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- Dec 08, 2011
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Aconcagua Climbing Team Reaches Base Camp
First team of the season reaches Base Camp on the Normal Route.
Follow their progress on this map here
After several days acclimatizing at the Confluencia Camp our team has arrived at Base Camp. From Confluencia the team set out for a hike to the incredible South Face on the mountain. With extra time acclimating, our group arrive at Base Camp feeling better than most new arrivals. Here’s our report from Tino,
(All photos from previous expeditions)
On hike to base of South Face. MM Collection
“Yesterday we walked the 7.5 hours to the Plaza de Mulas, the Base Camp at 14,000 feet. Yesterday was pretty cool because it’s a super long, desolate hike and it’s really flat for most of it. There are mule carcasses along the trail from the dead pack animals; it’s kind of like a moonscape. Then you get to the basecamp with these permanent shelters, it’s other worldly!
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=09737ca311345110976795b489282fc8 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=56725f71345e8612d946292f12de54a8 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=3a95bf8f1333de6fe535b899d0406317 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=d5a65fa7cc19e5e71e7e6f58acf15a7a 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=0bee8cb56abd4ab66caa5b4069a7ec2d 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=ce4d8d479fe3862deedf08146f8001f4 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=827ea7d9d0a179d41d6dfff5d4e35a57 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG_4383.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=28b068a39e9d70652e0636d1df1a1156 1024w)
Hiking up the long Horcones Valley. MM Collection
“We’ve been getting afternoon thunderstorms, snow-storms and build-up. But, overall the weather’s been pretty good. There seems to be more snow on the mountain now than there is normally.”
Base Camp life. MM Collection
“Today is a rest day, we went for a little hike and checked out a hotel up here, which is out of commission. It’s closed, and falling apart, but we went and checked it out. We’re planning on carrying a load of stuff up to our next camp, which is Camp 1, also known as Camp Canada. Then we’re going to come back here and spend tomorrow night and the night after here. And then we are planning to start moving our way up the mountain after that. Everyone is doing well and acclimatizing.”
~ MM Guide Tino Villanueva
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=3191301f3194e7da7c1f85435d1db08f 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=35cd448dccb03f44524393386c4aec34 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=cb1c7c7ea16e04ffb4e27b1d1376cfab 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=5b5e726b212a9fccfbe9057810e7fcd2 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=43dd66825238feec94216404724fece9 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=6801deaaae9784399574802dbf3ad51a 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=0e030b643af6c4edd4bbd10f60850d2b 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2F_DDT5170.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=15a68a3a3474f56aae0e40d35fd3171b 1024w)
View of Base Camp. MM Collection
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=fa3c73fc766945de6127742c10392c0a 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=7e4b7b42fb11b31ddfbe6c30a9fb6978 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=00f0a83b8ab508fcc14e7bcded2c368d 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=33e83776d7a6d6c889b29d7e6c594de8 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=4ca70213589c34203b325dd42adb1fbb 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=050758dc575c9b77eb0279daf440f164 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=774bfe7c792ed6328fe299e8785e2780 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fnewswire%2FIMG0049.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=34db0eef8f0b50a564e86ef4d561551f 1024w)
View of Aconcagua from Base Camp. MM Collection