Mendoza is a region in Argentina where the central and highest part of the Andes lies, the world’s longest mountain range that extends some 7,000 kilometres along South America’s Pacific coast.
Conquering Aconcagua, or Cumbre Sur, as the Andes’ highest point is locally known, is among the toughest challenges in mountaineering. Although this climb is not Alpinism in the strict sense – ice axes are not used, but only crampons and climbing sticks – the ascent to Cumbre Sur is a litmus test for anyone planning to scale the Himalayas. The climbing season on the mountain lasts from November through April, but the optimal conditions are December through January. However, global warming has made Aconcagua quite accessible also in February.
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Oxygen already becomes scarce above 4,300 metres, but it’s even more challenging because climatic conditions in this region resemble those found at 6,000 metres on most other mountains. The reason is that the ferrous alloy content in the soil of these tectonic mountain belts preclude normal plant growth that would provide more oxygen, and therefore this barren land can be quite inhospitable. A change in weather can occur at any time, from a strong gust of wind to a snowstorm, or more fortunately sunny weather. But it’s exactly these harsh weather conditions, along with the desolate terrain and the continually changing colouration in the landscape is unforgettable and is what attracts both tourists and mountaineers from around the world to ‘try their hand’ at Aconcagua.
"You get the feeling you’re on the Moon. The only source of oxygen is from the melting snow or the evaporating water from the Horcones glacial river. Time passes glacially slow, the breathing grows increasingly difficult and strain mounts with every metre up the mountain. Climbers carry more than 20 kilograms of equipment and drink copious amounts of water, and yet tey hardly perspire. Climbers must also take tablets to eliminate liquid from their bodies, although some is lost through breathing", says Slobodan Gočmanac, president of Belgrade’s Avala Mountaineering and Skiing Society and the leader of the Avala-Aconcagua expedition that started from Belgrade towards South America on January 27.
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Following a 22,000-kilometre flight via London, New York and Santiago de Chile, they finally landed in Mendoza, the capital city of Argentina’s wealthiest province by the same name. The province of Mendoza is famous for its developed tourist industry and renowned Argentine wines. From the capital, the trip continued another 162 kilometres to a place called Puenta de Inca, where the climbers rented mules. |
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After staying the night, the team covered 6.5 kilometres and on February 1 they found themselves at Horcones, the entrance to the national park located at 2,850 metres above sea level. After park rangers first checked climbing permits, the climbers began their climb.
Getting accustomed to the harsh climate and the ten-day acclimatisation –without which the ascent would be impossible – began by scaling to the Confluencia (3,300 metres) the next day. From there to the top of the Andes climbers can take either the more strenuous Alpinist Polish Glacier route or the normal climbing route, which the ten-member Avala expedition opted for the next day, towards the Plaza de Mulas base camp at 4,200 metres. They covered the 21 kilometres in ten hours, walking along a dry river bed filled with pebbles and broken rock. As they struggled through the last two kilometres, they had to overcome a sharp curve and the 700-metre level difference.
"Two expeditions are accommodated at the Plaza de Mulas base camp. Thanks to the Argentine Ministry for Tourism and many travel agencies, expedition leaders here enjoy excellent conditions: a computer, uninterrupted radio contact and continual control of the ascent to the crest. This is also where climbers undergo their final health checks. Blood coagulation, oxygen concentration, pulse and blood pressure are all measured . Acclimatisation begins after that. The average night temperature falls to between minus 20 and minus 25 degrees, while during the day the mercury rises to ten degrees Celsius. Climbers must have regular periods of rest and sleep, but they also perform frequent climbs up and down several hundred metres at a time in order to acclimatise to the conditions", says Gočmanac, who as expedition leader remained at the Plaza de Mulas.
Around eight a.m. on the first of the four-day main climb, the climbers headed by Ilija Andrejić, in charge of the technical aspects of the ascent, started towards the Nido de Condores. Seven climbers arrived to an altitude of 5,300 metres in 4.5 hours, and then spent the remainder of the day preparing tents and sleeping bags, as well as melting snow to produce enough drinking water. The next day, at around 10 a.m., the climbers proceeded towards Berlin (5,800 metres), the last camp before the attempt at Cumbre Sur. Having awoken on their third morning since leaving the Plaza de Mulas in temperatures that had plunged to minus 38 degrees, they began the main ascent at four a.m.
It took the group 12 hours to reach an altitude of 6,962 metres, via the Traverse. They crossed the Canaleta, the last two-kilometre ridge, in three hours, they conquered Aconcagua on February 13 in the late afternoon hours.
"Climbers must not remain at the crest longer than 20 or so minutes, half an hour at most. Temperatures are very low, as is air pressure. Oxygen is scarce indeed and those who reach the top feel sleepy, but they must not sit for a rest due to the frightening possibility that they might not get up again", says Gočmanac.
The climbers returned toBerlina the same day, spent the night there, and descended to the Plaza de Mulas base camp the next day where they rested for at least 24 hours. Team leader Slobodan Gočmanac, his deputy Zoran Kontić, Ilija Andrejić (in charge of the technical aspects of the ascent), Dragan Petrić, Neda Milošević, Dr Slobodanka Djordjević-Kontić, Djordje Mikalački, Draško Marković, Nebojša Petrić and reporter and cameraman for Serbia’s Channel One Public TV Vlada Zakonović, took the same route back they used on their way up to the highest point of the Southern Hemisphere and returned to Serbia on February 29.
| On the same day – February 13, 2008 – when the seven members of Avala conquered Aconcagua, celebrating the 60th anniversary of their society, a 21-member international Balkan team comprised of Serbs, Macedonians, Montenegrins and Bosnians, all experienced mountaineers, and Alpinist Dragan Jaćimović, who successfully climbed Mt. Everest last year, also climbed the Andes peak. |
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"The world is in the hands of those who have the courage to dream and risk to live their dreams."
Paulo Coelho | |
