Ojos del Salado Climb In 16 Days

Ojos del Salado Highest Volcano of the World

Tour Description

Our acclimatization plan start in the north city of Copiapo, a rich silver and copper mining district in the  Atacama region.  We follow a 5 days trekking and hiking in the Santa Rosa & Negro Francisco lagoon inside the Nevado Tres Cruces National Park. Located just south of the Salar de Maricunga, the Santa Rosa lagoon is known for its pink flamingoes, which reside on the lagoon year-round.

Laguna Santa Rosa, along with Laguna del Negro Francisco, is a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. As a nationally protected area, there is an abundance of fauna, such as flamingoes and vicuñas.Later we move north east into Laguna Verde 14,765' (4.400m) a turquoise lake with a view of snow-capped volcanoes and red desert slopes almost in front of our final destination, Ojos del Salado. The base camp named Refugio Atacama and located at 17,000’ / 5.350m is a 4-wheel drive vehicles reachable point, which make this tour not only an easy and fantastic
climbing peak, but a very necessary and gradually altitude adjustment step program minimizing
any risk of high altitude sickness such as puna and edema.. From this point we hike to Refugio Tejos,
a hut at 19,350' / 5.750m, which is probably the highest mountain hut in the world!  Gentle scree slopes and occasional snow patches lead us to the main summit.  There is fix rope at the last 80 meter summit push, which needs to be climb to stand in the real summit!! 

To see an Ojos del Salado topographic map click here

                                 To order a topographic map : click here

Day by day Itinerary

Day 1 Reception in Copiapo by a KL Adventure Guide, transfer to hotel, check in procedures, and climbing equipment check. We later have a group meeting to overview the program. Hotel

Day 2 Transfer to Valle Chico, 3.000 mts. Tent

Day 3 From Valle Chico we move to Santa Rosa lake, 3.800 mts. Tent

Day 4 Move to Negro Francisco lake, 4.100 mts. Tent

Day 5 Easy hike nearby San Francisco. Tent

Day 6 Climb Volcan Copiapo. Tent

Day 7 Today we move to Laguna Verde, 4.400 mts and take great hot spring with the full colors of the this high plateau lake. Tent

Day 8 Rest day, trel around this beautiful turquoise lake. Tent

Day 9 Climb Mulas Muertas 5.897 mts. and return Laguna Verde. Tent

Day 10 Move to Refugio Atacama at 5.350 mts. Tent

Day 11 Portage to Refugio Tejos at 5,750m, return to Refugio Atacama. Tent

Day 12 Rest day. 

Day 13 We ascend to Refugio Tejos. Tent

Day 14 Summit day and return to Atacama. Tent

Day 15 Reserve day Tent

Day 14 Reserve day. Tent

Day 16 Descent to Copiapo, ends of program. Hotel

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                                 To order a topographic map : click here

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Tour Details                

Duration	16 days
Difficulty	Excellent Physical Shape
Departures	KLE007-01 November 21, 2010 –December 06, 2010. KLE007-02 December 05, 2010 – December 20, 2010. KLE007-03 January 09, 2011 – January 24, 2011.
Expedition cost	US $ 3,500 per person minimum 6.
Hotel single supplement	US $ 300 per person
Reservation cost	US $ 700
Balance due	75 days prior departure
Space available	12 climbers

Service includes

• Professional Bilingual Mountain Guide.
• Ratio, Guide to Clients 1-4.
• Porter for group gear (tents) during the entire expedition.
• Mules for individual gear to base camp and return with a maximum of 20 kg. per person.
• Ojos del Salado permit included till US $ 160.
• Difrol permit process.
• High quality expedition common gear: The North Face, Mountain Hardware and Marmot tents, isolate mattress, high camp stoves & Fuel.
• 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.
• VHF 2 mt & BLU HF radio communication equipment.
• Full base camp set up dining tent, chair, tables, etc..
• All meals during the expedition.
• Permanently available hot drinks and biscuits at base camp tent.
• Two hotel nights in Copiapo, on double occupancy, with breakfast.
• Flight Santiago – Copiapo - Santiago with 20 kg baggage. 
• Flight Santiago – Mendoza with 20 kg baggage. 
• Private transportation including airport pick up.
• All local organization and supervision by KL Adventure & Aconcagua Express Staff.

Service does not include

• All personal climbing equipment gear.
• Porter for personal gear. 
• Any cost involved in an early or late departure.
• Any meals and drinks (soda, beer or wine) in the cities.
• Arrival and final dinner.
• Cancellation, accident and rescue insurance.
• Cash for extra expenses.
• Any other services not mentioned on the list.

Important

• All itineraries are subject to change due to changes in weather, individual's acclimatization rates and guide's preferences.
• 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
Ojos del Salado 16 Days
KLE007-01	Sunday, November 21, 2010	Monday, December 06, 2010	available	3,7503,500
KLE007-02	Sunday, December 05, 2010	Monday, December 20, 2010	available	3,7503,500
KLE007-03	Sunday, January 09, 2011	Monday, January 24, 2011	available	3,7503,500