Aconcagua, Attempt by Blind Climber. In December, Erik Weihenmayer, a blind climber, made an attempt of Aconcagua by the normal route, reaching 1,500 feet shy of the summit with guides and a film crew. We went for the summit on our 17th day on the mountain, reaching Independencia at 21,000 feet. We went down from there due to high winds. The mountain is a slag heap. It’s strictly a roll of the die as to whether the weather lets you summit or not.

Hans Florine, unaffiliated