Climb of Aconcagua via the Ruta Normal route

[@markissac133]

That line really got me where he says “Reaching the summit is optional, coming back down is not”. Great video- glad to see you guys made it back safely.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks for watching!

[@juanmckelvey]

Great video. As every mountaineer knows you don't always reach the summit. The important thing is to live to tell the story.

[@JoeWilderness]

Best Aconcagua video I've seen. Even without the summit. Informative. I'm taking my shot next December. Also hoping to film it. Great video, man. Subbed!

[@BHarker75]

Thanks, I appreciate it. Good luck with your climb. I look forward to your video!

[@federicoezequielmackin]

amazing! loved this video. Sub'ed to your channel....! keep em coming. As the old saying goes: "first come back, second come back as friends...the summit is third.".

[@BHarker75]

Yes! Thank you!

[@sxx2826]

Thank you for the video, very helpful information! I forwarded it to my son who is going to try it later this month. I think the experience should weigh more than the summit.

[@madalincristea9049]

Great video mate, very informative 👏

[@BHarker75]

Thanks 👍

[@huiyinghuang8459]

Thanks for sharing. One of my customers mentioned it and your sharing offers the whole line clearly. It is extremely amazing ! And it is valuable for me to have more talk with my customer in this topic. Appreciate!!!

[@BHarker75]

Great to hear and thanks for watching.

[@AaronLit]

Thank you for posting this, very helpful.

[@VictorVelazquezEspitia]

Amazing video, thanks for sharing.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks for watching!

[@kiwicory100]

Brandon, I loved your video...honest, interesting and insightful. My wife and I are playing with the idea of this climb and being more "seasoned" mountaineers really appreciate the information you presented. We had a friend who was a little older than us attempt this climb a couple of years ago and he had to turn around as well. But as always, being in the mountains always teaches.....well done and thanks so much for your video.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks for the comment and may the Aconcagua wind gods be nice to you!

[@roymeetsworld1]

The experience is all that matters

[@josephjacobs6616]

Thanks for sharing ! Epic adventure and I know you left everything out there. I tried some Alpine climbing in Peru and we had to turn back . I could see the summit right there but we ran out of time. It was the right call because you need a lot of energy and concentration coming down. Well done !

[@BHarker75]

As they say, it's better to regret turning around than to regret not turning around.

[@VicPerini]

Hi Brandon - thank you for a great video! Not sure you know this or not, but we lost Luke to the Upper Cascades a couple years ago. He guided me up Rainier and we were instant friends. I was so happy to see him in your video! ❤

[@VicPerini]

Also just realized yours was the last climb he guided. I recall watching his posts on Strava. RIP Luke.

[@BHarker75]

Yeah, I heard the sad news when it happened. Super Luke was a joy to be around and I feel lucky to have met him.

[@KevinSmith-tq3gm]

Dude! This is such a good video. I was there and summited Feb 2014. Thanks for helping me relive the memories.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks! I'm not jealous at all that you summited. 😁

[@deaneporter595]

@@BHarker75 thanks so much for sharing this video, Brandon. Can you recommended the company you used for this climb?

[@BHarker75]

@@deaneporter595 I used RMI Expeditions and my guides, Luke and David, were incredible. RMI does a very good job but ultimately it's how well you gel with your actual guides that will determine how satisfied you are. I could not recommend Luke and David highly enough. Great dudes.

[@singhdamanjeet]

Great video Sir, felt like was there in your expedition

[@BHarker75]

Thanks.

[@jefftickleschitz1265]

Great video! I did Kili in june of this year and am planning on Aconcagua in the 24/25 season, with some training climbs in the Canadian rockies before then.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks! Smart to do Kili first. May you get good weather for Aconcagua.

[@nicholasjones1]

Congratulations on your fantastic adventure, I really enjoyed your video😊

[@BHarker75]

Thanks so much!

[@matthiasho3216]

Kudos to you Mr Brandon !

[@BHarker75]

Thanks!

[@milestogochannel]

Too good brandon What a way to achieve it!!!!

[@BHarker75]

Thanks!

[@timcavanagh7280]

Brandon, what a great video. Really captured our trip! Was great being on the climb with you my friend 🏔

[@BHarker75]

Thanks, Tim. And ditto, it was great climbing with you too.

[@theluckiestwomanalive]

so inspiring! Amazing footage and insights. Thank you!

