May 16th, 2009

By Candace Piette

BBC News, Aconcagua, Argentina

Jolting along a mountain path in a park-keeper's jeep in Argentina's Mendoza State, we are surrounded by a series of beautiful, dry sand-coloured mountain ranges.

Pinks and violets, greens and blues emerge from the shadows in the landscape around us.

We've come to see South America's highest mountain, Aconcagua, in the park of the same name, which lies just ahead up the valley in full sunlight, its summit wreathed in snow.

The mountain, in the Andean range not far from the Chilean border, hit the headlines back in January.

A huge rescue attempt involving hundreds of local volunteers ended in tragedy. They tried to save a group of Italians in trouble near the summit - but a climber and her guide died.

Video footage of the guide's dying moments, shown on TV, shocked the public and raised questions about the ability of the Aconcagua Park to cope with emergencies.

Suddenly the radio crackles to life. The chief park-keeper, Daniel Cucciara, explains that he has just heard that a Russian climber, high above us, is in trouble.

Visitor numbers to Aconcagua have been increasing dramatically over the last decade, because of the fashion for dangerous sports.

More than 8,000 permits were issued in the 2008 climbing season. Out of these, half were for people aiming for the summit.

Toughest mountain

Aconcagua can be dangerous. The mountain is 6,962 metres high (22,840ft). Climbers tackle it without oxygen, and at its summit the air is 40% what it is at sea level.

The ''White Wind'' of Aconcagua - the clouds which descend quickly at the highest altitudes - can also catch climbers out. This year alone, 280 people had to be evacuated when they got into trouble. Many die, often from pulmonary embolisms or in accidents.

 "If you come to Aconcagua you need to have a mountain culture," says Daniel Cucciara. "You need to have climbed other mountains. Here we are talking about one of the toughest mountains in the world to climb.

"You need to have trained for two or three years in gymnasiums, done a lot of running, and even then this doesn't mean you are going to make the summit. You never know how your body will respond to such high altitudes."

The mountain can beat even the most seasoned of climbers. Marcelo Hector Acosta co-ordinates the Mountain Guides school in Mendoza. He has climbed Aconcagua an amazing 35 times and took part in the rescue of the Italians and the guide, Federico Campanini, in January.

"It was all very strange. When we got there, we found a group of four climbers and Federico. He was in a bad way but he said 'save my people'. Under the system of triage, in an emergency, the victim in the worst condition has to be left, and that is what we had to do."

The video showed Federico stumbling and falling, unable to get up, in the final stages of a suspected pulmonary embolism.

The mountaineering community and the public in Argentina began asking questions about the park's ability to mount rescues at high altitude. There were calls for better rescue and shelter facilities at the higher base camps on Aconcagua.

Rescue costs

Standing in front of the park's rescue helicopter, Guillermo Carmon, the Mendoza State secretary of the environment, says the park authorities are doing their best, although he admits the cost of rescues like the one in January is very high.

"This is one of the few places in the world where no-one is charged for a rescue, and we are very proud of that," he said.

"But we are now considering insisting climbers take out insurance to help us recover our search and rescue costs. Of the 280 rescues we operated this year, a third were risky and complicated."

For the mountain guide community in Mendoza who volunteer in park rescues, this cannot come soon enough. Veteran mountaineer Alejandro Randis believes the park is exaggerating its rescue capacity, giving climbers a false sense of security.

He believes that it is vital that climbers are told, clearly, about the risks.

"The park should spend more time and resources on telling climbers that what they are about to do is very dangerous, that it takes a long time and that on many days you can not rescue anybody because of the weather, which often makes it impossible to move," he said.

"Then it is up to each climber to take responsibility for their actions."

Farce

Mr Randis also argues that up until now, the park has been unrealistic about its capacity to finance rescues in terrain where helicopters cannot fly, and hundreds of people are needed to carry equipment and supplies quickly to high altitudes.

In the shadow of Aconcagua, lies a small cemetery where climbers who died on the mountain are laid to rest. Pairs of climbing boots, hats and gloves have been left on tombstones by those who made the journey to the summit and returned.

But without better rescue services, it is likely that Aconcagua, the highest mountain in Latin America, will continue to claim lives.

Eli Notes:  If there is any truth to the quote "40% of all climbers do no preparation", then it is no wonder that there is a high accident rate on this very crowded and less-aesthetic peak. Training in the gym is the least of what is required for travel in the high mountains.  Bench-pressing ability or walking machines aren't going to prepare you adequately for any mountain climb.  The art of mountaineering can only be learned through experience and so days in the peaks are the best preparation for this or any other alpine climbing challenge.

One thing I've learned  in my 100+ trips to these altitudes is that anyone in the group, even the fittest, can be the victim of altitude illness.   Early diagnosis and rapid evacuation are the best method of avoiding what can be a very quick demise in the mountains. 

Like most of the "Seven Summits", Aconcagua is far from being the most difficult mountain climb, especially compared to the ice-clad spires of Patagonia or the fluted pyramidal peaks of the Peruvian Andes.  There are a 100+ peaks above 20,000' in South America and a few thousand feet don't make much difference in terms of difficulty.   In fact, altitude illness is likely one of the more common cause of death in the Andes and a too-quick climbing schedule can be one of the root causes of this phenomenon.  Aconcagua has been mountain biked from top to bottom and run in trail shoes;  only the cold and windy weather and high-altitude present challenges on this otherwise dead, dry, and now human feces covered volcano.

Check-out the excellent blog of Tomas Dinges here for more information on this tragic high-altitude death and the 2008-9 Aconcogua climbing season.