Just got a mail from Afhanistan. My climbing partner has said he would be very interested in going for Aconcagua when he's back. He returns on the 14th of januari, but has agreed to leave a.s.a.p. if necessary.

Just curious if I'm too late to start planning all this, and if we'll be there too late in the season? We've attempted Elbrus together in juli, but didn't make it past 5250m due to bad weather. I would personally be very disappointed if I didn't make it again due to weather conditions.

Also, can anyone give me an estimate of the total cost? I've found the prices for the plane and for the fees, but what else is there? Would be doing this on a budget... .

Thanks!

Last season (2008/2009) prices were:

Transportation (Mendoza-based):
Taxi bus station-airport: 20 ARS
Taxi bus station - hostel: 8 ARS
Taxi ride in the center: 5 ARS
Private transfer Mendoza - Puente del Inca: 140 USD car (one way). The bus one way (starting from Puente del Inca) was 15,65 ARS. I recommend taking a car in the beginning and coming back by bus at the end.
Mule Puente del Inca - Plaza Argentina: around 260 USD (60 kg) 1 mule in (includes transportation to the trailhead). A mule to Plaza de Mulas will be cheaper.

Lodging:
Hostel in Mendoza (1 night, breakfast included): 18 USD
Hostería Puente del Inca USD 55 night (this is single room rate). There's also a hostel in Puente del Inca, it's a way cheaper, but before the start of the expedition the hosteria would be a far nicer place to sort gear, do final packing etc.

Food:
Dinner in Mendoza (wine & steak): 26 ARS
Food on the mountain, counting for 20 days: 390 ARS (per person; for this you can buy whatever you like and can carry)

Fuel:
gas 250 ml 18 ARS
white gas: don't remember the exact price per liter, but I guess it was around 10 - 15 ARS in a mountaineering shop.

Mmh, other possible costs... Might you be in the mood for spending money, the base camps are excellent places to do so. A small list of what I remember (it's not that I used them all though):

Satellite internet: 16 USD per 15 minutes (Plaza Argentina)
A satellite phone call from Plaza Argentina to Belgium 7 minutes: 14 USD
Cigarettes: 5 USD/pack (Plaza Argentina); 8 USD/pack (Plaza de Mulas)
Hot shower: 20 USD (Plaza Argentina)
Lomo (a kind of hamburger)+beer: anywhere between 15-30 USD depending on which restaurant tent you use (Plaza de Mulas)
Charging the camera batteries at the rangers' hut: free (Plaza Argentina)
Then, at Plaza Argentina it was possible to get really good and very strong home-made dark beer, but the price was sky high.

And if you have climbed the mountain, you might want to buy a T-shirt with Aconcagua printed on it: 35 ARS in a mountaineering shop in Mendoza.

The exchange rates back then were:
1 EUR = 4,4 ARS
1 USD = 3,5 ARS

Jan's list above is good, but you need to add around US$395 (AR1500) for the High Season permit. Late Jan through early February is not too late in the season, I think it is a good time. The permit comes down to US$265 (AR1000) if you start on or after February 1st.

I paid around US$30 for a ride in a van from Mendoza to the ranger HQ at the trailhead for the normal route. I arranged it all through Campo Base, just the minimum. I dropped my duffel of food and gear in the day before I left Mendoza and they took it to the mules and had it taken in, so it was there when I arrived at Plaza de Mulas a few days later.

It's just a couple of hours from the ranger HQ to Confluencia camp, then a longer day, 6hrs or so, to Plaza de Mulas BC for the normal route. Just walking with light pack - sleeping bag, water, snacks, camera, shell jacket and pants etc. I bought meals at Confluencia but cooked my own food at BC and C1 (Nido Condores) and used the Campo Base toilet facilities at BC. I did not use a high camp, summiting from Nido.

Back at BC I had the Campo Base staff send my duffel of remaining gear out with the mules to be picked up at Camp Base shop in Mendoza. I walked out Mulas to the road in a day, arriving around 1630 in Puenta del Inca and got the public bus back to Mendoza around 2300. The only way to do it significantly cheaper is to not use mules and carry all your gear and food in yourself. Unless you're really acclimatised before you start, this method sucks.

D

Private transfer Mendoza - Puente del Inca: 140 USD car (one way).

