aconcagua story 3

On my record day (27th December) I took 1,5l of water, one down jacket, extra headband, fat socks which I never used and some snacks. My friend Emma was supposed to wait for me with more water in camp 3 but she had to turn around because of the cold. I decided to give it a shot anyway and go as light as possible.

I planned to put more layers on at C3 (6000m) but decided not to lose precious time and stop only if my feet started to freeze!

Many eyebrows were raised about my equipment. I went light. Summer alpine clothes: softshell pants, merino t-shirt and above 5500 a light gore-tex/primaloft jacket. For the first two summits I used running shoes till 6000m and Scarpa Ribelle ODs for the summit. On my record day I risked it and used running shoes the whole way to the summit! I never planned this! They were primarily meant for the approach and to have comfy shoes for the flights! Usually people take high-altitude gear for Aconcagua (Himalayan boots and big down suits).

This might be considered as risky and reckless. But I plan my mountain trips carefully, assessing the weather with the deep knowledge and experience of what I can do and how fast I can move up and down.