February 14th, 2018
Room with a View (Peter Bilodeau)
Luke and team returned to Penitentes without issues. They’ll finish the gear sorting as soon as mules arrive and then it’s onward to Mendoza. Plaza Mulas, base camp on the Horcones side early this morning and they’ll be dining on steak and Malbec tonight. A life of extremes is not such a bad thing.
We talked a lot about forecasts during this Aconcagua season but we do like good forecasts. Eric Remza and crew made their move to C2 today. That’s huge. They’re now at a point where they can sort of ‘pick their shot’. Just got off the phone with Eric and he said it was a sweet day and minimal wind at C2. He also talked about how well the members were doing and how much everyone was pitching in to help get camp up the minute they arrived. These guys are really climbers and not trekkers. These guys are active, contributing team members and they will deserve their success. Back to the forecast – it’s good. The next few days don’t show precip and they don’t show any big winds. Remember, Aconcagua is famous (or infamous) for the Viento Blanco – the White Wind. Snow, cold – no huge problem. Wind – big problem. We ‘think’ the team’s in a great position. Maybe they carry tomorrow to high camp, throw in a rest day somewhere and get serious about taking a shot Sunday or Monday.
Eric will keep me posted so I can share their plans as they continue to unfold. Again, everyone’s contributing, staying reasonably healthy and the weather is not making their job more difficult. That’s all good.
Phil Ershler