@@javiervera7025 my asthma or altitude wasn’t affecting me that much until the summit. However, my feet was getting numb halfway up on summit day and I was concerned with hypothermia .
Great vid! What did you guys use for sleeping warm high up the mountain? Im trying to work out if an inflatable sleeping mat with an R-value of 3.5 enough if paired with a closed cell foam mat? Or would you need one of those "extreme" inflatables up over 6 R-value and also a foam mat?
thanks for watching. I brought with me a regular foam mat with rating R3.4, also my 4 season R4.9 air cell, from thermarest. On top, my -20C down sleeping bag. You don't need the extreme air mat as long as you have a decent foam for the bottom layer, and a good sleeping bag. Most tour agencies will also advise similar setup. I don't get a good night rest at the higher camps if I don't have my down booties to sleep in. Generally at Camp 3 on summit day, outside temperature is generally around -20C when you leave camp
I enjoyed your footage a lot thank you, I was wondering about your asthma and how difficult was it once you were up there, I'm curious because I want to Start Climbing High altitude mountains and I have asthma.
Hey Omar, reducing your asthma is always a continuous work in progress, in your fitness and listening to your body. Working on your pacing, your breathing patterns, endurance, and just general outdoor training throughout the years has helped a lot. Because I had some experiences in altitude such as climbing over 3000m +, and everest base camp, kilimanjaro, it gain me more insight of what is expected to a certain level. The oxygen level is thinner, colder. You need to keep hydrating, and avoid having your lungs/throat from drying out, as that is the main thing that triggers my dry cough, and will trigger my asthma, which is did at the summit. We used our buffs ( neck gaitors) to try and keep our moisture intact, doing deep breaths rather than short ones, even though your body will keep telling you it needs more oxygen, however the more breathes your take, the drier your throat gets. I definitely had some asthma when I was at the summit, coughing while I was catching my breath, using my inhaler, but I was able to control it when I stayed calm and collective. If you have tall mountains in your area, it's an advantage for you, to start training, with backpack. If you don't, continue to work on your fitness, and travel to areas that have 3000-4000m to start off and see how you feel
Congratulations. Enjoyed the video. I have a question on what pack(s) you used. 1) Did you use your main pack for the approach or did you bring a smaller one for the trek to Plaza de Mulas? 2) Did you use your main pack for summit day or did you bring a small summit pack (or your approach pack)? If you used your main pack on summit pack did you take it all the way up or leave it at the Canaleta (which I hear some people do)? I'm looking for advice on the size needed for the normal route for the main pack and approach/summit pack. Thank you.
thanks for watching. 1) based on your preference, some people brought a day pack, others used the large 60L+ backpack towards plaza de mulas. Just carrying water, snacks, camera, a few layers and more depending if you've reached your weight limit for the mules. We had the mules carry our mountaineering gear with our duffel bag for mulas, while we had a temp bag provided by the tour company for our 2 night overnight stay in confluencia. 2) For summit day, you can get by with a day pack (30L ideally). Some people will leave their approach bag halfway at the cave (canaleta) which I did , and just carrying your essentials with you to the summit, and wearing your layers, camera, water, helmet and goggles. So overall, have your 70L+ backpack from base camp until camp 3, and a daypack for summit day and confluencia, mont benete and acclimatization days. Feel free to ask more questions if needed. Cheers.
@@StandingInMotion - Can I ask another questions about your boots? It sounds like they weren't working for you. Did you have your own or did you rent them? Did you size up to allow enough room for 3 pairs of socks? What type were they (sounds like we should avoid them)?
@@TrekStar30 I wore 3 socks on summit day and unfortunately the shitty rental boots were useless. I didn't want to fork another grand to purchase 6000m boots at that time, and only using it for summit day, hence why I went with rentals instead. The ones the rentals usually hand out are the scarpa Invernos. It's like walking in ski boots and the insulation was too used. Avoid at all cost. people that I spoke to also hated these boots. I would consider looking at the phantoms, G2's as the more popular boots for 6000m range.
Inspirational video, thank you for sharing. I just did Kili this summer and I plan to do Aconcagua in the near future. Should I train/prepare differently for someone that just completed Kili? Thank you!
Hi Ken. Thanks for watching. I also did Kili prior before my climb to Aconcagua. It helped me give a sense of what my comfort level was at 6000m, my breathing, physical and mental fitness, which gave me more confidence for Acon. I would keep with the same training regime. You're still hiking slow, drinking 3-4L of water a day, eating and getting enough sleep. If you're not hiring porters to help carry your gear, food and supplies from base camp to the higher camps, I would suggest doing some backpacking training, carrying your 70L backpack with about 40 lbs of weight, could be at the gym, or your local hills. Depending on your fitness, you can get to the summit without taking diamox, and the guides will recommend not to take it, unless necessary. You also need your 6000m mountaineering boots, so if you haven't purchased it already, give them some time to break them in before your trip. I had a terrible experience with the rental boots. Be prepared for -20C temperatures. Hand and foot warmers if you need them. Always listen to your body, stay grounded, enjoy the experience, regardless whether you make it to the top or not. At the altitude of 6000m+, on summit day, it will probably be the toughest day of your life, speaking for myself that has asthma. Go with a group tour. Summit day is pretty much a mental game. A positive attitude goes a long way and plenty of support from your team members.
