Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Aconcagua a climbing history : for those who can be bothered.
The first recorded ascent was by Mathias Zurbriggen in January 1897. It seems that Araucanian and Aymara Indians lived on the mountains slopes centuries ago. They were then invaded by the Incas from Peru, who called the great peak Acken Cahuac ( Stone Sentinal in Quecha ) In 1985 an Inca mummy complete with poncho was found at 5300m; from this find ( in the Mendosa Museum ) and others, archaeologists believe that the Incas made their children sacrifices to the Gods... wonder if it worked?
In 1832, Chick Darwin noted the dominant presence of Aconcagua while crossing the Andes during a journey ashore on the voyage on the Beagle.
The first serious European attempt on the mountain was made by Paul Gussfelt in 1883, one of the most accomplished alpinists of the late 19th century
Gussfelt felt felt was the best cover for his garden shed, thus content with his domestic arrangements, he approached Aconcagua from Santiago & recruited mulateers with the old "there's buried treasure at the the top" story,( mmm worth a try again I wonder?)
He crossed the Andean crest to the to the northwest of Aconcagua & reached 6560m, the height of the independencia hut today. An unsuccessful expedition but the first reconnoiter of the Normal Route.
Zurbriggen was part of an expedition lead by Edward FitzGerald of Britain, ( another first for this plucky island nation!). With FitzGerald was another British climber, Stuart Vines, and some Swiss & Italian porters ( whose names we don't care about ) under the direction of the renowned Swiss Guide, Zurbriggen. FitzGeralds first problem was determining the best approach to the mountain. He was aware of Gussfelt's exploration but believed the better approach would be from the South, where a rudimentary road had been constructed from Santiago to Mendoza (211 miles)
A total of 5 attempts over 6 weeks were required before Zurbriggen arrived on the summit, alone on jan 14 1897. Over the following month Fitzgerald & Vines continued the seige, Vines reached the summit on Feb 13. Unfortunatly Fitzgerald did not manage to climb to the top due to recurrent bouts of altitude sickness, he was the originator & leader of the expedition & his judgement,courage & sense of humour were its anchor, as they will be mine!
How high is Aconcagua ?
There was for many years a dispute as to whither Ojos del Salado or Aconcagua was the highest, but in the 1980's GPS solved the problem, Aconcagua 6962m or 22,841ft. & Ojos del Salado 6900m or 22,637ft.
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the world outside of the Himalayas & Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano in the world, This information may come in handy one day in a quiz so do try to remember!
In 1832, Chick Darwin noted the dominant presence of Aconcagua while crossing the Andes during a journey ashore on the voyage on the Beagle.
The first serious European attempt on the mountain was made by Paul Gussfelt in 1883, one of the most accomplished alpinists of the late 19th century
Gussfelt felt felt was the best cover for his garden shed, thus content with his domestic arrangements, he approached Aconcagua from Santiago & recruited mulateers with the old "there's buried treasure at the the top" story,( mmm worth a try again I wonder?)
He crossed the Andean crest to the to the northwest of Aconcagua & reached 6560m, the height of the independencia hut today. An unsuccessful expedition but the first reconnoiter of the Normal Route.
Zurbriggen was part of an expedition lead by Edward FitzGerald of Britain, ( another first for this plucky island nation!). With FitzGerald was another British climber, Stuart Vines, and some Swiss & Italian porters ( whose names we don't care about ) under the direction of the renowned Swiss Guide, Zurbriggen. FitzGeralds first problem was determining the best approach to the mountain. He was aware of Gussfelt's exploration but believed the better approach would be from the South, where a rudimentary road had been constructed from Santiago to Mendoza (211 miles)
A total of 5 attempts over 6 weeks were required before Zurbriggen arrived on the summit, alone on jan 14 1897. Over the following month Fitzgerald & Vines continued the seige, Vines reached the summit on Feb 13. Unfortunatly Fitzgerald did not manage to climb to the top due to recurrent bouts of altitude sickness, he was the originator & leader of the expedition & his judgement,courage & sense of humour were its anchor, as they will be mine!
How high is Aconcagua ?
There was for many years a dispute as to whither Ojos del Salado or Aconcagua was the highest, but in the 1980's GPS solved the problem, Aconcagua 6962m or 22,841ft. & Ojos del Salado 6900m or 22,637ft.
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the world outside of the Himalayas & Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano in the world, This information may come in handy one day in a quiz so do try to remember!
