Climb of a Lifetime

Climbing Equipment

 Ice Axe
 Crampons
 Trekking Poles

Footwear

 Light Hiking boots for the trek in
 River crossing shoes- most people had Tevas. I had neoprene beach shoes and one of the guides had Crocs! I would recommend the Crocs because they are so lightweight and you can use them as camp shoes all the way up the mountain.
 Camp Shoes- try and bring either down booties with soles or some very lightweight camp shoes. I didn’t bring any up the mountain with me so had to walk around in my inner liners of my Millet’s. They got ruined on all the sharp rocks you have at the camps.
 Double Plastic Climbing Boots. I had the Millet Everest Boots- sooooooooo warm but a bit too big and bulky for a climb on rocks and scree like this. Also- they got really torn up and I would like to be able to use them on many mountains to come. Most people had the yellow Koflach double plastics.
 Gaiters- I didn’t need them because my Millet’s have built in gaiters but everyone else had them. Nice for extra warmth and keeping rocks out of your boots.
 Socks- I always used a two sock combo- liner and outer. I used wool socks on the lower mountain and the Lorpen technical mountaineering socks above Camp 3. They were warm! Some people wear cotton socks on the hike in to try and prevent blisters. I had no problems with my two sock combo.
 Bread bags- I use these as a vapour barrier when I am climbing in colder weather. They go between the liner sock and outer sock to keep moisture from reaching the outer sock.

Tech Clothing

 Lightweight Long Underwear- I used these as a layer lower down on the mountain.
 Expedition Weight Underwear- I used these above Camp 2 basically as a base layer.
 Fleece/Synthetic Jacket- I had one fleece I wore pretty much everyday! I brought along a Marmot wind stopper jacket with hood that I left at base camp because of weight but it would have been nice to have higher up. Biggest benefit is the hood to block out all that wind.
 Insulated Pants- I had synthetic ones that worked just great for me and I only used them on summit day. My team mates all had down pants.
 Down Parka- I had the Marmot 8000m jacket and it kept me toasty warm with just two layers underneath it.
 Gore-tex Shell Pants and Jacket with Hood – a MUST for this mountain with all that wind.
 Climbing pants- I had a pair of windproof Eider climbing pants for above Base Camp. I wore them everyday except for summit day where I wore the Insulated pants instead.
 Fleece pants- good to wear around camp and also as another warm layer if needed.

Handwear

 Liner gloves- you will want to wear a lightweight cotton liner on the walk in and out to base camp to keep your hands from burning. I also had a silk pair that I wore under all my mittens higher up.
 Windproof fleece gloves- for the warmer days or lower on the mountain.
 Medium weight expedition mitts- I used these at Camp 2 and Camp 3.
 Expedition Overmitts- These are for summit day.

Headwear

 Sun hat- a MUST! Even with a large hat I burned my nose!
 Fleece windproof hat
 Lightweight Balaclava. I also had a heavy weight one but luckily never had to wear it! The lightweight ones are great for keeping the wind out of your ears
 Neck Gaiter- good for extra warmth and also to keep the sun off your neck
 Glacier glasses- the more coverage the better!
 Glacier Goggles- I brought a pair but never used them. They might be good if there is high wind though and if it snows.
 Bandanas- great for keeping the sun off your neck

