Aconcagua, the 1988-1989 Season. Although Aconcagua is ascended all year round, most mountaineering, particularly for foreigners, takes place in December and January. In this summer season of 1988-1989, 211 expeditions were registered: 52 from the United States, 33 from Argentina, 21 from Germany, 20 from Spain, 16 from France, 11 from Japan and other parts of Europe and Latin America. The most common route was from the northwest, taken by 159 expeditions. The Polish route on the east was chosen by 41 groups and the south face by 9. Of the 792 climbers, 72 were women. In contrast, only five groups visited Aconcagua in the peak of winter. The speed record—Plaza de Mulas to the summit—that had been established by German Michael Dacher in 1988 was broken on January 12, 1989 by American Marty Schmidt, who accomplished the ascent in 6 hours, 13 minutes; that is two minutes shorter than Dacher.

Luis Alberto Parra, Club Andinista Mendoza