Airfare from Canada to Mendoza and back cost me around $1250 US but our group booked many months in advance. Aconcagua is a very serious climb to solo but is done a few. I would allow around $250US for mules to and from basecamp. Not many people do it without mules. The permit will cost you $330 US and then allow a few hundered for assorted things that come up. My total trip with 6 nights in Mendoza, permits, mules, eating ,partying air fare etc etc etc came to around $2500US plus some extra gear I bought for the trip.

I'd pretty much agree with Alpine on the prices. Think the whole trip cost me around 2K, and I wasn't really scrimping on anything. Get the tickets earlier rather than later. It's definitely soloable; just go up slowly, especially if you haven't been above 19K before. Pay serious attention to how you're feeling. If you start feeling anything really weird or abnormal, go down. Until you've been up that high there's no way of knowing how your body and mind will react.

Oh, and get traveler's insurance for the gear that goes via mule.

If you're using Parra, get traveler's insurance and pray.

juh33 wrote:If you're using Parra, get traveler's insurance and pray.

You have trouble with Rudy Parra? I had nothing but good things to say about his services. On time, organized, and it appeared his mules were properly rotated. Saw some very over worked and sad look mules. Really kind of choked me up.

What happened with Ruddy?

I liked Rudy, and his second-in-command guy... both were helpful and professional. The problem is that I lost a few hundred dollars worth of gear that didn't have to be lost. The arriero/s who were driving the mule with my gear (and a bunch of other folks' gear was lost as well) on it decided to try to cross the Vacas at seven or eight at night on an unseasonably warm day when the river was at peak height and speed. This, to get half a mile further on that day. They should've known better.

This would probably still be forgivable except that I had a friend who'd come from base the same day, and reported that those guys were sitting around and doing nothing - with the gear nearby - until almost noon. So to delay when the rivers get higher with every passing hour, and then try to cross at night? Accidents happen, but this looked like incompetence and laziness.

So no, I don't have problems with Parra personally. And he didn't charge me for carrying the lost gear. And I'm aware that losing gear is a risk you take. But some risks are avoidable, and everything I saw or know tells me that this one was completely avoidable.

Welcome amigo !

Out of Aconcagua, I would say success on the normal route is essentially dependent on 2 factors: weather and acclimatizing. For the first one you need luck, for the second time !

To support Juh33 advices, I add here what helped me a lot on this mountain:
- Kurt Diemberger (Österreich - first ascents of Broad Peak and Dhaulagiri) :
" I would like to impart an old piece of wisdom of the mountain guides to the young as well: 'Those who go slow go well. And those who go well go far!' "
- Ernst Feuz (Chweitz - one of the pioneer guides in the Selkirk Range / British Columbia) to his clients, with a deep Swiss-German accent: ".... leettle shteps..."

Juh33, I may add few words to one of your sentences:
"...If you start feeling anything really weird or abnormal, go down." Rest and climb back the next day or the day after you'll be surprised to see how easier you re-climb and how better you feel at the same altitude !

¡ suerte en tu proyecto compañero !

Hey Justin:

I'm putting together an expedition to Aconcagua for climbers just like you scheduled for Dec 22, 2006 - Jan 14, 2007 if you are interested. You can get more information from my web site at http://www.adventureclimbing.ca.

Brad

Hey Justin:

Nice to hear from you. It's early and you've got plenty of time to decide.

Whatever way you go you might want to save a little more money for the trip. From Vegas you'd be looking at $1,250 for a flight, $330 for a climbing permit, hotels at $140 for four nights if you split it with someone, mules at $200 in and $200 out, plus transportation and meals around Argentina and the exit tax when you leave. If you go with a guiding company throw in an extra $2500-$5,500 US but you won't have to pay for the mules or transportation. Staying at a hostel in Mendoza could help lower the price of a trip by $110.

On a positive note BEER is the cheapest thing you'll probably buy at dos Pesos per liter. For our US friends liter is Canadian for "big bottle of beer".

Brad

Brad Marshall wrote:On a positive note BEER is the cheapest thing you'll probably buy at dos Pesos per liter. For our US friends liter is Canadian for "big bottle of beer".

First night in Mendoza, three of us went out to check out the town. When the waiter asked us how many beers we wanted, we figured three of us, three beers. Didn't occur to us that they came in "big bottles". One of the three of us didn't drink very often. My brother and I had to pretty much carry him back to the hotel. Good times!

Hahahahaha...another climber lost in the Andes (beer that is)

Ain't that the truth. They don't mess around down in S.A. A quote from the lonely planet guide comes to mind:

"When Bolivians sit down to drink, they're serious. There's no such thing as having a social drink or two... they mean to get plastered."

Justin:

You got that right Walt. Justin, I changed my mind, beer might end up being expensive if we have to carry you home at the end of the night . You may want to save up a little more.

Brad