Ojos Del Salado

[Gabriel]

It's possible if you have good genetics for altitude and you climb from The Chilean side rather than Argentina, which requires more time due to a long approach. From Denver you can fly to the City if Copiapo which is kind of an oasis in the Atacama. Arrange for permits and transport and have a go.

Good luck,

G

[Turboprop]

Thanks for all the great info. The pictures from the Atacama region look amazing.

When I did Aconcagua, which is not a lot higher, we were 11 days trailhead to trailhead. We arrived at the 9800’ trailhead the day before starting. We had hiked above treeline in Colorado every weekend leading up to the climb.

MountainHikerette had to turn back from high camp 18,200’. So taking a few more days before moving to that high camp might have made the difference for her. There are different strategies for how much time to spend at each intermediate elevation, and how many carries to make before moving to a higher elevation. But the general consensus is you don’t rush a mountain that high. Some friends were 9 days trailhead to trailhead. We also met people who were hanging out for several days at 14,000’ before climbing any higher.

I have found that Colorado climbers can often get away with a quick climb of 18,500’ Orizaba. But with Orizaba there tends to be a couple acclimation days travelling through Mexico City and then to the hut. And this is often just a few days after climbing a fourteener.

But when you have a full summit day above the elevation of Orizaba, acclimation becomes a much more serious issue. With Orizaba, if you feel like crap, you don’t have as far to descend to safety. If things go bad above 20,000’ it might not be just a matter of sucking it up.

What did you do to prepare for Aconcagua besides hiking in CO a lot before the climb? We could easily fit it in the calendar to hike at least up to treeline every weekend for a long time prior to taking the trip. 11 days seems really fast compared to what a lot of people in this thread are talking about.

I think we could stay around 14 days on the ground in Chile. If anyone has any suggestions for peaks that may be easier to get to and do in this time range I'm open to suggestions. The main reason I asked about Ojos was because it is obviously the most time intensive and I could base other peaks off of the time approximations for this one, and it seems like a great hike so I wanted to learn more about it.

[MountainHiker]

What did you do to prepare for Aconcagua besides hiking in CO a lot before the climb? We could easily fit it in the calendar to hike at least up to treeline every weekend for a long time prior to taking the trip. 11 days seems really fast compared to what a lot of people in this thread are talking about.

I think we could stay around 14 days on the ground in Chile. If anyone has any suggestions for peaks that may be easier to get to and do in this time range I'm open to suggestions. The main reason I asked about Ojos was because it is obviously the most time intensive and I could base other peaks off of the time approximations for this one, and it seems like a great hike so I wanted to learn more about it.

A lot of the preparation was research on what to expect. We needed to know what to bring and what to plan on for support. Even though we were unguided we still arranged for mules and other support on the mountain. Some support is required because everybody needs to be attached to a company for toilet service and handing off garbage. This same company assisted us with hotel reservations, transportation and picking up supplies. The research involved finding out as much about the route as I could. That way we already had a basic plan for what camps we would establish and the gear involved. A lot of our expense was upgrading gear.

Hiking above treeline in Colorado wasn’t just about physical training. It was about making friends with our gear. We climbed in conditions that would normally have had us hiking lower. You need to already know how you're going to deal with all your gear and clothing layers in the cold, wind & snow, so you won’t have to think about it at 22,000’. Thinking at 22,000’ isn’t to be depended on. Physical dexterity can go away also. I felt like I had about 5 beers in me descending from the summit.

As I mentioned, MountainHikerette had to turn back from high camp. So 11 days was probably too fast for her. I probably would have benefited from taking a couple more days. My first night at 18,200’ was without sleep. I did sleep the next night, so we went for the summit on the third night. I slept really well the fourth night at 18,200’ after returning from the summit.

You might not have the luxury of sticking to a predetermined schedule. You could find yourself looking at a weather window that will close and not open again until after you have to leave. That’s where some people discover they can trudge along and others have to descend feeling like crap.

[Aggie_05]

Not a lot to contribute as I didn't climb it, but here is a video my wife and I made from our road trip around the area -- right around the 1:15 mark we stop by the turnoff to the ODS trailhead. If you make it to the Argentine side of the pass, definitely spend a day and night at the Fiambala hot springs - maybe after your climb to soak your muscles.
Let's see if this video works:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4TgHPc ... RiMTlhZTQz