2018 Aconcagua Upper Guanacos Expedition - Team 1 (Dec 10 - 31, 2018) - Dispatch 14

Guide:

Tad McCrea

Climbers:

Jennifer Jolliffe
Shelby Clippard
Michael Abel

From AAI lead guide Tad McCrea:

Wind was the name of the game on the lower mountain, and without our trusty hilliberg tents we would have been demolished... however, we awoke to a clear and windless morning today, the 23rd. We departed camp at 4:45 this morning and began our march up the mountain. We kept a a good pace and timed the sun at independencia perfectly. A fter exercising all of the teams perseverance and fortitude we made  it to the top of the America’s just before 2pm. We enjoyed an hour on the windless summit making new friends with other climbers from  around the world. At 3pm we busted back down the canaleta before t he evenings snow and whiteout made for an all encompassing 5star da y! We made good time descending through the thick fog and arrived back at high camp just after six. We had phenomenal forcasting  this trip. This and our fitness and allowed for us to strategise a nd put ourselves in position for the summit in a harsh year on Aconcagua. Until last week only three people had summited the mountain.