Here are four important things to know about Climbing Aconcagua. We have learned a lot from climbing Aconcagua over the years. Below are the four most important things you need to consider before signing up to any Aconcagua Expedition. Check out our Aconcagua page and upcoming trips.
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Four Important Things to know about Climbing Aconcagua
1). Acclimatization and Spare Days
Every high-altitude expedition, especially on Aconcagua (6,961m / 22,838ft), requires a carefully planned acclimatization strategy to increase your chances of reaching the summit safely and successfully. Without proper acclimatization, the risks of altitude sickness, exhaustion, and failure rise significantly.
On Aconcagua, you need at least four days of flexibility for a summit attempt, as weather conditions can change rapidly. During my last expedition, we had to push for the summit a day early due to an incoming four-day storm, proving how essential a well-planned itinerary is. On my first climb, however, we attempted the summit on a 12 day itinerary, which was far too fast.
The guide set an aggressive pace, and the lack of proper adaptation made it a terrible experience—a tough but valuable lesson in why rushing acclimatization on Aconcagua doesn’t work.
Do Some Hypoxic Preparation
You have a few options here. You can rent a hypoxic tent, fly to Quito or similar and stay and high altitude for 4 nights before flying to Mendoza. Ultimately creating red blood cells prior to arriving on the side of Aconcagua is extremely useful.
As you ascend, barometric pressure decreases, meaning that while oxygen levels in the air remain at 21%, each breath contains fewer oxygen molecules. This makes it crucial to gradually expose your body to altitude, allowing it to adapt by producing more red blood cells to transport oxygen efficiently. Acclimatization is everything on Aconcagua, and taking the right amount of time to adjust is the key to a safe, enjoyable, and successful summit.
At Ian Taylor Trekking, we follow a proven acclimatization schedule, ensuring you move at the right pace to maximize your chances of success while prioritizing safety. Don’t risk your climb by going too fast—proper acclimatization is the key to reaching the summit of Aconcagua!
2). Physical Preparation
One of the most over looked elements of training for Aconcagua how much actual weight you are going to carry. If you are climbing Aconcagua on one of our Normal route trips you do not need to carry expedition gear. If will only be responsible for your own personal gear. This can be anywhere from 12kg to 20kg. I encourage you to weight each piece of kit and know exactly what weight you will be carrying this can make all the difference and also help as you develop a training program.
On the Vacas Valley traverse route you will have loads to carry with a max of 10kg/ 22lbs from Plaza de Argentina Base Camp 4,200m/ 13,780 feet to Camp 1 4,950m/ 16,240 feet.These load carries do not include your personal gear.
You can hire 10kg or 20kg support for your personal gear to be carried above Aconcagua Base Camp. In addition to this you can go for a deluxe option where a porter carry’s all your personal gear up 20kg and all the expedition load carry’s so you only carry your small back pack through the expedition.
If you are carrying your own personal gear up the mountain. This means you will carry more weight on the Vacas valley traverse route. On the normal route you will just carry your personal gear up through the camps on Aconcagua.
TOP TIP: Weigh your personal gear so you know exactly the weight you will be carrying up and down the mountain.
Physical Preparation
Aconcagua requires excellent physical preparation. You need to be light, lean and strong. You need to stress test your body for this expedition months in advance of showing up on the side of the mountain.We highly recommend doing a lactic threshold / vo2 max test to really understand the heart rate training zones so you can slowly build up and stress test your body correctly for an expedition like this.
We are available to help our clients understand the physical demands on climbing at high and extreme altitude. Learn more and get in touch with us directly as we can help you develop a training plans that will work for you. Follow our step by step approach to training. You can also hire our personal trainer to help develop a program for you.
Hill Work
From experience the best way to prepare will be hiking up and down steep hills building from 500m/ 1,640 feet to 1,500m/ 5,000 feet over the course of months. These sessions should built up to 6+ hours of hill work and slowly incorporate weight in your back pack and you slow increase the length of the hikes. This all needs to be managed in your zone 2/3 heart rate zones. Don’t forget to train for the downhill.
You should be comfortable getting in 1,000m/ 3,280 feet ascents and descents on back to back days with 15kg/33lbs in your training and then get back in the gym the next day.
Gym Training
Daily training sessions our a must in supporting your longer weekly training session or hike that builds the correct endurance. You should consider using the Stair master and develop a weight training plan. Strength building and endurance will be your core training. You also need to consider flexibility and weigh loss training.
