I flew back with Jim Wardlaw yesterday, an epic 29 hour flight. And it was great to have his company. It was rough to [...]]]> So chuffed to be back home to a good bath, a porcelain loo and my gals Katherine, Gonda and Kibo. I can only feel very loved as right now my face is as attractive as the underside of my feet! As a result of the freeze burn!

I flew back with Jim Wardlaw yesterday, an epic 29 hour flight. And it was great to have his company. It was rough to leave the rest of the team in Mendoza, who are staying for the week to go river rafting, wine tasting and travelling to Santiago, Chile…tickets became available at the last minute, so Jim and I grabbed them!

 I feel rough for Jim as he’s fit and was super motivated to reach the summit of AC!  He battled to acclimatise from early on, as low as 3500m he changed colour and continiously struggled at altitude. He turned around a week later on the summit bid after reaching a height of 5400m, immobilised by the thin air! This is the nature of climbing to altitude unfortunately!  At Northern basecamp - ’Plaza da Mules’, of the seventeen South Africans there, in three different teams, only six summitted (five from our team) and this is testimony to the attrition on ‘Ac’ because of the weather, altitude and dryness. Earlier the season 10 others attempted it from the South eastern side and failed. Four others are attempting it right now, Barry, Sean, Ian and Dave all from Cape Town. If you guys get this message, good luck from back home boys.  

Our crew was amazing and really became a team, supporting and drawing from each others different strengths and weaknesses. Richard Marais and Stewart Southey were definitely the cheerleaders and their sense of humour and skills at keeping a smile on everyones face will be long remembered. Stewart is a ‘gasman’ anaesthatist and therefore had to be the sensible doctor of the expedition. When dry thin air and a hacking chest infection took him under on the summit bid,  he was called to apply his wisdom and retire before the situation got complicated higher up. Stewart’s brother Grant had hoped they’d summit together, but three days and 2100 vertical meters later, it was younger brother Grant who emotionally stepped onto the top of South America and posed over the cross with his arm stretched out as if he was holding his boets shoulder! Rose Gardner was also up there. She was in tears…an incredible effort as our summit day was just under 9 hours from the high camp Berlin.  In that thin air and early afternoon snowfall at 6900m, the last fifty vertical meters took us an hour and half. Richard had an onset of diahorrea just before the summit and he’ll never forget the icicle he had to use because his loo roll had been left in his pack lower down. Similo and Grant were the Kings and led the Madiba plod through a short weather window that allowed us onto the summit at 2.15pm on the 14th. I was with Richard and Rose behind, counting ten big breaths and then fifteen steps, stop for two minutes, ten breaths then fifteen steps. Repeat repeat repeat. Rose and I were singing Ole… Ole… Ole…Rosey! Ole, Rosey! repeat, repeat, repeat…Simmy reckoned he had never heard such a dodgy version, all through his own gasping. Richard lit a Camel on the top, together we posed for the team shot and then bolted back down to Berlin in high winds and heavy snow to complete a 14.5 hr round trip.

During the climb we had temperatures of fifteen degrees below zero and heavy winds. We lost two tents, a sleeping bag and a new stove. We endured frosty discomfort and arduous hours of plodding, shared our gear, food, laughs and skills. We stuck to our plan and flexed it when the weather prevented us climbing. We experienced amazing views of the Andes, hundreds of amazing kilometres of the range. We got back to Mendoza stoked. The quality steaks, cold beers and beautiful gals were a treat. In the end it was an amazing trip with great memories and great friendships forged. And we got to the top!   (Pics to follow when the guys get back at the end of the week). Top notch guys, cheers Sean.

Received news last night from our logistics crew that 2 members of the team are on their way down. This means that there will be 5 climbers inching their way up to the summit (6959m) today unless someone has decided to remain at Berlin. 

This morning’s route will cross the Grand Travers and up to a [...]]]>

The Grand Traverse

Received news last night from our logistics crew that 2 members of the team are on their way down. This means that there will be 5 climbers inching their way up to the summit (6959m) today unless someone has decided to remain at Berlin. 

This morning’s route will cross the Grand Travers and up to a daunting feature know as the Canaleta, a 200 vertical meter gateway to the summit. From ‘Freeze Frame’ – ‘It is a frightfully steep passage of rock and shale…on the map, written in bold, red ink, it states ‘cuidado’ (warning).  It is definitely the crux of the climb and it hits your right at the end, when you are at your most vulnerable’.

Weather still looks ok from the forecast with a 15km/h wind this morning. Clouds moving in this afternoon.

