Aconcagua and El Plomo Climb with Porters

Aconcagua Normal Route with acclimatization at El Plomo Chile

Tour Description

Expedition to the roof of America, Mount Aconcagua 6,959 mts along the normal route, through Plaza Mulas base camp at 4,300 mts. with a previous acclimatization program in the nearby peak El Plomo on the Chilean side, both two ritual Inca sites from the Andes.

Our first objective, El Plomo with an elevation of 5,450m. located east Santiago capital of Chile and nearby main Chilean ski resorts will help us in a comfortable timing, acclimatize to the high altitude environment.

Later we fly to Mendoza over the highest Andean mountain range to get our mandatory Aconcagua permits and been transfer to Penitentes 160 km west of Mendoza where the trek start towards Plaza de Mulas.

As we had all ready gain 5,450m at El Plomo, our ascent progression to Aconcagua summit at 6,953m will be much gentle, easy and quicker.

To see an Aconcagua topographic map click here , a Plomo Topographic map, click here.

                                 To order a topographic map : click here

Day by day itinerary

Day 1 Picked up Arturo Merino Benitez airport in Santiago and transferred to Hotel to meet the guides, gear check and have a power point expedition presentation. Hotel

Day 2 Transfer to Farellones village in 1 hour at 1800 mts for trekking journey to gain slowly altitude. We will see big Condors in an area call Parva alemana. Hotel la Cornisa.

Day 3 Transfer to the highest point of La Parva ski area located at 3.500 mts call also Portzuelo del Franciscano and start trekking to Piedra Numerada at 3.300 mts about 3 hours way. Camp

Day 4 Hike to La Olla camp located at 4.000 mts and return to Piedra Numerada base camp. Camp

Day 5 Move to la Olla camp. Camp

Day 6 Summit day on El Plomo at 5.424 mts. As we have been moving slowly days before our summit day will be very comfortable and easy to achieve in about 7 hours. Return to La Olla camp. Camp

Day 7 Return down to La Parva through Cancha Carrera to La Parva and be the way hike El Pintor 4.000 mts. Transfer to Santiago to Hotel Kennedy for good rest and dinner. Hotel

Day 8 Early transfers to the airport and fly 30 minutes to Mendoza Argentina. Transfer to Aconcagua office for permits and transfer in a 3 hours drive to Penitentes. We use Hotel Ayelen located in this little ski area at 2.600 mts. Hotel

Day 9 Transfer to Aconcagua park ranger station for registration and start trekking 3 hours to Confluencia middy camp located at 3.300 mts. Camp

Day 10 We continue on towards Plaza de Mulas base camp at 4,300m of elevation. This is a 7 to 8 hour hike to our Plaza de Mulas camp. Our Chef awaits us here with a big dinner and hot drinks. Tent.

Day 11 Rest at Plaza de Mulas base camp. It is necessary to drink plenty of water and rest to achieve a good adaptation to the altitude before continuing on to the high camps and before summit day. Tent.

Day 12 Ascent and portage to Nido de Cóndores high camp at 5,380m and return to Plaza Mulas camp. Tent.

Day 13 Rest at Plaza Mulas. Tent.

Day 14 Ascent to Nido de Cóndores high camp. Tent.

Day 15 Ascent to high camp 2, Berlin, at 5,850m. Tent.

Day 16 Summit day and return to Berlin or Nido. Tent.

Day 17 Extra day to allow for weather conditions at Berlin or Nido high camps. Tent.

Day 18 Extra day to allow for weather conditions at Berlin or Nido high camps. Tent.

Day 19 Descent to Plaza de Mulas. Tent.

Day 20 From Plaza de Mulas we have mules to help carry out our gear, allowing for a “light” trek through Playa Ancha and Horcones Valley to the village of Penitentes in a 6 to 7 hour hike. At the Park Rangers station transport awaits us to take us to Santiago and reach this beautiful city. Hotel Novotel or Kennedy.

 BOOK NOW !

BOOK NOW !

