Mount Ojos del Salado climb is one of the most popular and demanding climbs in South America. It's a massive mountain located in the Andes highlands at an elevation of 6,893 meters (22,615 feet). The mountain has two peaks: Ojos del Salado (also known as "Cerro Moreno") is the highest peak among two while Nevado Ojos del Salado (also known as "Nevado de Tres Puntas") is the second highest.
Mount Ojos del Salado climbing routes:
There are three main routes to climb Mount Ojos del Salado:
Northeast Ridge, Southwest Ridge and Northwest Ridge. All three routes are
technically challenging and require good physical fitness. The Northwest Ridge
route is considered to be one of the hardest climbs in South America because
it's so remote and technical. Only few parties attempt this route every year
because of its extreme difficulty and lack of technical security for all
climbers involved.
Some random facts you must know before climbing Ojos del
Salado:
The ascent of Ojos del Salado is a serious undertaking and
requires an experienced team and a thorough planning.
The ascent requires at least two weeks, depending on weather
conditions and the route chosen.
The climb is not recommended for beginners or those without
previous experience in high mountains.
Climbers should be physically fit and have a good level of
acclimatization. The ascent of Mount Ojos del Salado should be done during the
austral summer (December - March).
SummitClimb teams will provide meal three times a day during
the expedition and also prepare hot drinks many times whether its Ojos del
Salado or any other peak. Every year SummitClimb runs Ama Dablam, Manaslu, Lobuche, K2, Island Peak, Aconcagua,
Everest expeditions.
Mount Ojos del Salado climb
difficulty: 3.5/5 (hard)
Ojos del Salado faces:
The mountain has four main faces (north, east, south and
west) that are split by three major ridges. The northern ridge contains the
north face, which is one of the largest faces of any 6,000-meter peak in the
world. The east ridge splits into two branches: the higher northeast branch
leads to an icefield at 6,500 meters; the lower southeast branch has been
explored by only a few parties and leads to a glacier at 6,200 meters. The
south ridge leads to another icefield at 6,500 meters; this route was first
attempted by Polish climbers in 1957 but they were unsuccessful due to bad
weather. The west ridge splits into two branches that end below 6,000 meters.
In addition to these four main ridges there are also several subsidiary ridges
connecting them together; these include a southern subsidiary ridge from the
south summit down towards its icefield and a southeastern subsidiary ridge from
that icefield up towards its ridge.