@@StandingInMotion Wow! Thank you so much for the hearty response! : ) Yes I did some preliminary research and have settled on getting La Sportiva G2SM or G2 Evo boots. I did take Diamox on Kili, but I have heard some people don't recommend them on Aconcagua (I guess I'll bring some for emergency). Which tour group did you use? I was leaning towards Inka Expedition or Elite Exped, have you heard of these two? Thank you again and happy holidays.
@@KenMathTeacher Both are good boots. Im considering getting the Phantoms for my other 6000m climbs. Regarding Diamox, everyone's body works differently in the mountains. Definitely bring some for emergencies as you can't buy them at base camp but the tour companies will bring some as well. If you go by the books and if you're feeling well, and following the 3 golden rules, eat, sleep, hydrate, you shouldnt need the pills. Honestly I just took advil twice a day to prevent possible headaches from AMS. Bring Halls, or other cough meds; the coughs will come, and you rather not have that on your flight home. I went with Inka. Logistically, they are the largest and provide great online customer service. Grajales is also another well known company i'd recommend too. I heard good things with Elite, but I believe they charge more. Bring a couple of neck buffs or balaclava. It's a dry sandy hike towards base camp. And also helps with keeping moisture in during your summit climb, or you'll get the case of dry coughs for a while. It might get a bit slow and boring at base camp, but it's required to acclimate. So bring something to keep yourself busy, even though they have free limited wifi. I found it quite freeing to be disconnected at that time when the pandemic was starting.
@@StandingInMotion Thank you so much for your insightful responses! I've never gotten more than a sentence from other travel vloggers. You're the best : ) If I have more questions (which I probably will haha), may I contact you via email or some other social media account? Thank you so much again for all the advice.
@@KenMathTeacher no problem. Im sure you'll have more questions as the time approached. I've spent months on research, reading, youtube, and from other climbers to be as prepared as I can, but only so far of course. You can find my contact on my profile. If you have instagram, I've documented my story on my highlights section @standinginmotion with more day to day detail
Great video. I have done Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Inca Trail, Grand Canyon and some state highest peaks but I would really like to do Aconcagua. I noticed you seem to be wearing over glasses sunglasses. If so what brand are they and do you like them? I wear contacts but not on dusty mountains. I wear glasses with over glasses sunglasses but mine are cheap and I'd like to upgrade. Did you have any hand/foot warmers to keep you feet warm? Glad you made it to the top. Thanks again.
Thanks for watching my video. Guess you and I have some similar interests as well. Makes sense to do Aconcagua if you feel comfortable already in the 5000m+ summits. This experience will be your toughest yet, mentally and physically, but mostly a lot of will power to push through, assuming the weather elements and altitude doesn't hold you back down. For my eyewear setup, I wear reg prescription glasses and swap to prescription sunglasses when its hot. When it does get dusty or I need to coverage, then I swap to my overglasses. My team members that wore contacts during the expedition noted that it was a pain, considering how dry and cold the environment was. My overglasses I purchased locally through my local eyewear retail, but the closest brand you could look for is called Cocoons. The frame can be flexed, polarized and UV400 lenses, and pretty affordable. Only on summit day is when you'll require ski goggles. I bought a few hand and foot warmers as backup but didn't need them. I'm from canada so I can handle most of the -20C chill for the most part. And I had -20C gloves/mitts and 6000m mtn boots as well. But to each their own, as everyone handles the cold differently. Feel free to reach out to me if you have more questions. Cheers.
I did bring Diamox with me for the expedition however the guide said its recommended not to take them if I do not have not. There was not a lot of water after base camp and the season was pretty dry, so taking diamox will require nearly double the water intake, usually 3 L a day will become over 5L in order not to feel the affects of high altitude. Everybody's body reacts different to high altitude, so going slow, taking my time, getting a lot of rest, I was able to avoid altitude sickness for the majority of the trip until summit day. The meds are a good back up plan if your body isn't confident. Thanks to my previous experience hiking Everest base camp and Kilimanjaro, I knew how my body reacted, and to know when to push it or slow down. The itinerary itself offers enough time to acclimate as long as you listen to your body, checking your blood oxygyen level, plenty rest and hydrate.
Hi Richard, this video was not intended to be educational but rather a collection of memories through what I captured during my climb, for something I can watch to relive those moments. As to what I was feeling, I did talk more about it once we went further up the high camps and towards the summit when lack of oxygen and my asthma started to take effect, and how I almost didn't summit. I don't usually take videos of myself or talk during the video. Plus there are many educational videos on youtube talking about their experience.