Tour Details 

Duration	20 days
Difficulty	Excellent Physical Shape
Departures	KLE005-01 December 19, 2010 – January 07, 2011 KLE005-02 January 09, 2011 – January 28, 2011
Expedition cost	US $ 4,500 per person minimum 6 clients
Private Porter	US $ 325 per person minimum 2 clients
Single room suplement	US $ 555 per person
Reservation cost	US $ 1.000
Balance due	75 days prior departure
Space available	12 climbers

 Service includes

• Professional Bilingual Mountain Guide.
• Ratio, Guide to Clients 1-4.
• Porters for common gear (tents) the all expedition.  
• Mules for individual gear to base camp and return with 20 kg.pp. to El Plomo & Aconcagua.
• High quality expedition common gear: The North Face, Mountain Hardware and Marmot tents, isolate mattress, high camp stoves & Gaz.
• First aid kit, hyperbaric chamber, oxygen bottles, oximeter, including O2 at our high camps.
• Satellite phone at base camp on a per minute payment basis.
• Radio communication VHF & BLU HF.
• Full base camp set up dining tent, chair, tables, etc...
• All meals during the expedition.
• Permanent access to hot drinks, tea, coffee, biscuits at base camp tent.
• Santiago three Hotel nights double occupancy with breakfast at the 5 star Kennedy hotel or equivalent standard.
• Penitentes two Hotel night double occupancy with half pension.
• Flight Santiago – Mendoza with 20 kg.
• Private transportation including airport pick-up.
• Airport assistance Mendoza & Santiago.
• All local organization and supervision by KL Adventure Staff.
• The Aconcagua, “Summit of America” book.

Service does not include

• All personal climbing equipment gear
• Aconcagua climbing permit fee.
• Porter for personal gear on the Aconcagua, except who applied for it.
• Any cost involve in an early or late departure.
• Santiago and Mendoza meals.
• Any drinks (soda, beer or wine) in Santiago & Mendoza.
• Cancellation, accident and rescue insurance.
• Cash for extra expenses
• Any other service not mentioned in the list.
• Gratuities are not included. 

Important

• All itineraries are subject to change due to changes in the weather, individual’s acclimatization rates and the guide’s preferences.
• Private Porter to be share between two expedition members carrying 10kg each, service available upon request at additional cost.
• Any departure dates can be re-scheduled with a minimum of 6 persons                                                          

Once you get registered, we will send you :

• A detailed list of all the equipment you need.

 Aconcagua short equipment list :

-Non detailed version (this is only for “packing your bags”)
-Items marked with ** are available for rent.  Items marked with * are available for purchase.

Head:

•  **Ski Goggles
•  *Light weight Balaclava
•  *Warm fleece or wool hat
•  *Glacier glasses
•  *Extra pair of sunglasses (these don’t need to be glacier glasses)
• Hat or cap with neck protection for sun on the approach days
• High U.V. Buff (Optional)
• Neoprene face mask

Hands:

• Fleece liners
• Gore-Tex ski gloves
• **Mittens

 Upper Body:

• (2) Polypropylene top- one medium weight and one expedition weight. 
• (2) Fleece jackets or lightweight synthetic insulated jacket.
• (1) If you opt to only use one of the above jackets then you need an insulated vest.
• Ultralight wind jacket (Optional) 
• Gore-Tex parka
• **(1)Expedition Down Parka with down hood.
• Long sleeve lightweight cotton type shirt for the hike in.

 Lower Body:

• (2)-Polypropylene bottom one lightweight and one expedition weight.
• (1)-One pair of schoeler or nylon pants.
• **Insulated over pants or fleece pants with full side zips
• Lightweight Gore-Tex pants with full side zips

 Feet:

• 2 pair of socks for the approach.
• 3 pair of sock combinations (in additition to above)
• Gaiters
• **Down or synthetic booties (optional)
• **Double plastic boots
• Light weight hiking boots, trekking shoes or sneakers
• Sandals or neoprene booties.

 Sleeping:

• **Down or synthetic rated –10 degrees F/ -26 degrees C
• Compression sack for sleeping bag
• Thermarest pad with repair kit

 Backpacks and other bags:

• **Internal frame Backpack
• *Day pack
• Some medium and large stuff sacks
• 3 heavy-duty plastic bags
• **1 large and 1 extra large duffel bags
• An assortment of Ziploc bags.

 Miscellaneous:

• **Trekking poles or ski poles (MANDATORY)
• Bandanna (for sun protection and cleaning glasses etc.)
• Hand warmers (purchased in most outdoor stores)
• Ear plugs (for those windy nights or snoring tent mates)
• Potable aqua (1 bottle)
• (2) Mole foam made by 3M (for treating blisters) (MANDATORY)
• 1 roll of athletic tape (mandatory)
• Knife with built in scissors for cutting mole foam/skin.
• Sunscreen SPF 30 or higher. Consider bringing Zinc oxide if you burn easily.
• Head lamp with extra batteries
• Toiletry items (toothbrush/toothpaste, baby wipes (very usefull), tampons
• 2 Lip balms (chapstick with SPF)
• 2 water bottles (two liters capacity) and 1 one-liter thermos.  
• Many people like to have a separate wide mouth bottle only for peeing in. This bottle should be clearly labeled!
• Cup, bowl and spoon.

