Sep
07
Aconcagua Expedition 2011 with Chris Szymiec
Fully Guided Deluxe Aconcagua Expedition
Get ready for the 2011 Aconcagua False Polish Expedition led by Chris Szymiec of Ganesh Adventures. A fully guided deluxe Aconcagua expedition run by an Aconcagua veteran. February 7 – February 27th, 2011. We are currently accepting applications for this exciting and excellent expedition to the highest peak in the Americas and the second highest on the famed seven summits(7 summits) list.
Please feel free to contact us now if you are either interested in joining the 2011 Aconcagua February expedition or if you have any questions about high altitude climbing at all.
Sep
02
In 1991 some doctors interested in mountain medicine saw a young, fit climber die on the Mera La. The doctor with him knew little about the risks of severe altitude mountain sickness. The tragedy inspired the doctors to study altitude illness and share this information with others.
Since the early 1990s members of Medical Expeditions have, along with others, been busy studying mountain medicine. They have done their best to improve the knowledge of doctors responsible for, or advising, people travelling at altitude.
This section looks at the effects that travelling at altitude can have on your body and aims to help you to understand why you may not feel well or get ill. It suggests ways to avoid illness and suggests what you should do if you get an altitude related illness. Our own experiences and real cases have been used as examples. The deaths on the Mera La were caused by going to high altitude, but both could have been avoided had simple rules been followed.
The following is a brief look at the fascinating study of High Altitude Medicine. This information is only meant as a rough guide to help you prepare for and have a safe, fun amd exciting trip in the Himalayas.
READ MORE IN OUR HIGH ALTITUDE MEDICINE SECTION
Apr
14
Latok 2
Alpinist magazine profiles the Latok group of peaks in Pakistan with a mention of our rescue mission in ’09 with Fabrizio Zangrilli, Chris Szymiec and others. Its a really great article on this wild group of peaks. Although the article is not currently available online, here is a link to the teaser of the story.
Alpinist Magazine teaser article
Detailed story on the rescue attempt from Explorersweb.com
Article printed in Time Magazine
Feb
07
Everyone is safe and sound back home and we are all enjoying the warm air, red wine and great food in town. The trip went really well this time around. Not only did we have near perfect weather but we were also fortunate enough to all stay happy & healthy throughout the entire expedition. The members are slowly leaving and Ben and I will be heading back to our home countries after the weekend.
Ben, Brian and Erika on the Polish Glacier
The Polish Glacier Direct
I must say, it was really great to climb Aconcagua instead of just walking up it. At 3am Ben, Chris, Erika, Mitch and Brian set off for the foot of the Polish Glacier. Shortly after setting out, Mitch decided it just wasn’t his day and returned to camp 2 and the 4 of us carried on into the darkness. We chose not to rope up for the first 300M of the climb but as the angle increased we tied in and made things a little more secure.
The route is actually pretty straightforward despite its reputation. In my opinion the most important thing is speed. We never once pitched out the climb choosing instead to simu-climb with a running belay. This offers good protection as well as being able to keep moving at all times. The climb is about 40 degrees up to 70 degrees in the bottle neck area and above. Its a great steep snow climb with amazing views but beware, once you are at the top of the face it is still at least 2-4 hours to the summit, depending on conditions and fatigue.
Once you arrive at the top of the face, the technical portion of the climb is over and now the thin air at nearly 6900M is a lot for some to deal with. Amazing views though. We made our descent via the False Polish route and back to camp 2.
Chris in the Bottleneck
It’s great to be finished with another successful season on Aconcagua. This year we had small groups and all became great friends. We were also fortunate enough to have Augistina from Ushuia cooking for us at base camp. She really went out of her way to accommodate us and make our days at base camp really comfortable. Oh yeah, she is also an amazing cook. A big thanks also to our great members this season. Greg, Brooks, Isabel, Erika, Marty, Mitch and Brian, it was great to have you all on the hill with Ben and I.
Chris from Mendoza.
Please feel free to contact us now if you are either interested in joining the 2011 Aconcagua February expedition or if you have any questions about high altitude climbing at all.