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Hi,

I would like to get over to CdelP after leaving Aconcagua Natl Park. what is the best way of getting there. I'll be hold up in Penitentes after coming out of the valley so I'm keen on seeing if there is a bus that goes from Penitentes to CdelP and then another a few days later from CdelP to Mendoza. Might like to have a go at Pico Plata while fuly acclimitized as an extra snowy bonus but don't want to have to go to Mendoza first.

Anyone been there (Corax??) and done it the way I'd like to??

The Cordon del Plata is accessed from Potrerillos, about 100km (I think) before Penitentes... The road is asphalted untill there, than there is more less 30 km uphill of dirty road finishing in a ski station called Vallecitos, where the trail to Cordon del Plata starts.
There is no regular buses from Mendoza to Valletos, so you´ll have to book a van to get there.
There is a agency, "ski&Montaña" (www.expedicioneselplata.com.ar) that does these transport. The price depends of how many people have to share the van.
The ski&Montaña office is located on Peru St (don´t remember the number) in the center of Mendoza...
There is no permits to enter in the mountain zone.

I wrote a article about Cordon del plata in my website:
http://gentedemontanha.com/outrosartigos_plata.htm
It is written in portuguese but you can use a automatic translator to understand

innuksuk wrote:Hi,

I would like to get over to CdelP after leaving Aconcagua Natl Park. what is the best way of getting there. I'll be hold up in Penitentes after coming out of the valley so I'm keen on seeing if there is a bus that goes from Penitentes to CdelP and then another a few days later from CdelP to Mendoza. Might like to have a go at Pico Plata while fuly acclimitized as an extra snowy bonus but don't want to have to go to Mendoza first.

Anyone been there (Corax??) and done it the way I'd like to??

What you can do is go with any local bus from Penitentes and then jump it in Potrerillos. From there you can hitchhike or call the ski station in Vallecitos to pick you up.
I've been hitching to and from Vallecitos ski station many times and I've never found it hard to get a ride.

On 2000´s summer I went to Cordon del Plata by my own doing by that way.
I Took a Expreso Uspallata bus at Mendoza Terminal and I dropped In Potrerillos. Once you do it, ask for the driver to left you close to the Police station and The ACA camping.
There start´s the road that leave you to Vallecitos.
I stayed on the road hitchhiking. It´s not easy to find someone that is going up there, it dependes on your luck... In that time I had....
Once I came down by foot from Vallecitos to Potrerillos.. With a almost empty backpack I left about 5 hours to that...
It is possible to go by foot from Potrerillos to Vallecitos, but it takes a lot!