| ACONCAGUA
- January 20, 1997 |
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The
highest peak in the Americas (6 959m),
Aconcagua dominates the Andes. It is located in
Argentina, 12km from the Chilean border. Its south
face is considered one of the major mountain faces
in the world. The normal route taken by Bernard
has no glaciers; some névés, steep
slopes of unstable pebbles, its capricious weather
and its altitude are the main difficulties. |
| The
summit is wide and flat. Since Aconcagua
is located in the southern hemisphere (32°40'S),
the best season for climbing it is January.
The mountain's easy and accessible approach
often leads people to underestimate its difficulty.
It must be remembered, nevertheless, that high-altitude
mountain climbing always calls for experience,
good preparation and great mental discipline. |
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After climbing a
volcano, Maïpo (5 100m), Bernard reached
the summit of Aconcagua on January 20, 1997. He
was accompanied by the famous French climber Lucien
Bérardini, who was the first to succeed
in climbing the mountain by the south face, over
45 years ago. In honour of this expedition, the
base camp on the south side has been named Plaza
Francia. During this expedition, Nathalie climbed
to camp II, at 6 000m. |
| Normal
route:
Base camp,
Plaza de Mulas 4 200m.
Camp I, Nido
de Condores 5 400m.
Camp II, Berlin
6 000m. |
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