Lafayette

that's a funny lookin keg tap

I'm free this week if you're going for it.

Doing the false polish we didn't need to boil until camp 2. But had hauled enough fuel to boil from the first day at base camp if needed. The camps on the approach, and base camp will have water piped in from the valleys. We had 1 jet boil and one Whisperlite. When melting snow it was great to have two stoves to melt the snow, then boil in the jetboil. For drinking we sometimes tabbed it when it was questionably but frequently just drank it direct without problems. The jetboils are great but the cannisters are expensive. If I had an XGK I would definitely have brought it as it seems like the stove of preference on the mountain.

nice work Todd-Poo looks like this weekend could be good for a repeat...

dopeness

Oh, having carried my plastics on too many flights. Usually being overweight and actually wearing them in the airport. If you're not going to do a bunch of snow climbs, it might just be worth renting boots and crampons in each country.

Kathmandu has gear shops galore. Depending on what type of winter peak you're going for it ranges from cheap knock off, to mediocre knock off, to original NF, Mountain Hardware, etc. Depending on how many stops you're taking the flights can become expensive. If you used the RTW to get you to and from continents, you could use cheap carriers like AirAsia, RyanAir etc to bounce around. Then hop back on the RTW ticket for the long hauls. Depending on your skill Island Peak is a pretty easy climb for which you'll need basic crevasse rescue, cramp on's, etc. It provides a phenomenal view of the Khumbu valley. However, that means you're doing the Everest Base Camp trek and it's probably isn't the most majestic outing in Nepal. That being said, the locals are fantastic, the Momo's awesome, and the outdoor adventure incredible (and cheap!)

If you start in BKK there are about the cheapest air tickets in the world there. Getting to KTM won't be difficult. However, this seat of the pants approach will necessitate some serious flexibility. If you opt for the round the world option those can also be purchased on the cheap in Bangkok. Cuba has a whole province of unclimbed limestone rock in the Vinales area. Bit of an easier flight too....sorta.

I met a couple of AMG guides in South America. Both were of the highest caliber and strong climbers.

I met a couple of AMG guides in South America. Both were of the highest caliber and strong climbers.

Thanks Bug, it seems that after satiating the initial curiousity of the community the ire has turned against me. However, Dane is right. Paul probably should post a reply. As I stated earlier I,m no saint. So for future partners he can go nowhere but up, I have yet to post a full TR to lay out the case. In fact I was the last person to join the team. Luckily for Mike, otherwise it wouldn{t have worked out when Paul backed out at base camp. Mike and I have all the tech skills, this mountain was by no means a stretch. At this point these facts are just whining. My revenge was but one small part of the point of this thread, and not what I set out to do. With luck his next set of Acon partners will do a google search and have this come up. It also forced me to confront him and lay out exactly how he disapointed, and laid out some specific items for future trips. Those two reasons made this exercise worth while to me. I may take my lumps from a bunch of bloggers, but so it goes. I stand by my statements. With this post I{ll end my participation in this thread and we can all get back to the important tasks were were doing before.

Surprise, my name is indeed Will Hockett. I choose an avatar that reveals my identity, and stand behind my words. As for the uselessness, probably right. A juvenile revenge, but after a few weeks it felt good. In my defense, I,d point out that this is hardly the first post to waste time. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder to others when the look for a partner online. I,ve also met a number of great climbing partners online. I,m an intermediate level climber with time to commit. Its been tough to find enough partners that are as eager to get out. As for evaluating; plenty was done pre-trip. It wasn,t exactly easy to find a partner willing to ditch girl, job, or dog for a 3 week trip in South America. On the phone paul had plenty of tech skills from the ascents he,s done. He also had two trips, one independent on Denali. He sounded personable and amiable on the phone. My other partner, Mike and I didn,t have any expedition experience so we were looking for the extra knowledge. All that could have been done in pre-trip planning and evaluation was done. Lastly, most of my climbs have been in OR and WA. I,d never seen much of the guide industry, let alone other climbers. In Ecuador and in Argentina we were both appalled and amazed by the minimal level of skill that can be hauled up a mountain by a guide. I was impressed with the guides and appalled by some of their clients. On Acon the guides were exremely helpful to our independent group with weather, and route info. Those thanks will be doled out in the TR.....eventually.

eh, had the big boy conversation with a guy five years my senior. Laid out the facts he conceded some. Disputed others. I´m definitely no saint on this climb. Gave him a second chance to pick up lunch. Would have helped after carrying his boots down from Plaza Argentina for him. Either way, Paul Elwell at paulelwell.net

Thanks for the advice, it´s good to read what the wiser and cooler heads have to say. Blanco is a nice guy. He had a good attitude, just not the skills. The best characterization of his abilities is that he´s a good client for a guided trip. (BUT DIDN´T TIP!) It´d be much easier if I found him to be an asshole. I would be more apt to solve my problem with my fists than my tongue. I´ll be posting a TR in the next few days.

