Mount Aconcagua

The highest peak in South America | Discontinued Climb

Fahad Badar recounts his Aconcagua expedition in Argentina, turning back with altitude sickness and preparing for future mountaineering challenges.

Aconcagua, at 6,961 meters, is the highest peak in South America, and the highest outside of the Himalayan ranges. I signed up for the expedition with a regional travel agency. After a hike of several days through the Aconcagua base camp, we began the climb. My guide was Mariano, a brilliant and charismatic Argentinian guide.

I had settled on an ambition to scale Everest relatively soon after climbing Mount Elbrus. I also had a longer-term ambition to complete the Seven Summits – the highest peak on each continent. Nearly all successful expeditions to the world’s highest mountain are in May or June. If I were to attempt Everest the year after my climbs of Kilimanjaro and Elbrus, it made sense to fit in a preparatory expedition in the northern hemisphere winter of 2018-2019. This led me to consider an expedition to Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, 32 degrees south of the Equator. The Christmas period, midsummer, is the best time for a climb.

To begin with, the climbing went well, but as we reached higher altitudes on the summit push, I started to feel ill, even though I had completed a rotation as high as Camp 2. When I reached Camp 2 on the final push, the symptoms became worse. I vomited and felt weak. Strong winds caused us to have to stay at Camp 2 for two days, during which time my symptoms did not improve. Reluctantly, I had to take the advice that my altitude sickness was too severe and I headed back down the mountain.

This setback was chastening, but did not deter me in my ambition to continue mountaineering, and to reach the summit of Everest.