[@theluckiestwomanalive]

I am going to climb Aconcagua this Dec!

[@BHarker75]

Thanks for the comments and good luck on your climb!

[@guregorihattofirudo2627]

Great video. You listened to your head, that was absolutely the right thing to do. 🫡 I am looking at doing it next year for my birthday but am clear eyed about my chances at 65.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks for the kind comments and good luck on your upcoming climb!

[@LinusWilson]

Super cool. Life well lived.

[@paulmorin2582]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Your video was nicely done and very informative!

[@BHarker75]

Glad you enjoyed it! May summit success be in your future (if that's a goal).

[@paulmorin2582]

@@BHarker75 Thanks! It could be -- just back from Nepal (Lobuche East) and figuring out what's next. Will definitely be looking at a few in our hemisphere. :)

[@SomeDudeSomewhereOverThere]

Great video! Thank you for sharing. I was trying to decide which peak of the 7 I wanted to tackle and I think this made itself to #1

[@BHarker75]

Thanks. It is a beautiful mountain. Good luck!

[@MrNoneskull]

I've never attempted Aconcagua, but having felt the disappointment and self-doubt of turning around just shy of the top of 18,491' (5,636m) Pico de Orizaba in Mexico (which I summitted on a return trip), I can keenly relate to the motivations and mental gymnastics involved in that smart decision. "It's RIGHT there!" I kept telling myself, but my legs were gone, the hour was late, my water was perilously low, and it was time to get off that mountain. I applaud you and your team and enjoyed this documentary very much.

[@BHarker75]

Thanks so much for the comment. Those turnaround mental gymnastics are indeed brutal.

[@SlowBoatSailing]

Your tent was a 3 season. How did it work out? Did you wish you had two?

[@BHarker75]

I used a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV2 Expedition which is marketed as a 3+ season tent (burlier poles and fabric) and I was thrilled with how it performed. It stood up to the notoriously strong and persistent winds and, because it's double-walled, I didn't have any moisture issues which you can get from single wall mountaineering tents. Considering how much time we had to spend in our tents I was happy to have the room of a 2 person tent for just myself. I would make the same choice again.

[@hannahhortlik9978]

Great Video. Did. you take any pills against the altitude sickness?

[@BHarker75]

Thanks. I took diamox but my body just wasn't up for the altitude this time.

[@fortheloveofhiking1778]

I’ve watched a number of Aconcagua videos and this is by far the most interesting and informative. Do you know if renting a tent is an option?

[@fortheloveofhiking1778]

Also, can you get away with a smaller pack than 105l

[@BHarker75]

@@fortheloveofhiking1778 Thanks for the positive comments. There are multiple gear shops in Mendoza that specialize in renting gear for Aconcagua. One guy on our team had a bag get lost by the airline so he was forced to rent a bunch of gear. I can't say specifically that they also rent tents as we didn't need one but I would guess they do. If you had your gear dialed in you could definitely get away with a smaller pack than a 105L. That being said, I was glad for the 105L to fit all my gear and my share of the group gear. The 105L looks gigantic but a lot of the gear is bulky but not heavy (-20F sleeping bag, parka, etc.).

[@LinusWilson]

What did you think of the Nektek 21W solar?

[@BHarker75]

It worked surprisingly well combined with a big Anker battery bank. I think the 21W size was the key.

[@KenMathTeacher]

Hi great video! What company did you use? Any words of advice? I hope to do this in a few years : )

[@BHarker75]

I used RMI. My advice is to work your way up to Aconcagua. Rainier, Orizaba, Kili, then Aconcagua. Altitude is a butt kicker and you won't know how your body responds until you start testing it.

[@KenMathTeacher]

@@BHarker75 Thanks for responding! I did Kili a few years ago, I managed to get to the summit (but it was very exhausting and I was slow). Have you heard of the guide companies AMG, Inka Expedition or Acomara? I was leaning towards them.

[@BHarker75]

I am not familiar with those companies. Sorry.

[@hondajacka2]

How much weight were you carrying during summit day? Why were you carrying big full backpacks instead of light day packs.

[@BHarker75]

We didn't bring dedicated summit packs. We just used our expedition packs. They weighed maybe 15 or 20 lbs with food and water.

[@Bigrailindad333]

So technically there’s no death zone?

