Mt. Aconcagua

Mount Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America and the tallest mountain outside of Asia. Located in the Andes Mountains of Argentina’s Mendoza Province, it rises to 6,961 m (22,838 ft) above sea level. Known as one of the Seven Summits, Aconcagua attracts climbers from around the world for both its altitude challenge and accessibility.

 

Routes

• Normal Route — The most popular and least technical path, approaching from the northwest through Horcones Valley.

• Polish Glacier Route — A tougher climb via the east face, requiring ice and snow experience.

• Polish Traverse Route — Begins from Vacas Valley and joins the Normal Route near the summit.

• South Face Route — The most difficult and dangerous, a steep technical climb for advanced mountaineers.

 

Women’s Records & Achievements

• First woman to complete a solo ascent of Aconcagua — Vera Watson (USA) — 1974

• Women’s speed record (climb + descent, Normal Route) — Daniela Sandoval (Ecuador) — 20 h 17 m — January 2018

• First woman to complete Aconcagua’s Full 360° route (circumnavigation + summit in one push) — Suzanne “Sunny” Stroeer (USA/Germany) — 47 h 30 m — 3 February 2018

• Oldest woman to summit Aconcagua — Sona Armenian (Armenia) — age 70 — 18 January 2019

• First Aymara women to summit Aconcagua — Ana Lía Gonzales Magueño, Elena Quispe Tincuta, Lidia Huayllas Estrada, Dora Magueño Machaca & Cecilia Llusco Alaña (Bolivia) — 23 January 2019

• Youngest girl to summit Aconcagua — Kaamya Karthikeyan (India) — age 12 — 1 February 2020

• First Slovak woman and women’s fastest known time (BC-summit-BC) (new 2025 FKT) — Lenka Poláčková (Slovakia) — 8 h 17 m 14 s — 25 January 2025

 

Cultural Significance & Notable Expeditions by Women

• Three Indonesian Female Climbers (Indonesia) — On 31 January 2016, Fransiska Dmitri Inkiriwang, Mathilda Dwi Lestari, and Dian Indah Carolina successfully summited Aconcagua, marking one of the earliest all-female Indonesian teams to reach the peak. Their climb celebrated Indonesian women’s growing achievements in global mountaineering.

• Cholitas Escaladoras (Bolivia) — A group of Aymara Indigenous women who traditionally worked as cooks and porters in the Andes. In 2019, five members — Ana Lía Gonzales Magueno, Elena Quispe Tincuta, Dora Magueño, Lidia Huayllas, and Cecilia Llusco — summited Aconcagua wearing their traditional skirts (polleras), symbolising empowerment and cultural pride. Their ascent was documented in the film Cholitas.

• International Group of Mountain Women of the World (Various Nationalities) — On 19 February 2023, an international team of women from five countries summited Aconcagua as part of the Mountain Women of the World network, coordinated by the Mountain Partnership (FAO). The expedition aimed to promote women’s leadership, climate awareness, and mountain sustainability.