FTA Aconcagua Feb 2012 - SUMMITS!

Feb 19, 2011

FTA team from Dec 2010 on top. We'll post the 2012 team pics shortly!

Ben wrote in from Plaza Argentina to report that they had a successful summit bid and that the entire team is back in base camp safe and sound!

Ben, Cameron, Stuart, Melvin and Er Jun topped out on the 17th at 2pm on cold and windy but clear day. Shaun and Jaclyn made a great effort as well and reached a high point at the start of the traverse above Independencia Hut.

Colera camp on a calm day © stu remensnyder

They returned to Colera camp, spent the night amid the very high winds and in the morning descended to Argentina. Ben said that the winds were strong enough that just packing up the tents in the morning took a great deal of effort and especially to avoid and cold injuries.

They should be heading out today and hope to be back in Mendoza for well earned hotel beds, showers, steak suppers and wine tours! We'll look forward to seeing the pics and hearing a full report when they are back in town.

Next up for Ben will be Broad Peak so if you fancy a trip to Pakistan and a great 8000m peak let us know!

FTA Aconcagua Feb 2012 summit push

Feb 2 Acon Falso Update

Ben dropped us a note before the team left base camp a few days back and everyone was doing well and looking forward to the summit push. By this time they have set camps in C1 and C2 and will be trying to make a summit bid. The plan included a possible summit bid today. Unfortunately the predicted winds are quite high for the 16th to 19th and it may be impossible to make a bid during this time. Ben knew before leaving base camp that they might well have to retreat to C1 and hope for a second chance. They do have some spare days to wait out the winds and hope for a dash to the top on 20 or 21.

The image in this dispatch is one taken some years ago but gives you a good feel for the nature of high winds on Aconcagua. The winds can be strong enough to flatten tents and in such conditions the only option is top hunker down or head down. When the winds come up they seem to usually sit for 3-4 days and then are followed by nice calm periods.

We'll post any news we have over the next week but it may not be until they descend to Argentina or Mulas on 21st or 22nd that we hear from them.

Custom trips to Aconcagua

We have a second small private February group climbing the normal route and they are in Penitentes acclimatizing today. They will make final gear prep and will be heading to Confluencia tomorrow. We are always happy to accommodate small private groups so let us know if you have a special date or route and we'll set you up with a trip!

Coming Up

We are starting to have a good run on our trips to Broad Peak in June and Cho Oyu in September and are looking for great team members to join us for these trips.  Our Noshaq trip is filling up fast and if you are not on our mailing list and are interested in climbing the highest peak in Afghanistan let us know!

Lots of other trips are coming together including K2, Stok Kangri, Ama Dablam and more so have  a look at our trips and let us know where you'd like to go in 2012-13!

Aconcagua Update - Viento Blanco!

This season we have two trips to Aconcagua under the leadership of Ben Kane who has come off of a very successful autumn campaign in India and Nepal. He is leading our January Polish Glacier and February False Polish Glacier trips.

Polish Glacier update - Viento Blanco!!

High winds on Aconcagua

Ben and Ash are now back down from a strong effort on the mountain which has unfortunately been halted by very high winds (70-100kmph by some estimates) which have been scouring the mountain much of the last week. After arriving at BC, and moving well on the acclimatization portion of the climb, it became clear that the Polish Glacier was not in suitable condition due to heavy snowfall and high winds.

Camp Colera on a calm day in 2003

As such they had retooled the plans to include a run up the False Polish Traverse using Camp Colera at just over 20,000ft. On the 23rd they pulled into Colera and were met with high winds which made even establishing camp a serious challenge. They then spent a very uncomfortable night with the tent being heavily buffeted by the infamous "viento blanco" or "white wind" which, at its worst, can be easily strong enough to  lift and throw tents filled with climbers and gear.  The next day they beat  hasty retreat to BC and are beginning to make their way back out to town today. 

We'll look forward to hearing the full details and sharing the story along with new images shortly. There are always great lessons to be learned from surviving challenging conditions and with Ben's experience on Broad Peak, Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Satopanth and more we know that Ash was in good hands!

Feb False Polish Update
We have a great group of 6 climbers joining us for a Feb 2 start in Mendoza and we'll hope they have a calmer wind for their trip.

