round up to Plaza Colera and leave some stuff. Plaza Colera is located at an altitude of 6000 meters. Now you really start to feel the thin air. It goes slowly upwards but remember that it will go easier next time! We spend the night back in camp 2.

Accommodation: Tent.

If the weather is with us, we will move up to Plaza Colera today to make the top attempt the next day! But we also have several extra peak days in case it should be needed. In Plaza Colera we are at an altitude of 6000 meters and the landscape looks like the moon.

Accommodation: Tent.

Today is our summit day if the weather is with us! We wake up early but not too early - it is cold at night at this altitude and the sun rises on the other side of the mountain so we do not want to walk for many hours in the dark and cold. Around 05:00 we leave the camp and go to the top. We make two longer stops along the way where there is time to eat and drink properly. The first at an altitude of about 6300 meters in the event of a collapsed windbreak. Here the sun's rays should be able to warm us. Maybe this is also where we need to put on the crampons for the upcoming traverse. When we reach Canaleta 300 meters from the top at 6700 meters altitude, the next longer break in the cave awaits before we take the last precipice up to the top. At the end there are some larger boulders, very easy scrambling to get up the last bit and then you stand there - at the top of Aconcagua 6962 meters above sea level. The highest mountain outside the Himalayas.

But the top is only halfway and we will return to Plaza Colera again. Expect a long day of 12-14 hours in total. Down in Plaza Colera you can finally rest.

Accommodation: Tent.

These are extra days for a summit try. If we do not use them, we will return to basecamp and Mendoza earlier. It is therefore important that you have a flexible home travel ticket. Together with day 13, which is flexible, we have no less than six days set aside for the summit attempt. That's double as much as most other expeditions. 

 

Today we do not have to wake up super early but we get up with the sun, eat breakfast and then pack our tents and go down to the base camp which is on the other side of the mountain, at the normal route: Plaza Mulas. The road there is a long gravel hill down. Down in the basecamp, lunch, a hot shower and a large tent with sun loungers outside to hang in await. When we have rested enough to be able to set up our tents for the night, we take on that challenge before dinner.

Accommodation: Tent. Lunch and dinner included.

It's time to leave basecamp and get back to Mendoza. We do not have to carry anything more than our daypacks during the hike out, but mules take all our heavy stuff. Today's hike is mostly downhill and flat and takes about 7-8 hours. It is 27 kilometers to hike and halfway we reach Confluencia where we stop for a coffee. At Horocones (the park entrance to Aconcagua if you take the normal route) our transport is waiting to take us back to Mendoza where a hotel bed and a hot shower await.

 

If we havn´t used all our extra summit days we will first do a rest day in Plaza Mulas before hiking out. It will be much needed. 

Accommodation: Hotel, part in a shared room. Breakfast and coffee included.

 

We have one last rest day in Mendoza before going back home. You will be treated with a 60 minute massage at Just Relax and in the evening a good-bye dinner for the whole team. To have this extra day to rest will make you feel much more relaxed going home and you can come home restored from this experience. It´s a day for self care and reflection.

Accommodation: Hotel, part in a shared room. Breakfast and coffee included. Good-bye dinner

Today the expedition ends and you travel on your own. After breakfast, you can check out of the hotel with an unforgettable experience in your luggage. Whether you reached the top or not. Now new adventures await!

Accommodation: None, breakfast included

• Professional guidance and instructions from two guides

• 3 nights hotel accommodation in a shared room with breakfast in Mendoza, single rooms can if possible be arranged at an additional cost

• 2 nights hotel accommodation in a shared room with breakfast & dinner in Penitentes, single rooms can if possible be arranged at an additional cost

• Transport from Mendoza to Penitente round trip

• Transport from Penitentes to Vacas Valley

• Transport from Horocones to Penitentes

• Personal equipment on mules from Penitentes to basecamp Plaza Argentinas (no limit in kg)

• Personal equipment from basecamp Plaza Argentinas to basecamp Plaza Mulas (no limit in kg)

• Personal equipment from basecamp Plaza Mulas to Penitentes (no limit in kg)

• Storage of equipment and items in Penitentes and Plaza Mulas

• Dinner tent in basecamp
• Access to dome tents in high camps

• Toilets in basecamp
• Toilet tents in high camps
• Free showers in basecamp
• Free wifi in basecamp

• Full board in Plaza Argentinas

• Full board in Plaza Mulas
• Welcome dinner in Mendoza
• Good-bye dinner in Mendoza
• 60 min massage in Mendoza after the trip at Just Relax
• 16 week training program

• An unforgettable experience

• Travel to and from Mendoza and transfer from and to the airport

• Aconcagua entrance permit

• Personal equipment for the expedition (see below)

• Evacuation costs if you choose to end the expedition (helicopter, mules, porters, travel costs, accommodation and the like)

• Insurance that covers your journey, evacuation and climbing up to 7000 meters

• Personal costs (tips, wifi, shower, porters etc)

• Food and drink outside what´s listed under included

To get your permit to climb Aconcagua, you must show that your insurance covers high-altitude climbing and evacuation by helicopter if necessary. We recommend Global Rescue, which is a well-known large insurance company. If you have another insurance company, you need a paper on this translated into English where this information is clear. They are very careful with this in place in Mendoza.

• Tent (can be rented - let us know)

• Sleeping pad

• Sleeping pad inflatable

• Sleeping bag -30 C degrees

• Gas kitchen + gas (gas is available for purchase on site in Mendoza)

• Thermos

• Mug

• Spork

• Knife

• Lighter

• Garbage bag

• Food for the hike to basecamp + food for high camps. Freeze-dried is recommended

• Warm boots for 6000-7000 m that are crampon compatible (La Sportiva G2 SM or similar recommended)

• Hiking shoes / trail shoes for the hike to basecamp

• Sandals for crossing a glacier river (also comfortable to use in basecamp)

• Heating system for boots if you have cold feet such as foot warmers or battery socks

• Crampons

• Iceaxe

• Helmet

• Headlamp

• Backpack approx. 65-85 L

• Daypack approx. 30 L

• Duffel bag to transport equipment on mules

• Water bottle x 2 (preferably with a case that protects against cold)

• Hiking poles (preferably foldable)

• Sunglasses

• Skidgoggles

• Sun protection factor

• Hygiene items + earplugs

• Possible medications + headache tablets

• Personal first aid kit

• Hand warmer for the top day

• Shell jacket and trousers that protect against rain and wind

• Warm down jacket - expedition style

• Thin down jacket to have as an intermediate layer

• Fleece

• Intermediate layer for the legs

• Baselayer (preferably in merino wool)

• Warm socks

• Warm hat

• Thin hat / buff

• Buff or backlava

• Underwear

• Really warm mittens for the top day

• Ski gloves

• Thin gloves

• Cap

We will go through the equipment carefully and you will be able to consult us during our online meeting before the trip.

More information

Please note that at least 4 participants are required. Maximun 8 participants, don´t wait to book you spot! The price of 4500€ is valid until May 31 after that it will be increased.