Summit Success!

Scott called me this morning from the top of South America!  They made it there around 11am (local time) and spent 45 minutes enjoying the view and their accomplishment.  He said that the last hour was a real push due to the altitude and the cold.  They were ascending the west side of the NW ridge, so they were in the shade the whole way up.  It's hard to imagine that in a few days they will be back down to lower elevations (it is 91 degrees in the city of Mendoza today!).

I will be sure to post another update once they have safely reached Camp II, where they will rest and spend the night.

Climbing Mt. Aconcagua presents all kinds of challenges since mountaineers have to handle rock, ice and snow, in addition to high winds and extreme temperatures.  Since it is the highest mountain outside of Asia, it is also very challenging due to its high elevation at 22,841 ft.  Some expert climbers also argue that because of its geographical location, the atmosphere is thinner and humidity is lower, making it even more physically challenging than other mountains.  Vegetation in the Central Andes Mountain range only reaches 13,000 ft., while Asia's Himalayan Mountain range has vegetation up to 16,400 ft., which is a testament to the sparse and severe conditions of Aconcagua.

Great job, guys!  Now descend safely please.