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A big climbing expedition such as an Aconcagua climb is a gear intensive endeavor to be certain. We have found that much time and effort is spent by expedition members packing and repacking gear only to tear into their bags again looking for a forgotten item. The following primer may aims to streamline some of that process by helping folks to understand what is coming next and how to be prepared for it.

Packing at Home

Packing at home is the easiest of the many times you will be packing. Everything is clean, dry and no one is waiting on you to finish. The overriding goal here is not to forget anything! To accomplish this, after everything is amassed refer to the gear list and check off each item as it is placed in the bags for the final time. It is amazing how easy it is to forget a critical item if you don’t actually place in the bag and check it off. Make a separate list of any incidental items that are missing. How things are actually arranged in the bags etc. is not of great importance now as everything will be completely removed as soon as you arrive at the hotel in Mendoza for the gear check. While you have everything out and are packing at home this is an excellent chance to test if everything fits easily into your large duffle bag for the mules. All personal equipment that with the exception of trekking gear should be laid out and test fit into the large duffle. This includes expedition pack, warm clothes, plastic boots, sleeping bag and pad, toiletries etc. If you are fighting to get the zipper closed inside the comfort of your home you might think about upgrading to a larger bag for the trip. Lastly make sure all checked bags are well labeled with your personal information.

When you are registered we will send you the complete packing guide, including how to pack at the hotel and then on the mountain.

Climber Experiences

Let me just say thank you for how you were with my wife while I was on the mountain. This was a very important to me and I am very pleased that you were so helpful with letting my wife know what was going on.
Leo was a fantastic guide with great energy, and I could not ask for a better companion for the duration of the trip!! All in all, the trip was fantastic and well organized!!
Anyhow, thanks again for all your hospitality and helpfullness…you guys should be proud of your business!

Erhard Zeising
USA

Le voyage était parfait, avec l’immense satisfaction d’avoir été en haut de l’aconcagua !
Excellent guides, very professional and very dedicated to the success of the expedition. Very good logistics (transfers, mules); Pre-Read materials (Aconcagua book, map…) were very good; Excellent hotel in Mendoza (Hyatt!)

I would definitely recommend KL Expeditions / Aconcagua Express Expeditions.

Pascal Tiercelin
France

Volevo ringraziarti di tutto per quello che hai fatto tu e i tuoi collabori durante la nostra permanenza in Argentina. Hai dei collaboratori molto bravi anche a Plaza Argentina siamo stati trattati benissimo specialmente da Carolina che con la sua bravura e disponibilità ci ha coccolati per tutta la nostra permanenza. Io penso che, non so ancora quando, ma ritorneremo in Argentina e stai sicuro che torneremo ancora con i servizi dell’Aconcagua Express. Ciao saluta e ringrazia tutti i tuoi collaboratori, un saluto particolare a Carolina.

Renzo Dalla Bona Italian Team
Italy

Hallo Joaquin
Ich möchte mich auf diesem Weg für Dein perfektes Service bei unserer Aconcagua Expedition bedanken. Es war von Anfang an eine Freude mit Dir zusammen zu arbeiten. Die Transfers, sowie die Reservierung und Bezahlung der Permits haben wunderbar geklappt, auch die Hotels waren einfach klasse.

Es gilt besonders hervor zu heben die Flexibilität von Aconcagua Express bei Terminänderungen und die Freundlichkeit der Mitarbeiter. Ich werde Dich und Deine Firma auf alle Fälle bei den Alpinschulen in Österreich, Italien und Deutschland weiterempfehlen.

Christine und Werner
Austria

Aconcagua Express & KL Adventure was truly a wonderful experience. From the pre- trip client care to the world class guide and staff, fabulous base camp cuisine, traveling safely and ethically, superior route experience and better pricing than most other outfits. Truly a fantastic trip that I have no reservations in recommending to Americans or anyone else interested in a climb.