They will be following the same route as our Jan 10 group with a beautiful trek up the Vacas Valley, turning up the relinchos valley and basing themselves in Plaza de Argentina. Our February 2 team will be going a bit lighter  than the Jan 10 Polish team with no ropes, ice axes, ice screws, stakes etc to carry! If all goes well they will plan for a traverse over to the Plaza de Mulas BC after summiting from either C2 or from Colera. The summit plus traverse makes for a fantastic trip and the majority of our teams are able to make this itinerary. The advantage to this route is that you can enjoy more solitude with the quieter approach of Argentina but then take advantage of some of the amenities (beer and burgers!) on the Mulas side on the way out.


Upcoming Trips  update
Spots are filling up for summer trips to Noshaq, Broad Peak, K2, G2 & Spantik. We hope to confirm all 5 trips, plus a trek to K2 BC, in the next month or two. We are already taking applications for Autumn trips to  Stok Kangri, Satopanth, Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Khumbu Peaks and Everest BC trek.

For more details see our full listing of expeditions: www.fieldtouringalpine.com/programs/expeditions
and our full list of treks: www.fieldtouringalpine.com/programs/treks

Let us know how we can help you with an adventure in 2012!

FTA Autumn trip report

From Ben Kane
Brisbane, Australia

Note: Ben is only home for  a few weeks before he heads of to Aconcagua for the Polish Glacier (Jan 10) and False Polish (Feb 2). We still have a few spots left on each trip as well as the Feb 2 Polish Glacier with Stu Remensnyder. See the FTA site for all the details!

Well what an amazing season! I have finally made it back home to Australia. Its been an epic Autumn season in the Himalaya, and we've had so much fun with such a great crew.

Ama Dablam Nov 2011
Ama Dablam was a great success and we topped out on the 24th of Nov in very clear weather. It was great to be back on the mountain that was my introduction to the high Himalaya back in 2007. The upper part of the route seems to have changed dramatically since then, with more hard ice and exposed rock. Having said that, we managed to summit from Camp 2, which involved some incredible night climbing of the Grey Tower and a stellar dawn on the exposed Mushroom Ridge! For lovers of exposure, this is a must do climb.
Ama Dablam 2012 Info

Khumbu Peaks and Passes  Oct 2011
Our Khumbu Peaks and Passes expedition in October was a blast. For those that wish to get to know the Khumbu & Gokyo region and do a bit of climbing along the way, this is a full itinerary jam-packed with four peaks and three high pass crossings. A superb introduction to Himalayan climbing.
Khumbu Peaks and Passes info

Satopanth September 2011
Satopanth is a semi-technical peak in the Garwhal range of Northern India. In September we ran our second expedition to this peak and had great success, summiting from Camp 2. The peak involves an approach from the holy village of Gangotri, past the headwaters of the Ganges river at Gamukh,
establishing base camp at a lake under the awesome west face of Visuki Peak. Climbing on the mountain entails a glacier approach, some amazing mixed climbing to gain Camp 2 and a very exposed ridge to gain the upper face and summit. The exposure and surrounding scenery make for one
incredible climb. Incredible India they say, and it is true.
Satopanth Info

Big Thanks
A big thanks goes out to our local staff, Siddhi, Pemba, Uttara, Ratna, Arun and of course Nima T. Sherpa. Thank you so much. I'd also like to thank our Ama Dablam guide staff Brad Jackson (assistant guide) and Meagan McGrath (guide-in-training) for their great contributions.

Finally, I'd like to thank all of our members that joined our expeditions, Gavin, Scott & Nicole, Veronika, Richard, Seng, Mattias, Colin and Bryson. Thanks for a wonderful Autumn and for all the great memories. All the best for the future and I hope to see you out in the hills one day soon.

Next up - Aconcagua Polish and False Polish

Aconcagua's Polish Glacier

As for me, straight back into training! We've got our Jan 10 Polish Glacier and Feb 2 False Polish and Polish Glacier climbs coming up shortly, and with spaces filling quickly, make sure you jump on as soon as possible!

These trips are about the most fun you can have in the mountains, a great introductory to high altitude with minimal objective danger and the rich cultural experience that Mendoza, Argentina has to offer (and the best Malbec & steak in the world).
Polish Glacier Climb | False Polish Climb

All the best and enjoy the festive season,

Ben

FTA Spantik 2011 - Back in BC!

Aug 23, 2011

Spantik Update - Safe and Sound in BC and Celebrating the Summit!
Tim called in to let us know that the entire team was back in BC today and already enjoying 10 year-old whiskey! After sitting out some weather in C2 they had two perfect days of clear and calm weather for the summit push. Time said the route was in great shape and they had an excellent climb to the top. He added that the view they had for those days were as good as any he's had in the hills - and that is from one who has been to the top of Everest!

