Radio 1, Back On The Bike In Argentina
Mark and Greg James chat about riding with a broken back wheel and seeing penguins in Patagonia.
Archives for January 2010
BBC Learning: Why Is The Atacama So Dry?
Geography expert, and former teacher of a certain Mr Beaumont, Val Vannet has written another great geo-blog for the BBC Scotland Learning blog.
So, stop fidgetting in your seat and pay attention. Go over to the site where today's lesson, 'Why Is The Atacamas So Dry?' will begin.
Thanks once again to Ali and Val for putting the post together.
Mark On MacAulay And Co - Full Length
Sit back and enjoy a full length interview with Mark on BBC Radio Scotland. Talking to the Fred show's Lindsay Gillies.
Mark will also be doing his regular slot on Greg James' Radio 1 show this thursday.
Documenting The Climb Of Aconcagua
Here are some more images from the summit of Aconcagua taken by Oksana Chekulaeva, a photographer who was also on the climb with Mark.
The traverse to the Canaleta (6600m) Photo taken by Oksana Chekulaeva.
The full collection of pictures from Mark's journey can be found on his flickr photostream.
More updates from Mark to come next week as he gets back on the bike and heads to Patagonia, including his weekly chat with Radio 1's Greg James.
Radio 1, Back In Mendoza After The Climb
Mark chats to Greg James about conquering Aconcagua and getting back on the bike for the final two thousand miles of his journey.
Conquering Aconcagua
Mark's video diary from the final few miles of Aconcagua before getting some rest and then back on the bike through Patagonia.
Radio 1, Making The Summit of Aconcagua
Mark caught up with Greg James for their first post summit chat on Monday. You can listen to Mark again on Greg James this Thursday.
Summit Pics Are Here
Mark has sent the first of the Aconcagua summit pictures back.
Mark gives the big thumbs up from the summit of Aconcagua.
More images and video updates from Mark to come later in the week. Once he's got a little bit of rest.
Click through to the full entry for more pictures.
From The Top Of The Americas
Mark and the team have made it to the summit of Mount Aconcagua!
Here's a message from 22,841 feet, 6,963 metres in new money.
You can keep upto date over the weekend on twitter.
Aconcagua, Just Few More Metres
The latest sat-track puts Mark just around 300 vertical metres from the summit.
We'll post more news as we get it and hope to get audio from the man himself once he tops out. We're also relaying tweets from the sat phone when he calls.
Cross all fingers!
Radio 1, Ready For The Summit
Greg James and Mark chat about extreme mountain climbing and X-Factor judges.
Ready For The Climb
In nine days Damian, Sebastian and I have completed the approach to Aconcagua. The climb started at about 2500m up a 25km valley to Place de Mulas (base camp) at 4300m.
Damian, Sebastian and I march up the 15km of Playa Ancha, a wide, stony valley towards base camp
Thankfully, the bulk of our climbing gear was carried by mules so we could travel light. After half a year on the bike, I was concerned about having the relevant fitness to climb with a heavy pack!
The approach trek was along a very dusty trail with stunning views of Aconcagua and the surrounding mountains. We made a half way camp at Confluencia (3400m) to start our acclimatisation and spent a day climbing up to the south face of Aconcagua.
The climbing here is unlike any other mountain range that I have experienced and could not be more different to Denali, which I summited back in June. It is a mountain of stone and dirt, very arid for the most part, with incredibly varied rock colours and formations.
The view from my tent. Sheer rocks and jagged peaks line the valley up towards Aconcagua
In the last few days we have made two climbs above base camp to 4900m, Camp 1, and 5400m, Camp 2, to drop equipment and food as well as to help our acclimatisation. Today we leave on our bid for the summit. A storm has kept us at base camp for a day longer than planned, but we are still on schedule to try and reach 6965m on the 15 or 16 January.
At each new altitude I have suffered fairly sleepless nights and headaches, normal symptoms from the lessening oxygen levels. However, the body has adapted well and I feel ready to push on up. The team has been joined by Oxi, a Russian climber and the four of us seem to have similar strength and speed on the climbs.
