Aconcagua, Solo Ascent of South Face and Hang-Glider Descent. Two separate French expeditions were active on Aconcagua in February. Ivan Ghirardini soloed the south face, reaching the summit on February 3 after four days of climbing. On the summit he found Jean-Marc Boivin, Dominique Marchai and Jean-Franck Charlet, who had been waiting for three weeks for proper weather for a hang-glider descent. Boivin and Marchai did make the descent in hang gliders that weighed about 60 pounds each.