I am setting my mind to climb America's highest peak in 2009, one that is not technically difficult but is at 22,000 feet and has all the challenges of a very high-altitude climb.

So, my BP is 106/156~, I have never had high-alt problems when at mount hood base or when in a Air Force jet trainer once, but that was 8 years ago. I am 26 and take no meds.

I have no experience in technical climbing, live in Jersey, and no gear except some minor day hike equipment.

My question is does anyone have advice for

a. getting the equipment I need

b. making sure my body is capable of this with no unforseen reactions

c. should I modify my training (lots of cardio, half-marathons, core and whole body lifting)

or anything else I should be aware of.

Thanks! :tu:

I am setting my mind to climb America's highest peak in 2009, one that is not technically difficult but is at 22,000 feet and has all the challenges of a very high-altitude climb.

So, my BP is 106/156~, I have never had high-alt problems when at mount hood base or when in a Air Force jet trainer once, but that was 8 years ago. I am 26 and take no meds.

I have no experience in technical climbing, live in Jersey, and no gear except some minor day hike equipment.

My question is does anyone have advice for

a. getting the equipment I need

b. making sure my body is capable of this with no unforseen reactions

c. should I modify my training (lots of cardio, half-marathons, core and whole body lifting)

or anything else I should be aware of.

Thanks! :tu:

A. I would definately focus on getting some nice durable and lightweight gear. You should do some research on the hike. From what little I have done in the past few minutes, it looks more like it requires more mountaineering than hiking. Check this site out also. It has some good tips on training, equipment, and routes.

http://www.mountainmadness.com/sevensummits/aconcagua.cfm?nav=exp#training

If this is the case....

You'll want to take a course or class in mountaineering, and possibly buy the book "Freedom of the Hills." It is the mountaineering bible, so to speak. It will have the majority of the information you will need. You'll need to learn skills with an ice-axe and crampons.

Altitude does funny things to people. I have lived in Alaska and currently live in Colorado. I've climbed a bunch of 14,000 ft peaks and have brought friends up them as well. A few of my friends have suffered from minor cases of cerebral ademia. My girlfriend even got a nasty case of altitude sickness and we live at 7,000 feet. Dehydration can contribute to this as well.

You should visit a doctor and ask about pills that are supposed to minimize your chances of this. I have never taken them but have heard they work.

As far as cardio is concerned, I would do all kinds. You should get out and hike as much as possible and walk on a incline treadmill with a pack on. I don't have much experience over 14,000 feet, but I would guess that getting out for entire day-trips in your area would help.

In the long-run you might be better off hiring a guide to help you plan. Seasons are different and there might be additional details that a guide company would be able to provide. If I can think of anything else, I'll let you know.

I'd PM this guy (http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/view-profile.asp?action=view&uid=54271) with any questions you might have. He's climbed the seven summits (one of which is Aconcagua). I'd also read everything on the website. (http://www.aconcagua.com/home/frame.htm)

From everything I've read, Aconcagua isn't a real tough climb compared to the technicality of the Himalayans and even some of the Alps.

A lot will also depend on which route you take. The most frequented route (the north face) isn't that bad while the south face is very difficult.

Good luck if you go through with it.

The apparently technically-easy way that this mountain presents for climbing must not be mistaken for an "easy mountain", and then think that a serious ascent can be replaced by a simple trekking. This trap has spent much lives, precisely because the Aconcagua sometimes allows non-experienced and poorly equipped persons arrive at relatively-easy-but-potentially-very-dangerous sites, walking along the technically simple North or Normal route. The other routes, more technical, add the technical difficulties of the climbing to the environment typical hardness.

I am setting my mind to climb America's highest peak in 2009, one that is not technically difficult but is at 22,000 feet and has all the challenges of a very high-altitude climb.

So, my BP is 106/156~, I have never had high-alt problems when at mount hood base or when in a Air Force jet trainer once, but that was 8 years ago. I am 26 and take no meds.

They have some tests for altitude tolerance these days. I suggest you look into it. It has nothing to do with how fit you are at normal altitude. A previous history of high altitude tolerance is not necessarily a guarantee of safety in the future. What seems to be the current thinking is that you want to get your pulmonary artery systolic pressure response to hypoxia measured. This can be done with ultrasound; I don't know how convenient it is to do this or who offers it.

Thanks for all your input, this is one of those things that looks like it will take some unconventional training and that's whats really cool about it.

On days when you have less time to train I would add in some stair/step running or hill repeats :)

Living in Colorado, you just end up climbing fourteeners....I've done 19 of them.
Now keep in mind, 14,000 feet is WAY less and a WAY different environment than 22,000 feet. I mean, you are getting into vertical limit territory there... The highest I have gone is Kilimanjaro. It's 19,341.

Unfortunately, the only way to get acclimated to altitude is to be there...That's why climbers spend weeks at Everest's base camp. We get folks from Texas that come out to climb Pike's Peak all the time. And going from essentially sea level to 14,000 feet gets the best of many. I was doing PP one Saturday and a youth group came up from Texas to hike the Peak...they were hauling those kids off the maountain all day....

Altitude can be an issue. It is like motion sickness. It gets to some and others it doesn't.

Now to change the direction...the gear is pretty straight forward. Any decent climbing shop can hook you up with everything you will need....However, if you want a piece of advice, I would say that the number one thing you should be concerned with is water supply....
While climbing Mt. Princeton a few summers back, I took my 100oz camelback because it is a day trip and it is usually all I need...Well, the clouds moved in as we were summiting and that means MUCH lower temperatures than when the sun is out. My camelback froze up in a matter of miutes and it took quite a while for it to thaw under my clothes next to my skin....it made for a much more eventful descent than I had planned for as the hamstrings started cramping up. Once we made it back to tree line, I took an hour break to let the fluids settle in and let my cramps ease up. But it put us back at the cars well after dark...A mistake like that is not that big of a deal when you are at 14,000...but it could kill you over 20,000....

Read mountaineering manuals and get whatever experience you can before you set out for this climb. Fitness will obviously help, but nothing can replace experience....

For a guy who has never been above 9500 feet I know my stuff about mountain climbing. This website (http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150197/aconcagua.html) may be your most reliable source and it should be of great help.

The 'Normal Route' is non-technical - a walk-up, following the Northwest Ridge. It is the altitude that poses the most problem. That and the sense that this is an easy climb. Every year people die because they underestimate the task at hand. Respect this mountain and you will fare better. You should not attempt alone, you should always have someone watching you. Much of the hiking is on scree. On the Normal and Polish Traverse routes there are no permanent snow fields, but crampons and ice axe may still be required in some sections. If you are fortunate the final 1,000 feet is covered with ice and snow. You can then crampon up this much more easily than when it is loose scree after a dry winter. This year January 7-10, 2008 the Caneleta had hardpacked snow with some icey sections that was easily cramponed making the top section much quicker (in relative terms). Many who neglected to bring crampons were turned back by these conditions.