How the equipment went

This entry is in answer to questions some of my friends interested in going to Aconcagua have asked, and so will only be interesting to those who like talking about gear and technical clothes.

As I went up the normal route, a lot of technical gear was unnecessary. The crampons were a must, and we used them quite a bit (from Camp 2 up) because there was a lot of snow. I did not use my ice axe, as my walking sticks provided the necessary stability.

Glasses: these were primordial, and most people had two pairs in case one broke, as altitude blindness (both from the sun, so much more potent up there and reflected off the snow, and as a possible symptom of altitude sickness) is pretty serious. I had brought a pair of colourless glasses for the nightime summit departure, but as it turns out, few people leave in the dark, and I did not use them at all. The glasses, naturally, need to be category 3 and preferably 4, mountain glasses, with side protections to keep out the sand, sun, wind etc.

Tent: this was provided by the company, a four-season, wind-proof north face expedition tent. Made for 2, but 3 of us slept in it in the high camps pretty comfortably.

Clothes: the company I traveled with had a long list of things we should bring, and I feel that it could be cut a little. There are a couple of things I never did use. As things gets carried to base camp by mule, however, I sent everything along, and decided there what to take up higher.

Feet:
-I used my ice-climbing, sportiva boots. These are not double-plastic, and are colder than double plastics. I used them together with supergaiter and two pairs of wool socks. Despite this, my toes got cold a couple of hours into summit day, but this may have been due to the fact that I was unwell, and very slow, therefore unable to keep warm. I was fine on the other days I wore them. Still, if I were to do it again, I am not sure that I would not decide for double boots.
-I wore my leather trekking boots up to base camp. They could theoretically be worn to Camp 3, but that adds so much weight, few would want to do it.
-I had my mec base camp duvet booties and would definitely take them again. They kept my feet warm, have enough grip to allow for walking around the camps without any problems, and let sore feet rest instead of being in boots all the time.
-I had 3 pairs of solid, up to knee, thick mountaineering socks, and merino wool base layer socks. They are very comforting. Still, my feet got cold at night and I slept with my fleece coat wrapped around them.

Lower body:
I wore trekking pants up to base camp. For the higher camps, I had a pair of thermal underwear, a pair of fleece pants, and a pair of goretex pant covers, all of which I wore on summit day.

Upper body:
Once again, up to base camp, a t shirt, with a long-sleeved thin shirt on top for when it was cooler, was enough during the day(both were of merino wool). At the higher camps, I chose a thick synthetic base layer (I had two, one a mec, the other a patagonic; the mec had the advantage of having a hood and thumb holes), with a thicker mid-layer. I did not have, but wished I did, a sleeveless vest, useful to keep the wind off your core while still keeping you from over heating. The higher we went, the colder it got. Depending on the wind, I added to this either my goretex coat with underarm zips opened to let body heat escape, or my wind-proof fleece jacket. When we came down from summit day, which was cold, I wore both. On summit day itself, I had my two base layers and my duvet coat, which had, up until now, only been worn at night at base camp, and while not walking on the upper camps. I had also chosen to bring a very light duvet "sweater", which I slept in at the higher camps, despite my warm sleeping bag. It was a very welcome addition. I tried to sleep with my fleece jacket, but somehow, that made me colder.

Hands: I had two pairs of fleece gloves, but wish I had brought a pair of waterproof gloves for when it snowed, because my hands got cold when wet, and putting on the goretex overmits reduced dexterity. I also had a pair of thick synthetic mid-layer mitts and goretex overmits for summit day. Layers is key.

Head: I had 2 tuques, one a lightweight fleece perfect for most days, the other a windproof tuque. I wore them together in the higher camps, and slept with the fleece one. My duvet jacket had a hood which is indispensable. I brought a neoprene mask (that I use for running when it is extra cold) which I wore on summit day. I wish I had not lost my balaclava, it would have been great to keep the dust out on the first, hot days. Bandanas would have done well too.

I took hand and toe warmers. The toe warmers work pretty well, but almost none of my hand warmers did. I don't know if there wasn't enough oxygen for them, but depending on them is definitely dangerous.

For women: I gave up wearing sanitary napkins or tampons with applicators many years ago, for environmental reasons, but I would take tampons with applicators up the next time. Keeping your hands clean is hard up on the mountain. Just remember whatever trash you create has to be carried out. Makes pads a great deal less appealing. Also, some women skip periods altogether after a certain altitude, which is what happened with me, I had a 5-week cycle, and my normal cycle is 3 weeks. One shouldn't depend on this, of course, but I was very thankful for it!

I would definitely bring more of the foods described in that post (one of the earlier ones).

Stoves are fickle at high altitude. It's always best to know how to take them apart and fix them, and also primordial to have a back up. We had 3 for the 5 of us.

And a few notes on comfort. Lots of people don't bring pillows. I had a very small, duvet one, which is supplemented by adding whatever clothes I was not wearing, and am glad I brought it. Sleeping is important, it is not a luxury, and being comfortable helps in that. A few personal items that bring comfort in difficult moments help emotionally. For me, that was having my cel phone, on which I had pictures and messages that I looked at and read, having my journal to write it, and having a book to read to pass the long hours of listening to the wind.

On the note of reading, I brought some classic mountain literature, and rather regret it. Being in difficult conditions and then reading about hardship did not really help. Wish I'd stuck to a trash novel.

So, apart from a few details, I feel we were very well prepared for this expedition, gear-wise, and there are not many things I would change.