To get ready to observe the February 7, 2008 Antarctic annular solar eclipse from the Mount Vinson summit at 4,897 meters (16,067 ft), reaching in eleven days the Aconcagua’s summit at 6,962 meters (22,841 ft) is a good rehearsal. During the month of December 2005 I will join the Allibert climbing expedition with six other mountaineers. In order to acclimatize to the altitude we will first climb during three days in Chile the Plomo (5,430 m — 17,815 ft). The Aconcagua being in a low pressures area, its "physiological" elevation is believed to be near 8,000 meters and climbing it can be more challenging than many "7,000". To carry out all my expeditions and prepare the "Solar Eclipses" tours around the world, I am looking for sponsoring and resellers. Every year on average 5,400 people visit the Aconcagua Provincial Park and 3,650 try reaching the summit. Nowadays, the first thing a mountaineer does is check the Internet to find information on the recommended equipment and the various ways to prepare his expedition. Your sponsoring entitles you to get advertising space on my website with a link pointing to yours. Your company logo will also be displayed on my equipment and will appear in the various media used. Thank you all in advance for your support and help.
El Cerro Aconcagua, often referred to as the "Stone Sentinel" ("Centinela de Piedra"), with its 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) is the highest peak of the Americas and the highest peak in the world outside of Asia. This giant towers all the neighboring five thousand meters peaks.
Some of the various challenges to climb the summit are : fog, altitude, cold and winds, especially the "Viento Blanco"; those very cold winds can blow at 180 kph (110 mph) and the temperature can drop down to -45°C (-50°F).
The normal route is a non-technical climb, the main and only difficulty lies 350 meters below the summit, the «Canaleta» is a rocky couloir with an elevation gain of more than 350 meters (1,200 feet) and nearly 50% slope.
Depending on the season you can have some compact snow neve making the ascent harder in some places; crampons, ice axes and ropes are then mandatory.
Being well acclimatized to the altitude and an excellent physical condition are the keys to reach the summit. About forty deadly accidents have been reported on the normal route, most of the victims having perished of cold and exhaustion, after getting lost on the mountain.