Other Equipment

 Backpack- I had the Arc’Teryx 95L one and hated it. It’s very heavy and also very much built for a man. I had the waist strap all the way tightened and it slipped down my hips causing a lot of pain and skin scraping. Most everyone else on the trip had the Denali Pro packs. I also brought only one pack and not a smaller pack for the hike in or summit day. Most everyone brought a smaller pack of some sort but I didn’t see the point of carrying all that extra weight around.
 Sleeping Bag- I had a -40 degree bag and it was toasty all the way up the mountain to the point where I was hot some nights even at Camp 2/3. It’s a pretty bulky bag and I wrestled with getting it in the stuff sack each morning. My tent mate had a 0 degree bag and was a bit chilly so I think you could easily get away with a -20 degree bag at most which would be much more manageable. Though I was happy to be warm each night!
 Stuff Sacks- bring quite a few- you can use them for everything and they are great for organising your gear.
 Compression Stuff Sacks- definitely need one for your sleeping bag and one for your down coat to make them small enough to get in your backpack.
 Thermarest
 Ridgerest – I only used this up to Base Camp. I didn’t bring it any higher because it was bulky and my -40 bag was enough to keep me warm with just a Thermarest for comfort.
 Headlamp- you never really use it on the climb but need it at night to read and get around.
 Swiss Army Knife- good for cutting cheese and sausage!
 Insulated Mug- good up to base camp but most people just used their Nalgenes higher up the mountain in order to save weight.
 Bowl- strongly recommend using a Tupperware dish as your bowl. It’s lightweight, easy to pack and easy to clean. Plus you want to be able to put a top on it when you don’t have time to clean out your bowl!
 Spoon/Fork- you could probably get away with just a spoon the whole trip.
 Thermos- I brought a thermos for summit day. I would recommend a small one (1/2 liter at most) which you can use as your insulated mug and it’s great to have a hot drink with you on summit day.
 Sunscreen- the higher SPF the better! I had 50+ SPF and still got burnt. Also if you can get Zinc to put on your nose, cheeks and lips that would be the best. Especially higher up the mountain.
 Lipscreen- bring a couple. You should get in the habit of reapplying this often.
 Water bottles- I had two 1 liter Nalgenes, most people also brought a little ½ litre one which they used for their hot drinks.
 Water Purification tablets- you need to purify your water on the hike in/out and also at Camp 2. They say the water at base camp is ok but I would purify it as well since I got sick after drinking the water at base camp.
 Pee Bottle and Pee Funnel (for women)- these are great for when you are in a tent by yourself or with someone you know quite well and can use them in the middle of the night. Unfortunately I didn’t know my tent mate that well so didn’t use them very much!! The pee funnel is great for going on the trail with a bit more discretion than normal though. It takes lots of practice and mens clothes to do it however!
 Ear plugs- great for trying to sleep when the wind is whipping at your tent
 Eye Shade- also good for helping sleep in on those rest days when you get to sleep past the sun coming up!
 First Aid Kit- Tylenol, Moleskin for blisters, Iodine as antiseptic, bandaids, etc. I also brought a round of Cipro and Diamox. I never had to touch the Diamox thankfully but did take the Cipro as I got sick at Base Camp. If you are going to bring Diamox, ask your Doctor to give you tablets so that you can take just a nibble of one to help you sleep if you are having problems with Cheyne Stokes breathing at any of the camps.
 Purell Hand Sanitizer and Antibacterial Wipes- You will use a lot of these since you won’t have much of an opportunity to wash your hands. I would also recommend bringing a tiny bar of soap that you can use to wash your hands at those camps where you have access to water (not directly in the water of course!).
 Disposable Baby Wipes (Kandoos)- I used these instead of toilet paper. They were great in that you usually need less of them and you also get a bit of a bath in the process! They are also good for giving you a spot bath and trying to get rid of at least a layer or two of dirt.
 Toothbrush/Toothpaste- bring small ones!
 Small bottle of shampoo- if the weather is nice you can wash your hair at Base Camp on the way down.
 Trash Compactor Bags- bring a few of these to line your backpack and duffel bag. My duffel got soaked when a mule did a river crossing and my sleeping bag ended up wet. Should have lined my duffel! Also, one of our group fell in the river on a river crossing and luckily she had lined her backpack.
 Large duffel and small duffle. The large duffel will be used to carry all your gear to base camp. The small duffel can be left in Mendoza or Penetentes with all the gear/clothes you won’t need on the climb.
 T-shirt and shorts to sleep in- I brought separate clothes to sleep in for the lower camps because you really don’t want to sleep in the clothes you climbed in as they are so full of dirt.
 Trekking pants- I had one lightweight pair for the hike in and out.

Food

I brought Snickers, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Fruit Gushers, Gatorade and Gu. You can actually buy tons of food in Mendoza- even drink mixes- and also my guiding company provided us with tons of snack food. I never ended up eating the Gu because I had enough of an appetite to eat all the way to the summit luckily. I did use the Gatorade almost everyday though and I ate most of the food I brought.

Other
 Cards! We played a lot of Hearts and Gin Rummy to pass the down time
 Book- you will need something to read if you get stuck in your tent with weather!
 Camera- keep it in a Ziplock since it will get pounded with dirt!
 iPod- I didn’t bring it above Base Camp but it’s nice to have some music while lying in your tent!