Aconcagua Questions

Our goal is to work together as a team so that all members reach the top safely. We do not expect you to be expert (although some members are) but, nor are we a climbing school (although we do conduct one or two days of training at the beginning of each expedition).

If you need fundamental technical training, and snow and ice experience, we urge you to participate in our GLACIER SCHOOL held each spring and autumn.

Our leaders are there to ensure (for our full-service members) you make it up to the summit and back down safely. Team members are expected to be able to care for themselves in a winter-camping and climbing environment. Obviously when climbing the highest mountain in the Americas, there are hazards present, and members must have experience (for Polish Direct) in roped rock and ice climbing techniques (to protect from falling down the mountain or into crevasses), and have winter-condition climbing experience in the greater ranges of the world, including placing and retrieving anchors, belaying, abseiling, glacier rescue and avalanche awareness. It is also required that all members will have knowledge of altitude sickness, frostbite, and the recognition of their symptoms, prevention, and treatment. When traveling above basecamp, all members must climb with another team member or leader at all times.

We welcome you to join our expedition as an individual and most of our members do. We plan to assemble our team members into groups so you should not have to climb alone, although occasionally it may happen. By the way, we are unable to accommodate 'soloists' who are not willing to climb together with other team members or sherpas from our team. The main expectation is that members will be prepared to climb with a team member or sherpa above basecamp if possible. This practice ensures that the entire team has a fun, successful, and safe time on the mountain.