Description

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Guide to climbing 6962m Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere (and in the world, excluding Asia). Suitable for fit experienced mountaineers, both the 12-day Normal (Horcones Valley) route and the 14-day Vacas Valley (Polish Glacier) route are described, along with several other treks in the Southern Andes in the Aconcagua, Vallecitos and Tupungato areas and near Santiago in Chile.

• Ascent of Aconcagua requires little technical expertise, but climbers must acclimatise to the altitude and to the cold
• Advice on permits, preparing for high-altitude mountaineering, equipment, food and water, hiring guides and mules, acclimatisation and staying healthy
• Overview information, route description and tips drawn from the author's wealth of experience
• Other treks include ascents of Tupungato, the Maipo Volcano and El Plomo
• Background notes on geology, history, culture and wildlife
• Things to do in Mendoza and Santiago, including information on local cuisine and wine tasting

About the Author

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An engineer by profession, Jim Ryan has travelled, and written extensively, on some of the great walks of the world, in Nepal, Lesotho, Tanzania and on the island of Reunion. Aconcagua and the region around it made a great impression on him on his first expedition there almost 10 years ago.