SummitPost.org

Hello,

I have a question regarding a summit attempt for Aconcagua:

Is 15 hours a reasonable goal to start for the Aconcagua summit from Nido de Condores (after resting one day at Nido after arriving from camp Canada, but never having been to Cholera before) and return back to Nido de Condores? This is for a person who has trained for Aconcagua, but who is not as fit as a guide or as someone who lives at high altitude may be.

Thank you.

Several people do the summit from Nido, but whether or not it is reasonable for you is something only you can answer.

Thanks. What I am trying to understand is whether a 15hr summit day (starting and ending at Nido without having been to Cholera to acclimatize before) is a "typical" duration for regular climber (not a mountain guide etc.).

Or if it is hard to determine what "a regular climber" is it will be great if the people who are replying can suggest whether 15 hours is possible for them or not. Thanks.

I would say that if you don't have the experience to know if you're capable of a 15-hour day at 22,000 feet, then you're probably not. If you're going all the way up there, give yourself the best chance at making it to the top and use a more conservative acclimitization schedule.

I summited from Nido twice, Feb 2006 and March 2010. I think both times it took 7-8hrs up and several hours down.

So 15hrs return is actually quite long, probably too long, to be up there. You'd be leaving yourself very exposed to changes in weather and if you're that slow you have no margin to self-rescue for whatever reason.

In each case I had spent several days or more around Nido and in 2010 a night also at White Rocks(?). In 2005 I did this deliberately to test my ability to do that height gain at that altitude (5300m > 6960m) but I was also deliberate in spending at least five days at Nido, after several days at Mulas BC.

This is not a regular schedule and most regular climbers do not try to summit from Nido. I think trying to summit after only one night at Nido and a night at Camp Canada before that is asking for trouble. It clearly contradicts all accepted guidelines on altitude gain and as noted above, if you have to ask then it's probably not for you.