Record tumbles in climb to the top of Aconcagua
Carlos Sa marathon runner and climber has entered the record books after his conquest of the highest peak in the Americas.
The Portuguese knocked nearly five hours off the record for the ascent of Aconcagua cutting the time from 20 hours to 15 hours and 42 minutes.
The mountain, in the Andes range inArgentinarises to almost 7,000 meters and this was Sa’s second attempt at the record.
Technically in mountaineering terms it is known as an easy climb, but it has what is called, “a hidden evil” the intense cold which has caused many injures to climbers in the past and Sa also had to cope with deep snow hampering his progress to the top and that record.
From 7Summits-Club
Carlos Sa or Carlos Gomes Dasa - 39 years old ultra sky-runner of world class, one of the first on all ratings.
That record toAconcaguawas carefully prepared. Carlos Sa with his team arrived to Argentina in December. On December 27 there was his first climb of Aconcagua for acclimatization and route studying. The first attempt of establishment of a new record took place on January 13. However in the upper part of a route conditions were unfavorable - snow swept up the track. The second attempt took place in three days. On January 16 Carlos started at 5:20 a.m. from an entrance to the national park Horcones, from height of 2750 meters. His start was noted by employees of the park who and fixed then his finish. At the top of Aconcagua (6962 meters, on the last measurement) the Portuguese was approximately at 5 p.m.. . And at 8:34 p.m. Sa returned to Horcones. Total time, that is a new record – 15 hours 42 minutes. Distance – about 81 kilometers, vertical drop – about 4500 meters.
Time of the Portuguese runner is confirmed as record by official representatives of National park. Also it was reported that Karlush Sa broke a record of the Peruvian Holmes Pantoja Bayona (20:35).
It, probably, means so that the time shown in 2007 by Spaniard Jorge Egochiarega - 14 hours, 5 minutes and 54 seconds – are recognized informal, or more precisely, as the officially unrecognized.
In 2000 Pelissier, Brunod and Meraldi - Italian team (all stars of ski-mountaineering) climbed on top of Aconcagua from Plaza de Mulas in 3 hours 40 minutes (1:12 – for descent). Still this result is considered as a record.
Well-known Catalan Kilian Jornet (at the left, Carlos at the right ) intends to establish new speed records at all Seven Summits.Aconcaguais planed for 2014. What route he will choose ?