Berlin Camp

Early morning departure

View of summit pyramid

Climbing gear

The team will be trudging up to Berlin today (5900m).  Weather looks clear but temperatures well below freezing.  Max -14°C,  Min -16°C, with windchill -22°C.  Wind will be generally light.  They would have carried up as few tents as possible to keep the load light which means squashing up for the night and making it thankfully, quite [...]]]>

Up to Berlin

The team will be trudging up to Berlin today (5900m).  Weather looks clear but temperatures well below freezing.  Max -14°C,  Min -16°C, with windchill -22°C.  Wind will be generally light.  They would have carried up as few tents as possible to keep the load light which means squashing up for the night and making it thankfully, quite cozy indoors.  Outside it will be unbelievably cold. 

 The higher you climb, the less you want to eat as your metabolism begins to shut down. The crew will be forcing down oats, pesto and two-minute noodles, cup-a-soup, nuts, chocolate and lots of tea to get their energy reserves up for tomorrow’s haul to the summit starting at 2am.    

Dramatic scene

Sunset

Leaving Nido

The crew left Base Camp at about 7am this morning and are on their way to Nido where they will spend the night before the climb to Camp Berlin tomorrow. Sean said that they’re going to take it easy to Nido because of what’s ahead.  They are already acclimatised to 5200 meters, so today’s trek [...]]]>

Nido

The crew left Base Camp at about 7am this morning and are on their way to Nido where they will spend the night before the climb to Camp Berlin tomorrow. Sean said that they’re going to take it easy to Nido because of what’s ahead.  They are already acclimatised to 5200 meters, so today’s trek will be less strenous than their first time to Nido.  After Nido, the climb will get ’seriously tougher and that’s when you fully realise that Mt Aconcagua really is a hard core adventure’.

If all goes according to plan, we won’t hear from the crew until they are back at Base Camp on Friday. Let’s hope that the ‘Viento Blanco’ or ‘white winds’ – Mt Aconcagua’s high speed snow blizzards – don’t make an appearance.

Going up...

Looking down...

Clouds moving in

If the snow comes...

From Sean ‘Conditions look great on 14th for a summit….we will need to leave  Camp Berlin very early on Thursday morning – 2am – because heavy snowfall is expected in the afternoon.  I hope it’s not a lightning storm like last year.  We may have to bomb back down [...]]]>

View from BC of summit approach

From Sean ‘Conditions look great on 14th for a summit….we will need to leave  Camp Berlin very early on Thursday morning – 2am – because heavy snowfall is expected in the afternoon.  I hope it’s not a lightning storm like last year.  We may have to bomb back down in deep snow to get to Nido on Friday 15th…’

The crew departs from Base Camp tomorrow morning (Tuesday). 

Rescue helicopter

Sunrise

Climbing bits & bobs

News from Sean ‘Everyone made it to Nido yesterday! What a big day and every member of the team put in an incredible effort.  It was a 12 hour round trip – we departed Plaza de Mulas at 06:30am, left 3 tents and food at Nido, and returned to BC at [...]]]>

Group pic of the most gorgeous faces on the hill

News from Sean ‘Everyone made it to Nido yesterday! What a big day and every member of the team put in an incredible effort.  It was a 12 hour round trip – we departed Plaza de Mulas at 06:30am, left 3 tents and food at Nido, and returned to BC at 18:00 in the evening – exhausted and exhilarated.  What a peach of a day – as we were climbing, we saw spectacular views across the Andes. It has to be one of the most wonderful mountaineering days of my life.  Everyone is fit and well; and has a strong potential to reach the summit’. 

Andes

The team will rest today and tomorrow.  Today’s ‘rest’ day includes a walk across to Refugio Base Camp (5350m) this afternoon. The plan then is to depart BC on Tuesday, spend Tuesday night at Camp Nido, climb to and spend Wednesday night at Camp Berlin (5900m) and then go for the summit (6959m) on Thursday, returning to Plaza de Mulas on Friday before the snow - forecast for Friday.  Holding thumbs tightly that the weather holds.  There are South Africans from other expeditions at BC who are returning home because of bad weather.  ‘Even with modern communication, there is no accurate weather forecast on Mt Aconcagua.  Its sheer size means it generates its own weather’.

Sunset

View above the clouds

Back home to BC

Refugio

The team would have departed at approximately 5.30am this morning to drop their loads at Camp Nido (5200m) and will be getting back to Plaza de Mulas late this evening.

Aconcagua weather summary at 5894m: “Mostly dry. Temperatures will be well below freezing (max -8°C on Sun morning, min -16°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from [...]]]>

Early morning...

The team would have departed at approximately 5.30am this morning to drop their loads at Camp Nido (5200m) and will be getting back to Plaza de Mulas late this evening.

Aconcagua weather summary at 5894m: “Mostly dry. Temperatures will be well below freezing (max -8°C on Sun morning, min -16°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the W on Sat afternoon, stormy winds from the W by Mon afternoon”.  There are severe gales predicted on Monday night (70km/h to 80km/h), calming by Wednesday.   

Scene on the route

Along the route...

Dropping their loads at Nido

Thanks again to Pierre and Heinrich for the use of their great pics.