Park Rangers and Medical Assistance

Mt Aconcagua climb

Park Rangers

Since 1990 Mt Aconcagua Park has had a park ranger service which controls the protected area and helps the visiting climbers. This service is present in all the base camps of Mt. Aconcagua and often in the ascent routes.

The Park Rangers team is in charge of:

– Keeping the order 
– Checking cleanliness
– Controlling the Mt Aconcagua camps
– Helping and informing climbers
– Controlling the service providers (in case of problems or complaints report immediately)
– Exercising power of police *
– Coordinating evacuations **
– Checking admission permits (in Horcones and Punta de Vacas)
– Controlling waste collection (of individuals and service providers)

These are some of the duties, among other.

* When the park ranger or physician judge that the climbers’ equipment or physical conditions are poor, they will be advised in writing “Not to ascend”.

** Together with the medical service and the rescue patrol to the park exit. Evacuations will be coordinated by the medical staff in charge of emergencies, by the means they consider necessary or which are available (mules, helicopters, ambulance).

The responsibility for control and watch only includes from the Mt Aconcagua park entrance to the base camps (4300 meters above sea level). Beyond that altitude, they perform only evacuation and cleaning duties. For all these tasks, the park rangers have an adequate equipment and modern communication systems which allow them permanent radio coverage all over the park in VHF to prevent emergencies. The radio frequency is 142.8 MHZ FM.

Location of Ranger Stations

Normal Route
– Station in Horcones entrance
– Confluencia intermediate Camp
– Plaza de Mulas Base Camp
– Nido de Cóndores High Camp
Polish Route
– Quebrada de Vacas entrance
– Pampa de Leñas
– Casa de Piedra
– Plaza Argentina Base Camp

Location of Medical Assistance Stations

Normal Route
– Confluencia intermediate Camp
– Plaza de Mulas Base Camp
– Nido de Cóndores High Camp
Polish Route
– Quebrada de Vacas entrance
– Plaza Argentina Base Camp

Mt Aconcagua – Park Rangers

Medical Assistance

Mt Aconcagua Argentina -Medical Assistance in Plaza de Mulas

Aconcagua Park offers elementary medical service in both routes, during the entire season. It is rendered by the Government of Mendoza Province only with the payment of the Entry Permit. Medical Assistance posts boast high- leveled professionals which are vastly qualified to prevent and attend mountain illnesses. These stations also offer a complete equipment and medicines for first aid.Medical controls are compulsory for every single climber; the abandonment of the expedition is possible if oxygen saturation in blood, blood pressure and other basic controls do not reach the minimum required values for this kind of activity.Aconcagua offers a premium Medical Service which has already saved several lives since it first established. It also participates with Park Rangers in all the evacuations and rescues carried out. It is very important to have into account that helicopter service is provided 24hs a day in Aconcagua Park, which allows a quick intervention in case of medical emergencies. As above mentioned, all these services are included with the payment of the entrance fee.