They will have a good celebration tonight and, for the first time in a while, have almost nothing to do tomorrow except relax and enjoy the afterglow of a successful summit.

They have ordered up the porters and will be heading out on the morning of the 26th to complete the quick two day exit to Arandu. If all goes well they plan to be in Skardu on the afternoon of the 27th and enjoying hot showers and soft beds!

This will leave them the next 2 days to leisurely sort, clean and dry gear from the climb, play cards, sleep and simply enjoy the magnificent vistas from base camp.

Tim will check in with another update tomorrow and then we should have much more once they are back in Skardu and Islamabad!

View to Spantik BC © Sean James

Spantik C3 © Veronika Bartova

Next up for FTA - Satopanth
Tim will be flying over to Nepal with a bunch of gear for our autumn trips in Nepal and India and is looking forward to eating pizza at the Fire and Ice when he gets there!

High on Satopanth © Chris Szymiec

He'll be handing over our Goal Zero power system to Ben who will bring it along on our Satopanth expedition which begins on Sept 3. The Goal Zero setup has worked very well for us and it is a nice integrated system of panels, batteries and ports. Highly recommended!


Upcoming Trips with spaces:

• Ama Dablam/Island Peak Oct 1 -31 *
• Khumbu Peaks and Passes Oct 5-31**
• Everest BC trek Nov 4 - 25 
• Ama Dablam/Island Peak  Nov 4 - Dec 4*
• Ecuador Jan 5-14 with Cotopaxi
• Aconcagua False Polish Jan 10-Jan 31 & Feb 5-25
• Aconcagua Polish Jan 10 -31 & Feb 5-25

*You can join our Ama Dablam/Island Peak trip for both peaks or for just Island Peak!
**The Peaks and Passes trip can be joined by trekkers or climbers. Climbs include Island Peak, Pokalde, Lobuche E and Gokyo Ri. Passes include Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La 

FTA 2011 Trip updates: K2, Spantik, Satopanth, Nepal, Argentina Ecuador and more!

K2 update - back in Skardu
Chris has dropped us a note from Skardu to let us know that he, sophie, lakpa and the entire staff are back in town and done with the long trekking days to come out. the treks are typically 8-10 hours a day and are a bit of a grind after already being so tired from the climb but no one wants to extend the trek much as soft beds, hot showers and fresh food beckon! Chris will check in again from Islamabad with a general trip report and update. They are hoping to fly today to Islamabad if the weather cooperates!

It looks like Wim Smets has become the first Belgian to top out on Broad Peak so we congratulate him for that! Sophie has made the shortest triple 8000m summits with Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Broad Peak in less than three months - not to mention an attempt on K2 to boot! There may be other firsts or interesting facts ahead and we'll post them here as we learn about them.

Spantik Update - back in BC
Tim called in to let us know there was considerable rain and poor weather but his transmission was quite garbled. They were back in BC again after the first push up to C1. We have had a number of periods this summer where the Thuraya connections have been quite bad and we'll expect a full report when the satellites allow!

Satopanth
Our team will be assembling in Delhi in early September and we'll begin dispatches at that time. A remote and challenging 7000m peak, it will be the second time FTA has tacked it with a successful trip in 2009 our first.

Ama Dablam
We have two trips this autumn that will be getting under way in early October and early November respectively. We have spaces available on both so let us know if you are interested! Our November 4 trip is filling fast so spaces are limited!

Khumbu Peaks and Passes
4 peaks and 3 passes in 24 days in the heart of the Khumbu is hard to beat! Island Peak, Lobuche E, Pokalde and Gokyo Ri for climbers and we welcome trekkers to join us as well. During the climbing days the trekkers will have great side trips or relaxing days looking out at the great peaks. Spaces for cliombers and trekkers available still.

Farther ahead...

Aconcagua and Ecuador
We have quite a few trips from November through to the end of February on Aconcagua's False Polish, Polish Glacier and normal routes as well as Cotopaxi, Cayambe and other great peaks in Ecuador.

New Trips: Stok Kankri and Noshaq
Join us in India or Afghanistan in 2012... contact us for the pilot programs. We plan  on Noshaq in July and Stok Kangri in September. We'll be setting the exact dates in the next few months but both trips will run about 24 days.

Check out our site for all the details!

