ASCENT OF ACONCAGUA.

Shannon News, 8 June 1928, Page 3

ASCENT OF ACONCAGUA.

RIGOURS OF 23,000 FT. CLIMB

MOUNTAINEERS FROM ARGENTINE VIEW THE PACIFIC. A description published in the Buenos Aires Herald of an ascent of Aconcagua contains some interesting facts relating to the ardours of climbing and camping on a 23,000 ft. mountain. The achievement lies to.the credit of three Englishmen—Messrs Ramsay, De la Motte and Bromley —who are on the engineering staff of the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway. On February 27th, the party left Puerto del Inea at 7.30 with nine mules, tents, food and equipment, Carlos Lobos, who in 1925 successfully established a camp at 18,000 feet for Mr E. Mervyn Ryan, AdministratorGeucral of the Buenos Aires Pacific Railway, who ascended Aconcagua in that vear, was in charge; and at 17 o'clock (5 p.m.) camp was pitched at 13,200 ft., immediately below the mass of Aconcagua. The following day Lobos with two mules set off f or. the 1.8,000 ft camp., followed by two of the party, who were,later on to make the ascent. They reached 18,000 feet at 1 p-m., two hours after the mule partv had been there and left on the return journey. The two climbers, after seeing the tent and food safely placed and noting with satisfaction some firewood left by the previous occupants, returned to the base camp, the descent by the scree slopes taking three hours.

Af'.er resting at the base camp and getting accustomed to. the' altitude, Messrs Ramsay and De la Motte proceeded on Saturday, March 3rd, to the 18,000 ft camp, where they spent a comfortable night, though the temperature was down to 6 deg. F. On the Sunday several photographs were taken, and a search for the site of Mr Fitzgerald's high camp in his 1897 expedition was successful. On the Monday a start for the summit was made at 6 a.m., after a'breakfast of mate (Paraguay tea, which had been kept hot in thermos flasks), chocolate, raisins, Plasmon biscuits, and Demerara' sugar. For the first part of the climb it was still dark and the cold was intense. The route followed was identical with that taken by Mr Vines, of the Fitzgerald expedition. A halt was made for lunch under the final palisade of cliffs guarding the summit, about noon, but little food was taken. Finally an exhausting struggle up a steep scree ■g'ullv brought the climbers, at 4.50 p.m.', to the little cairn of stones which marks the summit: No view was obtainable to the south, as clouds were gathering on the south edge of- the arete' connecting Summit and West Peaks — an apparently daily occurrence at that hour. .' To the' west and north an extensive view was to be had. Over ranges and ranges of mountains the Pacific horizon showed as a golden edge on a leaden sea, and to the north was a sea of mountains, with the double pyramid of Mercedario (only slightly lower than .Aconcagua) standing out prominently. On searching the cairn no trace was found of the papers or thermometer left by Mr Ryan. Besides the cairn itself 'the only'sign of previous ' visitors Avas an empty beer bottle, winch was there when Mr Ryan's party arrived at the summit. An ice axe inscribed E.M:A.R., as well as a cocoa tin with one biscuit and some papers, were placed in the cairn, and after some photpgraphs had been taken a start was made at 5.30 p.m„ on the descent, which was made by the main scree slopes. This proved to be very, tiring, as generally the boulders were much too big to give any possibility of sliding, and a cautious and slow speed was required. Camp was reach ed in the moonlight at 9-30 p.m., and„ beds were sought at once. Mr Ramsay suffered from frost-bite on his finger:and ears, but this was put right /with the application of snow. On the Tuesday Mivßamsay return ed to the base camp, passing, M: Bromley, who was on his way up U the 18,000 ft. camp, from which he "m tended to make an attempt on the sum mit, accompanied as far as possible by Mr De la Motto. This project, how ever, did not materialise. The weathe: became more broken and much colder, and on the Wednesday night the-ther-mometer registered 38 degrees of frost There was only Thursday left on which to make the attempt, but owing to tin intense cold and unstable weather, (tin mountain being Avrapped in clouds), the idea was abandoned, and on that day Messrs Be la Motte and Ramsay descended to the base camp. Snpw had fallen, and it was necessary to cut steps across ice in -the gullies on the descent, the rope also being necessary to secure the leading man, who was carrying a 561 b load while- step-cutting.

Incidentally light was thrown on 'the fate of two Germans who attempt ed the ascent a couple of years before, one of whom never returned, though his camp was found and a note saying that he was starting the ascent. It' is thought that he completed the ascent and collected the papers and thermometer left by, the Ryan expedition, but perished on the way down. An ironshod pole or alpenstock was found by Mr De la Motte about the 20,000 ft. level, and this may have belonged to the vanished climber.

The climbers found that breathing was not difficult while complete inaction was observed, and at 13.000 ft. the party soon became acclimatised, but at 18,000 ft. even the effort of rolling oneself in blankets produced gasps for breath. On the day of the final ascent breathing was very laborious; but apart from the cold and the lack of appetite, nothing abnormal occurred. At the. two' camps, appetites were excellent, though, contrary to what was expected, no particular inclination for swdet foods was experienced. The average temperatures at the lower camp Ave re about minus 4deg. C, dur-

ing the night, and plus 10 deg. C. during the sunlit hours. Sunrise was not till. 9.45, as the whole'mass of Aconcagua rose immediately to the east—-a tremendous pile upon pile of gigantic j-ocks. At 18,000 ft. the coldest temperature recorded was minus 21deg. C., and it never rose above zero even in the sun. A keen, cutting wind always blew at the higher altitudes, making frostbite a permanent danger.