The Expedition Trip Notes provide detailed information and background for Adventure Consultants' Ojos del Salado Expedition.
You can view the trip notes online by clicking the image or download a pdf by clicking the following link:
Ojos del Salado Expedition Trip Notes 2023
Team Membership
The team will have a minimum size of 5 members. The number of guides is determined by the team size but the normal ratio of guides to members is 1:3 for climbing Ojos del Salado route.
Note: We can arrange private departures on alternate dates to our scheduled trips to suit groups of all sizes, please enquire for pricing.
Our Guides
Your expedition leader will be scheduled approximately six months out from the trip start. All of our trip leaders have extensive experience at high altitude and a proven record of safety, success and compatibility. Our 2018 and 2020 expeditions were led by:
Lydia Bradey, Expedition Leader
Lydia was the first woman to ascend Mt Everest without oxygen in 1988 and after years of personal climbing is now mountain guiding with Adventure Consultants. She has since summitted Everest with AC three more times (2008, 2013 and 2016), as well as led other expeditions including Vinson Massif, South Pole, Ama Dablam and Mt Khuiten. As well as being a qualified IFMGA Guide she is also a qualified physiotherapist.
Head Office Support Team
Running successful journeys and expeditions is more about experience, knowledge and strategic management than any other factors. As an organisation, we place a substantial amount of time and resources into ensuring our trips are well planned and supported. You can be assured that the AC staff will provide you with friendly advice and knowledgeable support throughout the planning stages of your trip and we will be there to provide backup while the trip is running.
Hayley Furze, Client Liaison
Hayley joins the AC team with a wealth of experience working in the tourism and hospitality industry along with a love of travel. She works as Client Liaison on a number of our European and international ascents, treks and expeditions.
Your Health
Expedition members will be provided with pre-trip medical advice and a medical questionnaire and asked to visit their family physician to receive a full medical examination. This information will be sighted only by the expedition leader and our medical adviser and treated with full confidentiality.
Level of Experience Required
To climb Ojos del Salado you need to be physically fit, have strong mental stamina and be capable of strenuous exercise for several days’ duration. Expedition members can expect to be exerting themselves for about six hours per day and be capable of carrying a 15-18kg pack. See our Fitness Training Programs for information on how we can help you prepare for the expedition.
Climbing at altitude affects people differently; most climbers notice a lower performance rate than normal. Our climbing days are mostly short to accommodate this and vital rest days are usually welcomed! Our graduated acclimatisation program allows you to progressively consolidate your fitness but you must arrive on the expedition in good health and with a good level of fitness. Summit day is the most physically demanding of the days and entails a 1,000m or 3,300ft ascent at altitude. This rewarding and photogenic day typically takes between twelve and fourteen hours.
This expedition is suitable for people with general mountaineering skills. Comprehensive instruction in high altitude camping and climbing techniques will be passed on to you by your guides during the expedition.
Importantly, participants should be of a positive frame of mind and be willing to operate as part of a team.
Difficulty Rating
Each of our trips is individually rated according to its physical and technical difficulty, displayed in the icons towards the top of each trip page. You can click on the accompanying question mark for additional descriptions and the full run-down of our grading system is available on our Difficulty Ratings page.
History
The first ascent was made in 1937 by Jan Alfred Szczepański and Justyn Wojsznis, members of a Polish team.
Food
Our food on the expedition, when trekking in and on the mountain, is prepared by the guides. Please indicate any specific dietary requirements you may have on your application form. For special diets such as vegan and gluten/dairy free we will call you to discuss your needs and how this will work in the group cooking situation. If your dietary requirements are especially strict you are advised to bring a sufficient supply of your required food types with you to ensure you are provided for.
Clothing & Equipment
Expedition members will be sent a list detailing all necessary individual clothing and equipment to be provided. We will correspond with you prior to the trip to answer your queries and ensure you have met all the equipment requirements. Having the correct equipment is key to your performance on summit day and achieving success.
Weather
The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coast Range, resulting in a rainfall of just 1 millimetre (0.04 in) per year. Some weather stations in the Atacama have never received rain! In fact there is some evidence to suggest that the Atacama may not have had any significant rainfall in the 400 year period from the late 1500s to late 1900s. Further studies by a group of British scientists have also suggested that some river beds have been dry for 120,000 years. It is so arid that Ojos del Salado is completely free of glaciers.
From the teeming rivers of the Amazon to the spectacular Incan ruins at Machu Picchu, your South American expedition needn't finish at the bottom of the mountain.