FTA Aconcagua Feb 2011 - SUMMITS

from stu in the usa office

16th February, 2011

Brent has written in with the good news that he and Bernardo topped out on the 14th at 1005h and were the first party of the day to top out! They are now back in Mulas BC safely and making arrangements to head back to Mendoza shortly!

Summit Recap

On the 12th they headed up to Nidos and spent the night. On the 13th they had a short day to Berlin camp and then helped to bring a climber in distress down to the helipad just above Nidos. They then left at 0200h from Nidos and topped out at 1005h - a pretty quick 8 hours from Nidos to the top! They enjoyed the summit and then returned to Nidos to spend the night of the 14th. On the 15th they dropped down to Mulas with a first load and then on 16 they back-carried the last of the gear.

They had debated a push to the Polish Glacier but the route apparently has too much snow on it at this time for a good attempt.

We'll have a more detailed report along with pics in a few days!

don't forget.....

We are accepting applications for next season on Aconcagua so if you are contemplating reaching the highest point in the Americas....drop us a note to "info@fieldtouring.com"!

FTA Aconcagua Feb 2011 - Summit bid under way!

from stu in the usa office

14 Feb, 2011

Our team left on Saturday for summit push and hoped to top out on Sunday/Monday if all went well. We expect them back in Mulas today or tomorrow with hopefully some good summit news!

On the 12th they left Plaza de Mulas and moved up to Nidos de Condores to spend the night. The jump is about 1000m and so they planned to see how they were feeling on 13th before deciding to move up or add in a rest day. After moving up to high camp they were going to assess again how they were feeling and either head to the summit early the next am or add a rest day. If they take all the rest days then the summit might well be tomorrow and they'll be back on the 17th just in time to avoid the snow expected to begin in the later half of the day.

The weather window is expected to close on 17/18 with some moderate snow headed their way but they have a very good window for this push. If they return without the summit there will still time for them to make a second bid with a summit on 22 or 23. If they come back from the top then they will have lots of extra time for wine tours and golf in Mendoza!

We'll pass on the summit bid news shortly!

FTA Aconcagua Dec 11 Falso - Summit bid brewing!

from stu in the USA office
Feb 10, 2011

Brent has written in from BC at the end of a second day of hauling loads to Nidos de Condores to let us know that all is well!

After two load carries to Nidos our team has approximately 10 days of food stashed and they are now just waiting for a weather window to open and looks as though they have a few days ahead of mediocre weather before they will see a good window for moving up! They have been moving really well doing the round trips to Nidos in about 4 hours so the acclimatization climbs on Catedral and Bonete have clearly paid off!

In a day or so they will begin the push and likely not return to Mulas until after a summit bid unless the weather deters them. The wind can be very strong on Aconcagua and is called the "viento blanco" or "white wind" and we'll hope they do not encounter it! The weather reports in the days ahead suggest very strong winds for the 12th and then less strong for the next 4-5 days. It seems they will have good weather through the 17th but nevertheless we'll keep a watchful eye!

Next up?
Brent and Bernardo are having a great time and already scheming for the next climb to come after Aconcagua. It seems climbers are often barely begun on one project before they dream of the next and our climbers are no different!

For many people the altitude and severe weather on Aconcagua provides a great stepping stone for a first 8000m peak like Cho Oyu or Broad Peak. Having a good experience sleeping at approx 6000m/20000ft and climbing to near 7000m/23000ft is important for gaining the confidence and experience to tackle a peak in excess of 8000m/264000ft. It can also enable a climber to take on a more technical peak like Ama Dablam or Satopanth and know they will be able to focus on the climbing and less so on the altitude.

Interesting stuff...
In fact due to the southerly location of Aconcagua it is often considered to behave as an mini 8000m peak with "thinner" air than a mountain of the same altitude in a more equatorial location like Nepal. As I understand the core theory, the earth spins it keeps a thicker layer of atmosphere at its middle and less at its extremes. I have seen one report that the troposphere reaches 12-15km high in the tropics and only 8-10km at the poles. The temperature being colder in the polar regions is said to have an even greater effect on the perceived altitude. Denali is said to fool people into thinking less of its ~20,000ft altitude when it acts perhaps more like 23,000ft Himalayan peak. Interesting stuff and yet another reason to acclimatize carefully and listen to your body!

for more fun i have added a few links on the topic of latitude and climbing...enjoy!

http://www.kowoma.de/en/gps/additional/atmosphere.htm

for a fun thread
http://www.14ers.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=27173

for the scientifically motivated
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troposphere

Trip updates

We have recently confirmed quite a few trips and they include

Cho Oyu - April 10, 2011
Broad Peak - June 10, 2011
K2 - June 10, 2011
Spantik - Aug 1, 2011
Satopanth - Sept 3 start

We have spaces available still on all of these trips but some of them are filling fast!

