Customer Reviews

Aconcagua: A Climbing Guide

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A useful primer for those considering climbing Aconcagua. Describes routes of many different difficulty levels. If you are planning on doing the normal route, most of the book will be irrelevant since it describes more difficult and technical approaches. However, even the introduction and normal route description are valuable references. Especially the sections on health and safety concerns. Hopefully there will be a new edition for 1999 since I understand that in 1999-2000, Argentine regulations will require permits to purchased in Mendoza IN PERSON by those climbing -- a change from the current practice.

This book is a good intro to Aconcagua (history, geography, etc), it helps plan a trip with good tips on preparation and local arrangements. However, it does not spend enough time describing the trails and the difficulties of each route. Even the normal route, the most popular one, is not described in depth.

Anyone thinking about this climb should get this book. It, along with the video that's also available from amazon.com, make a good combination to get you mentally prepared for Aconcagua.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Secor's guide. I read it before climbing Aconcagua and when I was on the mountain I felt as if I had already been there because of the accurate description in the book. The book has also good general advice on equipment, guides, weather, and acclimatization. Definitely a good companion for a wonderful adventure.

I found this book a total waste of money, starting from totally useless route descriptions with incorrect altitudes of the camps and non-existing penitentes fields featured in them and finishing with an awfully bad and old photos. Basically, one will gain more by doing search for your planned route on Google.

Use it as a first read on aconcagua, but not as a specific guidebook. It's too general, but it's a good first read, or a good book to give you a more general idea of your options when planning an ascent in this fun mountain.

Aconcagua is one of the more accessible of the 7,000 metre peaks of the world. As such, it attracts a large number of trekkers as well as climbers each year. Some of them also die on the mountain in bad years.

While most novice climbers will probably go with one of the recognised climbing companies from Mendoza, a guide such as this excellent volume is an essential requirement in understanding and planning a climb of Aconcagua.