The Stair master carrying weight, building up to being comfortable carrying 20kg/ 44lbs will be important in zone 2/3 heart rate zones will be the bulk of your daily training. You will need to carefully built up the weight you carry so you can built the correct endurance, strength and conditioning without getting injured.
3). Weather
The weather on Aconcagua is unpredictable and challenging at the best of times. The success rate on Aconcagua is around 30% of people make the summit. There are many factors like lack of physical preparation, acclimatization but the weather, specifically high wind are the reason the success rate is so low. Track the weather on Aconcagua.
Aconcagua (6,961m / 22,838ft) is located just 80 miles (130 km) from the Pacific Ocean, making it highly susceptible to rapidly changing weather, strong winds, and intense storms. The mountain’s position near the Andes’ western edge exposes it to powerful Pacific weather systems, which often bring fierce jet stream winds exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h), extreme cold, and sudden snowstorms.
Similar to Denali in Alaska, Aconcagua experiences severe wind chill and volatile atmospheric pressure changes, making proper acclimatization and flexible summit windows essential for success.
The mountain’s high altitude and proximity to the ocean create a unique weather pattern, where storms can roll in with little warning, forcing climbers to adjust plans quickly. At higher elevations, winds regularly reach hurricane force, and temperatures can plummet to -30°C (-22°F) or lower, increasing the risk of frostbite and hypothermia.
Understanding Aconcagua’s extreme climate is crucial for safe and successful ascents. This is why Ian Taylor Trekking incorporates strategic acclimatization days and flexible summit windows into our expeditions, ensuring climbers have the best possible chance to reach the top while staying safe in one of the harshest mountain environments on Earth.
The wind chills can drop well below zero in Fahrenheit in the better climbing months. This is why you need more contingency days for your expedition.
4). Prior Altitude Experience
Having specific conditioning and altitude experience from years of high altitude trips will only help you on Aconcagua. If you are thinking of climbing Aconcagua we recommend going on a number of high altitude trips prior to signing up to an Aconcagua trip.
Learning more about how you respond to low oxygen environments is critical for your safety on this mountain. You need to have a range of high altitude experiences to aid in your safety as you venture into high and extreme altitude.
Try and make sure you have a range of these trips under your belt, Everest Base Camp Trek, Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus, Lobuche or Mera Peak, Cotopaxi or another high altitude peak above 5,000m/16,404 feet.
Everyone acclimatizes differently and it is important for you to understand how your body reacts in low oxygen environments. The more experience you have the better prepared you will be.
Other Important Information
We are big fans of the Vacas Valley traverse. There are advantages to trekking the normal route up Aconcagua, the main one being you carry less weight. In addition to carrying less weight, the hike into Base Camp on the normal route covers less distances than the Vacas valley traverse route on Aconcagua.
Base Camp on the normal route is Plaza de Mulas 4,390m/ 14,402 feet on the higher end of Base Camp. This is a little higher than Base Camp on the Vacas side at 4,200m/ 13,780 feet. This means you will have less elevation gain on the normal route up to Camp 3 just below 6,000m/ 19,685 feet. You will also carry no group equipment on the Normal route offering a better success ratio on the normal route.
When should you Climb Aconcagua
You have options for climbing Aconcagua. The best months will be November, through early March. Aconcagua National Park opens on very specific dates in November and usually closed early March with last entry into the National park around the middle of February each year.
There is never an ideal weather window and you need more potential summit attempts built into your itinerary. However, the weather can be extremely cold and windy anytime.
The busiest time on Aconcagua is from mid December to mid January and there could be over 1,000 climbers on the mountain at this time. We like to avoid climbing at when there are too many people on the mountain.
How Hard is it to Climb Aconcagua
I am sure you may have read Aconcagua is just a high altitude trek. This maybe true if you are in peak fitness and everything goes your way on the day. I can tell you from a wide range of experiences that the weather can be challenge every day on this expedition. Aconcagua is no Kilimanjaro, learn more.
You can experience intense heat, bitter cold, driving snow that create some of the harshest conditions you can experience on a mountain. High altitude, cold temperatures, rock fall and the risk of serious altitude sickness should temper anyone who things Aconcagua is a walk in the park.
Make sure you can set up your own tent, sleep in a tent, and managing tent life in challenging conditions.