See a list of all of our expeditions and treks at the main FTA site: www.fieldtouringalpine.com

FTA Aconcagua Feb 2011 - Acclimatization Summits!

from stu in the usa office

feb 9, 2011

Brent has emailed in from high tech Plaza de Mulas to let us know that all is very well with him and Bernardo! They had an awesome day yesterday climbing 2 summits and enjoying getting some ice climbing in as well. On the 8th they topped out on Cerro Bonete (4950m) and Cerro Catedral (5265m) during a beefy 9.5 hour/11km day ascending 1800m of hill in that time. On Catedral they had a nice stretch of 300m of 30° ice and both felt strong!

They had planned to do only Catedral but the morning weather was iffy so they tromped over to Bonete in the morning. They then found the weather clearing up and sound not pass up the opportunity to knock off Catedral!

This very full and demanding day bodes well for a summit push which will be around 1000 meters and 6-10 hours to the top.

The plan for the 9th is carries up the route to Canada or Nidos and then on the 10 to rest up. On the 11th if the weather is good and they feel well they will begin to push!

more news soon!

stu

FTA Aconcagua Feb 2011 - Heading to BC!

from stu in the usa office

Feb 8, 2011

Our second team for the 2010-2011 season is off and running! They have gathered in Menodoza, sorted gear and made their way to the mountains already!

After a few days of travel and acclimatizing they began the 2 day trek to Plaza de Mulas on Saturday, Feb 5 and have been enjoying a rest day today building rock walks for their tents! Their trek took them from the Horcones Ranger station to the Confluencia camp (3300m) and then to Plaza de Mulas (4300m). Along the way they have enjoyed the beautiful and stark lunarscape of the valley, views of the south and west faces of Aconcagua and finally the bustling village of Plaza Mulas.

Confluencia offers beds, restaurants and more while Mulas is even more upscales with internet cafe's restaurants and even a large hotel. Most climbers will take full advantage of the soft beds at some time or another and they are a welcome option after the summit and many days on uneven rock snow and ice!

Having arrived at Mulas BC (and had a well earned rest day) they will now begin the process of acclimatizing on the mountain with trips to Camp Canada (4900m) and Nidos de Cóndores (5350m) before making a concerted push on the mountain. They are also considering some other acclimatization options including Bonete (approx 5004m) across the valley from Aconcagua.

more on Bonete on summit post

There is a call for 3-4 days of poor weather during which time they will hope to get in lots of acclimatization and be ready for summit push! If all goes well they should be making a summit bid on or about the 16th of February!

More news as we have it!

Aconcagua Dec 2010 Falso - Summit Report!

FTA Dec 2010 Aconcagua False Polish Climb

TRIP REPORT AND PICS

from Ben Kane in Mendoza

Dean, Saul and myself arrived back in Mendoza last night and celebrated our summit success in fine style with a great dinner at Facundo's restaurant and then on to the Irish pub for a few drinks. The past three weeks have been incredible, a really fun time with two great guys.

The expedition started out with a bit of drama, with both Saul and Dean struck don by a nasty gastro infection, but both soldiered on and pulled through to be very strong on the mountain. We encountered some very cold weather in the early part of the trip, especially the load carry days to Camp 1. I decided against moving to Camp 2 due to high winds, and we instead traversed to the more sheltered Camp Guanacos (Camp 3).

We moved up to Camp Colera on the 24th, deciding against a rest day at Guanacos due to a weather report indicating the 25th to be a potential summit day. This was to be a vital decision as the weather indeed turned out to be too good to be true. The morning of the 25th was as still as I've ever seen, not a breath of wind and incredibly warm. We started out in our down jackets and mitts, but 10 minutes later we were stripping down to fleece and shells. A large French group, an Alaskan Mountain Guide's group and some independent climbers made up the push, with about 30 or so people pushing for the top. We summited at 2:40pm, about 8 hours from Colera. We spent half an hour on the top, really enjoying the summit and just taking it all in. The descent was fine, and we made it back to Colera with plenty of daylight left to melt snow and rehydrate.

