Feb 15
9000 Meter Challenge on Track with Aconcagua Summit

Jantoon Reigersman recently set out on a journey “from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the world.” It began with a 152-meter dive off the coast of Egypt and will culminate with the summit of Mt. Everest this May. His challenge is to make the world’s first 9000-meter ascent.

I’ve just returned to Europe after the successful summit of Aconcagua in Ecuador. At 6962 meters, it is the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas, resulting in high susceptibility for AMS (altitude mountain sickness). We’re fortunate to have all made it back safely.

We began the climb in early January and spent three days trekking up to base camp. It was an incredible journey complete with beautiful weather, breathtaking scenery, the Southern Cross in the nightsky, and fantastic Argentinean food and people. The journey was enhanced with an expedition team filled with people from all walks of life.

Our time at base camp was consumed by making our lives as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances. After acclimatizing for a few days, we began our ascent up the rest of the mountain. As part of our training, we prepared everything at the highest possible elevation and slept at the lowest. For example, we trekked up to Camp 1 and then back down to base camp in the evening. The following day we made it to Camp 2 and returned to Camp 1 to sleep. After a week, we were finally ready for the summit.

January 22 was a very long day, but we were fortunate enough to have good weather. After an 11-hour climb, we reached the summit in good condition! Elated and exhausted, we made our way back to base camp, packed up and headed to Mendoza, where we enjoyed the Argentinean tango and delicious steak.

Training in preparation for Everest has ramped up with our departure for Nepal quickly approaching. The heat is on!


Author: - Monday, February 15th, 2010
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