I'm going to Aconcagua in a few days. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas, and the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. It's not technical by any means but it's a challenge due to its altitude or 6,967m (22,858.1 ft) and it can get really cold:
https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Aconcagua/forecasts/latest -30/-40c
Expedition starts on Feb 1st.
I'm going "solo", unguided, with logistical support (a few meals on Camp 0-1, a mule to carry some gear to basecamp, etc.), I have experience, and there's a lot of people on that mountain in case something happens (HACE/HAPE being my main concern really) so I won't be solo for real but I'll be minding my own business for the most part, I'll keep park rangers informed of what I'm doing, etc.
For extra safety I'm bringing an InReach (for routes, messaging/SOS stuff), and a VHF Radio (to talk to park rangers in case some shit happens during certain portions of the ascent), but the most challenging part will definitely be the summit push,which can last a long time and get really cold/disorienting due to the altitude.
I'm all loaded up on audiobooks, books, and I'll be porting my own gear up and down the mountain most of the time anyway so I'll acclimatize pretty well, plus I don't have a guide constantly telling me I'm not fast or that we're running out of time, etc. which generally tends to bring an extra level of complexity if you're not acclimatizing well and you're being pushed to higher camps.
picrel is the south face, I took that pic a few years ago I went with a friend and couldn't summit (felt like shit, had gear issues).
What challenges do you have in mind for this year?
