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 False Polish - team in base camp!

FTA Feb Falso group setting out from the hotel

FTA Feb 2 Acon Falso update - in BC!

Ben has dropped us a note that the team is now in Argentina base camp and have been enjoying a rest day. They hope to make a carry up to camp 1 tomorrow and if everyone is feeling well they will hope to move up to camp 1 on the 10th.

A few members are feeling the effects of the altitude after the move from Casa de Piedras up to Plaza Argentina so they will be sure to take the days they need in base camp to have everyone feeling well.

It looks like there will be some precipitation but low winds for the next 3-4 days so they should have good weather for establishing high camps. We are keeping our eyes on some high winds predicted for the 15th to 17th or so and hoping this does not materialize.

more news shortly!

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