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It's Jan. 11th and I just got back to my hotel from the permit office in Mendoza where I was informed that the Upper Vacas Valley/ Guanacos Route has been closed to climbing activity. Never opened would probably be more accurate. The young girl at the permit office said no permits had been issued this season due to conservation efforts by the Argentine government. No word on when, or if, they will open it back up. I'm here to do Ameghino by the Guanacos route but now I'm headed to Plaza Argentina with some extra food (trip will probably be a day or to shorter). Oh well. Any trip down here is a good one. I didnt see this posted anywhere else but if it is, well then, shame on me.

Thanks for this.

I had a group of 20 people who wanted to be guided by my friend in December. When he would not do that route they went with another guiding company who would. Now it looks like they will be doing the False Polish just the same. My friend will be pissed (me too as I would have been on that trip). A lot of guiding income for him lost.

It is probably for the best. There has to be some part of that mountain that is not spoiled. The animals have to have some space.
Cheers William

I did that route in 2000. Very nice route. It's isolated (I think there's an extra day on the approach, or maybe just a longer third day, but worth it) and we saw only one other climbing party, until we hit the normal route at White Rocks.

These new rules is just the beginning.
A lot more to come.
Climbing Aconcagua will be extremely different soon.
I'll post some more shortly when I have double checked some info.

Adventurer wrote:Anybody got any info on the conditions of the Vacas River. Is it running fast and high from snowmelt. Thanks.

I´m sitting in a hotel in Mendoza as I write this, having come off the mountain yesterday. Vacas is pretty low, at least compare to two weeks ago when we had a fuss with the mule driver who wouldn´t help us cross it at Casa Piedra on the way up (and this was early in the morning). Two days ago, on the way down, we didn´t even bother to wait for the mules to help us across because it was so low (and this was mid-day).

Enjoy the climb (despite all that crowd on their way up now....)