My only contact on the upper mountain will be the satellite phone and I will try and call in with updates. Sitting in base camp, I have been hearing many stories of accidents and failed climbs so there is no sure bet of our success, but I feel we have done everything right to this point to give us the best chance of summiting. After seven months on expedition I would be very disappointed not to, but at the same time know that the summit is not worth losing a single finger or toe for, let alone risking my life.
Here is a short message from my fellow climber Sebastian, for all the Spanish speaking followers of the blog. If you want to read this in English you could try using Google Translate or Babel Fish.
I hope everyone is surviving the big freeze back in the UK!
Mark
Hola, soy Sebastian companero de Mark en el ascenso al Aconcagua, por suerte nos llevamos muy bien dado que los dos nos gusta mucho la bicicleta! Con el correr de los dias me voy dando cuenta que es muy importante tener un grupo unido y parejo, no puede heber diferencias a esta altura. Damian no solo nos guia sino que compartie toda su experiencia con nosotros y eso mas lo vivido por Mark hace que sea mas llevadera la espera de la aclimatacion. Hoy estamos saliendo para arriba para ya no volver y en unos 4 dias intentar hacer cumbre...ojala el tiempo y el fisico acompanen, veremos...abrazo y nos vemos a la vuelta...
Double Geography
Find out more about the landscape of the Americas on the BBC Scotland Learning blog. They've published a second blog about the amazing geography of the continent that Mark is travelling the length of.
Thanks once again to Ali and Val.
Radio 1, On The Climb to Aconcagua
Mark and Greg have a chat over the sat phone on Radio 1.
Video Diary Aconcagua
Mark reports from a windy basecamp on Aconcagua, Argentina.
Sorry about the wind noise, these things happen at 3,400 metres.
Listo para Aconcagua, Ready for Aconcagua!
For half a year since leaving the town of Talkeetna in Alaska I have had one main focus, to reach Aconcagua within its climbing season and make a bid to summit. The pace has been pretty frantic at times but I have done it! I am in Argentina in time to climb. Now I just need to find out if I am in shape! Climbing requires a totally different sort of fitness to cycling.
The view from my tent. Sheer rocks and jagged peaks line the valley up towards Aconcagua.
I haven't been cycling at the record pace I maintained around the globe, this was never the idea. What I wanted was to explore and film a lot more of the world I was passing through. This has been a tricky balance to maintain at times, but I'm really pleased to hear from the production team that the documentary series is shaping up very well and that it promises to be unique and very colourful.
The last section across the Atacama Desert was one of the most extreme and stunning worlds I have cycled through. Almost nothing lives in this sterile world, neither plant nor animal as the sands are too acidic. It hasn't rained for decades. The days are very hot without shade and the nights very cold and exposed. The Atacama has a rare magic that can only be properly appreciated at the speed of a bike and by sleeping under the stars.
For the last five days I have been in the beautiful city of Mendoza in Argentina, preparing for the climb. Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas and not to be underestimated. On my first day off the bike I went to hospital for five hours of medical checks. Rather ironically my taxi had a crash on route there - but luckily no-one was hurt and I swapped to another cab and left some angry Argentineans to sort it out!
After the tests, and with a clean bill of health, it was then a case of plenty of food and sleep to restore the body's batteries. The bike also went for a check up and is now fully serviced and ready for the final 2000 miles that I plan to cycle post-climb to the southern tip of Argentina.
Damian, Sebastian and myself just before starting the climb to base camp.
I will be climbing with two Argentineans, Damian and Sebastian. Both are great athletes and experienced climbers. Damian is arguably the most experienced guide on this mountain. We are now packed and ready for up to three weeks away as we attempt to climb to 6,963 meters. My next update will be from the mountain!
Mark
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About this blog
World record breaker Mark Beaumont cycled from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia in Southern Argentina. Following the line of the mountain ranges which form the American Cordillera, he also climbed the two highest peaks Mount McKinley and Aconcagua, on foot. Recording the adventure on this blog and for a BBC One series, The Man Who Cycled the Americas.
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