I have to comment on Dean and Saul - both were very strong, and we made a good team. I also have to thank Lanko, our Argentinian outfitters. Jose and Osvaldo are amazingly helpful. The staff at both Base Camps, Plaza Argentina and Plaza de Mulas were exceptional. Thank you to Carlos and Vanessa (Plaza de Mulas) for the great pizza feast post summit and a big thank you to Paula (Plaza Argentina) for the great food that made it possible for us to get up the hill.

Thanks for following along with us. Take care and hope to see you out in the mountains soon!

Cheers,

Ben

FTA Aconcagua Dec Falso - Summits!

from stu in the usa office
Dec 26, 2010
We have just had word in from Ben at Plaza de Mulas that the team has returned successfully from the summit and a complete traverse of the mountain! We'll look forward to more news soon!!
here is Ben's note:

Hey Stu from Plaza de Mulas,

We summited yesterday, Christmas Day at 2:40pm. The weather was extrodinary, so warm and not a breath of air. We hike out to Horcones tomorrow, have a quick shower at Penitentes and then straight to Mendoza for a great meal at Facundos, which we've all been anticipating.

I'll send a more detailed disatch tommorrow including pictures. Totally amazing climb and everyone is stoked to have reached the top.

Talk soon.

Ben from Plaza de Mulas!

Baby Beef at Facundo's is not to be missed!

FTA Aconcagua Dec 11 Falso - In BC and heading to C1!

From Stu in the USA office
Nov 19. 2010


Ben has dropped a nice note in from Plaza Argentina base camp ( approx 4200m/13800 ft) to let us know that all is well and that they have been enjoying themselves on the trek and at base camp. The have had a great view to the Polish Glacier from the base camp and soon enough will be walking right past its base.



They arrived to find a great deal of damage done to base camp by a serious wind storm a week ago. Ben said that nearly every outfitter sustained damage from 100 kph winds and that the winds remain strong still on the mountain. For this reason Ben and his crew plan to take the lower traverse to Colera Camp and avoid the traditional but exposed C2.

Dean and Saul were hit by a GI illness they picked up in Mendoza but it seems not to have slowed them down and they have showed great strength on the trek in and on the carry to C1 so this is good news!

They are now working their way up the hill and are in C1 at this time and will be heading towards the higher camps in the next few days. If Ben gets a chance to drop back to BC before the summit bid we'll post any updates but the next news may well not be for 4-5 days more. They are still on target for a summit bid on the 25th or 26th if the weather cooperates!

The winds speeds have been in excess of 100kph on and off at the highest levels in the last week and look to be subsiding at the week goes on and summit winds are predicted to be in the 20-30kph level by the 25th and even lower for the 26th and 27th so this is great news!

In 2003 I took the image below during one of the 3 days we spent pinned down by high winds which can be strong enough on Aconcagua to shred tents and toss people.


When the winds subside one can enjoy the views and the climb and we'll hope our team sees these gentle days for the summit bid!


More news as we have it!

FTA Aconcagua Dec 11 Falso - heading to BC!

Our December Falso trip under the leadership of Ben Kane is off and running! They will be pulling into the base camp shortly and preparing to begin the climbing phase of the trip. We look forward to hearing their news shortly and until then enjoy a note from Ben about the trip ahead!



Dec 13, 2010

Hello from Mendoza, Argentina!

Tomorrow Saul Willers and Dean Slawson and myself will be departing Mendoza, bound for Penitentes.
The drive takes between three to four hours, and passes through some amazing countryside, from the arid desert surrounding Mendoza, past the aqua marine lake at Porterillos,
winding through canyons before coming out onto the plain at Uspallata. We'll have a lunch stop here before continuing onto Penitentes, gaining height to an altitude of 2500m.

Saul and I did this earlier in the month and had the luxury of camping a few nights in the hills
surrounding Penitentes, just below the summit of Cruz de Cana peak. Below is a photo of our camp during a magnificent sunrise. An amazing vista to wake up to indeed!

We'll have an acclimatization hike, aiming to get up to around 3800m and hit the trailhead on the 14th. Over the next few days we'll go through the process of sorting personal
gear, tents, stoves, food etc and prepare our loads for the mules to carry. We'll be hiking for three days and arrive at Plaza Argentina on the 16th, our base camp for our attempt on the False Polish traverse.

Weather and acclimatization allowing, we'll be heading for a summit bid on around the 25th, so fingers crossed we'll be celebrating Christmas on the top of South America!

Stay tuned for more dispatches and pictures from the mountain!

Ben