Portage of All equipment
You will be carrying everything yourself above Base Camp. Mules carry all equipment and your duffel bag and Expedition backpack into Base Camp. There is an option for support higher on the mountain for an additional fee.
There are three options for additional support:
1). You can pay for a porter to carry 10kg of your personal gear up through the camps
2). Porter to carry up to 20kg of your personal gear.
3). A deluxe option on the Vacas Valley route where a porter will carry all group load carries and your personal gear up to 20kg.
It is best to book these in advance of showing up on the side of Aconcagua. We have porters based in both Base Camps ready to assist you on route to the summit. If your training is not going to plan we encourage you to avail of this service to take the load off and focus on the summit.
How Dangerous is Aconcagua
Aconcagua can be dangerous if precautions are not taken. The route we take has some rock fall risk above Base Camp below camp 1 on the Vacas Valley traverse route. There is also the risk crossing the traverse to the cave alongside the potential of rock fall in the Canaleta high on the mountain.
However, there are always deaths on Aconcagua each season. People getting caught out in storms, falling from fatigue, rock fall and high altitude related challenges will kill, if not managed correctly. If our guides tell you to turn around you MUST follow their instructions, they know what they are talking about. The week before my last climb a lady died when she was struck by a rock high on the mountain wearing earphones.
There are a lot of rescues every season for altitude, frostbite and injured climbers. It is your responsibility to make sure you come in excellent physical condition and ready for all eventualities. However, it is the extreme altitude and weather that makes Aconcagua dangerous.
Learn more about Treatment for Altitude Sickness
Please familiarize yourself with AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) and the challenges of going to high and extreme altitude. Did you know extreme altitude is above 5,500m/ 18,000 feet.
This means you need to take extreme care of yourself when moving above this elevation. If you have three symptoms of altitude sickness you should be going down not up. Learn more.
Gear and Equipment Needed for Aconcagua
Having the correct gear and equipment is critical for safety and success. Think about using each piece of equipment well in advance of the Expedition. You will need to make sure you are used to camping.
The more experience backpacking, camping and living in harsh conditions the better. You need to be prepared for all of this well in advance. Bringing the correct gear and equipment can either make or break your expedition.
Make sure you have a lot of layers, double mountaineering boots extreme mitts and expedition grade equipment. I have witnessed a wide range of temperature on Aconcagua so best to come prepared and have tested all your gear and clothing. It has been -10 F/ – 23 Celsius inside my tent at Camp 3.
Summit Night on Aconcagua
The timing varies from group to group. A normal plan for summit night on Aconcagua is waking up at 3am and start preparing and getting hydrated. You will be served breakfast around 4am and leave by approximately 5am. Learn more.
There is a lot of zig zagging for the first few hours. We plan on breaking every hour as we ascent. You should reach Independencia by 8am for a break. After a zip zag ascent you will top out on a ridge and you will see the traverse across to the cave.
You should be hiking across the traverse by 9am and you should reach the cave at 10/10:30am. Depending on the weather and temperatures you may have 10 minutes or longer to rest at this point if the weather is favorable.
From the cave through the Canaleta to the summit takes about two hours with a number of rest stops. This can be a eight+ hour ascent. It will take 3 to 4 hours to make our way all the way back to Camp 3. Prepare for a 12+ hour day. Our goal is to be back in Camp 3, Camp Colera by 5pm.
Some Different Experiences
I have been on the summit when it is warm wearing liner gloves. Normal summits are windy and frigid cold. It has always been windy on every expedition especially higher on the mountain.
I remember one time sitting in my tent fully dressed at Camp 2 and two of use sitting up keeping the tent tight from the wind. We were ready, that if the wind blew our tent away we would be able to pick up our backpack and walk down the mountain.
The wind can be relentless so bring ear plugs. The climate is dry but it can rain and I have experienced snow on most trips. Aconcagua will be extremely dirty and dusty most of the expedition.
Contact us
I hope you found this post about the four important things to know about Climbing Aconcagua useful. Aconcagua is achievable for most fit and strong trekkers used to hardship and challenging conditions.
We recommend the Vacas valley route to avoid the crowds and more interesting experience.
Aconcagua demands respect. We work with a team with the best guides, safety and facilities in place for the best experience. Aconcagua is potentially dangerous and every year climbers die even on the normal routes. Join us and we can help you prepare for this amazing challenge. Follow us on Instagram.