 Climbing:

• Climbing seat harness (Polish Glacier only)
• 1 Locking Carabiner  (Polish Glacier only)
• **Ice axe and leash 60-70 cm
• **Crampons

 Food:

• 2-3 pounds total and include items you know will look tasty if feeling less than 100% and that you have experimented with in training. Popular choices may include a variety of certain energy bars, energy gels, candies, nuts, dried fruits, rice crispy treats, brownies etc...

 Medical:

• Ibuprofen, Motrin or Advil
• Asperin
• Blister kit (athletic tape, mole foam, and 5-6 bandaids)

 Optional Items:

• Camera, Paperback book, Pee funnel (for women only), Music

Physical conditioning for your trip with KL Adventure

Whether your trip involves trekking, mountaineering, or technical climbing, your training program should involve the following:

• Alpine-specific training (via hiking with a pack and specific skills development pertaining to your trip)
• Strength training (via free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines)
• Cardiovascular training (via spinal-loading aerobic training)

Alpine specific training - During your training, progressively ramp up your speed, duration (time or mileage), and pack weight of weekly training hikes to give you alpine-specific conditioning that cannot be matched by any other type of training. Hike steep outdoor trails, gradually increasing your pack weight with each outing until you are at your target trip pack weight. A reasonable target for multi-day trips would be to ascend 3,500 feet in a 2-2.5 hour period, or roughly 1,750 vertical feet in an hour, with your target trip pack weight. In early season, you might start out with a 15# pack on hikes that gain up to 1,500’ elevation over 6-8 miles round trip; each hike try increasing the total elevation gain, distance, and/or speed, then begin adding several pounds per trip until you are comfortable with your target trip pack weight. When you can gain 3,500 feet with your target pack weight, start to decrease rest breaks and increase speed.  Include overnight trips in your training regimen to get accustomed to successive days of sustained work with little to no recovery time.

Strength training - Training with free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines will help you build overall strength, particularly in the core (lower back and abdominals), upper back, and legs. Developing strength in your upper back and shoulders will help you with such tasks as carrying a pack and using ice axe, ice tools or trekking poles effectively.  The calves, hips, quads, hamstrings and glutes are all involved in ascending and descending alpine routes, and strength endurance is required in all areas of the legs and hips.  Technical climbing will require a solid foundation in upper body strength training as well. Training primarily with free weights will give you the functional, alpine-specific strength that will help you most in the mountains. In early phases of strength conditioning, focus on building a foundation for harder workouts, starting with 2-3 sets of each exercise for 8-10 repetitions. As you continue to train, you will shift focus to building strength through lower repetitions (5-8) to build maximum strength. Finally for the last 4-6 weeks before your trip start increasing the repetitions to build strength endurance and mental and physical stamina; each phase varies the weight used, repetitions completed, number of sets, and rest interval.  Most important in strength training is to be sure you maintain proper form at all times in order to prevent injury or strain.

Cardiovascular training – Activities you can add several times per week to supplement your alpine-specific pack carrying training include spinal-loading exercises such as trail running, walking on an inclined treadmill, doing stair stepping or stepmill training, working on an elliptical machine, or walking up and down hills or stairs with a weighted pack.  In early season, include at least 3-4 sessions of 30-45 minutes of sustained activity at a moderate intensity, and gradually build to 4-5 aerobic sessions of sustained effort for an hour or more as you approach your trip. If you will be at high altitude for portions of your trip, include interval training in your weekly program. To do this, find a steep hill or sets of stairs that will allow you to climb steadily for several minutes. Push as hard as you can while you go up, then recover coming down, and repeat for anywhere from 30-45 minutes.  For hill walks, add weight to your pack on a regular basis until you can carry slightly more than your target pack weight (referred to as over-weight training) the whole time. Participate in as many hikes or climbs that take you above 8,000’ as you possibly can, in order to learn how your body responds to high altitude.

This training information brought to you by KL Adventure conditioning partner, Body Results. For more conditioning information, products and services and special pricing for KLA’s clients go to www.bodyresults.com/kla

Code	From	To	Status	Price
Aconcagua Normal with El Plomo Route 20 Days
KLE005-01	Sunday, December 19, 2010	Friday, January 07, 2011	available	5,0004,500
KLE005-02	Sunday, January 09, 2011	Friday, January 28, 2011	available	5,0004,500