Eric Hornbeck
USA

Hello, Magaly!
Was good talking to you on the phone today. We are very happy with the trip, a bit tired and feel very lucky with the weather and our guide, Gabriel, both being important factors that allowed us to summit.

Olga Kotova
Latvia

Overall I was very happy with the trip. Logistics of the trip were well organized; the pre-trip info, the food at base camp, the hotels, transports and equipment provided by KL / Aconcagua Express Expeditions were good.
Our guides, Kristina and Nenu, were excellent. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and capable. I had every confidence in them.

Brett Mc Fadyen
Australia

Lieber Joaquin,
Ich möchte Dir nochmals herzlich danken für Dein großes Engagement, für die perfekte Organisation und all die vielen Kleinigkeiten, die Du für uns so selbstverständlich erledigt oder geregelt hast. Vielen Dank für die ausführliche e-Mail-Kommunikation und Beratung vor unserer Expedition, für Deine engagierten und motivierten Mitarbeiter im Base-Camp, in Mendoza oder wo sie uns auch immer geholfen haben, für die Auswahl von Rob als Guide und für die exzellente kulinarische Verpflegung. Richte bitte besondere Grüsse an Jorgelina und Juan aus, die uns so erstklassig verpflegt haben. In meinem Kopf habe ich unzählige wunderschöne Bilder und Erinnerungen an diese Expedition, die man nicht mit dem Fotoapparat festhalten kann, die mich aber sicher mein Leben lang begleiten werden. Danke!
Herzliche Grüße,

Nicole Benning
Deutschland

Everything went very smooth, it was great to have a small bag of stuff sent from Plaza Argentina around to Plaza de Mulas, as we could have clean underwear, socks and our trail shoes without having to carry them to high camp.

Tatiana seemed very knowledgeable with first aid and altitude sickness, and seemed well prepared.  Tatiana’s food was awesome. The other groups in our camps were jealous when all they had was rice and we had fresh baked pizza in Camp 2! A couple mornings in base camp, there was not much provided for breakfast (one day was only toast) and we finally had to ask them each day to make eggs.

Joaquin was very helpful with all of my requests, and very quick to respond, which is one of the main reasons I selected KL Adventure to work with on this trip.

The transfers and transport was fine.  All vehicles were comfortable and there was plenty of room.  Hyatt is awesome of course. Penitentes is not great, but obviously there is no other option.

The trip was great, we will definitely work with you again for our 2010 climb, and also hope to add a Patagonia trip in the near future. It was also nice to have Joaquin meet the group in Mendoza and to spend more time with him on the drive to Santiago. We would definitely want to have Tatiana as our guide again.  She was exceptional and there was not another guide on the mountain I would have rather had than her. It is also very nice to have a local guide as your leader, better in my opinion than having American or European guides.

Billi also did a very nice job, as an assistant guide she was great.  The two of them worked very well together.

Andrew Nachman Northwest Voyageur
USA

Hallo Joaquin,
Nun bin ich schon einen Monat zurück in Deutschland und denke immernoch jeden Tag an die tolle Bergtour zum Aconcagua. Du glaubst nicht wie glücklich ich bin, daß ich das geschaft habe. Dies habe ich im besonderen Dir und Deinem Unternehmen Aconcagua Express zu verdanken. Mit Tom Torkelson hatten wir einen super Bergführer der zum einen eine sehr schöne Route zum Gipfel geführt hat, Vacas Route, die zum anderen auch eine optimale Aklimatisation ermöglicht hat. Die gesamte Organisation war vom Anfang bis zum Ende sehr gut. Es gibt wirklich nichts was ich meine, was besser gemacht werden könnte. Wenn Du neue Kunden aus Deutschland oder Europa hast, die Fragen zur Aconcaguabesteigung haben, kannst Du Ihnen gerne meine email-Adresse geben, damit Sie Kontakt mit mir aufnehmen können.
Vielen vielen Dank!!

Johannes Niedeggen
Deutschland