Aconcagua

Aconcagua is a very tall mountain in the Andes, located in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas and the highest mountain outside of Asia. With a summit elevation of 6,967.15 metres (22,858.1 feet), it is also one of the Seven Summits, meaning it is the highest peak on each of the seven continents.

The mountain is surrounded by beautiful valleys, including the Valle de las Vacas to the north and east and the Valle de los Horcones Inferior to the west and south. Aconcagua and its surrounding area are part of Aconcagua Provincial Park. The mountain has several glaciers, with the largest being the Ventisquero Horcones Inferior, which stretches about ten kilometres (6.2 mi) long. Other notable glaciers include the Ventisquero de las Vacas Sur and the Glaciar Este/Ventisquero Relinchos system. The Polish Glacier is well known because it is part of a common route used by climbers attempting to reach the summit.

Etymology

The name "Aconcagua" has different possible meanings, and we are not sure which one is correct. It might come from the Mapudungun language, where Aconca-Hue means "comes from the other side" and refers to the Aconcagua River. Or it could be from the Quechua language, where Ackon Cahuak means "Sentinel of Stone" and Anco Cahuac means "White Sentinel." Another possibility is that it comes from the Aymara language, where Janq'u Q'awa means "White Ravine."

Geologic history

See also: Andean Orogeny

Aconcagua was formed when the Nazca Plate moved under the South American Plate. Long ago, Aconcagua was an active stratovolcano with several volcanic areas near a shallow sea. Around 8 to 10 million years ago, the way these plates moved changed, stopping the melting and lifting the mountain upward. The rocks on its sides come from old volcanic activity, including lava, broken rocks, and fiery ash. The area had a shallow sea long before Aconcagua became a mountain, and volcanic activity has been part of this region for a very long time.

Climbing

Aconcagua is a great mountain to climb, especially from the north side. This path is easy because you don’t need special climbing tools like ropes. But the air is very thin because it is so high, which can make climbers feel sick. Most people don’t use special air tanks to help them breathe.

Climbing Aconcagua can be dangerous because of the cold and thin air. Some climbers don’t understand how hard it is and get into trouble.

There are harder paths to climb from the south and southwest sides. One famous path is called the Polish Glacier Traverse.

Most climbers who reach the top are from other countries. The United States has the most climbers, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom. Many use the normal north route to climb.

Camps

The campsites on the normal route are listed below (elevations are approximate).

• Puente del Inca, 2,740 metres (8,990 ft): A small village on the main road, with facilities including a lodge.
• Confluencia, 3,380 metres (11,090 ft): A camp site a few hours into the national park.
• Plaza de Mulas, 4,370 metres (14,340 ft): Base camp, claimed to be the second largest in the world (after Everest). There are several meal tents, showers and internet access. There is a lodge approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the main campsite across the glacier. At this camp, climbers are screened by a medical team to check if they are fit enough to continue the climb.
• Camp Canadá, 5,050 metres (16,570 ft): A large ledge overlooking Plaza de Mulas.
• Camp Alaska, 5,200 metres (17,060 ft): Called 'change of slope' in Spanish, a small site as the slope from Plaza de Mulas to Nido de Cóndores lessens. Not commonly used.
• Nido de Cóndores, 5,570 metres (18,270 ft): A large plateau with extensive views. There is usually a park ranger camped here.
• Camp Berlín, 5,940 metres (19,490 ft): The classic high camp, offering reasonable wind protection.
• Camp Colera, 6,000 metres (19,690 ft): A larger, while slightly more exposed, camp situated directly at the north ridge near Camp Berlín, with growing popularity.
• Several sites possible for camping or bivouac, including Piedras Blancas (~6100 m) and Independencia (~6350 m), are located above Colera; however, they are seldom used and offer little protection.

Summit attempts are usually made from a high camp at either Berlín or Colera, or from the lower camp at Nido de Cóndores.

History

The first Europeans to try to climb Aconcagua were led by a German explorer in 1883. The first person to reach the top was a Swiss guide in 1897.

In 1934, a Polish group were the first to climb the east side of Aconcagua. In 1954, a French team were the first to climb the very hard south side.

The youngest person to reach the top was a boy from California, who was nine years old when he climbed it in 2013. The oldest person to climb it was 87 years old.

In 2019, a group of women from a group called the Cholita climbers were the first Indigenous women to climb the mountain while wearing traditional clothes.

In 2019, a special helicopter landed on the very top of Aconcagua for the first time.

Dangers

Aconcagua is very high, and the air is thin, which can be dangerous for climbers. The weather can change quickly and become very cold.

Because of the high altitude, many climbers don’t feel well and need to rest often. Some climbers don’t understand how hard it is and get into trouble.

There are also problems with keeping the mountain clean. Some climbers don’t always use the special toilets, which can make the environment dirty and unsafe.

Mythological meaning

For the Incas, Aconcagua was a very special and sacred mountain. People built places for worship there, just like they did on other mountains such as Ampato. In 1985, people found important sites at a very high altitude of 5167 metres. These are some of the hardest places to reach in the world.

At one of these sites, they found the remains of a child who was placed on grass, cloth, and feathers inside stone walls, known as the Aconcagua mummy. The clothes the child wore showed that they were from a very important family. Other items found there included small figures and coca leaves.