Introduction

In the shadow of the famous and crowded Aconcagua, as if it were his younger brother, is located the Ameghino Peak. It presents a similar profile to its famous neighbor but at a smaller scale, when seen from the Plata Range. On some maps it appears as a 6000m summit but we can say without fear of contradiction that is not part of the select group of "six thousand" of Mendoza as it lacks only a few tens of meters to achieve that category. Its morphology consists of a steep south face, with glaciers discovered at its base and a rocky strip crossed by icefalls. A high edge joins it to Aconcagua to the southwest, a large stony slope descends in the north to the Vacas valley, and in the East a long edge, defended by snowfields, forms the border between the Relinchos valley and the Vacas river valley.

History

It was climbed for the first time by John Semper and Angel Landi on March 16, 1938. These two athletes were part of the first expedition of Club Andinista Mendoza (CAM) to Aconcagua, which was aimed to repeat the North-East route, opened just four years ago by the famous Polish expedition. José Vela and Mario Bertone were also part of the CAM expedition. After a long march of approach throug the Vacas and Relinchos valleys, high camp installed in the pass Aconcagua Ameghino. The summit day, after battling several hours, cold and high forces dwindled athletes who give up the attempt. Back at high camp, decide to rest one day and undertake the rise of neighboring summit still virgin. The next day Landi Semper and get their way up through the southwest edge of the mountain.

Toponimy

In old stories and maps, this mountain appears referred to as "hill of the Relinchos" This name is possibly before his first ascent. Florentino Ameghino's name is a tribute to the famous naturalist and nineteenth-century Argentine scientist.

Routes

This mountain has several ascent routes. The most frequented and what could be classified as "normal" is the original route from the pass that links it to Aconcagua, which presents some easy climbing before the summit. On the south face, some technical difficulty routes have been mapped as that one by Di Carlantonio and Arnaudi conducted in February 2009. The edge East provides another opportunity to reach the summit via a long journey even more interesting than the normal route. Finally, this mountain has also been ascended from the Vacas valley, connecting the last mile to the original route. Any climber who wants to try their summit, must complete the requirements of Aconcagua Provincial Park entrance, where this peak is located.

References

González, Jorge. 2010. “Historia del montañismo argentino”, 1° edición. Palloni Ediciones, p.75, p.103

Magnani, Alfredo E. 2011. ”Club Andinista Mendoza: tomo I”. 1° edición, Mendoza. Zeta Editores, p.100.