[@yangliu_6688]

I want to do Aconcagua as my first of the 7 summits... This year I have only done some non-technical climbs such as Shasta, Adams and Whitney. I'm planning on a Whitney winter trip next Feb and a Rainier trip next May. Where do you think I should go from there? I see you did a Mexico trip with RMI, do you think that's a good prep for Aconcagua, or do you think it's better to have some 6000m experience before heading to Aconcagua? Also, you mentioned that you weightlift a lot, I noticed that I lost a lot of muscle from climbing and related training. How'd you balance weight training and climbing specific training? I live in NYC so climbing for me is really just a crazy amount of stairs, and hey we have plenty of skyscrapers here!

[@BHarker75]

In my opinion, Kilimanjaro is a better choice than Aconcagua for your first of the 7 summits. Aconcagua is a full on expedition climb while Kili is a trek. Kili will give you exposure to altitude over 19,000ft on a non-technical climb to let you see how you do at altitude (nearly a mile taller than Rainier). The bonus with Kili is you can do a safari afterwards (and you absolutely should do a safari - I did a 5 day one). Regarding weightlifting, I think the extra mass of lifting heavy was a hindrance to my climbing goals. Once I got into mountaineering I intentionally dropped about 10 pounds of muscle mass to help with climbing mountains and I think it helped. Weighted incline treadmill work is my go-to training method for mountaineering. I put 30 to 45 pounds in a backpack and do an hour+ on the treadmill at 10+ degrees keeping my heart rate between zone 2 and 3. I can't speak to it personally, but a lot of people say Uphill Athlete was helpful for them - you might check it out. Thanks for the comments/questions and good luck on your summit goals!

[@yangliu_6688]

@@BHarker75 excellent advice! Thanks so much!

[@yangliu_6688]

@@BHarker75 Just another question: I saw you did most of your trips with RMI. How did you choose between the major guiding companies RMI, IMG and AAI? I'm looking to book my Rainier trip soon. Thanks!

[@BHarker75]

@@yangliu_6688 I struggled with the decision of which guide company to use because they all have positive and negative reviews. In the end your satisfaction will depend mostly on how well you get along with your guides on the trip (which is just luck of the draw). That being said, when I climbed Rainier with RMI we were the only group that summited that day due to higher winds - it was a 50/50 decision but my lead guide was invested in giving us the opportunity to summit and we did. On that day all other groups turned around (including other guide companies).

[@LinusWilson]

@@BHarker75 of the US government designated Oligopolists on Ranier RMI is the best. IMG is terrible and AA is not much better. The best solution is to organize your own expeditions or ignore Microsoft mountain.

[@RFE812]

The Spanish wiki page says that Aconcagua & Denali are on the same continent apparently. Which is ridiculous. Update, After further research, I learned Spanish geography classes teach people that Denali & Aconcagua are on the same continent.

[@TrekStar30]

Brandon - great video and congrats on getting over 21,000 feet. May I ask how old you are?

[@BHarker75]

Thanks. I'm 46.

[@TrekStar30]

@@BHarker75 - Couldn't tell from the video other than your mention about the old man's club. You have lots of time left to try again. I'll be attempting Aconcagua Jan/Feb 2024 at age 66.

[@BHarker75]

On my trip, both Tim and Joe were in their 60s. Good luck and go get it!

[@fortheloveofhiking1778]

I’m glad someone asked this! Is 46 the old man’s club? I’m 46 planning to climb in December so I certainly hope not! 😂😂

[@franzbrunner499]

@@TrekStar30 as i'm in the same age group, how do you prepare physically? jogging, a bit weight lifting, long walks, long walks with weights etc? thank you

[@olgaszoke9241]

Argentina is fantastic

[@BHarker75]

Agreed. Argentina was absolutely fantastic to me and my team.

[@leo-life-abroad]

Could you please recommend the guides?

[@BHarker75]

RMI was the guide service I used.

[@reverendjimjones9061]

a few years back it was carry day for me every day from the highway in puenta del inca up, i never made the summit either, half my gear was stolen from a drop, i was chauffuered out to the chile/argentina border as my demeanor was a tad unacceptable.

[@fumanpoo4725]

I climbed Mt. Baldy in a thong, flip flops and with only supplemental beer.

[@BHarker75]

But you had crampons on those flip flops right? Safety first.

[@shawnaadeline3822]

😅 Pᵣₒmₒˢᵐ