The supreme icon of the Andes and the highest mountain of the world outside the Himalayas is the Aconcagua Mount. It features 6,962 meters above sea level. This giant, that towers over the landscape several kilometers around, is entirely situated in Mendoza province and has been a destination for mountain climbers for decades.
Tourism and massive mountaineering have caused a significant impact on the fragile environment proper to these high mountains. In order to protect it, the Provincial Aconcagua Park was created in 1982. The authority over the entire mountain was conferred on the Bureau of Natural Renewable Resources (Dirección de Recursos Naturales Renovables de Mendoza).
During the 2006 season, the park was visited by 7,000 people from all over the world. Many of them came just to contemplate the mount´s skyline from Horcones, the main access to the park and an exceptional viewpoint of the southern face. Horcones can be reached by car.
Bearing this market in mind, expedition companies use the “high trekking” or “altitude trekking” misnomer. Unfortunately, the same may lead to the underestimation of the mountain.
Even if going through the regular route, that runs along the northwestern face slopes and which does not cross any glacier, it is a 7,000 meter high mountain. Harsh climate conditions and altitude effect may take their toll. More than one hundred people dead, most of them on the regular route, is the tribute to inadequate training.
But it is neither a challenge intended only for professionals. The park has rangers posts and specialized physicians as far as the 5,450 meter high camp.
The rescue service, included in the entry permit, counts on a helicopter, while the rescue patrol staff is highly professional.
Plaza de Mulas base camp is a destination itself. It is as crowded and cosmopolitan as a European capital city, with hundreds of tents of all sizes and colors scattered all around, and a busy business life. Known as “the canvas city”, it well honors its nickname. Hamburger or beer sale, tons of waste along with satellite communications, are the human stamp at an altitude of 4,250 meters.
Commercial expeditions, counting on guides and hired services, take from 10 to 15 days to get their clients to the top through the regular route, or else, to make the attempt.
Most of this time is recquired to accustom the organism to the rare air of the heights. This acclimatization is essential to prevent the altitude sickness or puna, which may cause death if it is not properly treated.
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Aconcagua also counts on less often frecuented ascent routes, that call for advanced mountaineering techniques. The Polish Glacier is then an alternative, affording a closer contact with the wild side of the great mountains.
The famous South Face, featuring a 3000 meter vertical ice and rock wall, which can be seen from Horcones, is a challenge only spared for top world climbers. For years it was considered one of the most difficult ones in the world. Although mountaineering has already found tougher troubles in more remote places, it remains a trophy for high performance climbers.
Aconcagua Provincial Park
Mount Aconcagua is located in the Southern Hemisphere, at longitude 70º 01 W and latitude 32º39 S, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. At 180 km from Mendoza City, is accessed by international route number 7.
With the aim of protecting flora, fauna and archaeological sites in the area, the region was declared Provincial Park by Act Nº4807 in 1983. The Park is run by the Renewable Natural Resources Directorate of Mendoza Province.
The word Aconcagua derives from Quechua, Ackon Cahuak, which means “Stone Sentinel”. Though this is the most accepted etymology, it is also said that the word comes from the Araucarian language Aconca – Hue, which means “Coming from the other side”, probably referring to the Chilean river Aconcagua, which was thought to rise in the hillsides of the Mt. Aconcagua.
According to the Military Geographical Institute (in Spanish, Instituto Geográfico Militar, IGM) the official height is 6,959 m. Nowadays, however, many use the new measurement carried out in 1989 by means of satellites which established that the peak is 6,962 m high.
The Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Southern Hemisphere and the highest summit on the American continent. It is one of the icons in the famous circuit of the seven summits. It is also excellent to train for high altitude climbing since its height, geographical and climatic characteristics provide the ideal scenario for moderate climbing demands which will, at the same time, serve as adequate preparation for the greater efforts demanded by the peaks such as the Himalayan, at above 8,000m.
“The Colossus of America” is the goal of climbers from all over the world, as well as the sporting and nature contemplating aspiration of thousands of visitors every season. Those who visit the mountain treasure the unique experience offered by its splendid magnificence.
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