We took the local bus from Terminal Omnibus El Sol, Mendoza-Puente del Inca, ~30 pesos,(2008 february) way much cheeper then private transportation.

In Mendoza we stayed at Hotel Nutibara
http://nutibara.com.ar/hotel/

We also use mulas and some services from Campo Base, I don't remember the prices, but they were okay.

In Mendoza try the restaurat caled Facundo it is on Avenida Sarmiento.

Good luck.

Cigarettes

Yeah, because THOSE will help out, while trying to summit a 6900+ meter mountain. Money well spent, for sure.

Thanks guys! It looks as if this is a real possibility. I'll be stretching my budget, but it's possible. I'll probably have more questions later...

Damien Gildea wrote:Jan's list above is good, but you need to add around US$395 (AR1500) for the High Season permit. Late Jan through early February is not too late in the season, I think it is a good time. The permit comes down to US$265 (AR1000) if you start on or after February 1st.

Permit costs now (for 2009/2010 season) 1800 pesos for high season and 1200 pesos for mid-season, see http://www.aconcagua.mendoza.gov.ar.

ForeignTraveller wrote:WouterB,

If you decide to go, in addition to money, the most important budget item is TIME. Many people who do not make the summit fail because they don't allow enough time to acclimatize and/or allow for bad weather days.

Thanks, very good advice indeed. I was in perfect condition and acclimatized on Elbrus this summer when the weather turned. Didn't have enough time left to reach the summit. Don't want that to happen again!

We're able to leave on the 30th of January. Which is probably already a bit late in the season. I'm unemployed so I have plenty of time. My friend will have 1 month since he just got back from Afghanistan at that point. That should give us plenty of time, but with a bit of bad luck, we'll be ready to summit right at the end of February, which makes me not too sure if it's the right time (to spend so much money.)

If you leave Europe on the 30th January you should be able to be on top of Aconcagua around February 20-22nd, which is not too late.

I plan on summiting around the same time, maybe a couple of days later. I summited first few days of February in 2006 and didn't see anything to indicated that few more weeks would change much. Wind comes and goes all the time, you just need the time to wait it out.

D

Day Hiker wrote:

Cigarettes

Yeah, because THOSE will help out, while trying to summit a 6900+ meter mountain. Money well spent, for sure.

In fact, though I hate to contribute to peoples vices, cigarettes are a terrific icebreaker for muleteers, soldiers etc. I once walked up to a group of Vietnamese soldiers and handed out Amrican Cigarettes (I don't smoke, but frequently carry a pack or two on a trip) just for the rush of bringing myself to their attention.

WouterB wrote:

ForeignTraveller wrote:WouterB,

If you decide to go, in addition to money, the most important budget item is TIME. Many people who do not make the summit fail because they don't allow enough time to acclimatize and/or allow for bad weather days.

Thanks, very good advice indeed. I was in perfect condition and acclimatized on Elbrus this summer when the weather turned. Didn't have enough time left to reach the summit. Don't want that to happen again!

In January 2007, we did the Normal Route and spent a total of only 12 nights on the mountain, thanks to having no weather delays and everything going exactly as scheduled. Our entire time in Argentina was 18 nights, which provided for up to 16 nights on the mountain. We took 10 nights on the mountain for acclimatization, and the other 2 nights were after the summit, leaving our 4 extra days unused:

http://www.summitpost.org/object_discussion.php?type=message_board&object_id=150197&discussion_id=48357#48357

This may not be everyone's "perfect" schedule, but it worked pretty well for us, and nobody in the team had any issues with elevation. I don't know the details of my partners' training immediately before the trip, but I did nothing at elevation before going to Argentina. A week before the trip, I did only a short hike to a 1552-meter peak near my house, which was only for the sake of exercise.

The first night on the mountain was at 3426 meters, which was no problem. The next 6 nights were at base camp at 4378 meters. This was plenty of time to do acclimatization hikes and our gear carry to higher camp. Then we spent 3 nights at 5578 meters before going to the summit. Two days before the summit, I hiked in running shoes to 6115 meters for acclimatization.

You're 13 years younger than I was, so you should have that extra energy. If your trip is a month, you should be just fine with time, unless the weather is a total mess. I think the permits are for only 20 nights, which will be the limitation of your time on the mountain.