Hey Guys, So I´m down in Argentina with a buddy of mine. Due to weather we were unable to summit Aconcagua via the Polish Direct, and instead ended up traversing. For the past two weeks we had a third climber, met over summit post, who ´joined´ our ´team.´ We´ll call him Blanco. Blanco is pretty much the most useless climber I´ve ever met. At least if I bring a girlfriend into the mountains I can see some benefit. With Blanco, other groups were asking us if we were working as guides. For two weeks he didn´t contribute shit to the team, relying on us to ferry loads, boil water for him, gather snow, and adjust our plans for a Plaza Argentina exit. (He wasn´t able to make the carry over the pass to exit the other side.) On summit day we woke up and got gear up. Blanco was outside saying he was ready to go when I pointed out that he was wearing a pair of convertible pants, and no snow or wind layer. He was surprised it was so windy. After weeks of question his mental, fitness, and equipment preparation we basically had to say what the hell are you doing. He would have froze and it would have been our fault. His excuse was that he didn´t think he would have made it to camp 2 if he´d had to carry all his gear. He left wind, and down pants at base camp. Another example of his skills was when he tried to explain how much shorter it would be to exit down the horcones valley. This was until I showed him that you needed to exit to the road and not just the random park boundry line on the map. (Author´s note, it is still shorter, but he was looking at the thing on the map.) When looking at random small snow peak, he claims wow isn´t it beautiful. This is looking north up the valley, Acon is the giant mountain to the west that has a ton of snow on it. Look, maybe this is a bad diatribe but his claims before the trip were the ability to climb WI5, doing Denali, North Ridge on Baker, and a few years of experience in the cascades. He later revealed his WI5 was on up to 80 deg ice, I dunno too much about ice climbing but figure WI5 is harder than that. He might have had expedition experience, but he couldn´t work either our jet boil or the whisper lite. Which tells me that for three weeks his partners had to do all the cooking for him. My partner and I basically felt we were guides and he was our responsiblity. Maybe I´m just trying to relase some stress by venting, and I apologize for the useless diatribe. But these are only a couple of many situations that he put us in that not only made more work for ourselves, but challenged us to change plans and accomodate Blanco. When we got back to Mendoza he never even bought us a beer or a dinner for having to carry his weight (figuratively and literally.) My question is, should I reveal on Summit Post that this guy is a twinky who overstates his experience? He has plans on doing the rest of the seven summits, and I would hate for somebody else to be partnered with this ass bag. Or should I just relax, drink some more wine, and find more senoritas to cool hot head. Maybe the act of venting will be enoug therapy in itself. I´ve met some great climbers via CC and SP, but will take a long hard look at the next guy. Adios, W!ll

I just used Aymara and they were very helpful. We had a summit poster ass bag out at Plaza Argentina. With only one tent we were in a bit of a bind but Aymara was gracious enough to let Gordo live in their mess tent. They were also super helpful and excited to talk to us about the climb, route conditions, and summit weather. All the muleteers charge the same price so it´s a crap shoot, but I found Aymara to go above and beyond in terms of helpfullness. We had some extra gear to sell at the end of the trip and one of the Aymara porters gathered his buddies as we basically auctioned off our gear. Gotta replace it when I get home, but the prices we got were worth it.

nice

I´m in Quito currently. Climbing with a porter is a sad way to climb a mountain, but there are plenty of guided parties taht will do this for you. There are many certified ecuadorean guides that do private trips. They can be seen in the refugios doing everything from cooking, to assisting the client put on boots, harness, and gaiters. It´s rediculous. As for shops, Tatoo is definitely a good one. Andes Sport, and altus. Just walk down Juan Leno Mera in the mariscal district. You´ll find what you need. For clothes most prices are comparable, unless purchasing a local brand that is a slightly better deal. But does sacrifice quality. Tech gear like beaners, axes, etc. is more expensive than US prices.

DD gave constructive advice. I might admit to doing the same thing when I was starting out.

zing!

Three times in three different days.... http://www.bogley.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=188852 So even if it hasn't changed your view. It definitely has for other "people"

That TR is almost better than porn.

Ouch, I'm actually a native Kiwi so truly harsh. I lived on the South Island for six months and didn't think it was bad. Wasn't climbing, but got some epic snowboarding in during their winter, and some beach time during their spring/summer. As for Hugh, as much as I can in south america. Likely just the intermediate level slogs, I'm not great with technical ice routes...yet.

How is quito for meeting up with other climbers? I'm solo and haven't had luck trolling Summitpost or other online boards.

Killi is about the same height. And that's a five day climb. I'm trying to head south, but don't have time to travel until after Thanksgiving.