Aconcagua, South Face Direct. The South Tirolean Expedition had hoped to climb the south buttress of the south peak of Aconcagua. After they arrived at their 13,775-foot Base Camp on January 6, they reconnoitered this route until the 10th but found it too rotten and objectively dangerous. They then turned to the central part of the south face, first climbed by the French in 1954. The previously climbed route makes a wide bow to the right in its upper third. This the Tiroleans proposed to straighten. From January 12 to 19 they prepared the route to Camp I at 19,700 feet. Camp II at 20,000 feet was occupied on the 20th. Mountain sickness drove Jochen Gruber down, and he was accompanied by Dr. Oswald Ölz. On the 22nd Konrad Renzler and Reinhold Messner reconnoitered the summit wall. On January 23 Jörgl Mayr and Messner reached 20,850 feet. Messner continued on alone to the summit. Descent also was down the south face.