Your safety and success are the top priorities, in that order. An expedition company should invest heavily and plan extensively for your safety by outfitting their teams with the best logistics and the most capable, qualified, and seasoned guides in the world.

Aconcagua is arguably one of the most underestimated peaks in the world with many climbers expecting a difficulty similar to Kilimanjaro. At Climbing the Seven Summits we believe it is in your best interest to tell it to you straight – Aconcagua is a very tough mountain! Physically it is closer to Denali than Kilimanjaro or Elbrus, with several days of carrying a full pack from camp to camp just to get in position for the summit day.

Summit day itself is one of the most arduous days of climbing on any of the Seven Summits involving 12 to 16 hours of climbing above 20,000 feet.

Beware of operators who downplay the difficulty of Aconcagua or call it a beginner peak just to bolster their team size; they often end up turning half their team back without remorse as they chase a buck. At CTSS we will be frank about the realities and challenges of Aconcagua so you can arrive properly prepared to meet your goal rather than sugar coating it as an ‘easy trekking peak’. While Aconcagua may seem ‘technically straight forward’ the length of the expedition, the weight of your pack, the extreme altitude, and self sufficient expedition style combine to make it a true big mountain experience. 

Our program has been designed to keep you safe and see you succeed. Our Aconcagua climbs boast a whopping 93% client success rate overall, compared to the standard of 30-40%!

CTSS is happy to provide training suggestions and link our climbers to qualified coaches to prepare for any climb.

Most people fail (60-70% of people) on Aconcagua because of poor acclimatization and a rushed schedule.

Aconcagua is an extreme altitude peak and should be treated as such. To be successful you need to give your body time to adjust, even Base Camp is at an altitude of 4,200m!

Look for an expedition company that has inbuilt contingency days, a carry high, sleep low strategy, and a calm and patient ascent. Avoid expeditions that offer shorter itineraries, which – while tempting if you only have a certain amount of holiday leave from work – are detrimental to your success. (The exception to this rule is a true ‘speed ascent’ climb where you diligently preacclimatize at home.)

Everybody acclimatizes differently and how well you acclimatize can even vary from climb to climb. Be patient with yourself, be conservative, and make sure you take care of yourself (for instance, keeping a slow pace and keeping well hydrated).

Our CTSS Aconcagua guides our experts at high altitude pace setting and identifying signs and symptoms of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness, commonly known as altitude illness) to keep you safe.

Look for guides who are seasoned experts with a strategy that is patient, conservative, and well planned to give you the best opportunity for success.

Guides on Aconcagua should be well qualified with excellent safety records.

They need to be adept at managing a team while troubleshooting and pivoting their plan and strategy to meet the conditions of the day. It is a given on Aconcagua that plans will change and having a seasoned guide who can work through that by leaning on their own extensive experience in the mountains is key.

Guides should also have a history of assisting climbers in navigating travel in Argentina and have a solid background support structure.

Our mountaineering guide staff are second to none, and our teams also always include our phenomenal local guides who have spent decades climbing and guiding on Aconcagua, speak Spanish fluently, and can share their generous Argentinian culture with you. Our local guides are the class of the mountain, meeting and exceeding the high expectations around safety and customer service that CTSS demands.

As operators on Aconcagua we strive to be the most forward thinking and best prepared outfit on the mountain.

As mountaineers ourselves, we know not every climber is the same and a ‘one size fits all approach’ doesn’t apply very well to big mountains like Aconcagua.

Look for an operator who will customize your expedition to suit your experience, time-frame, budget and goals.

For example, pressed for time? You can do a speed ascent and pre-acclimatize at home.

Fixed departure dates don’t suit you? Craft a custom trip around your own schedule.

Want a little more ‘rugged luxury’? Opt for our Aconcagua Executive expeditions to give yourself the edge in comfort, schedules, and amenities.

Want to work with a particular guide? No problem!

CTSS can make it happen.

Have you heard of the “Marginal Gains” philosophy?

The idea is that by capitalising on every little hidden advantage – 1% here, 1% there – small gains quickly compound into a huge overall improvement.

CTSS prides itself on this kind of innovation across all of our expeditions including Aconcagua. We optimize both the big details like guide staff, schedules etc, all the way through to the tiny comfort details.

For instance we plan our expedition menus using local food which is hearty and delicious vs. eating dehydrated or basic camp meals because we know well fed climbers are happy, healthy climbers with more energy on summit day.

It’s also why we invest in the nicest accommodations in base camp which include hot showers and free wifi, and provide hot drinks and other snacks to keep you energised and hydrated.

People may dismiss little luxuries as ‘soft’ but we invest in them because they are highly strategic.

Successfully summiting the world’s mightiest peaks requires more than just physical fitness. It also demands enormous mental strength, commitment, and most importantly, deep humility.

The ‘secret sauce’ to a great expedition is the people you share your experience with. When you have great people together in the mountains it is advantageous to everyone’s safety, success, AND ultimate enjoyment. It can be the difference between success and failure.

Most operators never even bother getting to know their clients and will blindly accept anyone who pays the bill.

CTSS is selective of both our guide staff and our clients. We will only enrol climbers who we feel will be an asset to our team and regularly deny applicants.

This screening is not about fitness, age, skillset, previous climbing experience etc. (we can create individual plans to address those), it’s about character.

It’s our goal to consciously craft a powerful, cohesive culture, and sense of belonging on all of our expeditions so that everyone can enjoy themselves in the mountains in a kind, responsible, and humble way.

If you are entitled or aren’t prepared to toe the line and be a good teammate, we’ll politely part ways.

We don’t mean to offend, we just want to climb with other like minded people who are willing to put in the work to achieve great things and become their best selves.

We think you probably do too.

Read more at https://climbingthesevensummits.com/ctss-policy/

Does an operator have strong values?

This is sometimes a little harder to identify as it’s more a feeling than a sales pitch, but you should get a feel for a company through their little interactions, their care factor, their attention to detail, their corporate social responsibility, their environmental stewardship, their response to you.

Mountaineering can be high risk and stressful so pick an operator who has strong core values and a team mentality that aligns with yours so that when things get challenging you can rely on open lines of communication, knowing they will do what they can to support you.

It is this team cohesiveness that flows through to each individual climber and helps them stand on top.